ENCOURAGED by soaring Chinese arrival numbers in the last few years, the Utah Office of Tourism (UOT) has organised an annual sales mission to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong to raise awareness of the US state.

“It’s vital to increase awareness so the Chinese will include Utah in their next trip,” said Utah’s governor, Gary Herbert. “There are 43 state parks as well as other diverse recreations like hiking, camping, four-wheel drive and even golf. I’ve a special department solely taking care of outdoor recreation and they work hand in hand with the trade.”

“Statistics showed Chinese visitor spending grew by 27 per cent,” said Becky Johnson, global specialist for tourism, film and global branding at UOT. “There is also a growing trend for FITs who opt for adventures like hiking and horse riding. Apart from five national parks, we are starting to push downhill skiing in North Utah as demand from Beijing is big.

However, the challenge lies in getting Chinese travellers out of their coaches and walk in the parks in order for them to experience the vastness of Utah, she pointed out.

Johnson added: “We target Chinese travellers aged over 50 for group tours as well as multi-generation families. In order to drive more awareness, fam tours will be organised for the trade in October and November.”

In Utah’s San Juan County, attractive hotel rates (US$89 per night) will be available from November 2015 to March 2016 to entice Chinese visitors to the Monument Valley area.

Meanwhile, St George city has its eyes set on the Chinese high-end leisure traffic. Said Joyce Kelly, international marketing manager at St George Convention & Tourism Office: “We are just two hours from Las Vegas and hope to let the market know the easy access from San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as our diverse activities like winter golf, marathons and even mountain biking. FITs from China want versatile experiences.”

THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) yesterday launched a new Singapura, Serunya Bareng-Bareng! campaign – which roughly translates to “Singapore, it is thrilling to travel together” in Bahasa Indonesia – in Jakarta to attract Indonesians to visit the Lion City together with their friends and families.

Edward Koh, executive director South-east Asia of STB, said: “Indonesians like to bond with their family and friends, and traveling provides the perfect opportunity for them to do so, thus STB is launching this integrated marketing campaign to invite Indonesians to create special memories with their friends and family in Singapore.

“With close to 500 flights a week to Singapore and the constantly rejuvenating landscape of the city, Indonesians have the unique opportunity to enjoy an extension of lifestyle in a different environment, just two hours away,” he added.

Indonesia is Singapore’s largest market, both in terms of visitor arrivals and tourism receipts. Of the 15.1 million total arrivals to Singapore in 2014, Indonesians accounted for over three million arrivals.

As Indonesian arrivals have softened this year due to the global economic slowdown and regional competition, this campaign is expected to boost interest and maintain last year’s performance, added Koh.

In its latest campaign for Indonesia, STB has also taken a fresh approach by leveraging the star power of local celebrities.

Michele Wooi, area director Indonesia of STB said: “We are very pleased to have Titi Kamal and Christina Sujiono as our key opinion leaders to inspire Indonesians to enjoy Singapore like they do. Widely known as celebrities who love to travel and explore new experiences with their family and friends, they are well-suited to be the face of our advertising campaign.”

She added: “We are very happy to have the support of the travel trade and airline partners who have come together to offer special airfare and attractive travel packages that are themed for family and friends.

“Indonesians can look forward to an exciting line-up of travel deals that will be featured in our promotions.”

Lasting till March 2016, the campaign will reach audiences through channels such as newspapers, lifestyle and parenting magazines, websites and social media.

The immigration checkpoint at Changi Airport. Credit: 123rf

AUSTRALIANS flying into Singapore Changi Airport can now enrol in the enhanced-Immigration Automated Clearance System (eIACS), allowing them use of the airport’s electronic clearance lanes from October 1, 2015.

The automated clearance systems can be found at all Changi Airport terminals and are usually reserved for Singaporean passport holders.

The service is now open to all eligible holders of Australian passports, requiring them to first apply for it at enrolment centres located at Changi Airport, Woodlands Checkpoint, Tuas Checkpoint and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) Building in Singapore.

According to ICA, holders of Australian passports aged six and above who have visited Singapore at least three times in the past 12 months immediately before enrolment and have no adverse record in Singapore are eligible to enrol for eIACS.

There are no costs involved in the application process and further details can be found on ICA’s website.

Extending access to the automated clearance lanes for Australians is a move done out of goodwill, according to a statement from ICA, providing greater convenience and enhanced links between Singapore and Australia.

Eligible holders of Singapore passports already enjoy similar facilities when visiting Australia.

IN AN attempt to motivate the industry to move away from reactive crisis communication strategies to a more proactive tourism resilience approach, especially in light of a recent increase in frequency of both natural and man-made disasters, PATA is now encouraging organisations to share their relevant expertise on its sustain.pata.org website.

“For too long the travel and tourism industry has been focusing on crisis communications and how to respond to a disaster, however it is now vital for all organisations to place their attention on tourism resilience and preparedness,” said Mario Hardy, CEO of PATA. “It is time now for destinations to be proactive, rather than reactive.

“Severe disasters can have an immense impact not only on the lives of the people affected but also on tourism and employment in the long term. The industry needs to play an important role in encouraging disaster risk management at all levels,” he added.

While sustain.pata.org was first founded earlier in 2015 as a platform to disseminate knowledge on sustainable and socially responsible tourism, the inclusion of tourism resilience content now hopes to highlight the aforementioned vital issue, according to PATA in a statement.

Organisations can contribute to the knowledge base through this webpage or by emailing to ssr@PATA.org.