AFTER three years at the helm, PATA’s CEO, Martin Craigs, is stepping down on November 1, leaving an association that has managed to shed some of its old boys’ image and create new value for its members.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at PATA Travel Mart (PTM), Craigs cited personal reasons for not seeking a further three-year term. “I’ve never had three non-stop weeks at home for 30 years,” he shared.

In a memo to members, Craigs described what he called a hard year, “with three close family losses and an unrelenting travel schedule”.

“I’m leaving on a high note because I think PATA has significantly enhanced its offering to its members…(on another) high note, my last sales job was to secure PTM in Bengaluru next year,” he revealed.

“These three years have been about pioneering and changing mindsets. Now we’ve got so many programmes and activities; they need to be operationally perfected. And Mario (Hardy) is an excellent COO who can carry this forward.”

Hardy will become interim CEO, but PATA’s board will have to decide whether he eventually takes the top post.

When asked what areas the new CEO could work on, he remarked: “The internal process and constitution need to be radically updated. We cannot justify having an AGM that stretches out two or three days. IATA’s formal AGM takes 90 minutes.”

There also has to be more diversity on the PATA board, Craigs observed.

He said: “People who have served their time on the board should happily share their knowledge and hand over to the next generation, otherwise they are inevitably going to refer to their old experience.

“We’d like to see more Asian females on the board and people with specialist knowledge, e.g. a legal person or someone in IT, which is usually next-gen. We also discussed, and it’s been agreed in principle, that our Face of the Future (award winner) should come to an executive board meeting at least once, twice a year.”

Commenting on Craigs’ departure, long-time PATA member and vice-chairman of the board, Kevin Murphy, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Martin is leaving a legacy that PATA can build on. His background, particularly in airlines, has been of great value.

“But PATA is bigger than one person. PATA is still here after 63 years and will be in the future. We need to take it forward so that Martin’s efforts will not be lost.”

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WHILE the Ebola outbreak is thousands of kilometres and six hours by flight away from South Africa, the deadly disease is adversely impacting tourism there as travellers are avoiding the exotic destination.

Cooper Huang, CEO, Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel, said: “People have cancelled travel to South Africa in September and October due to the fear factor. There is no point shouting about the destination when there is little demand.”

Dynasty Travel Singapore’s marketing communications director, Alicia Seah, said: “Although the distance between West and South Africa is quite far, travellers are opting not to (go) to these destinations if they have a choice, especially for leisure holidays.”

According to her, bookings to the traditionally popular South Africa have dipped by half for the year-end holiday period.

Kim Nixon, managing director at Asia of Africa Safaris, on the other hand, was more optimistic. Since the outbreak, her business has declined by only five per cent, largely in East Africa, and there have been “few cancellations” in South Africa.

Cherry Lee, executive director of Pacific World Travel, GSA for South African Airways in Malaysia, said: “We are trying to educate the travel trade in Malaysia that South Africa is far from the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and it is safe to travel there. Due to misconceptions, Malaysian travellers are avoiding South Africa, thinking it is close to West Africa.”

Thinta Zwane, first secretary, South African High Commission Singapore, said: “Potential travellers to South Africa should feel free to (visit) because Ebola has not spread into our country. We have put in place measures that could easily help us deal with any Ebola scare; there is no reason potential tourists should worry about contracting this virus in South Africa.”

According to South African Tourism Board’s latest media release issued on September 8, the South African National Department of Health has assured that there are no cases of Ebola in South Africa, but the country will remain on high alert for any potential threat or infection.

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Additional report from Paige Lee Pei Qi

RESPONDING to a shift towards selling experiences rather than destinations, PATA has, for the first time, launched a Responsible Travel Pavilion at the show.

A dozen exhibitors come under this business platform dedicated to responsible and sustainable travel including Khiri Travel, Wild Asia, Sampran Riverside, Global Sustainable Tourism Council and Messe Berlin.

Ivy Chee, the association’s regional director of East Asia, said: “This new pavilion will allow us to showcase organisations that deserve to be recognised for their efforts in sustainable tourism and socially responsible initiatives in their operations.

“(It) also provides a further opportunity for participants to network and do business with like-minded organisations – to share their knowledge, experiences and lessons learned in an informal setting.”

Seeking to address any misperceptions that travel agencies may have, Amy McLoughlin, responsible tourism awards manager & associate specialist, Wild Asia, said: “Occasionally travellers may consider responsible tourism as ‘slumming it’. Of course, there are many inspirational responsible tourism initiatives that are at a much more grassroots level than some may be comfortable to frequent.

“But responsible luxury is possible too. Delicious local produce, intricate handicrafts, welcoming staff and a clean environment are just some possible attractive benefits of a committed responsible tourism operator.”

Wild Asia conducts clinics and seminars that “aim to bring the agenda of ethical tourism to the mass tourism business players”, added McLoughlin.

Although responsible travel is not an afterthought for the DMC, Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Travel Group, said that it “continues to work on improving our footprint in our daily operations, and that of our suppliers”.

Khiri Travel’s charity Khiri Reach is another way that the company contributes to communities. He explained: “We leverage our business network to link donors and volunteers with NGOs and community service projects that need the help.

“The society has become aware of the enormity of global environmental and social problems. Responsible travel is a way to manage this stress on planet and people.

“To spread the bounty of the tourism boom, we need creativity and coordination between the public and private sector.”

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TTG Asia Media is taking its B2B business further with the debut of Roomonger, a travel consolidator that offers agencies real-time booking access to hotels and other intermediaries.

Officially launched last month, Roomonger carrries inventory of more than 100,000 hotels across 150 countries – ranging from budget to luxury – obtained through direct contracts with hotels as well as connections to numerous suppliers.

The system filters the best available nett rates across all channels, which are competitive enough to provide a margin of 15-20 per cent. Transfers, tours and packages are also on the cards, and will be progressively added.

TTG Asia Media managing director, Darren Ng, explained: “We are in the business of facilitating buyers and sellers. If you look at our publishing titles, advertisers are suppliers who want to reach out to travel agencies. For our events, we provide a platform for sellers to exhibit and link them with buyers through appointments. Roomonger is a natural extension, where we secure suppliers’ rates and offer them to buyers.”

With her background in online booking systems, Cecilia Teo joined the company in April as general manager of Roomonger, which falls under TTG Global Commerce, a business group of TTG Asia Media.

Said Teo: “We’re not in any conflict of interest (with wholesalers). We’re giving them the opportunity to join us, and we’re helping them to clear their stock. A wholesaler from Europe, for example, may not have the means to personally approach every travel agency in Asia.
“Other than being a consolidator, we can also help travel agencies who want to be wholesalers by giving them a white-label B2B hotel booking system.”

An advantage that Roomonger has over other B2B portals is that its agency reach is far wider, pointed out Ng.

“Because of the nature of our business, we have built up a significant database of potential buyers not just in Asia but globally.”

Buyers will be engaged through marketing EDMs, among other forms of communication.

From October to December, agencies also stand a chance to win prizes for every booking they make.

At press time, there are 500 registered travel consultants, and the target is to have at least 1,500 by year-end.

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WITH the rise of community-based tourism projects across Asia, the spotlight has now turned to how best to market them in order to generate demand.

Shahruddin Sogol, managing director of Daaz Travel Singapore, said: “We have students doing international visits and looking for experiences, and it would be great to know these destinations.”

Communities could use the Internet and social media to create awareness, suggested Shahruddin.

Acknowledging this, Harsh Varma, director for UNWTO Development and Services, who yesterday presented the Mekong Discovery Trail Project at the International Conference on Community Development Through Tourism, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the destination must first have a product that is unique.

UNWTO has appointed selected tour operators specialising in experiential travel to market the community-based tourism development in north-eastern Cambodia.

“Apart from that, social media plays an important role in reaching out to the international audience,” he said.

Another buyer Mohammed Zaki, owner of US-based RZ Travel, said more information also has to be given to travel agencies in order to allay fears on whether such destinations, which tend to be more remote, are safe. This includes details such as whether a clinic or hospital is within easy access.

“There is growing demand for experiential travel to developing countries to learn about their cultures and experience their daily lives. However, safety is one of the important issues (that must be addressed),” he added.

Amy McLoughlin, responsible tourism awards manager and associate specialist at Wild Asia, who helps tour operators adopt sustainable management practices, said: “When we first started in 2010, (responsible tourism) was seen as a niche (product)…however it has gradually changed.”

She added that the trade also has to learn how to better position their products. “The problem now is that tour companies are promoting community-based tourism as (rural), but some of the quality of the products are high, so it is a matter of how they market it to appeal to more people.”

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