From health-conscious wanderers to those travelling with little tots, tours are being created to meet needs of all kinds

Eat your way through Asia
Having found success in offering foodie experiences to visitors to Malaysia, Discovery Travel & Cuisine is now in the midst of developing outbound culinary tours to Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and China.

“The strategy to tweak our inbound travel business with food and culinary experiences has worked profitably for us, recording an increase in demand and sales from year to year,” said director Lee Choon Loong, who claims the tour and travel company is the first and only licensed one in Malaysia to have ‘Travel & Cuisine’ as part of the company name.

“We are applying for an outbound licence to market outbound culinary tours targeted at the youths in the 18-35 age group, who are more adventurous and Internet savvy. This provides us with the opportunity to tap social media,” he said.

“We are currently developing our website with enticing images of food and compelling stories about food culture, culinary styles and gourmet destinations with the help of national tourism offices in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.”

On why the above countries were chosen, Lee explained: “We prefer to develop culinary tours around destinations which are rich in culture and food resources but somehow lacking in built attractions. Food culture then becomes the unique selling point of the destination.”

Clients will get to discover local produce and learn how to savour exotic food like raw prawns with pepper-calamansi sauce on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos or enjoy stir-fried flower crabs with Kampot pepper, which originated from a local fishing village in Cambodia.

He added: “Food is not fun without the right company, and we only develop customised tour programmes for like-minded travellers with the same interest and passion for food culture. – S Puvaneswary

Kids can have fun, too
Introduced last year, the Little Tots Can Fly programme by Chan Brothers Travel Singapore incorporates child-friendly itineraries for families with children as young as two years old.

Currently available for itineraries in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, these programmes are designed around fulfilling the requirements of toddlers from two to six years old. Arrangements include more conducive daytime flights, later morning calls, extended meal duration at kid-friendly restaurants, a more relaxed pace of travel and family photography sessions by professionals.

Jane Chang, marketing and communications manager, said: “This series helps to plug the market gap for parents of young toddlers who wish to travel but have their own set of unique travel requirements. Response for this series is encouraging and we are expecting significant growth this year.” – Paige Lee Pei Qi

In tip-top shape
Panorama Tours Indonesia launched medical tourism packages in 2013, with Malaysia as its initial destination.

Hellen Xu, managing director of travel management, said: “Medical Check Up is a new product we launched last year and the result so far is so-so. This year we are planning to promote it well as we believe the market is there; we just need to tap it. Our target market is A- and B-class clients above 35 years old.”

Starting with basic check-up programmes, Panorama works with hotels and hospitals in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

A three-day package in Kuala Lumpur starts at US$289 and US$285 for Penang. This excludes airfare but includes two-night accommodation, a medical check-up at Gleneagles Hospital and airport transfers.

The medical check-up in Kuala Lumpur includes a physical examination, ECG, lung function test, chest X-ray, blood and urine test, as well as review of reports. In Penang the package includes physical examination, visual acuity test, chest X-ray, ECG, body fat measurement and a laboratory test.

Asked if more extensive medical packages would be offered, Xu said that these are available on request, but could be developed into ready-made products should the market grows.

“Indonesians usually look for references from friends when it comes to treatments – which doctor, which hospital – and they go to travel agencies for hotel and transport arrangements, and sometimes optional tours,” she said. – Mimi Hudoyo

Make the most of weekends
Long weekend holidays are usually planned late and the runway within which all bookings need to be firmed up are excruciatingly short. Most of such requests come from clients who are well travelled and usually decide on the spur of the moment, or are unaware if they will be available on a specific date and so cannot plan ahead.

In response, Thomas Cook India launched 48H holiday packages a year ago, where the entire trip from ticketing and hotel bookings to ground transportation and excursions can be booked and delivered to the client within 48 hours of receiving the request.

“Many clients used to ask for domestic destinations as they thought that we had too little time to offer outbound holidays within such a short time frame,” said Madhav Pai, COO of leisure travel (outbound).

A range of destinations are offered, including Ireland, Jordan, Ecuador, Cyprus, Mexico, Seychelles, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, Hong Kong and Macau.

Ankur Khanna, managing director, India-based Tristar Holidays, said: “It is easy to create and confirm these packages if the destination offers visa on arrival to Indians.” He added that the price of these holidays could be 10-20 per cent more than usual as the bookings are last minute, but this did not faze any of his clients. – Shekhar Niyogi

Connecting agencies to customers

Attempts have been made to bridge the divide between one-on-one travel consultation and the lack of customisation available on online portals.

Hello Travel in India, for example, analyses the requirements of online travellers and finds travel agencies whose expertise will match their requests. Clients then get multiple itineraries and personalised suggestions from travel consultants.

Such websites allow companies to enrol with them, then purchase leads and execute itineraries. These leads are paid for on a unitary basis and the contract may be for a set duration.

However, according to trade players, any such model leaves gaps in credibility and durability of such contacts.

Anil Guptaa, managing director, Anjali Tours & Travels India, said: “This sort of market intelligence does not give me the connections I need. Moreover, it is possible that the same leads may go to my competitors too, diluting my sales effort.”

Other companies like Internet Moguls are trying to close this chasm in a more holistic manner by offering turnkey solutions. It has created a website that will enable B2B as well as B2C interface, management of social media to get more responses, execution of the marketing plan and realistic projections of outcomes.

If the travel consultant signs up for a three-year contract, Internet Moguls works for zero retainer and charges a 15 per cent commission on incremental business beyond US$1 million based on a performance guarantee of its marketing plan.

Avijit Arya of Internet Moguls said: “Long-lasting connection with consumers is not a simple task. We advise, plan and guide our clients to end solutions that result in a much larger client base for them, helping their clients perform and stay with them if they are satisfied with the service.” – Shekhar Niyogi

Customers want holidays to be hassle free from start to finish. Mimi Hudoyou, Paige Lee Pei Qi, Shekhar Niyogi and S Puvaneswary look at how agencies are achieving this

The client wants to watch the sunrise from the 110th floor of Burj Khalifa when it is not open yet. Another wants to exchange rings underwater among the corals in Great Barrier Reef. A third wants to be photographed with the sharks in an aquarium without it being apparent that it is an aquarium. Such requests are increasingly de rigueur for travel companies, whether an owner-driven boutique agency or a large tour operator.

To cater to special interest customers seeking customised travel programmes, outbound agencies are investing more time to tailor their offerings according to requests.

Anthony Chan, group managing director, Chan Brothers Travel Singapore, said: “Planning, sourcing and quoting for customised tours can be extremely resource draining and time consuming.

“The complexity of customisation, which usually requires detailed and lengthy elaboration from a face-to-face personnel, makes this a challenging product to be offered online.”

Likewise for Clifford Neo, managing director of Singapore-based Dynasty Travel, the challenge lies in having to manage variable components such as airfares and hotels.

He said: “We are able to work on economies of scale for special hotel rates as we do have volumes for certain hotels with our big groups and incentive tours as well.”

Promotional airfares are also utilised to keep costs down. Neo explained: “For us to enjoy higher profits, we may suggest to customers to travel during low season. We will work out the cost savings and value-adds for customers when they choose to travel during low season.”

For Panorama Tours Indonesia, groups of small sizes are booked through the GDS at rates offered, while requests for group rates are made to suppliers for bigger numbers, said its managing director, travel management, Hellen Xu.

She added: “The advantage of being a big company is that we can negotiate prices based on total production as a group in a year; this way, we can keep prices down.

“To ensure profitability, we mark up the price to cover operational costs and get some profit, and in cases of big volume, we obtain kickbacks when we achieve a certain target.”

High expectations come at a price
Dynasty Travel’s Neo pointed out that a customised tour package can be up to 40 per cent dearer than run-of-the-mill products. They usually include private car transfers, minimal shopping stops, and exclusive food and tourist attractions based on client preferences.

Thus these high-end programmes are often sought by those with deeper pockets.

Valmiki Hari Kishan, managing director, India-based Valmiki Travel & Tourism Solutions, said: “Clients who request customisation of tour itineraries are frequent travellers who want experiential holidays that are off the beaten track and will cater to their preferences in every way. They are affluent and have sufficient time to indulge themselves.”

However, not all travellers may be realistic in their demands, say agencies.

Apple Vacations & Conventions Malaysia’s MICE manager, Queenney Lew, observed: “Clients may have a small budget but expect to stay in a five-star hotel and eat at fine-dining outlets. To prevent misunderstanding, we always get them to sign an agreement before departure for the tour details we proposed based on their budget.

“For best tour package fares, the client should give us a lead time of at least three months. If it is a last-minute booking, we will not be able to negotiate with hotels and airlines for the best prices.”

“We do our best to accommodate the clients’ needs, which sometimes can be complicated, but they are not always ready to pay a high price,” added Panorama’s Xu.

Staff knowledge is key
As such, it is crucial for travel consultants to give the right advice to clients, Xu pointed out.
Sanjay Kothari, managing director, Just Holidays India, said: “I have demarcated my staff as per their expertise, e.g. island holidays, where they are expected to know the difference between beaches in Seychelles and those in the Maldives.

“I also train my staff region-wise and based on the character of the destination. For instance one person for Australia and New Zealand, another for Turkey and Greece and yet another who knows the difference between different game reserves in Africa.”

Smailing Tours Indonesia also has dedicated staff for its Signature Products division, which offers customised travel programmes with culinary, sports and shopping themes.

Signature specialists go on fam trips and participate in trainings on upmarket travel products organised by NTOs, said spokesperson Putu Aristyadewi.

“The specialists will then conduct training for travel consultants on the products, so that they are aware and can give preliminary information to customers and refer interested clients to the specialists,” she explained.

At Apple Vacations, its customised travel team often holds regular meetings where tour leaders share with the operations team about their recent experiences. Frontliners who are new to the industry will also accompany senior tour leaders on tours to gain experience, said Lew.

Travel consultants selling customised programmes must have passion, patience and persistence in order to successfully create unique tour packages, opined Valmiki Travel’s Kishan.

Dynasty Travel’s Neo added: “This is a personalised service that requires in-depth destination product knowledge. The Internet is a base for customers to get information and, as a travel agency, we need to assist to sieve out the information and advise them accordingly.”

Others like Ankur Khanna, managing director, Tristar Holidays India, believe in interacting with his high net worth clients personally for all their customisation needs. “They trust my experience and my knowledge. Often I tell them not to go somewhere with good reason and they take my advice. With such clients, the interaction is relationship-based.”

Reliable partners needed
Strong support from ground operators is critical in helping agencies meet their customers’ demands.

“We value knowledgeable and innovative operators who are willing and able to go beyond off-the-shelf programmes to offer bespoke experiences and unchartered territories despite the smaller group sizes,” said Chan Brothers’ Chan.

Tristar’s Khanna added: “My relationship with my suppliers is dependent upon mutual understanding that we are providing exclusive concierge services to very select clientele whose continued relationship with us is crucial for our success. Word of mouth is invaluable.”

Besides having the right expertise, overseas land operators also “need to have ‘muscle’ or connections in negotiating good rates”, said Dynasty Travel’s Neo.

“We need suppliers to be more flexible in their policy and also help us by giving suggestions on how to maximise clients’ time and money,” said Panorama Tours’ Xu.

Timeliness is also crucial. Apple Vacations’ Lew said: “Clients wish for a really hassle-free holiday. Our customised tours are also flexible with our driver and guide on stand-by. Based on experience, we know there will always be clients who will make last-minute changes to their bookings and tour itineraries.

“Our customers expect us to respond quickly to their requests. Hence it is imperative that we establish a good working relationship with our suppliers.

“Operation wise, suppliers such as hotels, ground operators and airlines should respond quickly when we request for change of dates and alternative arrangements…We filter our ground operators and work with those who give us good support.”

Additional reporting from Paige Lee Pei Qi, Shekhar Niyogi, S Puvaneswar