THE Czech Tourism Board (CTB) early this week delivered its first presentation to Philippine outbound operators in the hopes of drumming up initial business from the leisure and pilgrimage markets.

“The Filipino market now is very small – we’re talking about around 2,500 visitors,” said Korea-based Michal Procházka, CTB director, who had arrived with a contingent of six visiting the Philippines for the first time: Royal Prague Travel, DIR Bohemia, IncoCzech Travel Prague, Destination, Asiana Global Travel, and the Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague.

He added: “In the Philippines, we see an interest in luxury and incentives, special tours, people talking about sacred places and shopping. We have to discover what the market is.

“Another reason why this project was developed is that there are many South Koreans in the Philippines, and our South Korean market is very big. Last year, we had about 150,000 South Koreans coming to the Czech Republic; this year we may hit 180,000 or more.”

He revealed that while the South Korean market for 1Q2014 had grown 43 per cent year-on-year, it dipped to 10.5 per cent in the next quarter following the sinking of Savol ferry, which hit many industries and tourism.

Nevertheless, CTB has mounted an ongoing campaign promoting Prague for South Korean honeymooners. South Korea is currently the destination’s fastest-growing market together with China.

Irene Gregorio, managing director, Travel Excellence Corp, formerly the Philippine GSA for Czech Airlines, said: “The initial market from here (the Philippines) will always think of the Czech Republic as a pilgrimage destination because of the Infant Jesus of Prague, then leisure, per se; then you go for the specifics, such as corporate incentives.”

CTB opened offices in Shanghai and Seoul in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Offices have since been opened in Beijing, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

DESPITE their locations thousands of kilometres away from the Ebola epicentre, tourism in other parts of Africa are reporting fallouts from the outbreak.

Damian Sadie, general manager, Rovos Rail South Africa, said the train is losing about US$100,000 a week in the last two months as a result of cancellations, which are mostly coming from the US, China and Japan.

Expressing his bewilderment, he said: “It is very strange because travellers taking our (luxury rail) tours are global, well-informed travellers who have been to so many countries.

“It is also strange that we received cancellations from Texas when there are cases in their backyard in Dallas and Houston.”

Likewise, Constance Hotels and Resorts marketing coordinator, Emily Li, shared that the group lost significant business and postponement requests from China at its Mauritius properties since the Ebola outbreak.

“I think it is the lack of awareness of Mauritius’ position in Africa that travellers are afraid to go,” said Li, adding that the hotel group is working with tour operators to educate clients on the real situation.

World Travel & Tourism Council president & CEO, David Scowsill, said: “The right reaction is the US, the UK and Scandinavian countries sending in medical personnel into the affected countries; the consumer reaction is what we need to (tackle). There is already a shortfall of people going to Africa from the US and Europe.

“They don’t understand the geography of the continent – the affected parts of Africa are closer to London than Kenya, for example. They are cancelling holidays very unnecessarily.”

Some destinations in Africa, however, claimed they are not feeling the impact of Ebola. Twiga Tour in Kenya managed to contain the damage through preventive actions, said sales and marketing director, Rahim Manji.

“We realise many travellers are lacking in geographical knowledge so as soon as there was the outbreak, (the government and trade associations) in Kenya sent out information on the disease, the affected areas, number of cases and where we are,” he said.

For another player, Le Voyageur, its location on Madagascar, an island on its own, has cushioned it from cancellations, according to managing director, Michael Horn.

Meanwhile, Patrick Debus, permanent secretary at World Federation of Consuls, said the association has shifted one of its annual conferences, originally planned for Nigeria next year, to South Africa.

Additional reporting by Paige Lee Pei Qi

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SABAH inbound operators, which have suffered softer demand this year due to numerous kidnapping cases, are breathing a sigh of relief as they start to see forward bookings climbing.

Borneo Eco Tours, assistant general manager, Susan Soong, saw an improvement in forward bookings for March to May 2015 from the European markets, mainly from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, to the wildlife attractions in Sukau and Sandakan.

Said Soong: “It shows that confidence is returning. This year, most bookings from the European market were last minute, with a two-week lead time.

“I think 2015 will be better and with the government’s year-long tourism campaign promoting Malaysia Year of Festivals, it will create more awareness of the destination.”

Another tour operator from Sabah, Borneo Trails Tours & Travel sales manager, Yunus Sampeh, said European demand started to pick up again in July 2014 for Sandakan and Sukau, compared with a quiet first half of the year during which many European consultants stopped selling eastern Sabah.

Yunus said: “These areas (Sandakan and Sukau) are very far from Lahad Datu, Semporna and Pom Pom Island where the kidnapping cases took place.”

The spate of abduction incidents involving tourists on the east coast of Sabah earlier this year nevertheless wreak havoc on tourism to the eastern Malaysian state, which took a plunge amid safety concerns at the destination.

In order to pave for the recovery of traffic from the international market, several buyers told TTG-ITB Asia Daily that stronger efforts are needed on the Malaysian government’s part to disseminate information on improved security measures on the east coast of Sabah to a global audience.

Chinese buyers in particular advocate this action, saying their clients put safety first.

Joseph Sze, director of Shanghai Business Holiday International Travel Service, said: “Sabah is not as hot as it used to be due to numerous kidnapping cases.

“To see a return in confidence, the Malaysian authorities have to emphasise the improved security on the east coast of Sabah.

“We get enquiries from clients whether it is safe to go to Sabah, but this is something we cannot promise,” he added.

Another Chinese buyer, Laura Hu, MICE manager of Chongqing-based Private Tour Club, said: “Safety is always the first consideration that travellers make in choosing the destination.

“The kidnapping cases in Sabah had affected demand for the whole destination as travellers are unsure if the country is safe. The media has to play a role in disseminating information on efforts taken to improve security in the east coast of Sabah.

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THE introduction of direct air services linking Singapore to Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Lanzhou in China’s northwestern Gansu province this year is whetting Singaporeans’ appetite for exotic holidays in these far-flung destinations.

Angela Wong, director of global accounts Singapore, Helms Briscoe, a meetings procurement and site selection agency, said: “We definitely see growing interest in these places, especially for incentives, because we have already exhausted the usual places like Bali and Phuket.

“We want to promote these culturally rich destinations because chances are high that they (Singapore travellers) have never been there before.”

Anita Tan, COO of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore, said: “Broadly speaking, there is growing popularity for such lesser-travelled destinations particularly among mature travellers aged 30 and above, who have more disposable income and have already seen most of what the world has to offer in terms of mass-market destinations.”

Tan said that the average length of stay in these destinations varies between eight and 12 days. “For such places like Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Lanzhou, the (pull) factors are the cultural and historical aspects of the destination, which can be in the form of cuisine, heritage sites and architecture,” she said.

Similarly, Jeremiah Wong, senior executive of marketing and communications at Chan Brothers Travel, highlighted how the company’s new eight-day Uzbekistan tour package launched this year has been sending groups out every week during the seasonal peak period.
“This country’s exotic culture and architectural masterpieces is like a dream holiday for history buffs, photography lovers and culture vultures,” he said.

The company’s Silk Road tour, which can be connected via Lanzhou now, also garnered a record 100 travellers from Singapore earlier last month, added Wong.

Dynasty Travel director of marketing communications, Alicia Seah, said: “However, these new links are primarily not just to attract tourists from Singapore but also around South-east Asia which entails a much a bigger population, and Singapore will be the connecting hub.”

Seah elaborated: “As Mongolia, Lanzhou and Tashkent are rich in Muslim culture, they will be attractive especially to the religious (travel) audience in South-east Asia as well.”

Robin Yap, managing director of The Travel Corporation Singapore, feels these exotic spots are “fairly new” hence he has yet to add them to his product offerings. “Training for consultants is also necessary to give accurate information about these destinations, but experienced consultants should not take too long to become an expert,” said Yap.

Chan Brothers’ Wong suggested: “As new destinations are still considered niche and lesser known, we should have more marketing campaigns led by the relevant airlines, NTOs and travel (consultants) to promote these destinations and ideally sustain the demand after the big bang.”

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THE Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) officially launched Visit the Philippines Year 2015 in Singapore at Conrad Centennial Singapore on Tuesday evening, marking the first unveiling of the campaign outside the Philippines.

Key to the campaign is the first-ever MTV Music Evolution event, brainchild of Viacom International Media Networks Asia’s MTV and the Philippine TPB.

Scheduled to take place in Manila in 2Q15, the concert will explore the evolution of a music genre by bringing together iconic regional or local artistes in that field. Hip hop will be the first genre of study.

The Philippines’ tourism secretary Ramon R Jimenez said: “Through our partnership with MTV, young people from around the world will now have the opportunity to share in this passion and experience why and how the music culture is even more fun in the Philippines.”

Said Paras Sharma, vice president-MTV, Comedy Central & Digital Media (Asia), Viacom International Media Networks Asia: “MTV Music Evolution in Manila reinforces the Philippines’ image as a choice destination for youth travellers by using music as a key platform, something which we’ve done with Malta, Scotland, Malaysia and Northern Ireland.”

He added that the MTV Music Evolution’s audience is expected to be in the “tens of thousands”. Details on the venue and artist line-up will be announced later.

Asked if this event indicates the NTO’s emphasis on the youth market, Domingo Ramon C Enerio III, COO of the Philippine TPB, replied: “We would like a lot more youth travellers coming in – not just the young ones but also the ‘young once’.”

Besides partnering major tour operators specialising in youth travel and offering incentives for tour operators and travel agencies to experience MTV Music Evolution in Manila, the TPB is already working on a “big partnership with STA Travel” for a separate project, Enerio shared.

“There are so many music and art festivals lined up that we can now use to sharpen the focus on the youth market,” he added, citing the country’s biggest outdoor electronic dance music party, Life Dance Philippines, which happens annually every January in Cebu, as an example.

The Philippines is aiming for 8.6 million arrivals in 2015 and, besides the youth market, will also focus on South Korea and the US.

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