Improved accessibility has brought greater visibility to Vietnam’s central coast alongside other issues.

An increase in international flights into Danang is allowing Vietnam’s central coast to better hold its own alongside Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, but the strengthening appeal is also bringing a new set of challenges for the Vietnamese trade.

In May, Bangkok Airways began four-times-weekly Bangkok-Danang service and Vietnam Airlines followed quickly on its heels with the launch of the same route.

Travellers responded so well to this that Bangkok Airways – barely three months into the launch – was already in discussion with Danang International Airport about potentially increasing the frequency of the service, a source told TTG Asia.

Jetstar Pacific in August started plying between Osaka and Danang, while Jetstar Asia chose Danang as the second Vietnamese gateway to fly to (after HCMC) in November 2015.

On how the prior lack of international flights placed limits on the region’s viability as a single destination for tourists on traditional package holidays, Alexander Leven, director of product development of Asia DMC, commented: “Not many group tours have (central Vietnam stays) in their itineraries. But (those that do) offer mostly Hoi An, and mostly for roundtrips.”

But this is looking set to change. Jess Yap, general manager at Country Holidays in Singapore, noted that the agency was “getting more interest these days from clients visiting central Vietnam as a mono destination”.

“We have welcomed an increasingly diverse guest profile (and) seen an increase in guests from neighbouring countries who enjoy the direct flights into Danang,” observed Michal Zitek, area general manager, Banyan Tree Banyan Tree Lang Co and Angsana Lang Co.

Amid this picture of change, several other developments in the region are hard to miss, such as the establishment of regional tourism promotion body Central Coast Vietnam, Leven shared, and the explosion of international-branded hotel chains onto the scene, particularly in Danang.

“Of course, many reasons (to visit the) region also (run) the risk of attracting the masses. While many like to market the destination as an upmarket golfer paradise, many smaller businesses want quick money and (go after other) target markets,” Leven remarked, echoing the industry’s prevailing dilemma about the influx of new visitors.

In recent months, several local agents in Danang have gone public with their concerns on the behaviour of tourists and how Chinese-run businesses have encroached on their profits.

The tourist influx is also straining the region’s capacity, Leven added. “The rise in arrivals from China is so fast this year that supply of transport, restaurants and tour guides are being put to the Another trade-off of the region’s enhanced mainstream appeal, he continued, was the building of high-rise beachfront hotels, which could compromise the luxury sell-points of the region’s tranquil coasts.

Yap also expressed similar regret over once-quaint attractions. “The increase in direct flights have allowed better accessibility… Sadly, (this also means) the old town of Hoi An will get more crowded.”

This article was first published in TTG Asia October 2016 issue. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Cambodia’s least-explored territories are starting to find interest among tour operators and intrepid travellers seeking authentic experiences.

Home to ethnic minorities and an abundance of sprawling jungle and pristine wildlife, Cambodia’s wild frontiers are quickly becoming hotspots for the booming ecotourism trade as tourists step off the well-trodden tracks of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville coastal area.

Somborath Dy, operations manager at Cambodian Rural Development (CRD) Tours, which promotes ecotourism in north-east Cambodia, said: “Cambodia has the potential to develop ecotourism because it not only has rich cultural but also diverse natural resources.”

In the Tourism Development Strategic Plan 2012-2020, the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism highlighted ecotourism as a market for development. And with recent research revealing millennial travellers are seeking more authentic experiences, industry players observed that this is an area with the potential to thrive in Cambodia.

Speaking at this year’s Mekong Tourism Forum in Sihanoukville, James Dion, National Geographic Society’s sustainable tourism programme manager, said: “Cultural experiences reign over partying. Authenticity sells and can bring benefits to people and a place. When people come to a place like Cambodia, they’re experiencing a culture you will find nowhere else.”

Jo Crisp, general manager of Peak DMC, said: “More people are keen to see the country at the pace of a bicycle, kayak or through trekking, and want to venture out into more remote areas where they can see people and sights that are relatively untouched by tourism.”

Koh Kong’s Cardamom Mountains has become a community-based ecotourism (CBET) hotspot, with trekking, kayaking, mountain biking and camping in the wild offered. Home to some of the last remaining Siamese crocodiles, the biodiverse area also boasts about 30 other endangered species such as hornbills, dragonfish and slow lorises.

Tour operators have started rolling out a range of authentic experiences centred on CBET in the area.

The Wild KK Project is one example. Started as a tool to provide an alternative source of income to the area’s 1,300 indigenous people, the tours also raise awareness of the threats the region faces such as illegal logging and hunting.

Wildlife Alliance, an NGO, also runs a successful CBET project in nearby Chi Phat. The community-run initiative sees visitors trek and bike through dense jungle terrains, where elephants and wild boars live. Guests can explore traditional burial sites and caves, and sleep in hammocks in the wild or at village homestays.

The country’s rural north-eastern provinces have also proven popular, with intrepid travellers flocking to Mondulkiri’s rolling hills where elephants are a huge draw. Several initiatives provide visitors with the opportunity to get up close and personal with endangered Asian elephants in their natural habitat.

In Kratie, tour operators such as CRD Tours offer trips to view endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River, where they learn about the mammals’ conservation and history. Ibises and Cantor’s softshell turtles can also be spotted.

Despite the growth potential, Dy thinks more needs to do done to market ecotourism on both national and international levels. “Tour operators need to be encouraged to not just focus on the temples or city tours but more on nature and ecotourism,” he said.

In addition, ecotourism players have to grapple with other challenges such as a lack of infrastructure and environmental issues such as illegal logging and hunting, which is rampant across Cambodia.

“It’s true there are some real opportunities (in ecotourism), but on the other hand, deforestation and plastic pollution are growing issues,” said Pierre-Andre Romano, general manager of Exo Travel Cambodia.

This article was first published in TTG Asia October 2016 issue. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Persistent doubts over rewards and reputation are causing Singapore millennials to shy away from a tourism career. Yixin Ng finds out what needs to be done

PATA Singapore Chapter chairman Soon-Hwa Wong (centre), Temasek Polytechnic (TP) School of Business’ director Daniel Yeow (second from right) and TTG Asia Media’s managing director Darren Ng (rightmost), with TP event helpers at Tourism Innovation Competition 2016

Exciting prospects await Singapore’s future tourism workforce, but more needs to be done to push past lingering misconceptions that are dulling the industry’s shine for millennials, leading industry stakeholders expressed.

“The tourism sector is competing for talents, in some ways unfairly, with other attractive industries such as banking,” Soon-Hwa Wong, chairman of PATA Singapore Chapter told TTG Asia, alluding to the longheld beliefs that customer-facing roles are the be-all and end-all of hospitality and tourism careers.

Young Singaporeans may also shy away from tourism pathways because of assumptions held by parents and peers that “low pay, long hours and limited prospects” typify tourism careers, Wong added.

Joan Henderson, associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School, also agreed that “salary considerations” have quelled interest.

Perhaps more striking is the low retention rate of hospitality professionals, with “large numbers” of students deciding to pursue other pathways after their tourism industry internships, according to a spokesperson from Temasek Polytechnic’s (TP) hospitality faculty.

In practice however, tourism holds coveted prospects, be it up the hotel rungs or in destination planning roles, assured Wong. The emergence of non-traditional business models in recent years has also emphatically broadened this scope.

“The industry now includes mobility players, tech platforms, analytics and big data systems. Even major tech players such as Google and Facebook now have tourism components,” he said. “Now is a good time to redefine the boundaries of travel and tourism careers.”

Change is already underway to assist young Singaporeans in discovering the multifaceted nature of tourism and how diverse skillsets are valued within the trade.

Earlier in June this year, the Tourism Innovation Competition (TIC) 2016 concluded after students took a week to develop ideas for the Singapore Zoological Gardens with the guidance of mentors from TP’s Hospitality and Tourism Management course.

Benjamin Cassim from the organising team at TP told TTG Asia: “We view the competition as a very relevant platform because it offers students the opportunity to learn, be exposed to and participate in tourism-building efforts in an enjoyable way.”

While lauding the TIC for generating awareness of the trade in young talents, Wong stressed that sustaining their interest is the larger challenge. One way to go about this, he suggested, is to highlight industry role models to raise the profile of the industry.

“Also, we could identify cross-sectoral ambassadors who would then talk up the industry – this is a role that associations (such as PATA and hotel associations) can fill.”

He added that invigorating industry news could be disseminated online to better engage a larger audience.

“Everyone loves feel-good news, which can lead them to think it’s an exciting and dynamic industry and not a tired one (as some might think),” Wong stated.

This article was first published in TTG Asia October 2016 issue. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Qooco’s David Topolewski shares how mobile learning will make an innovative, cost-effective way to transform training delivery in the hospitality sector

Governments and companies are embracing mobile learning today, reflecting an effort by society to support and accommodate populations that are increasingly more mobile.

In fact, one of the earliest forms of mobile learning still exists today – reading a book while travelling – although back then it was just called ‘learning’, as the acquisition, transference or sharing of knowledge was traditionally done in the classroom.

The invention of the first mobile phone in 1973 and the surging use of the Internet since 1995 by businesses, students and individuals set the foundations for the arrival and subsequent evolution of mobile learning, which has come a long way since the 1980s.

The first modern instances of mobile learning were conducted through cassette tapes and CDs. Between 1983 and 1987, Singapore telecoms companies even offered Mandarin lessons via telephone.

In the early 1990s, software companies such as Apple and Palm Corporation started developing mobile learning software and European universities started evaluating mobile learning for their own students.

Since these early days, mobile learning has boomed and is afforded much greater attention by institutions and policymakers alike, yet it is still in its infancy. With an already high and still fast-growing smartphone penetration rate and highly developed mobile infrastructure, Asia is in the perfect position to benefit from this phenomenon.

As more smartphones enter the market and infrastructure continues to develop, this trend is set to grow with more governments and companies realising the value and cost-effectiveness of mobile learning over the time-consuming and expensive methods of traditional teaching.

The Ministry of Education in Singapore has already begun mobile learning pilot projects in one of its schools and Malaysia’s YTL is providing 4G wireless access, a countrywide online education system and tablet computers to over 10,000 schools.

Faced with ever-increasing staffing costs and continuous challenges of finding qualified employees, mobile learning has emerged as a low-cost yet highly effective way to train hotel staff, improve service and drive revenues higher. While continued growth in international travel has been a boon for hotels and resorts, it also means that more people from diverse backgrounds and speaking different languages are checking into hotels.

This is where mobile learning comes in to play. Rather than disrupting staff schedules with lengthy classes and forcing employees to attend study sessions for a few hours a week, hotels are subscribing to mobile learning programmes. Mobile language learning has evolved to provide specialised speech interactive content for each department, providing a near-real simulation of guest interaction with immediate actionable feedback. So, for the first time, hotels have both scale and performance information on the competencies of their employees in real time.

It doesn’t stop at language learning either. Hilton Worldwide has recently announced a complete F&B training course that, supported by a mobile learning company, is available online for their staff worldwide. Courses have been developed for a variety of hotel scenarios, including housekeeping, spa, F&B and front office, with even solutions that train a user on how to upsell in a hospitality setting.

But it is the future of mobile learning that poses even more exciting opportunities. Today, militaries around the world use virtual reality (VR) to train their troops, testing them in a variety of realistic battlefield situations and accurately gauging their ability to cope with pressure and stress, and develop their leadership skills. While the front office is a million miles from the battlefield, the same principles can be applied to hotels.

There is no reason why a typical hotel scenario – an overbooked hotel, irate guests, children playing in the lobby, etc – can’t be replicated through VR, with entire teams working together to fix the problem. This would test the leadership skills of the team leaders, as well as provide a realistic introduction for new employees.

Qooco’s developers are working with Microsoft’s HoloLens to apply mixed reality to staff training. HoloLens blends digital content with the world around us, projecting three-dimensional graphics around the wearer of the lens. We are exploring how this augmented reality (AR) platform can be used to enhance staff training by incorporating digital scenarios into real-life training situations.

Linked to mobile learning is the effective use of artificial intelligence and big data. Once you have an accurate picture of the individual strengths and weaknesses of your employees, you can better place them in situations where they excel. For example, should a large group of Chinese tourists be due to check in on a certain date, the system will automatically assign the employees who are strong in Mandarin (based on their mobile learning scores) and who have shown strong organisational and teamwork abilities during the VR training.

In its purest form hospitality is about cultivating an attitude of great service, teamwork and leadership; it is about having initiative, curiosity, flexibility and care for others. Mobile learning provides a way for individuals who are truly serious about hospitality to take the initiative to continuously cultivate those values.

David Topolewski is CEO of Qooco, which provides mobile language learning and vocational training solutions for employees in the hospitality and service industries.

This article was first published in TTG Asia October 2016 issue. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

By David Topolewski