NATAS has unveiled its plan to continue adopting a programme-rich travel fair showcasing cultural performances from various exhibitors, in a move to maintain visitor numbers.

During a media event held today to promote their upcoming travel fair, Steven Lek, executive director of NATAS, said: “We had an estimated 50,000 visitors for the first travel fair in March and are hoping to achieve the same numbers this time. But at the end of the day, numbers and physical sizes (of the exhibition halls) don’t make a good travel fair.”

To attract more visitors, there will be new exhibitors, lucky draws, cultural performances and play areas for children. “We hope to create a carnival-like experience for the whole family to come down and enjoy themselves,” added Lek.

NATAS’ 13 new exhibitors include Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), which is part of a broader initiative by both organisations to raise traveller’s awareness about travel-related health matters and concerns.

When quizzed about the rivalry between NATAS Travel Fair and Travel Revolution and the chances of a reconciliation, Lek emphasised that the exhibitors who did not participate in the last travel fair are still part of NATAS.

“We hope for a reconciliation, yes, but you need two hands to clap,” he said.

Lek also highlighted that both travel fairs should not be competing with each other but instead focus on how to combine efforts to encourage travellers who use the Internet to book their travel itineraries to use travel agencies instead.

Meanwhile, NATAS is looking towards social media to tackle the supposed lack of advertising and publicity that caused top outbound travel agencies to jump ship.

“The fact is, we are putting a foothold in social media such as on Facebook and TripAdvisor,” said Lek.

The NATAS travel fair will be held on July 31 until August 2 at the Singapore Expo.

By Samuel Ng

THE NUMBER of outbound Chinese travellers is predicted to reach 174 million by 2019, with an expected expenditure of US$264 million, boosted by the rising number of tech-savvy, younger, and more affluent Chinese.
According to the latest Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) 2015 report by Hotels.com, more than 107 million Chinese made outbound trips last year, a 20 per cent rise on 2013.

This yearly CITM report, which includes interviews with more than 3,000 Chinese outbound travellers and 1,500 hotel operators worldwide, revealed that nearly 60 per cent of hotels said the number of Chinese tourists aged between 18 and 35 has risen and that the trend will continue.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily yesterday, Katherine Cole, regional director of Hotels.com, said: “This growth is especially strong in the Asia-Pacific region, where 78 per cent of hoteliers reported an increase in Chinese Millennial travellers.”
The study also revealed that young tourists were less dependent on travel agencies than their older counterparts, and mobile travel bookings are “soaring” with 50 per cent of all Chinese outbound travellers using their mobile phones to plan and book trips compared with just 17 per cent last year.

Highlightling this growth as one of the key findings in the report, Cole said: “This is a huge jump as we see that travellers are relying a lot on their mobile devices because of how convenient and consistent it is.”

“It also works because the companies are providing better tools and anyone can make a booking within seconds,” she added.

The continuous growth in outbound travel by the Chinese has presented huge opportunities to the global tourism industry and hoteliers.

To leverage this growth, Cole said: “To keep up with the growth opportunity, hoteliers have to accommodate the needs of Chinese travellers with demands like free Wi-Fi which is a must-have, and also things like providing a kettle in the room and also Chinese-speaking staff.”

MORE Indonesians are showing a keener interest in domestic trips during Lebaran 2015, with Yogyakarta taking over last year’s top destination Bandung for hotel searches, revealed travel search site Wego.

Searches for hotels in Yogyakarta rose 78 per cent over 2014 and flight searches to the city escalated by 342 per cent, said Graham Hills, managing director of Wego Indonesia.

“Bali featured as the number one domestic destination for the past two years, however it fell to fourth place this year,” he added.

While more than half of Wego’s Indonesian users sought three-star accommodation in 2014, the site witnessed a shift towards higher rated hotels this year.

Internationally, Singapore remained the top choice for flights, with Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Hong Kong trailing behind. Although Beijing placed fifth, flight searches to the city soared over 300 per cent this year.

“International flights also enjoyed higher volumes, the most notable change is Garuda Indonesia stepping up to second place from fifth last year, and Malaysia Airlines disappearing from the top five altogether,” said Hills.

“As OTAs are a dominant recipient of Wego’s business, such significant escalation in travel planning highlights further opportunities for airlines and hotels to grow their direct business through aggressive digital strategies, to meet market demand at this time and throughout the year,” he added.

AIRASIA will begin thrice-weekly direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to the Maldives from October 22, becoming the only airline to operate this route.

Malaysia Airlines, which currently offers daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to the Maldives, will suspend the service from August 23.

Welcoming the new connection, Cooper Huang, CEO of Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel, said: “The Maldives is a popular, year-round destination and is especially so for honeymooners. As most travellers will purchase air tickets from the AirAsia website, we will offer ground packages which can also be tailor-made.”

According to Spencer Lee, head of commercial at AirAsia, the flight schedule for the Kuala Lumpur-Maldives route allows travellers from other countries such as South Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Australia to connect easily via the carrier’s Fly-Thru service.

Destinations which offers Fly-Thru connectivity to the Maldives include Incheon, Osaka, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Penang and Gold Coast, he added.

Online booking at airasia.com has begun with all-inclusive fares starting from RM169 (US$44.60) for travel periods from October 22, 2015 to August 31, 2016. This promotion ends on July 26.

NOK Air will begin four-times weekly flights to Ho Chi Minh City from Bangkok-Don Mueang from October 1 on Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Passengers can expect 30kg baggage allowance, snacks on board and free seat selection.

For trips from October 1 to 24, flights will depart Bangkok-Don Mueang on Thursdays and Fridays at 07.30, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 09.05. The return flight will leave Vietnam at 09.50 and touch down in Thailand at 11.25.

Flights leaving Bangkok on Mondays and Sundays will take off at 18.30 and land in Ho Chi Minh City at 20.00. Return flights will depart Vietnam at 20.45 and reach Thailand at 22.20.

Starting December 1, the Thai LCC will serve the route twice daily with flights departing Bangkok at 07.35 and 18.30, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 09.05 and 20.00 respectively.

Flights departing Ho Chi Minh City will take off at 09.50 and 20.45, landing in Bangkok at 11.20 and 22.15 respectively.

Nok Air is now offering promotional prices starting from 999 baht net (US$28.90) per person per flight on their website.

DUSIT Fudu Hotels and Resorts has inked a second management agreement with Panzhihua Pulongda Real Estate Development to manage Dusit Princess Resort Panzhihua in Sichuan province.

Scheduled to open in late 2016, the resort will be conveniently located opposite the high-speed train station, 10 minutes away from the CBD and Panzhihua Bao’anying Airport.

The 150-room midscale resort includes 112 rooms with outdoor gardens, an all-day dining restaurant, lobby lounge and three function rooms.

For recreation, guests can visit the gym, dance studio, kids’ club and activity room. An on-site medical centre offers traditional Chinese medicine services.

The property is located within a sprawling complex which comprises the Dusit Thani Panzhihua Resort, hot springs, sports venues, a golf course, luxury residential blocks and a theme park.

MELBOURNE Airport achieved an eight per cent international visitor growth, taking total passengers to more than 32 million for the 2014/2015 financial year compared to last year.

North Asia posted the strongest growth with Japan being the leading country, increasing traffic by nearly 45 per cent to account for more than 8.3 million international passengers, while travellers from China increased by 24 per cent.

Outside of North Asia, countries such as Vietnam, South Korea, India, and Sri Lanka contributed significantly, all growing by more than 10 per cent for the year.

Simon Gandy, acting CEO of Melbourne Airport, said: “It’s been an exciting year at Melbourne Airport and we’re looking forward to completing some significant projects in the coming months that will enhance the customer experience at Victoria’s aviation gateway as well as further support Victoria’s growth and appeal as an international destination.”

Approximately A$53 million (US$39 million) was reinvested in June 2015 to improve facilities at Melbourne Airport, including a new domestic terminal and transport hub which are on track for completion later this year.

Additionally, the new Airport Drive was opened during the month and now provides a second major entry, directly linking Melbourne Airport to the M80 Western Ring Road.

THE PHILIPPINE Department of Tourism (DoT) will be organising a multi-city roadshow for the trade in four cities in India, visiting Nagpur, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Delhi on July 30, August 3, 5, and 7, respectively.

The objective of the roadshow is to educate and update partners about the Philippines’ existing and new tourism product offerings to help them in planning itineraries and handling customer queries.

The DoT, along with a 15-member delegation, will interact with over 300 key travel and tour operators, as well as MICE and upmarket leisure operators during the tour.

The programme for the roadshow will include presentations by the DoT, DMCs and hotels from the Philippines, detailed networking sessions, followed by special lucky draws for participants.

“Tier Two cities are important markets for Philippines as they promise a growing trend of people with the inclination to explore new international holiday destinations,” said SanJeet, tourism attache, Philippines Tourism.

In addition, the Philippine DoT will also be participating at the International Convention of Wedding Fraternity on July 31 and August 1 in Manesar. It aims to network and highlight the Philippines as a premium wedding destination for high-end wedding planners.

RED Planet Hotels has renamed its 24 properties into Red Planet, a technologically centred hotel brand that targets the value-conscious traveller by providing a comfortable, tech-enabled stay at attractive prices.

“Almost all of our guests are between 20 to 30 years old, and this online generation is changing the dynamics of the hotel industry,” said Tim Hansing, CEO of Red Planet.

To embrace this shift, Red Planet has invested heavily in its IT platform and upgraded Wi-Fi speeds in all properties, as stable and fast Wi-Fi is crucial to its guests, he added.

A key component of the new Red Planet brand is a mobile app that functions as a booking portal and feeds information about relevant local events and points of interest directly to guests’ hand-held devices.

“We are always looking to add both value and relevance to a guest’s stay through our investment in technology at all times,” said Hansing.

The Red Planet concept has been launched across its portfolio of hotels in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. It will be opening the new brand’s flagship properties in Tokyo and Bangkok later this year.