Nigel Pilkington, president of Skal International

NIGEL Pilkington, president of Skal International, a professional association of tourism leaders worldwide, has urged his club leaders in Asia-Pacific to not only grow their membership but also reduce the average age of members.

Today, there are 37 membership clubs in Asia-Pacific, with members totalling more than 2,300.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of the 49th Skal Asia Congress in Singapore last week, Pilkington said: “Asia-Pacific membership is growing – we inaugurated the Krabi club recently (July 2015) – but not at its full potential, especially since the tourism business is booming in this region.

“Tourism growth in Asia-Pacific has surpassed that of other regions in the world, but Skal’s membership here makes up only 15 per cent of the total. I would like Asia-Pacific membership to make up 20 per cent in the next five years.”

He added: “Asia-Pacific’s growing importance in the world tourism market also makes it imperative that Skal gets a stronger Asia-Pacific voice on the board. Now it is just me, from New Zealand, and Jason (Samuel, director) from India. I need more members from this region to stand up for higher office.”

Meanwhile, Skal’s global membership numbers have been declining, as the speed of replacing retiring members with new blood has been slow.

A study on membership demographics is now underway, but Pilkington expects the largest population to fall within the 55- to 65-year-old age bracket.

Pilkington said the ageing membership problem is “common across associations of all industries”.

He explained: “Young people are time-poor and believe that they have many other more important things to do than to sit in an association. That’s very different from us (from the older generation) who see participation in our industry association as a way of giving back to a community that had supported our career.”

“Skal needs to demonstrate value to new tourism professionals, and some ways we could do that is to emphasise the powerful global business network we have and involve them in sustainability or social media projects which they have knowledge and interest in,” he said, adding that it is up to club members to “identify young professionals in their market who have leadership potential and engage them in Skal activities”.

Michael Issenberg, chairman and COO Accor Asia-Pacific

FOLLOWING the official acquisition of FRHI Hotels & Resorts made known last week, AccorHotels is now working on an integrated hotel loyalty programme.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at a media luncheon hosted at the Raffles Hotel last Friday, Michael Issenberg, chairman and COO Accor Asia-Pacific, said: “We are working on the loyalty programmes now and we will ultimately have a combined programme.

“For instance, we know that the Fairmont loyalty program is more recognition based than point based. So that’s what we are studying now and we will (eventually) make sure our customers get what they need,” he elaborated.

While the acquisition now makes the upscale and mid-market operator now a key luxury hotel player, Issenberg emphasised that rebranding the hotels “is not part of the plan”.

He said: “On one hand it is important to have a common background for the brand but it is also very important for them to be distinct like we have the Fairmont and Raffles (names) which is all about the individual brand and we want to respect that.

“Perhaps we may do a bit of tweaking for one or two hotels but it is to ensure that they stay relevant and not about rebranding,” he added.

When asked about the potential job cuts with the generation of 65 million euros (US$72 million) in “revenue and cost synergies” with the integration, Issenberg said: “We announced this (figure) as part of the transaction and we are confident of achieving that, and synergies do mean job reductions.”

Issenberg said he was unable to comment further on the specifics of the downsizing due to its sensitive nature, but added that Accor will be finalising this over the next few months.

FOLLOWING the terror attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport last month, flight bookings to the Turkish city dropped dramatically to new lows, according to research by ForwardKeys.

Bookings fell by 69 per cent in the week after the bombing, from a base which was already down due to earlier terror attacks in January and March. Transfers through Istanbul, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, were also down 36 per cent.

Since January, Istanbul has suffered from three terror attacks and travel was down 29 per cent over the six-month period, compared with the previous year. Transit traffic through Istanbul was 9 per cent up before July.

“Before this latest incident, our analysis showed terrorism was having an impact on visitors to Istanbul, although transit numbers had continued to rise. But with this attack, transit numbers have also been affected,” said Olivier Jager, co-founder and CEO of ForwardKeys.

Meanwhile, forward bookings for international arrivals in Istanbul, as of July 2, are 36 per cent down compared to the same period in 2015.

As for transit traffic in the coming six months from Europe and Asia Pacific, numbers are also behind by 1 per cent and 6 per cent respectively from last year. However, transit traffic from the Americas and the Middle East are currently ahead by 13 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

Jager concluded: “In my view, the airport minimised the commercial impact of the attack by reopening so promptly and is to be congratulated for such speedy action.”

Jayjumar Rawal

JAYKUMAR Rawal was sworn in earlier this month as tourism minister, government of Maharashtra.

On July 8, Rawal took oath as a cabinet minister and aside from heading the tourism front of the Indian state, his portfolio includes overseeing the Employment Guarantee Scheme in Maharashtra.

“Tourism is one of the key industries which contribute significantly to the economic growth of a nation. Therefore, my key focus would be to advance the current tourism scenario in Maharashtra through the implementation of new policies aimed towards tourism growth and skill development,” he said in a statement.

Upon taking office, Rawal immediately met with Madan Yerawar, the state tourism minister, and other higher officials and various department heads with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.

During the meeting, he reviewed ongoing and future tourism projects like the Visit Maharashtra 2017 campaign and SAARC Summit in Aurangabad, and provided guidance and direction to the department.

(From left) Thomas Chong, managing director, Holiday Tours & Travel; and Robin Yap, president, Asia, TravCorp

THE Travel Corporation’s (TravCorp) Uniworld River Cruises has appointed Holiday Tours & Travel as its GSA in Malaysia since July 12.

“As the Malaysian GSA for Trafalgar and Contiki (also owned by TravCorp), we felt that Holiday Tours & Travel has done a remarkable job in expanding the market,” said Robin Yap, president, Asia, at TravCorp.

“For those who have been on regular coach tours and are ready for a different experience, luxury river cruising with Uniworld River Cruises is a natural extension.”

According to Yap, Uniworld’s eight- to 10-day river cruises in Central Europe are popular among Asians.

With Christmas and the Malaysian school holidays coming up, Thomas Chong, managing director of Holiday Tours & Travel, said that the agency will mainly be targeting families.

While Uniworld River Cruises is open to all retail agents in Malaysia, the company will be conducting training programmes with Holiday Tours & Travel for other agents in order to equip them with the appropriate knowledge and skills. Fam trips will also be organised.

US black angus steak with fried rice and wedges from New Ubin Seafood. Photo credit: New Ubin Seafood

TRADITIONAL food centres in Singapore took up half of the total 34 spots in the Bib Gourmand awards list released yesterday, reflecting the importance that hawker fare plays in the city’s culinary landscape.

This award is given to establishments that serve quality food at affordable prices, which in Singapore denotes meals priced at S$45 (US$33) or less.

The SIngapore Bib Gourmand awardees cover 19 different cuisines ranging from Indian and Cantonese to Vietnamese and even Turkish, a testament to the rich diversity of Singapore’s dining scene, said Michael Ellis, Michelin Guides’ international director.

Among the hawker options are popular favourites such as Tiong Bahru Hainanese Chicken Rice in Tiong Bahru Market and J2 Crispy Curry Puff in Amoy Street Market, while celebrated food haunts such as New Ubin Seafood, JB Ah Meng and Sin Huat Eating House in Geylang made the street-food establishment options.

Restaurant options, meanwhile, include established icons such as Peranakan restaurant True Blue on Armenian Street, 328 Katong Laksa, and Song Fa Bak Kut Teh.

This announcement comes just a week before the inaugural launch of the 2016 Michelin Guide Singapore – the first in South-east Asia on July 21.

View the entire list here: https://guide.michelin.sg/bibgourmand2016.

Traffic congestion in the Philippines are just one of the issues the TCC plans to tackle

NEW tourism secretary Wanda Teo has emphasised the need to convene the Tourism Coordinating Council (TCC) as soon as possible to address the pressing issues confronting the Philippine tourism sector.

Issues such kidnapping of foreigners, poor access roads, insufficient infrastructure, and lack of direct flights to tourist destinations have plagued the country, but the TCC had not convened for the last 18 months, acknowledged Teo at an industry reception for tourism leaders and new Department of Tourism (DoT) officials.

Other issues such as traffic congestion, destruction of historical sites, the massive number of street people, and illegal tour guides and taxi services were also raised during the reception.

“We cannot sweep these issues under the rug. It is the mandate of the TCC to resolve such issues,” stressed Teo, a long-time industry player herself.

The TCC comprises officials of at least nine government agencies, headed by the DoT secretary, to ensure the smooth implementation of the government’s tourism programmes.

Teo added that Philippine National Police chief Rolando Dela Rosa has assured police visibility at tourist areas and the augmentation of Tourist Police units.

Likewise, transport secretary Arthur Tugade has also guaranteed improvements of airport facilities all over the country.

“Secretary Tugade said airport renovations are already ongoing and new routes, as well as (the increase of) direct flights to and from abroad to Manila and Clark. They are also resolving the shortage of yellow taxi cabs,” she elaborated.

Highways and public works secretary Mark Villar has also promised to improve and build more “airport-to-paradise roads” in tourist destinations around the Philippines.