SWITZERLAND is not about to reduce its prices even though the lifting of the cap on the euro-Swiss franc exchange rate and the depreciation of a basket of Asian currencies are making the destination less affordable.

“We have never been a cheap destination. Our challenge is how to become more premium than we already are, not to become cheaper. We don’t compete on the price level…(Switzerland) is expensive but it is worth the price,” said Simon Bosshart, director for China, Asia-Pacific and global accounts at Switzerland Tourism.

While not much can be done on the pricing side, Bosshart thinks that certain segments of the Swiss tourism industry can be even more efficient. “Switzerland has a very small, structured industry. There is a certain small potential to improve and leverage certain activities. We have lots of small hotels that have to synergise and work together,” he said.

Noting a “clear shift” away from group to FIT travel in markets like South Korea, China and Japan, there now exists a “huge space” to tap Asian FITs, said Bosshart.

Tourists from China, Japan and South-east Asia traditionally travelled in groups except for Singapore which is “very much FIT,” he added.

Switzerland is hence promoting itself as a single destination to FITs, such as through marketing lesser-known attractions in small villages, said Bosshart.

Based on bookings, Bosshart claims that pricing is not a big issue for Asians as travellers might combine Switzerland with other European countries.

Travel to Switzerland this year also appears unaffected as contracting for 2015 closed before the currency changes, although the impacts on 2016 will remain to be seen, he noted.

IN an ever-changing travel landscape, it has become even more critical for travel consultants to examine their core competencies vis-à-vis technology and carve out a unique selling proposition to ensure the success of their business amid competition, say senior executives of Amadeus.

While technology is a “facilitator” for many travel agencies in the age of the Internet, Holger Taubmann, senior vice president, distribution, at Amadeus cautions travel agencies from becoming over-dependent on technology.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Taubmann said: “If you get into a technology-only game, it’s a mass market and the margin is low and you have to optimise all the processes and usually that leads to consolidation. If you go down the specialisation route, you have a possibility of surviving. Many of our customers are very successful using technology but it’s not their core competence.”

Albert Pozo, president of Amadeus Asia-Pacific, has observed a large number of traditional leisure and corporate travel agencies in Asia adopting specialisation in the quest for survival. “If you want to create loyalty or a level of stickiness with the consumer, you need to have a degree of expertise,” he said.

Travel agencies can also go to the other end and target the masses, Pozo pointed out, but their core competencies should then lie in the their capability to attract traffic and meet as many travellers’ demands as possible.

“There is no one size fits all approach,” he remarked. “I’d say to a travel (consultant) to know what you’re good at: are you good at acquiring traffic, a (particular) destination or a specialised service for professionals? Be very good at that, whatever it is, but don’t be a Jack of all trades.”

Mobile is a space that travel agencies in Asia can ill ignore, particularly in markets such as China, South Korea and India, which have some of the most advanced usage of mobile devices in the world, observed Pozo.

The high penetration of mobile devices has allowed many companies in these markets to leapfrog the web phase and move into mobile directly.

SereS Hotels & Resorts has opened an upscale boutique resort, the SenS Hotel & Spa Conference, in Bali’s cultural town of Ubud.

The hotel features 91 rooms and six suites, all equipped with beddings from Serta as well as premium amenities.

It also offers facilities for meetings, conferences, events and wedding receptions that can accommodate up to 300 people. Hotel guests can then unwind at the hotel’s in-house spa.

To celebrate the opening, SenS is offering an introductory price of US$60 per night. The offer runs until the end of 2015.

The WTM Portfolio, part of Reed Travel Exhibitions, is set to enter Asia and China in 2016 with the launch of two events under the new WTM connect brand.

WTM connect Asia will take place at Straits Quay Convention Centre in Penang from May 18 to 20, 2016, while WTM connect China will be held at the Renaissance Sanya Resort and Spa, Hainan Island from May 23 to 25, 2016.

According to the release, the new WTM connect events will offer a unique one-to-one format targeted at the booming Asian and Chinese leisure travel markets, allowing exhibitors to exclusively meet with elite hosted buyers.

WTM Portfolio, director, Craig Moyes, commented: “WTM connects are targeted events for exhibitors to meet with especially hand-picked buyers. The WTM Portfolio will help facilitate more than US$7 billion in travel industry business deals in 2015, the WTM connect events in China and Malaysia will see this figure increase further in 2016.”

Malaysia will be the host country for WTM connect Asia 2016, with local hosts including Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Penang Global Tourism.

With a new travel trade show on the horizon, private sector players are urging greater differentiation between such events.

“(WTM) has to be innovative and uniquely different from ITB Asia to attract buyers and sellers,” said Gracie V Geikie, director and principal consultant at Planet Borneo Group of Companies. “Personally, I am beginning to see a lethargy in travel trade shows because they are all a ‘me too’ event. There are also too many trade shows around of the same nature.”

Ally Bhoonee, executive director of World Avenues, agreed: “In my opinion, there are too many trade shows in the marketplace and this is not helping the industry as we keep seeing the same buyers.

“Trade shows are an expensive affair for sellers and profit margins have gone down due to the presence of OTAs. To make an impact, WTM connect Asia will have to address these concerns.”

TRAVELPORT and Axess International Network have joined forces to release an enhanced desktop version of their global travel commerce platform, Axess Crea Advance, for travel consultants across Japan.

The two companies have been partners on the project since April 2012, with the newest version of their Axess agency desktop platform incorporating a range of new functions and services.

Powered by Travelport Smartpoint, the upgraded system offers a broad range of additional data on flights, hotels and hire cars, as well as user-friendly merchandising features designed to make communicating with the customer easier and more powerful.

The Rich Content and Branding options on flight sales, for example, permit airlines to display and promote their entire product range – from entertainment options to meals and details on the aircraft operating the route – saving time on searching the airline’s website for the same information.

Travelport also delivers details on more than 650,000 hotels around the world, including photographs, with an additional function showing ratings of properties from Tripadvisor.

“We have invested US$475 million into our travel commerce platform since 2012, so we’re very serious about what we do,” Mark Meehan, managing director for Travelport Asia-Pacific told TTG Asia e-Daily at the Visit Japan Travel and MICE Mart 2015 in Tokyo.

“Agencies can’t just offer a seat on a flight anymore,” he said. “It’s increasingly about the efficiency and data available to the consultant and communicating that to the consumer.

“The system has also been shown to have economic benefits to agencies, so it is improving their bottom lines as well,” he added.

Travel consultants already connected to the Axess system can undergo training with the new platform scheduled to be operational in 2017.

In addition to delivering a new agency desktop, Axess has also partnered with Travelport to launch Locomote, a smart technology platform that gives Japanese companies complete control and visibility of their corporate travel on any device anywhere in the world.

VIRTUOSO will launch its luxury travel network in the Asian market with the addition of five new member agencies in Singapore and Hong Kong.

The five members are Country Holidays, Jebsen Travel Group, Charlotte Travel, Luxe Travel and Quotient Travel Planner.

Michael Londregan, Asia-Pacific managing director of Virtuoso, said: “The Asia marketplace is scheduled to become an increasingly powerful force is the luxury travel market and Virtuoso is very excited to be developing our brand in Asia with these established and highly regarded members.”

The expansion into Asia comes off the decision to base the new regional headquarters for Asia-Pacific in Australia, following the brand’s move into Europe and the UK in 2014, noted Londregan.

He added: “The growth of Virtuoso in the Asia-Pacific region proves that demand for service from expert travel advisors and experiential travel that is unique and bespoke is a global reality and Virtuoso is perfectly placed to help agencies and advisors move with the demand.”

INDONESIA’s Topotels Hotels & Resorts is set to manage Ramada Encore Meridin in Johor Bahru following the signing of a franchise agreement between developer Mah Sing Group and brand owner Wyndham Hotel Asia Pacific.

Slated to open in 2018, the 322-unit serviced apartment is currently under construction at The Meridin@Medini, an integrated hotel complex in the Iskandar area.

The Johor Bahru property is the second Ramada Encore brand managed by Topotels Hotels & Resorts after the launch of Ramada Encore Seminyak in Bali in 2014.