Credit: Geckos Adventures

FROM 2017, all tours by Geckos Adventures will only be open to those aged 18-29, down from the previous age cap of 39.

According to Geckos, which is part of the Intrepid Group, this makes them the first tour operator catered solely to this age group of young millennials.

“This move is not about big bus tours and party trips in Europe; it’s about transforming Geckos into a brand that provides the next generation of travellers with a responsible small group alternative,” said James Thornton, managing director of Intrepid Group.

“While there are other travel brands with age limits, there is nobody offering a dedicated youth product to travellers who want an authentic experience that gives back to the places they visit and people they meet.”

On Geckos’ website, it is also stated that the change to only allow under 30s is meant to cluster together like-minded individuals of similar age. In doing so, their trips will also change to better cater to those in their 20s.

It states: “Nothing personal against the over 30s (we still love you guys) – we just realised that there wasn’t a product that catered 100 per cent for the youth market: something that offered both fun and cultural experiences, going beyond pub crawls and booze cruises (we’re not into that).

Along with the age change, Geckos will also introduce 20 new trips in 2017. These include treks to Everest Base Camp and tours throughout North America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

THE 27th annual TTG Travel Awards 2016 saw 84 of the best and brightest in the Asia-Pacific travel trade awarded accolades in recognition of their contribution to the industry.

This year, 14 new winners emerged across various categories. Notable inaugural honoraries include Sebastien Bazin, CEO of AccorHotels, Brett Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation and Yaana Ventures. They are among TTG’s editorial’s handpicked recipients of the Travel Personality of the Year, Travel Entrepreneur of the Year and Most Sustainable Travel Company title respectively in the Outstanding Achievement Awards category.

In the voting categories, Bangkok Airways (Best Regional Airline); One Farrer Hotel & Spa (Best New City Hotel); Korea MICE Bureau (Best Convention & Exhibition Bureau); Philippine Department of Tourism (Best NTO); and Khiri Travel (Best Travel Agency – Indochina) are some of the first time winners.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa, Emirates and AirAsia reclaimed their respective Best European Airline, Best Middle Eastern Airline and Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier titles.

The 2016 awards also welcomed the return of past recipients Worldhotels (Best Hotel Rep Company), Pacto Indonesia (Best Travel Agency – Indonesia), Dynasty Travel (Best Travel Agency – Singapore), Vietravel (Best Travel Agency – Vietnam), Thailand (Destination of the Year), and Brand USA (Best Travel Marketing Effort).

Six Senses Spa (Best Spa Operator) and Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (Best City Hotel – Hong Kong) returned to add new titles to their list of accolades, having respectively won Best Spa Group and Best Business Hotel previously.

Veteran organisations such as Cathay Pacific Airways (Best North Asian Airline), Park Hotel Group (Best Regional Hotel Chain), Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts (Best Local Hotel Chain), Royal Plaza on Scotts (Best Independent Hotel), Resorts World at Sentosa (Best Integrated Resort) and Singapore (Best BT-MICE City) have also successfully defended their titles with consecutive wins.

There are three new TTG Travel Hall of Fame inductees this year, namely Qatar Airways, Thai Airways International and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, placing them alongside the elite ranks of the travel trade.

The TTG Travel of Fame represents the highest honour bestowed only on exceptional organisations that have achieved the feat of staying the best in their class for 10 consecutive years.

The 27th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2016 Ceremony and Gala Dinner was held in Centara Grand at CentralWorld, Bangkok. The occasion coincides with the doublebill IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific tradeshows every year.

David Kellet (left), vice president, interim head of development and investment analysis, Europe, IHG; with David Etmenan, CEO and owner of Novum Group

NOVUM Hotel Group and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) have agreed to jointly develop and operate 20 new properties in Europe.

Markets such as Germany, Austria and Netherlands have been earmarked in an agreement that also sees the first time the two companies work together.

The deal will have Hamburg-based Novum franchise those properties developed in partnership with IHG, which views branded growth as the best strategy to expand in Europe.

David Etmenan, CEO and owner of Novum, said: “Franchise partnerships are of particular importance to our international expansion and we see IHG and its winning portfolio of brands as the optimal way to gain ground and advance our European expansion strategy.”

IHG currently operates more than 650 hotels in Europe while Novum has 99 properties in Germany.

Tourists shop at night market in Phuket town

INTERNATIONAL tourist arrivals worldwide grew four per cent to 561 million between January and June this year compared to the same period in 2015, with Asia-Pacific showing the strongest growth worldwide.

According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, Asia-Pacific saw a nine per cent increase in international arrivals through June, surpassing the Americas (four per cent), Europe (three per cent) and Africa (five per cent). Limited data for the Middle East pointed to an estimated nine per cent decrease, though results may vary from destination to destination.

Growth in the Asia-Pacific region was driven by robust intra-regional demand. Oceania (10 per cent) led growth, followed by North-East Asia, South-East Asia (both nine per cent) and South Asia (seven per cent).

Looking at outbound flows in 1H2016, top source market China reported double-digit growth in expenditure on international travel (20 per cent), benefiting destinations in the region and beyond.

The US came in second, seeing an increased expenditure on outbound travel by eight per cent through July, thanks to a strong currency. The third largest market, Germany, reported a 4 per cent increase in expenditure through July.

Meanwhile, expenditure from Russia and Brazil continues to be weak, reflecting the economic constraints and depreciated currencies in both markets.

The study added that prospects for tourist arrivals are positive for the remainder of 2016. Countries that have already reported results till July or August show continued growth in the current Northern Hemisphere summer peak season.

Moreover, the UNWTO Panel of Experts remains confident about the September to December period. Confidence is highest in Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, while experts in Europe and the Middle East are somewhat more cautious.

STIFF competition to fill rooms in Bangkok has resulted in the closure and sale of Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel after its 36th year in business.

Listed conglomerate Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) is set to be the new owners of the property.

“It comes as no surprise for a hotel to be sold amid fierce competition. The deal is so good. I would seal it too,” said Thai Hotels Association (THA) president Supawan Tanomkieatipume.

BDMS is purchasing the property for 10.8 billion baht (US$311 million), taking into account the previous owner’s accumulated losses exceeding 700 million baht. BDMS plans to transform the hotel into a wellness centre to compete with nearby Bumrungrad Hospital.

The deal became the talk of the town within industry circles last week when a handwritten letter by the hotel’s managing director and owner addressed to her staff was shared on social media.

The letter mentioned that Swissôtel Nai Lert Park will be closed next January and cited stiff competition as the reason for the closure and sale.

Hotels in Thailand have been facing headwinds for longer than a decade now due to political uncertainty and oversupply.

As of 2Q2016, there were about 42,000 hotel rooms in Bangkok alone and some 9,700 more will have come online by 2020, according to research by CBRE. Almost all international hotel brands have a presence in Bangkok.

Years before this sale, Swissôtel Nai Lert Park had repositioned its branding downwards by changing operators from Hilton to Swissôtel.

According to rankings by STR Chain Scales-Global, Hilton is in the luxury category while Swissôtel was slightly lower, at the upper upscale level.

“It may be big a mistake of many hotels to downgrade their hotel brand. If the downgrading is really unavoidable, you must select the top brand with an effective distribution network in your new category,” said Paisit Kaenchan, CEO and director of Grand Asset Hotels and Property.

Normally, downgrading from a luxury brand to an upper upscale brand will result in lower revenue, warns Paisit. Room rates at luxury hotels in Bangkok are around 5,000-6,000 baht per night while the rate of the next lower tier stands at about 3,000 baht, he added.

Paisit further explained that regular maintenance is crucial for hotel businesses in order to stay afloat.