THE Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is pushing through concrete plans to overhaul the aviation sector barely a month into the new government’s term, while also taking steps to address the downgrade of India’s safety ranking by US authorities (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 4, 2014).

Airports of Indore, Bhopal and Raipur will be allowed international flights by 1Q2015, while the Airports Authority of India has identified 50 airports across India to be built on a low-cost model. A contract for the modernisation of Port Blair airport in Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be awarded soon.

Rita Dhanwatay, director of Nagpur-based Ritz Safari, commented: “More international flights arriving to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will cut costs for inbound tourists.

“This will spread inbound tourist footfalls to a larger geographic area in India, and open up new destinations and products.”

MoCA has also engaged Washington-based Wicks Group to aid the upgrade in India’s air safety administrations and operations over a one-year period, and ordered the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to create IT platforms for e-governance and digitise most of DGCA’s operations.

Validity periods for pilot licences are also to be extended from two to five years.

Rajendra Churiwala, director-eastern region, IATA Agents Association of India, said: “Conforming to US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) top category norms must be a priority as Indian aviation cannot afford a second-grade image while courting greater inbound tourism. Air India and Jet Airways were restricted in their expansion plans because of the downgrade earlier this year.”

MoCA will approach the FAA within 100 days after upgrading its regulatory control system.

THE Westin Resort Macau will be operated as Grand Coloane Beach Resort from June 22, marking the end of the licensing agreement with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in place since 1993.

Owned by Sociedade de Turismo e Desenvolvimento Insular, the eight-storey resort celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013 and completed a comprehensive refurbishment of 208 guestrooms.

According to director of sales and marketing, Antony Box, the existing management team will continue running the hotel.

Said Bruno Simões, CEO of event company SmallWorld Experience and a member of Westin Club since 2008: “The Westin is our family heaven in Macau, full of greenery, a nice pool…etc. However, the problem it has been facing is a lack of investment to do continuous upkeep and necessary renovation for a seaside property of such size.”

“With direct management from the owner, everyone is hoping the necessary investments will be made. I’m confident that most things will continue as before, especially service. Being a former Starwood and Westin property gives many clients a certain assurance of service levels that an unknown brand can’t provide. So everyone is looking forward to seeing the new strategy and plans for the future.”

Reservations for the newly rebranded hotel can be made through via reservations@grandcoloane.com after June 22.

THE growing availability of large public and private information sources has led to the development of big data analytics, a potential trove of information that travel businesses can leverage to deliver more effective and tailored services to their customers.

In particular, Asia’s high rates of smartphone penetration, skyrocketing demand for ‘phablets’ (mobile devices straddling smartphone and tablet) and immense popularity of social media underscore the vast opportunities big data present, said speakers at PATAcademy-HCD, which takes place in Bangkok from June 17 to 20.

“The Internet of things” – a term that refers to the advanced connectivity of devices, systems and services – can enable travel brands to capitalise on the potential of “real-time marketing” to personalise the customer experience and predict their current and future needs, said Sonal Patel, business development director, exchange – APAC, Twitter Singapore.

Moreover, the emergence of wearable technology like Google Glass will further enhance the development of real-time marketing.

Citing his market research firm’s findings, Laurens van den Oever, global director for travel at GfK, illustrated how big data can be used to understand the booking seasonality and characteristics of destinations around the world.

For example, German and English travellers are early bookers while Italians and Russians tend to be late bookers when it comes to a summer vacation in Spain; within the region, Singaporeans are extremely late bookers, usually just four weeks in advance, he shared.

Applying booking seasonality trends to crisis communication, PATA COO, Mario Hardy, remarked: “If a crisis (in a destination) happens during high season, how you communicate to your markets is also different from when it happens during low season.”

While online is a part of nearly all travellers’ consumer journeys, van den Oever also pointed out that offline remains a major influencer. “Cross-channel usage is strong, so (travel marketers should) ensure a synergy of message across online and offline touch points,” he said. “For package tours, travel agencies and catalogues are still important touch points.”

Moreover, he also emphasised the complexity of travel purchase journeys, as consumers go through multiple pathways – ranging from generic search and aggregators to destinations and travel agencies – prior to making a booking so it is vital for travel marketers to consider the placement of their message. “Being present on all touch points is becoming mission critical,” he stressed.

NOK Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA) subsidiary Scoot have jump-started the creation of a new LCC by acquiring Pete Air.

In a regulatory filing on the Singapore Exchange yesterday, SIA announced that Scoot has officially entered a joint venture agreement with Nok to create the Bangkok-based NokScoot Airlines.

Said the Singapore flag carrier in the statement: “Thailand is Asia’s premier tourist destination and a logical hub for Scoot to expand to. The joint venture airline aims to develop a new market segment and to offer Thai consumers and travellers to Thailand more travel options. Acquiring Pete Air instead of setting up a greenfield venture, would expedite the startup of NokScoot.”

Both airline companies will initially hold 43.75 per cent share capital, a figure that will rise to 49 per cent following subsequent restructuring within the new company. Pueannammitr, set up by the management of Nok Air, will own the remaining two per cent.

The airlines have raised an initial aggregate share capital of two billion baht (US$61.6 million).

NokScoot’s commencement of operations is subject to regulatory approvals.

News of the joint venture broke late last year when SIA and Nok Airlines signed an MoU to start a new Bangkok-based LCC that will be based in Don Mueang airport and fly medium to longhaul routes.

THE Travel Corporation’s (TTC) stable of brands will return to Egypt later this year in a “strong showing of support for the Egyptian people” after its exodus from the country in 2013 due to political instability.

Contiki will begin trips to Egypt this September, while Trafalgar and Insight Vacations will recommence Egypt itineraries from January 2015. Uniworld cruises into the country in September 2015.

Brett Tollman, CEO of TTC, said: “We have been monitoring the destination closely and after extensive consultation with our teams on the ground, and in speaking with our travel partners in each market, we are pleased to confirm a return to Egypt later this year.

“Guest safety is the utmost priority and so we will maintain constant dialogue with colleagues in the region ahead of our planned recommencement dates.”

Tollman added that the company has seen pent-up demand for the destination, which recently went through a presidential election.

“Recognising that travel and tourism have historically represented around 30 per cent of Egypt’s GDP, it is so important that we as an industry show our support for this great country and proud peoples’ economic recovery at this time,” he said.

TTC said it will continue to observe government travel advisories.

BY AUTUMN, Chinese and Indian travellers will be able to move unhindered between the UK and Ireland with either an Irish or UK visa for the duration of the visa’s validity.

Ireland and the UK have agreed to recognise short-stay visas issued by either country for travel to their respective territories, doing away with the need for separate visas when travelling between the two. Ireland’s current regulation already allows UK visa holders to enter Ireland for a short stay.

According to Ireland Tourism, arrivals from China and India rose 68 per cent from 2010 to 2013.

Vineet Gopal, secretary, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India, said: “A single visa for seamless travel in the UK and Ireland will boost tourist traffic from India and open many new destinations.”

C Nagendra Prasad, chairman of Chennai-based Travel Express, added: “The UK is already a popular destination but is usually coupled with other destinations in continental Europe. Now such multi-country itineraries can be contained within Ireland, England and Scotland primarily, and flight costs will be less. This opens up many new combinations for Indian travellers.”

EXPECTING a dip in Chinese visitors following Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) missing flight MH370, the Malaysian government is targeting Singaporean travellers to make up for the “deficit” in numbers.

According to Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister of tourism and culture, more than 60 flights from China to Malaysia have been cancelled since the incident in March (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 28, 2014).

Pointing out that the MAS incident has had “no impact” on the neighbouring market, Nazri said: “Most Singaporeans do not fly into Malaysia anyway because they will come in by car.”

With Singapore contributing more than half of Malaysia’s inbound tourism figures at 52 per cent last year, Nazri said the country is courting Singaporean travellers by promoting lesser-known attractions such as the proboscis monkey and the world-famous dive site Pulau Sipadan in Borneo. Singaporeans traditionally travel to popular destinations like Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Malacca.

As such, Malaysia implemented an advertising campaign earlier this year on Singapore’s public buses and tour coaches.

According to Nazri, the first quarter of 2014 registered a spike in Singapore visitors. From January to March, 3.5 million Singaporeans visited Malaysia, up from 3.2 million during the same period last year.

Nevertheless, Nazri admitted that the recent spate of kidnapping incidents in Sabah (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 7, 2014) has resulted in “another dent” in Malaysia’s tourism outlook.

“This has been most unfortunate and sad because the whole of Sabah has been affected although it may just be the East Coast,” he said. “However we will not be derailed by these incidents that are beyond us and we will continue to promote the destination.”

Meanwhile, Malaysia is also ready to promote the country to Chinese nationals again. Advertising campaigns were halted in the aftermath of the MH370 disappearance but have since been resumed, said Nazri.

TIGERAIR Mandala announced yesterday that it is throwing in the towel and ceasing operations as of July 1, a decision that was met with regret but not surprise by the Indonesian travel industry.

In a media release, Lee Lik Hsin, group CEO of Tigerair, said: “Mandala’s financial results reflect the challenges that it is facing in the difficult operating environment. The partners in Mandala have jointly come to the conclusion to cease funding the airline’s operations.

“Indonesia remains an important market for us and we will continue to maintain active presence through Tigerair Singapore.”

Tigerair said that pulling the plug on Mandala will enable Tigerair Group to focus on its turnaround strategy, which includes fleet consolidation, strategic alliances and an asset-tight growth model.

Nevertheless Hasiyanna Koestoer, chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies Jakarta Chapter, said: “Any airline stopping operations always has a negative impact not only immediately on ticketholders and consultants who have placed ticket deposits with the airline, but the travel ecosystem too.

“A stop in operations means seat capacity loss. We all know airline load factors (both domestic and outbound) are high especially during peak season.”

Hasiyanna was also concerned if consumers would trust Mandala should it ever get off the ground again. “Mandala has collapsed before and when it started operations again, it seemed to be on solid ground with Tigerair and (well-known Indonesian business) Saratoga as investors, but (now) this happens,” she said.

Tiger Airways Holdings had acquired a 33 per cent stake in Mandala in January 2012 and upped it to 35.8 per cent September last year, through wholly owned subsidiary Roar Aviation.

Rudiana, board member of The Association of Air Ticketing Companies in Indonesia, said: “We anticipated that Tigerair Mandala would stop operations ever since they closed a number of routes a few months ago.

“However, with the number of airlines stopping operations recently, the Ministry of Transportation needs to take prudent measures in implementing laws on airline operations in Indonesia to protect the customers and travel consultants, who usually are the victims.”

Merpati Nusantara Airlines suspended flights in February (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 4, 2014) and Sky Aviation, in March.

Tigerair Group is providing all affected passengers with a flight transfer where possible or a refund on the ticket, but customers must contact the Mandala or Tigerair call centre by July 31.

CONTENT and user engagement are key to driving a successful online marketing campaign in today’s dynamic digital media landscape, but local social media behaviour must also be taken into account, advise tourism marketing practitioners.

“The 60s-70s travel marketplace was so easy to work in, like pushing a flock of sheep through the door and repeating the process every year, but the Internet has completely changed the farm because the sheep are now in control,” said Damian Cook, founder & CEO at E-Tourism Frontiers, speaking at PATAcademy-HCD which takes place in Bangkok from June 17 to 20 (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 3, 2014).

Cook emphasised that technology and social media have given rise to user-driven business models and tilted the power balance in favour of the consumer, making information sharing and active engagement critical.

With one-seventh or 1.2 billion people estimated to be on Facebook, Cook urged travel marketers to think of the world’s biggest social network as a “potential source market”, alongside other social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Vine.

Despite its widespread use, Facebook, however, does not equally apply across the world.

Drawing attention to the popularity of different social networks in different countries – V Kontakte in Russia, for example – Jens Thraenhart, founder of Digital Innovation Asia, stresses the importance of “differentiating platforms for different markets” and “being locally relevant”.

Citing the example of China, where marketing potential is moving to second- and third-tier cities, Thraenhart commented: “China is probably the most complex market to market to…The rules of engagement on social media are different for Chinese versus Western travellers (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 27, 2014).”

He urged travel marketers to adopt a “dual strategy of clicks and bricks” to target Chinese travellers and singled singled out WeChat, which boasts 86 per cent of users based in China and a growing legion of some 40 million users overseas, as instrumental in communicating with Chinese consumers (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 28, 2014).

Its wide-ranging features, including text and hold-to-talk messaging, and photograph, video and location sharing, makes it ripe for suppliers to build applications to engage Chinese travellers.

When enquired if travel agencies have a harder time leveraging social media than DMOs and NTOs, E-Tourism Frontiers’ market development manager, Zeina Rifai, disagreed and urged travel consultants to instead build on their “brand awareness” to gain an upper hand over competitors by offering up-to-date news and insider knowledge to turn followers into loyal fans.

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JAPAN announced this week that Indonesian passport holders will be granted 15-day visa-free entry, while the multiple-entry visa requirements for Philippine and Vietnamese nationals are to be “substantially relaxed”.

These moves are the latest in a chain of initiatives to throw Japan’s gates wide open to the growing source markets of South-east Asia by liberalising visa policy. Thailand and Malaysia were exempted of visa requirements mid last year (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 14, 2013).

According to a press statement from the Indonesian embassy in Tokyo issued on Tuesday, the visa-free facility will be available for Indonesian citizens bearing e-passports who register at the Japanese embassy or consulates within Indonesia.

Travellers without e-passports will still need to apply for a visa but the requirements will be streamlined, especially for those travelling in groups organised by tour operators.

While a date for implementation was not included in the announcement, the new regulation is expected to take effect before the end of this year.

The Indonesian embassy in Tokyo noted that the Japanese government is rolling out new visa regulations for the travelling public ahead of the diplomatic and service passport holders, which is currently underway.

Changes are also afoot for travellers coming from the Philippines and Vietnam.

In the same statement issued Tuesday, it said: “For nationals of the Philippines and Vietnam, multiple-entry visa requirements will be substantially relaxed, and requirements for single-entry tourism visas will be relaxed to a quasi-exemption-equivalent level when applied via specified travel agencies.”