LANGKAWI is in talks with operators to launch new charter flights, hoping its new attractions and an intensified promotions drive will help attract more Europeans this year.

Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) CEO, Khalid Ramli, said LADA is talking to European flight charter operators as there are no direct scheduled airlines connecting the destination and Europe.

Khalid said: “We are meeting with two charterers from Sweden and Finland (yesterday) to discuss with them the possibility of flying to Langkawi during summer, winter or even throughout the year. We offer charter companies a special cash incentive of US$10 per (passenger) head.”

British Airways, in the meantime, is scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur from May this year, a development Khalid welcomed because “historically, majority of British tourists to Malaysia will visit Langkawi”.

The push for more European tourists is also due to new attractions that are expected to be of interest to Europeans. The Langkawi Sky Bridge reopened last month after two years of upgrading works. A new 3D art museum, hailed as the second-largest in the world, and teambuilding venue Langkawi Skytrex, suitable for both corporate and leisure tourists who enjoy extreme sports, are also now available.

LADA is also strengthening its position in ecotourism and nature tourism, banking on the destination’s rich variety of animal and plant life. The archipelago welcomed the 5th Asian Bird Fair in Langkawi last year and, in 2015, will host a bird and butterfly fair in October.

LADA will also introduce mangrove walk packages in the 3Q2015.

As well, it aims to market directly to European travellers through its website www.naturallylangkawi.my.

On the importance of the European market, Rosnina Yaacob, manager, tourism division at LADA, said: “Europeans love nature and they will support our efforts to ensure Langkawi develops sustainably. All of Langkawi with its 100 islands have been designated UNESCO Geopark status.”

Currently, the UK, Russia, Germany and Sweden are among Langkawi’s top 10 source markets.

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PREFERRED Hotel Group (PHG) has restructured its entire portfolio, a move which sees its established brands Summit Hotels and Resorts and Sterling Hotels being retired effective today.

In the biggest change since the Ueberroth family acquired the company 10 years ago, all 650 member hotels have been moved to one master brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, under five collections: Legend, LVX (luxury), Lifestyle, Connect and Preferred Residences.

President and CEO Lindsey Ueberroth, told the Daily yesterday that changing consumer trends, and hotel chains moving into the space by launching collections that cater to independent hotels, triggered the restructuring.

“We thought it was the perfect time for us to clarify our brand, take a legacy brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which is the most well-known, and elevate it with a strong consumer awareness,” said Ueberroth.

“By taking one master brand and creating five collections under it, it would be more intuitive for consumers, who look for different styles of luxury when travelling. When you’re travelling with your family, it is different from when you travel with your spouse, for example.”

Ueberroth also believes travel consultants will find the new portfolio to be “much simpler, streamlined and intuitive”.

“In addition, we are layering on new experiences like art and culture, wellness, food and wine, adventure, which will enable consultants to better cater to clients. Today, travellers don’t just say ‘I want to go to Hawaii’. They say ‘I enjoy wellness or food and wine, and I’m open (to ideas)’. We have 650 hotels that cater to those experiences.”

Asked if Summit and Sterling are up for sale since they have brand equity, she said: “Right now we have no plans to sell them, but who knows what might happen down the road.”

She admitted there was “a bit of sadness” among Summit and Sterling partners to part with a brand they have had for 25 years “but once we communicated it to them, all our partners thought this was really a good move”.

The challenge now is to communicate it as well to consumers and the travel trade, she said.

Aloysius Lee, CEO of South Beach hotel in Singapore, a new Preferred member, said the development will be under the LVX collection. “We perceive this (move) would allow PHG to focus on different market segments for the respective properties. We expect PHG to drive better results as a result of the rebranding exercise,” said Lee.

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THE Indonesian government will not abandon Europe in its marketing and promotional efforts in favour of other volume-generating markets closer to home, said tourism minister Arief Yahya.

Speaking to the Daily, the minister sought to address concerns among the Indonesian trade and hotel industries, especially those handling European markets, that the government was not giving up on this longhaul sector.

Having looked at tourism statistics, Arief acknowledged that the European traveller’s average spend is twice that of other tourists.

He observed: “While the number of arrivals from Russia declined, arrivals from the rest of Europe increased with Germany growing 7.7 per cent last year.”

More flight access was also on the way, in a likely boost to inbound traffic from the continent.

“There is good news that Emirates is going to begin flying from Dubai to Bali in June, and that will open up connectivity not only with the Middle East but also to many European destinations,” he said. “(This adds to) Qatar Airways’ existing services linking Doha to Bali and Jakarta.”

“I believe that this will stimulate business into Indonesia and, with the market growing, Garuda Indonesia will also improve its network in Europe.”

He reassured the trade: “We will continue to participate at big events in Europe such as ITB Berlin, WTM London, and will also do sales missions.”

Participation at ITB Berlin last year was estimated to have materialised Rp3.9 trillion (US$300 million) worth of business for Indonesia, and Arief expects an increase of 10 per cent for this year.

At the ASEAN Tourism Forum in January this year, the minister had told TTG Asia that the ministry would allocate its promotional budget proportionately to its new goals.

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TOUR operators are seeing “very attractive offers” and discounts of 20 to 30 per cent coming through from the Maldives, which recorded a 7.8 per cent decline in arrivals in the month of January – the fourth consecutive month a decrease was recorded.

China, which in recent years edged out Europe to become the Maldives’ top source, has been in the doldrums since September, declining by 1.7 per cent in September, 3.5 per cent in October, 4.9 per cent in November, 12.2 per cent in December and a whopping 33.1 per cent in January.

Adding to the woe, Russia unsurprisingly was the worst performing market in January, dipping 38 per cent, latest figures from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism shows.

All this saw Europe back as the number one market to the Maldives, its market share rising from 43.9 per cent in December to 54.1 per cent in January. Italy rose 16.9 per cent in January, the UK 6.6 per cent and Germany 8.7 per cent. With Lufthansa looking to operate twice-weekly Frankfurt-Malé flights, Europe is likely to hold on to its regained position.

David Kevan of Chic Locations UK, said the offers, in the form of extra free nights, room or meal upgrades, etc, help as the British pound has fallen against the US dollar, the hotel currency in the Maldives.

Mohamed Riyaz, managing director of Lets Go Maldives, said hotels have been discounting 20-30 per cent since January and are planning more discounts for summer. He said this would help bring back the volume, particularly travellers who have stayed away because of prices.

Holidays in paradise have never been cheap. Said Kevan: “We are upfront and tell clients the Maldives is an expensive destination and they need to budget US$300 daily if the booking includes breakfast only.”

Andrew Drummond, general manager of Maalifushi by Como, believes a real luxury market will remain for the Maldives. But he noted that resorts heavily dependent on markets such as China have already started to put out strong offers in the market, “diluting the value of potential business prospecting for a bargain”. – Additional reporting by Feizal Samath

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