FOREIGN visitor arrivals to Singapore rose by 12.5 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2015, latest figures from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) revealed.

Of the resulting more than 8.16 million visitors, the majority came from Indonesia and China with 1.41 million (up 7.3 per cent) and 1.47 million (up 55.2 per cent) total arrivals, respectively.

This signals a change in source market potential for Singapore with China quickly overtaking Indonesia as the leading visitor-generating market.

The third-largest source market for Singapore in 1H2016 is India with 573,010 visitors, up 10 per cent from the same period last year.

No data was provided for spending in the first half of this year, but was provided for 1Q2016, with tourism receipts up 2 per cent year-on-year to S$5.4 billion (US$3.9 billion).

Shopping spend grew 25 per cent, accommodation up by 7 per cent and F&B by 14 per cent, compensating for a major 21 per cent decline in sightseeing, entertainment and gaming expenditure.

Both the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa integrated resorts, where the bulk of profits are derived from casino gaming, have posted year-on-year revenue declines for many consecutive quarters.

Singapore’s international arrivals for 1Q2016 was up 14 per cent compared to 2015 to reach 4.1 million visitors.

Meanwhile, average occupancy rates for gazetted hotels, which mainly serve tourists and charge only nightly rates, in 1H2016 stood at 83.7 per cent, up 0.5 per cent from the same period last year.

While occupancy remains healthy, RevPAR has declined by 2.5 per cent to S$196.9 and standard average room rate was down 3 per cent to S$235.3.

AUSTRALIA and Taiwan have issued travel notices following a spate of locally transmitted Zika virus cases in Singapore.

There has been 56 confirmed cases of the virus in Singapore so far.

“There is ongoing transmission of Zika virus in Singapore. All travellers should protect themselves from mosquito bites,” stated Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on its website on August 29.

It continued: “Adopt additional measures advised by the Department of Health, including deferring non-essential travel if pregnant, avoiding pregnancy for two months following your return.”

As well, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control yesterday raised the travel notice level for Singapore to Level 2, which calls for a high degree of caution and strong protective measures. The highest alert level is 3, which cautions against non-essential travel to a country.

It stated on its website: “Pregnant women and women planning pregnancy are advised to postpone their trips to areas where Zika virus is active. Travellers visiting areas with ongoing Zika transmission are advised to avoid mosquito bites.”

Malaysia too has voiced concern over the spread of the virus with its health minister S Subramaniam warning of the high risk in disease transmission to its borders.

Screening measures have been stepped up at major entry points in Malaysia, especially at the causeway points where most travel between Singapore and Malaysia take place.

The Malaysian health minister estimates more than 150,000 Malaysians travelling back from Singapore via the Woodlands-Johor Bahru causeway daily.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health reported that those infected by Zika were not known to have travelled to Zika-infected areas recently, thus confirming that local transmission has taken place.

The ministry is now conducting joint operations with the National Environment Agency to combat mosquito breeding in hotspots throughout the island.

Angkor Wat

CAMBODIA’S travel industry players are lobbying the government to delay a move that would raise entrance fees to the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park.

Earlier this month, the Angkor Institution, which manages ticketing, stated that from February 1, 2017, one-day passes will jump from US$20 to US$37, three-day passes from US$40 to US$62, and a week-long ticket will increase to US$72 from US$60.

Most are worried about the the negative effects it would have on tourist arrivals. Ho Vandy, secretary-general of Cambodia’s National Tourism Alliance, said she was shocked by the price increase.

The move has been opposed by tour operators, who are now tasked with informing pre-booked clients.

Jo Crisp, general manager at Peak Cambodia DMC, said the price increase is “significantly more than travel companies anticipated”.

She added: “Like most travel companies, we follow an annual product cycle and sign contracts with agents in June and July. The product has been printed in brochures and is being sold via websites, and clients have purchased based on those prices. For many companies, this affects not just one or two clients but thousands.”

The Cambodian Association of Travel Agents is currently working with the government on the prices. It is hoped the hike can be introduced in phases or pushed back to October 2017 or January 2018.

Luu Meng, co-chair of a government-private sector working group on tourism, said it is essential the new ticketing structure comes coupled with added interest for visitors.

He said: “When prices go up it affects visitors’ feelings. We need to show them the quality products and services they will receive from the increased price.”

A NEW state agency, Maldives Integrated Tourism Development Corporation (MITDC), has been set up to help nurture small businesses and fast-track an ambitious guesthouse island to be filled with a projected 1,700 rooms.

Hussain Lirar, deputy minister of tourism, said that the guesthouse project was brought under the MITDC from its developer, the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), since the latter was too busy with marketing and has led to delays in the development.

“The new agency was announced by president Abdulla Yameen this month since the government is keen to finish this project by 2018 when presidential elections are due,” Lirar toldTTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of a hospitality conference held in Colombo last week.

The guesthouse island project, aimed at creating more small and medium businesses, was launched in June 2014 and slated for completion by 2017 on the Laamu Atoll. The MMPRC moved the project to Baresdhoo in the same atoll last year.

The Maldives has been gripped with political uncertainty over the past several months but it has yet adversely affected tourism, the country’s main economic activity.

However, slower growth this year has been attributed to Brexit and the lacklustre Chinese economy, according to Lirar. Arrivals in 2016 are likely to miss the 1.5 million target.

Crowd at the inaugural Tern event

WITH the tourism industry becoming broader in scope, more employers are considering hires based on potential and attitude rather than years of experience within the industry.

“(When hiring), traditional businesses place more weight on years of experience in the same job type. Emerging businesses are more likely than traditional ones to hire based on what (candidates) can do rather than what they have done,” said Dave Chinwan, product manager APAC, accommodation & destinations at TUI Travel.

Mid-career job seekers are one group who are finding more opportunities to cross over into travel, with diverse skillsets and experience such as those in big data analytics becoming increasingly relevant, according to Soon-Hwa Wong, chairman of PATA Singapore Chapter.

Added Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder of Tern, a career event held and debuted on August 27 in Singapore that brought together travel industry veterans and budding entrants: “Technology does not replace people, in fact, it requires more people.”

This demand for travel-tech manpower has given rise to more personality types being valued within the industry. While acknowledging the importance of networking and related soft skills, Agoda’s vice president, marketing, Timothy Hughes, said at a Tern panel: “(Leaders) also have to learn how to deal with introverts. (Over the years), I have (managed) my extroversion so as not to pass over more introverted personalities.”

Still, for hospitality veteran Jessie Khoo-Gan, executive assistant manager, sales and marketing and rooms at One Farrer Hotel & Spa, “people-orientedness” continues to be one key trait she looks out for when hiring.

Sharing similar sentiments was Graeme Ham, vice president of talent & culture, AccorHotels, who said candidates who lack people skills are better off pursuing other pathways, such as those in engineering.

For hotels, this holds true now more than ever as they find themselves vying against OTAs for bookings, relying on personalised customer service to drive direct bookings from repeat customers.

Explained Chinwan: “Businesses that have been around for a long time focus more on customer service because they want to make their customers feel special and keep them coming back.”

AVIAREPS has been newly appointed by Azerbaijan Airlines as its representative in Malaysia.

The appointment was made as the national carrier seeks to firmly establish and strengthen its brand and sales outreach among Malaysian travellers and travel industry leaders.

As part of the deal, Aviareps Malaysia will undertake the role of general sales agent for Azerbaijan Airlines in the Malaysian market, responsible for all sales and marketing activities with a focus on regional travel.

“Our appointment of a sales and marketing representative in Malaysia is reflective of the growing importance and our commitment to this market,” said Nazim Samadov, marketing commercial and ground operation director at Azerbaijan Airlines.

Added Vinay Rajan, aviation director Asia Pacific at Aviareps: “The initial strategy is to create awareness about the airline and build up the market. With no direct flights to Malaysia, Azerbaijan Airlines provides connectivity via Dubai and Istanbul.”

According to Sabre’s market intelligence data, 350 Malaysians travelled to Azerbaijan last year.

ALOYSIUS Lee, director and group CEO of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has notified the company on his intention to retire.

He has also requested that his retirement take effect on January 31, 2017, thereby allowing him to complete a full two-year tenure. He has decided to leave the company “to pursue philanthropic, mentoring and educational interests,” according to a press statement.

Lee, 68, joined M&C on February 1, 2015, initially as group CEO designate before attaining his current position.

The statement added that the board is now considering Lee’s request and will be meeting in September to discuss the matter.

SINGAPORE Airlines subsidiary SilkAir will be launching thrice-weekly flights from Singapore to Laos come October 31.

It will operate a circular route between Singapore, Vientiane and Luang Prabang on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays aboard an Airbus A320 configured with business and economy class cabins.

Flights depart Singapore at 14.20 and arrive in Vientiane at 16.15. It will then depart from Wattay International Airport at 17.05 for Luang Prabang, touching down at 18.00. The trip back to Singapore then departs from there at 18.50 to reach Changi International Airport at 23.05.

With the launch of this service, SilkAir and Singapore Airlines will together offer flights to all nations in the ASEAN bloc.

PLANS to offer three-year tourist visas for travellers to Cambodia could help spur return visits, industry players say.

From September 1, foreign visitors from certain countries will be able to apply for multi-entry business and tourist visas valid up to three years.

Details are yet announced but tourism minister Thong Khon said the measure would help “promote tourism growth”, with an aim to attract 7.5 million foreign visitors by 2020.

Kong Hen, manager at Mekong Travel Tours, expects this to appeal to the regional market as well as business travellers and backpackers.

He said: “It makes returning to Cambodia convenient. You don’t have the hassle of paperwork and paying fees. It is easy.”

Chhay Sivlin, vice chairwoman of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, added: “It is important for international tourists or businesspeople who are looking to come back again with their family or friends, or for meetings with business partners.”

It is also believed the introduction of the visa will help lure foreigners from Thailand, where efforts to tighten regulations on long-term stays recently tightened.

Currently, tourists can access for a month with visa-on-arrival, which can be extended to three months. A one-year business visa is also available.

Boracay

GROUP bookings from China are beginning to return to the Philippines after inbound operators and hotels – especially in Boracay, Cebu and Bohol – lost millions of pesos following a spate of chartered flight cancellations during the July-August peak season.

Chartered flights are considered the lifeline for many Philippine operators as it offers a direct connection to even remote parts of China.

Cancellations began July 12 after the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines over China’s territorial claims to the Spratly Islands.

The general manager of a travel agency specialising in inbound travel from China, who spoke on account of anonymity, confirmed that while there is no travel ban from the Chinese government, there were many chartered flight cancellations.

The general manager of another travel agency said that out of 12 groups of 20 rooms each, only three groups materialised.

The sales director of a hotel with properties in Boracay and Bohol said they were affected by massive room cancellations in the hundreds.

Since there are no rules governing flight cancellations from China, it is up to the hotels to decide whether to refund the amount already advanced by tour operators, to forward the bookings, or forfeit them.

But the latter travel agency general manager interviewed said that they are now starting to get bookings again from China and numbers should normalise over the next few months.

The DOSM of a hotel in Boracay said she was not too worried because this is unlike a past incident when there was a blanket ban resulting in zero Chinese arrivals.

She is already seeing bookings from China for September, an indication that the market would normalise soon.