HAVING taken a hit from Russia’s rouble crisis, Goa is planning an incentive scheme for charter tour operators to attract more international tourists.

Goa has suffered a 40 per cent plunge in Russian flights since November, and on its own accounts for about 95 per cent of charters into India, or 1,217 flights. According to official figures, Goa welcomed 230,811 international tourists in 4Q2014, down from 232,874 during the same period in 2013.

Ameya Abhyankar, director of Goa’s department of tourism, said: “We are looking at creating an incentive package in line with what countries like Sri Lanka and Thailand offer, where you incentivise charter tour operators for every additional flight that they operate, which helps to cover some of the cost of charter tour operators.”

The tourism board expects the scheme to boost traffic from key markets like Russia and the UK, while capturing new markets like the US, Australia and Latin America.

In the meantime, Condor intends to operate a weekly charter service between Frankfurt and Goa from November 2015 to April 2016, while Thomas Cook is bringing two more flights from Manchester and Gatwick in the UK.

Abhyankar remarked: “Flydubai has also shown interest in operating charter flights to Goa.”

AIRASIA has named Langkawi as the airline’s next international base, a move that will likely see tourist traffic to the Malaysian island take off.

Announced at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2015, the airline’s group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said: “We are very excited about this announcement. We plan to put five planes in Langkawi and generate approximately one million to 1.5 million passengers through Langkawi very quickly.

“We will obviously focus on ASEAN destinations and gradually expand the connectivity to China and India, which are both very strong routes. It is exciting news for the state of Kedah and exciting news for job creation as we will base pilots and cabin crew in Langkawi.

“By making it a hub, we hope to contribute further to the growth of traffic of this airport,” he added.

The LCC currently operates three routes from Langkawi with a total of 98 flights weekly. Langkawi will become AirAsia’s sixth international hub in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Penang and Kota Kinabalu.

Aireen Omar, CEO of AirAsia, said: “Today is a big day for us at AirAsia. We have been campaigning for a while now, and we are pleased to know the government and the airport are beginning to see the benefits of LCCs and understand that with the right cost structure, we can grow the airport and churn new businesses.

“We have a great airport here in Langkawi but it is under-utilised. We firmly believe Langkawi have a huge potential to grow as an international hub.”

EXPECTING the Apple Watch to bring about the next wave of disruption in travel, major tourism and hospitality companies are preparing for the wearable’s debut with their own apps.

One such company is Emirates, which this week announced the launch of its own Apple Watch app, one month ahead of the device’s April 24 launch date set for the US, UK, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Alex Knigge, senior vice president, digital, Emirates, said in a statement: “The Apple Watch platform allows us to connect with travellers on a more personal level by providing real-time information throughout their journey.

“Our team developed the Emirates app for Apple Watch with modern travellers in mind, making sure this wearable technology delivers key information, with a simple glance at their wrist.”

Customers with an Apple Watch and the Emirates app installed on their iPhones will be able to review their list of upcoming trips, access real-time flight information including gate number, flight number and baggage collection details, and receive timely notifications in the event of gate number or baggage belt changes.

Other travel companies with their own Apple Watch apps include Expedia, which enables users to view flight information and check in and out of hotels; TripAdvisor, which suggests and searches for restaurants and nearby attractions; and Uber, which notifies users of nearby available cars for hire and allows them to request one.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts has also rolled out its own programme that not only displays hotel reservation details, but also saves users the hassle of checking in at the front desk.
After checking in using the app, users can go directly to their room and with the device’s near field communication function, unlock the door without a physical key.

IN ANTICIPATION of the changing preferences of a new generation of travellers, Best Western International (BWI) yesterday introduced its new chic boutique hotel concept, Vib, to international developers and media in Bangkok.

“It is widely forecast that Millennials will account for a third of all travel spend in the very (short term) and 75 per cent of travel spend in 10 years’ time,” said BWI president & CEO, David Kong, on the company’s motivation to develop a new product.

“They look for new experiences that are not cookie-cutter, and want hotels to be engaging and empowering. And today’s travellers are looking for different experiences as well.

“While the economy is recovering in most parts of the world, value is still king – many people are looking for affordability, coupled with stylish design and experience,” he said.

To stand out from competitors in the boutique hotel market, Kong added that BWI has done extensive research on existing boutique and lifestyle brands to come up with a different product, and as a result, Vib hotels will highlight features such as a big and vibrant lobby, smaller rooms and functional technology.

He elaborated: “From a developer’s (point of view), hotel investment is an expensive undertaking and they want to be ahead of the curve, so (Vib) is not just for today’s travellers but selling for success in the future as well; they want a hotel that will be inexpensive to construct but also cost-efficient to operate.”

When asked about the Vib expansion strategy, BWI senior vice president, brand management & member services, Ron Pahl, commented: “We are hoping to sign three Vib projects this year and grow five projects a year. Bangkok is a key focus and we will consider all urban markets with high foot traffic and population.”

He also shared that Vib is envisioned as an “upper middle (scale) project” and will be positioned closer to Best Western Plus. “We don’t see a lot of middle to upper-midscale products, not just in Bangkok but also other cities, so we see opportunities.”

The first Vib hotel is expected to debut in Seoul’s Gangnam district in 2017, featuring 150 rooms, a bar, F&B outlets and a swimming pool.

Meanwhile, BWI is keen to grow its Asian portfolio from the current 128 hotels to 200 properties by end-2016. In the development pipeline are Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Bhutan.

During the press conference, BWI’s senior vice president, marketing & sales, Dorothy Dowling, also announced new strategic partnerships with Agoda.com, Ctrip.com and UnionPay – the latter two being critical to tapping the potential of the immense Chinese outbound market.