BRAND USA will intensify its focus on South-east Asian markets next year, with a new travel agency training platform being the linchpin of its efforts.

Already in other markets like the UK and India, the USA Discovery Program will be rolled out in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand in 2015.

“One of the biggest challenges within the region is currently the lack of education and awareness,” Brand USA vice president, global market development, Jay Gray told TTG-ITB Asia Daily.

To address this, the interactive online course has six specialist experience modules – Big City Buzz, Great Outdoors, Culture & Heritage, Winter Sports, Coastal Escapes and Fly-Drive – plus the Regional Expert Badge, which users must attain initially after passing five tests. Further modules such as Food and Drink and Family will be added in the coming months.

“We’ll use this as a way to identify travel agencies that will participate in our mega-fam,” said Gray, who shared that Brand USA has not conducted any fams in South-east Asia yet. In contrast, North Asia has some 10-12 fams a year.

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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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