The fourth edition of the annual Borneo Youth Leadership Conference, taking place September 13 -16, will be the largest to date with 500 delegates being targeted – thrice the size of the last three conferences.

While the previous editions were held at Curtin Sarawak in Miri as part of a student council programme, the coming event will move to Sarawak’s capital Kuching to accommodate a larger audience.

Vinodh Menon

Borneo Youth Leadership Conference was created by Vinodh Menon, a Curtin graduate who is passionate about empowering youths. This year’s edition will be organised by Vinodh’s company, Phoenix PR, of which he is the COO.

Vinodh is confident of achieving the targeted number of delegates with the support of Sarawak Convention Bureau which is assisting with delegate boosting activities, marketing and promotion support and speaker support.

Tan Wei Ni, business development manager at Sarawak Convention Bureau, said the bureau was supportive as the conference is essential for human capital development, The conference is also supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia and Leaderonomics, a training provider based in Malaysia.

This year’s conference takes a new approach, providing opportunities for delegates to apply themselves through engagement and leadership simulations and to learn the traits required to pursue their dreams in line with the conference theme, Pursuing Your Passion, explained Vinod.

He added: “We have pushed the envelope with our speaker panel, comprising 25 young, successful personalities.”

The list includes Zee Avi, Malaysian singer and songwriter; Phat Fabes, radio DJ and television host; and Shanjhey Kumar Perumal, a Malaysian director and writer who produced the documentary, The Day That River Ran Red, which won the Jury Award at The KOMAS Freedom Film Festival Southeast Asia in 2013.

A study by MyTravelResearch.com shows East-West convergence in travel expectations and consumption patterns among Generation Z (those born in late 90s), with young Chinese, South Korean, Japanese and Indian travellers share as much in common with their Western counterparts as they do with their parents.

The report describes digital natives of Generation Z as ‘technoholics,’ entirely dependent on IT, with limited grasp of alternatives. They are career multi-taskers often in part-time ‘portfolio’ jobs, aspire to security and stability, crowd-source solutions to tasks and want to make a difference. They are also relatively dependent on their parents – and quite happy to be so.

“They tend to see the Internet as an extension of their self,” said Carolyn Childs, tourism strategist, co-founder of MyTravelResearch.com. “Their expectation is that all interactions both online and offline will be smooth, quick and easy. Their attention span is shaped by Snapchat. Whereas Generation Y (Millennials; born 1981-1995) seek constant feedback, Generation Z seeks constant dialogue – think instant messaging, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Kik.”

Meanwhile, there are strong lifestyle generational changes across all demographics and identifiable life stages. This creates opportunities and challenges for tourism businesses, especially those that target specific generations.

For example, baby boomers (born 1945-60) in the West is a large, affluent and time-rich demographic. They expect the world to change around them and will embrace it as it does. What they won’t put up with is stereotyping or out-of-date images. They want to see themselves as they feel, not as we see them. Marketers who fail to appreciate this will be punished, stated Childs.

On the blurring lines between generations, Childs added: “There is a growing recognition that demographics are not destiny. Many destinations now look at their target audiences through psychographic or needs-based profiling, rather than demographics.”

The full analysis of Changing of the (Demographic) Guard report, which is authored by Childs for PATA, can be downloaded here.

From April 26 to October 8, Costa Cruises will base its newly restyled Costa neoRomantica ship in Asia to offer new itineraries covering destinations in Japan, South Korea and Russia.

Having recently underwent a HK$900 million (US$155.80 million) restyling, the 1,800-pax neoRomantica will set sail on 5D4N to 8D7N journeys to Sokcho and Busan in South Korea, Vladivostok in Russia, and Hakodate, Aomori, Sakata, Niigata, Kanazawa, Maizuru and Sakaiminato in Japan.

Pool deck on the ship

The deployment of Costa neoRomantica comes as part of Costa Asia’s continuing investment strategy in the region. Earlier deployments to Asia include Costa Victoria in 2012, followed by Costa Atlantica (2013), Costa Serena (2015) and Costa Fortuna (2016).

“The deployment of the fifth Costa ship in Asia will reinforce our leading position in Asia and allow us to continue to significantly grow the Asian cruise market in the next decade, (as well as provide) a further boost for Asia to become one of the most prominent markets in the world,” said Costa Group Asia president Buhdy Bok.

Air India’s announcement to reward IATA agents with two per cent incentive on top of the original one per cent commission beginning April 1 has drawn mixed response from travel agent associations in the country.

The move is expected to help Air India consolidate its base of IATA travel agents, who were otherwise buying airline tickets through intermediaries due to the better commissions offered.

“Air India doesn’t have a large percentage of ticketing coming through IATA agents. Our proposal was that most IATA agents should directly buy from Air India and not be tempted to buy from an intermediary, said Sunil Kumar, president of TAAI, a key proponent of the airline’s revised incentive scheme.

“It is important that irrespective of any target, IATA agents must be rewarded with better margins,” added Kumar. “The intermediaries should not be given higher remuneration in the name of performance-linked bonuses (PLBs) when the business they offer is coming through other agents.”

Many airlines in India offer PLBs ranging from three to nine per cent to favoured travel agents and OTAs.

Praveen Chugh, president, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), commented: “Air India has moved in the right direction, but the income of a travel agent who was earlier earning one per cent commission plus four to five per cent PLB has gone down to three per cent. Ideally, Air India should have announced three per cent commission plus PLBs as its new model.”

On the other hand, the move has received flak from IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI), with national president Biji Eapen labelling Air India’s new offer as “just an eyewash”.

He remarked: “These incentives are temporary and can be deferred or withdrawn without prior notice. It is very sad to see that some associations are still beating around the bush to claim this as an achievement. The law clearly mandates that PLB or transaction fee or such incentives cannot replace a commission.”

No longer content with its Europe stronghold, giant tour operator TUI now wants to tap China and India as new source markets for its hotel and cruise ship business in South-east Asia in the next five years.

Disclosing the company’s 2022 strategy to TTG Asia, Friedrich Joussen, CEO of TUI Group, wants to replicate the success the company has made in the Caribbean by targeting Chinese and Indian customers as new source markets to bring into South-east Asia.

Joussen: China and India could supply one million visitors by 2022

These new markets are expected to contribute a million customers and with a revenue of one billion euros (US$1.1 billion) by 2022, Joussen shared. TUI currently brings about 200,000 customers, mostly Europeans, to Thailand each year.

Thailand, Vietnam, the Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka have been identified as the five main destinations. TUI Group will work with Chinese and Indian charter flight operators for its South-east Asian packages.

Seeing good potential in Thailand, Joussen had spoken with Thai tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul about TUI’s business master plan for the country, where he believes cruise tourism will be a key contributor.

But Thailand needs better cruise infrastructure to attract more cruise ships and offer attractive itineraries, he pointed out. “Thailand is a major cruise destination so we would like to see more ports. We also put two more ships into South-east Asia next year.

“We have (identified) more than 20 potential areas, including Thailand where we could build hotels,” said Joussen. “We are now looking for new plots and partners in order to create more capacities.”

Two years after it bought Louvre Hotels Group, China’s Jin Jiang International has created Jin Jiang Louvre Asia and put the French chain’s CEO, Pierre Frédéric Roulot, in charge of the new entity to grow Louvre’s brands and four of Jin Jiang brands in Asia.

“By entrusting us with the development of Asia and with its historical brands, Jin Jiang acknowledges the expertise of the Louvre Hotels Group team, which gives us a great sense of pride. As the Asian market is very buoyant, the aim is to open more than 1,200 new hotels within the next three years,” said Roulot.

The four Jin Jiang brands are Metropolo, Jin Jiang Inn, Bestay and Goldmet Inn. Entities Vienna and Plateno, of which Jin Jiang is also a shareholder, remain independent. Louvre’s brands meanwhile include Première Classe, Kyriad, Campanile and Golden Tulip. It also acquired India’s Sarovar recently, whose brands include Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico and Hometel.

Roulot: 1,200 hotels in three years (Photo credit: Julien Cresp)

Interviewed on the sidelines of the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin recently, Roulot said Jin Jiang wanted to increase its network of hotels and introduce the western brands Campanile and Golden Tulip in Asia.

The first Campanile opened last October in Shanghai, following renovation and rebranding of the Jin Jiang Inn located on the Bund.

“Since the conversion, we doubled the RevPAR of the property. We plan to add more than 600 Campanile hotels throughout China. The first step is to show that you can get good results with this brand,” Roulot said.

Outside China, there are also huge opportunities, he said. The first Campanile hotel will open in Vietnam in Danang this August. The hotel owner, Empire Group, also plans to open a Golden Tulip in Vietnam.

But the “big” markets will be China, Indonesia and India. “In Indonesia, for example, we started with one brand, Golden Tulip and later introduced Kyriad when we had critical size. Soon, we will introduce Campanile, as the Chinese will now be familiar with the brand through the Campanile in Shanghai and there are lots of Chinese travelling to Indonesia.

When asked if Chinese domestic brands such as the four Jin Jiang brands could be brought out of China, he said: “Yes. One of Jin Jiang’s famous brands in China is the Metropolo. It is very Chinese but it is a good brand and I want to export Metropolo everywhere in the world. Perhaps the first will open at the end of this year in Paris, or another city in Germany.”

As to how he is able to drive Jin Jiang Louvre Asia from Paris, Roulot said he would divide his time equally between Paris and Shanghai and will have two CEOs in charge of Europe and Asia reporting to him.

Roulot has appointed Joël Guiraud, Louvre’s vice president operations, as CEO of Jin Jiang Louvre Asia. Replacing Guiraud at Louvre is Krystel Blondeau in charge of France and Andreas Tscherning in charge of Europe.

– Jin Jiang’s Louvre affair, read the View From the Top with Pierre Frédéric Roulot, TTG Asia, May 2017

Sabre Corporation is working with travel agencies in Sri Lanka to bring more services online for consumers as the country’s travel and e-commerce market take off with increasing mobile and Internet penetration.

During a recent Sabre technology roadshow event held in Colombo, Sabre introduced its WebStart solution, a white-label Internet booking engine that allows travel agencies to establish an active online business without the high costs and lengthy process typically associated with launching a website.

Sabre’s Perera

“Agents using WebStart can service their customers more efficiently through a simple online booking process that combines access to the best available airfares and more than 300,000 hotel properties worldwide – among hundreds of other non-air options – with dynamic packaging and extensive cross-selling opportunities. Through a local payment gateway provided by Sampath Bank, travellers can book multiple travel services in one single transaction,” commented Sanjika Perera, Sabre Travel Network’s Sri Lanka country manager.

Sabre is also introducing data analytics tools that will help travel companies to track and manage their customers’ evolving profiles better and create more personalised experiences. This includes the integration of Google Analytics with Sabre’s WebStart solution to access a complete view of website traffic and conversions.

The travel technology company also presented its TripCase mobile application, a travel itinerary management app designed for travel agents to stay connected with customers on-the-go through their mobile devices.

Science will speak where consumers can’t at Expedia’s first innovation lab in Asia, which will replicate the capabilities of earlier labs in London and its Bellevue headquarters in Seattle but with an added focus on mobile use.

At the launch of the lab in Singapore last week, technology to delve into user behaviour was demonstrated, showing how responses indicating delight, frustration and tension in test participants were matched to their various interactions with the site.

Arthur Chapin (far left), Dara Khosrowshahi and Jonty Neal (far right)

Expedia has been fine-tuning its study methods, from using heat maps to identify parts on the webpage users focus on to now bringing the more precise eye-tracking technology combined with facial electromyography to its Singapore lab.

But why go to such lengths when more primitive feedback methods are readily available? For Arthur Chapin, Expedia’s senior vice president for product and design, it is often more practicable to identify and remedy pain points than to simply ask consumers what they want.

The innovation lab hence serves as one of the engines powering Expedia’s test-and-learn culture, which Chapin said has given it the competitive advantage of speed. The company, which champions the “try fast, fail fast, learn fast” mantra, now introduces one or two changes to its sites daily.

In particular, the Expedia executives see Asia teeming with potential for online travel. “In the region, online travel is about 36 per cent of (bookings). This is a good number but certainly (lags behind) what we are seeing in America so there are opportunities for growth,” said Jonty Neal, CEO of Expedia Asia.

Neal further shared that Asia is leading in mobile use, as mobile roomnights grew more than 65 per cent in 4Q2016. But with greater traffic on mobile than the transacting site, there is work to be done “to push people through the funnel and transact on mobile.”

While taking a harder look at Asia and mobile behaviour through the lab in Singapore, Expedia will also continue working to better understand its unique markets. “In regions like Europe… you can afford to have commonalities in a single city to run the European business. Asia’s very different. The localisation and understanding of customer experience and expectation is critical in defining how we look at our product,” Neal said.

“(Beyond the) three innovation labs, we will occasionally go around the world to set up labs and work with partners to gain insight on different consumers,” he added.

Commenting on staffing plans to back its technological drive, Expedia’s president and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said: “Technology has been one of our fastest-growing areas of spend and will continue so globally. (In terms of engineering manpower), India will be a big centre and continue to scale. We will also hire more in China and Singapore…. We are looking at another 5,000 (engineers) in the next five years and a significant number will be in Asia.”