Tourists taking pictures from in Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park

The surprise victory of US president-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday had unexpectedly strengthened the US dollar against a basket of currencies, including sending the Chinese renminbi down to a six-year low against the greenback a day after election results were out.

Immediate reactions garnered from travel trade players at CITM 2016 indicate some concern, but other factors, including a standing 10-year visa facility and increasing sophistication of Chinese travellers will more than offset the negative effects of a less favourable exchange rate.

“There will be some effects more or less (arising from the Trump win), but I don’t expect it to put a damper on business for the foreseeable future,” said Derek Liu, general manager, Joy-America International Travel, which operates tours for Chinese groups to national parks in the US.

“We are seeing our arrivals grow roughly 100 per cent year-on-year the last few years, and we expect the same going into 2017,” said Liu.

He cites the implementation of the 10-year US visa for Chinese travellers, which came into effect in 2014, as a reason for the continued arrivals surge. For him, tour groups still form the bulk of his business as trips to attractions such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming does require a fair bit of logistics planning to get to.

At the same time, Liu is launching new tours in Alaska at CITM this year, which he believes will appeal to small groups and FIT travellers. Many of his customers are repeats, he pointed out, as most want to fully utilise the 10-year visa they applied for.

Anna Zhang, China region general manager of travel agency Gogogous, is unfazed too about the rising US dollar. Besides highlighting the well-received 10-year visa facility, she also points to the continued legacy of the US as an aspirational destination.

According to her, Trump taking the presidential office is not going to deter Chinese travellers from making plans there. “Those who have already decided to have a holiday in the US are not going to change their plans because of this,” she said.

Zhang is also pushing more FIT packages at this year’s CITM in an attempt to cater to the increasing demand of repeat Chinese travellers to the US. Many have gone to the US before and may now want to manage their own travel itineraries at their own pace, she explained.

LCC HK Express has launched a twice-weekly service from Hong Kong to Nha Trang, the first direct link between the two destinations.

Flights depart on Wednesdays and Sundays from Hong Kong at 14.50 and arrives in Nha Trang at 16.10. The return service will take off from Nha Trang at 17.50, touching down in Hong Kong at 21.10.

“We have been really impressed with the forward bookings to Nha Trang,” said Luke Lovegrove, commercial director of HK Express. The innaugural flight, which took place on November 9, was almost sold out.

“We are expecting the route to be just as popular as our service to Da Nang and anticipate carrying over 30,000 passengers in the first year,” added Lovegrove.

Nha Trang is the second destination HK Express flies to in Vietnam after its Da Nang connection.

Ashwin Gunasekeran

Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) will be organising its inaugural industry engagement conference session in December, a two-day event at The Wembley, Penang that will see a gathering of prominent figures in the local and international business events scene.

Business Events @ Penang is part of the bureau and industry’s collective effort in developing the Malaysian state into a matured business events destination.

PCEB’s CEO, Ashwin Gunasekeran, said: “The two-day programme that commences on December 6 is part of PCEB’s efforts to bring the industry together to realise common goals. We plan to make this an annual event that takes place every December. It will form part of a series of workshops and forums we will organise in the state for industry players.”

Headlining the conference is keynote speaker Noor Ahmad Hamid, regional director of ICCA Asia Pacific.

Other notable speakers and panelists include Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers’ Alun Jones; Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s Wong Wai Kin; Putrajaya International Convention Centre’s Oh Kin Tat; and S P Setia’s Koe Peng Kang, who will cover various topics such as Analysis of Business Events in Penang, Succeed at Bidding, and Associations, NGOs & Government Conferences.

TTG Asia Media’s group editor, Karen Yue, will be moderating three panel discussions – Branding a Business Events Destination, Getting My Venue Ready for Business Events, and Attracting Foreign Buyers.

This inaugural event is timely in the wake of some key developments in Penang which will further strengthen the state’s position as a business events destination, such as the scheduled opening of the Subterranean Penang International Convention & Exhibition Centre (SPICE), in March 2017. As the first purpose-built convention venue in Penang, SPICE will be able to serve large conventions of up to 8,000 people.

Malaysia Airlines will also be commencing new services between Penang and China’s Shenzhen and Shanghai in 2017, a development that bodes well for inbound MICE to Penang.

There are also a number of new and unique dining and incentive venues in Penang which opened this year such as The Top at Komtar, Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm and The Habitat Penang Hill.

Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu city, Kagawa Prefecture

Travel companies based in some of Japan’s more remote regions have welcomed news that the national government is to provide 9 billion yen (US$84.1 million) to promote off-the-beaten-path destinations in the country.

The funds are to be provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism over three years from 2017, with subsidies initially earmarked for between 10 and 20 model areas proposed by municipal governments.

The government wants the funds to be used to promote areas with features that are unique to Japan, such as castles or natural attractions, and ultimately turn them into globally recognised tourist attractions.

The funds will be used for creating more signs and maps in foreign languages, improving paved areas and pathways, installing old-fashioned lighting and removing unsightly modern advertising.

“Anything that makes it easier for foreign tourists to find out about us and then visit us is good news for our company,” said Tatsu Shiraishi, manager of the Chura-Boshi Co., which runs cultural cycling and walking tours in rural Gifu Prefecture.

“The government says it wants to get foreign visitors out of the big cities and into more rural parts of Japan and this is clearly part of that strategy, and we welcome anything that helps us do just that,” he adds.

Shiraishi said promoting the company’s services on the international stage is the single biggest challenge at present and suggested that some of the funds be channelled into raising the profile overseas of small operators with unique services and products.

“We could use some assistance on the marketing and promotion side of our operations,” agreed Sanjiv Raj Asanal, spokesperson for Anabuki Travel Inc. located in the city of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.

“Also, there are not so many people in Shikoku who speak anything other than Japanese, so I believe it would be very useful if people working in the travel and tourism sector could get some assistance with learning other languages so they are able to interact more easily with foreign visitors,” he commented.

From left: Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Committee’s Wen Shuqiong, China National Tourism Administration’s Zhang Lizhong and Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration’s Cheng Meihong

In its 18^th edition, CITM 2016 continues to be a platform to showcase China’s vast inbound and outbound tourism potential, boasting participation from some 2,593 exhibitors, of which 1,813 (70 per cent) are from China and 780 hail from overseas. Thailand is the official partner country of CITM this year.

The Shanghai Municipal Government will work with the China National Tourism Administration and Civil Aviation Administration of China to promote the city.

Shanghai is also touting the city’s highlights through the Our Shanghai music video filmed with VR and 4K technology, as well as other interactive and integrated promotional formats to bring more attention to its exhibits.

The Shanghai exhibit area spans 702m², featuring 31 booths and representation from destinations, agencies, attractions, hotels and other tourism businesses and organisations.

Meanwhile, partner host destination Yunnan will boast a record presence at this year’s show, with over 500 participants and 109 booths over a 722m² area.

Said Wen Shuqiong, deputy director of Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Committee: “This is the first year the show is taking place under the NTO’s revised organising format, and as part of the Yunnan province’s enhanced promotional charge, marks a timely opportunity to accelerate the strengthening of tourism foundations.”

Fresh at this year’s show are an exclusive 1,200m² networking zone for international sellers and buyers, in addition to two additional zones dedicated separately to China’s unique tourism features and outdoor travel equipment.

The Philippine travel trade has objected to government plans to replace the It’s More Fun in the Philippines tourism campaign slogan.

Already, 90 individuals have signed a petition on change.org to retain the current slogan. “Change only applies if there is something wrong or if there is something not working well. (But) this campaign has a great recall over the years,” the petition stated.

One of the petition signatories, Angel Ramos Bognot, president and managing director of Afro Asian Travel, said It’s More Fun in the Philippines is “very effective and gives our company more business. It sounds very positive”.

Bognot echoed the consensus within the travel trade that the Department of Tourism made the decision to change the slogan “without consultation with the private sector” who also knows what’s good and right for their industry.

Meanwhile, Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) president Arthur Lopez, while he did not sign the online petition, does hope to retain the slogan. “Why change when it ain’t broken?” he told TTG Asia.

Those who want to change the slogan said it is because the campaign doesn’t accurately reflect the destination under present Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

One of them, Travel People operations manager Ramon Pamintuan, said “it’s no longer fun in the Philippines. The country’s international image has deteriorated because of (the spate) of extrajudicial killings”.

Duterte’s war against drug addiction and drug trafficking has claimed thousands of lives in the last five months, killed without due process of law.

As of press time, tourism secretary Wanda Teo had not commented on the issue. But in a press release issued on Tuesday, she said that the new tourism slogan will be launched during the Miss Universe pageant to be held in Manila in January.

Teo earlier said that changing the tourism slogan is “normal” for a new administration and that the new one will reflect the changes in the country under Duterte.

Yuthasak Supasorn

The Thai government’s recent clampdown on zero-fee tours has put a dampener on the number of Chinese arrivals visiting Thailand on tour packages, with the dips becoming even more pronounced in October since the crackdown began in August.

The Association of Thai Travel Agents reported that the number of Chinese tourist arrivals its members handled dropped 47 per cent to 108,090 visitors in October.

Ronnarong Chewinsiriamnuai, president of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association (TCTA), said many tour operators targeting the China market had to suspend their business when the number of Chinese visitors plunged more than 60 per cent in October.

“I have no idea how the business can recover as long as the government is proceeding with the strict suppression. If the crackdown continues in 2017, a lot of tour agents will be out of business,” noted Ronnarong, who joined TCTA members in a roadshow organised by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in China last month.

Some Chinese tour operators stopped selling Thailand tour packages due to the surge in prices and have turned to promoting Japan, the Philippines and South Korea for better profit margins, he said. Many Chinese agents also had to sell air tickets to Thailand at cost prices to avoid losses from unsold tour packages.

A silver lining arising from this situation, noted Ronnarong, is the greater number of Chinese FITs visiting Thailand in September and October enticed by the cheap airfares.

Surawat Akarawaramat, managing director of KTK Tour Enterprise, supported the clampdown despite the impacts on tourism. “I want everyone to see the positive sides of the clampdown. The decrease in Chinese arrivals results from not only the crackdown but also other reasons.”

Urging all stakeholders to cooperate and lend their support to reform the tourism industry, Surawat said that the Thai government must continue to crack down on zero-dollar tour services and their nominee operators while Thai suppliers should seek to build a compelling atmosphere to woo Chinese visitors.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn is confident that Thailand is moving in the right direction in its quest to build the kingdom as a quality travel destination in the long run.

“It is acceptable that the number of Chinese arrivals is decreasing as long as the spending per head is increasing. We don’t want to harm the Chinese tour business – we just want to solve the monopoly problem and stamp out fraudulent tours for the sake of Chinese tourists,” he said.

“I strongly believe that the impacts will be short-lived. Operators will adjust themselves eventually. Business must go on.”

While acknowledging that Japan poses stiff competition to Thailand as an outbound destination, the governor believes that Thailand still has room to grow thanks to the vast Chinese outbound market.

To ameliorate the impacts, TAT invited around 100 Chinese travel agents to Thailand in early November and updated them on the country’s quality tour products, according to the governor.

TAT will continue to reiterate the message that Thailand remains a value-for-money destination and will work closely with LCCs to boost demand, said Yuthasak.

A O Lang Pho

The Perth International Arts Festival, to be held from February 10 to March 5, 2017, will be featuring themes surrounding migration, reconciliation, accessibility and empathy.

During the annual festival, Perth city will play host to more than 700 artists from around the globe performing in some 180 events – which include 11 Australian exclusives and five world premieres. Performances will take place in venues and spaces around the city, such as Elizabeth Quay and Kings Park.

A highlight of the festival’s theatre programme is the Tony Award-winning playwright and director Richard Nelson’s human trilogy, The Public Theater’s The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, where guests experience three plays as one eight-hour marathon event.

In another Australian exclusive, Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam make their Australian debut with A O Lang Pho, a breathtaking production of contemporary circus and live music by a cast of 15 acrobats and five musicians who celebrate the culture of Vietnam

Meanwhile, the dance programme will feature the likes of South African choreographer and dancer Gregory Maqoma in Exit/Exist, where he pays homage to his ancestor, a revered Xhosa warrior chief who lost everything to the British and died imprisoned.

The West Australian Ballet (WAB) also returns with its Ballet At The Quarry summer season under the stars, presenting a programme of Australian and world premieres from three choreographers: Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Canadian-born Eric Gauthier and WAB’s very own Christopher Hill.

Forming part of the festival is the 2017 Perth Writers Festival (February 23-26), literary attendees include Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley, poet Omar Musa, and Syrian architect Marwa al-Sabouni.

Younglings can also hobnob with their literary heroes with at the Perth Writers Festival Family Day, a free day of storytelling, workshops, performances and festivities. It will feature the author of Inkheart trilogy Cornelia Funke and young-adult fantasy author Garth Nix.

In the visual arts programme, British artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah will present two film installations: Vertigo Sea, a meditation on our relationship with the sea, and Auto Da Fé, a fictional narrative that explores migration over four centuries.

Lastly, the festival classical music programme will include Los Angeles-based Calder Quartet that will present Beethoven and Beyond, combining Beethoven’s iconic repertoire with contemporary works over three concerts, and the vocals of the Vuyani Ensemble who will evoke the sounds and spirit of South Africa as they perform an eclectic mix of compositions.

Tourists at Universal Studios Singapore

Tourist spending in Singapore for the first half of 2016 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to S$11.6 billion (US$8.3 billion) while international arrivals rose 13 per cent to 8.2 million visitors compared to the same period last year.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board’s 2016 Q2 Tourism Sector Performance Report, the strong growth in 1H2016 was due to higher expenditure in shopping, accommodation and F&B, offsetting lacklustre expenditure in sightseeing, entertainment and gaming.

Gazetted hotel room revenue also rose, climbing 3.2 per cent year-on-year to S$1.6 billion. However, RevPAR has declined 2.4 per cent due to lower average room rates despite higher average occupancy rates.

Gazetted hotels are a clutch of hotels in city centre locations catered to tourists rather than local stays.

Looking at Q2 alone, tourism receipts grew by 20 per cent year-on-year to S$6.1 billion while foreign visitor arrivals were up 11 per cent to 4 million travellers.