CHINA has been identified as one of the two main target markets in a year-end marketing drive by Madrid Destino, the tourism authorities of the Spanish capital, to reverse slumping foreign visitor numbers.

The drive seeks “to put a brake on the fall in visitors and overnights (figures)” – which dropped 6.4 per cent in the first nine months of 2013  – while “diversifying demand for Madrid”, according to Madrid Destino.

Just over half the total budget of three million euros (US$4.1 million) will be spent on emerging markets, with around 560,000 euros earmarked for China – second only to Russia.

The plan will focus on high-end shoppers in both countries, in addition to promotion of the capital’s historic and cultural offers, gastronomy and leisure attractions.

Some 75 per cent of the China budget will be spent on advertising and direct marketing to consumers, while another 14 per cent will be on fam trips for travel consultants and the remainder on promotions within the travel trade sector.

Backed by Spanish NTO Turespaña, the campaign got under way at the recently concluded China International Travel Mart in Kunming from October 24 to 27, 2013.

The authorities revealed that further marketing activities in China are in the pipeline, including plans to set up a joint campaign with an airline to give Madrid greater exposure in Asia.

HONG Kong’s Panda Hotel will roll out two new accommodation categories from mid-November to meet the needs of a growing number of women travelling for work or leisure.

Reserved exclusively for female guests, the Ladies’ Rooms feature entry only by advanced access cards and electronic door locks to ensure complete safety. Clad in soft, elegant tones, these special rooms also boast such female-oriented amenities as curling tongs, eye masks and foot-bath buckets with complimentary bath salts.

The hotel will also unveil another new room category, Panda Plus, which has been designed for modern business and leisure travellers seeking deluxe accommodation.

Both new room categories are equipped with free Wi-Fi, iPhone and iPad docking stereo units, a wide selection of cable and satellite television channels, message alerts and the like.

According to Judy Tsang, general manager of the Panda Hotel, the launch of the new Ladies’ Rooms and Panda Plus marks an important milestone in the property’s overall refurbishment project, which has been undertaken in phases over the past five to six years.

VISA requirements are a crucial factor in choice of vacation destination for 75 per cent of Asian travellers, while 81 per cent back the idea of an EU-style single visa system for South-east Asia.

Research by Skyscanner that aggregated responses from some 7,000 respondents from Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, India and China found that travel destination choices are “often dictated by visa requirements”, with 90 per cent of the Chinese respondents reflecting this as true.

Although visas play an important role in shaping Asian travel, many of the respondents said they find visa application processes complex. Ten per cent said they have made errors with applications and a further nine per cent reported having a visa application rejected.

Most respondents in Skyscanner’s research also threw their weight behind the idea of a multi-country visa for the countries of South-east Asia (81 per cent).

A visa reciprocity system between countries found supporters in 87 per cent of total participants.

Thailand and Cambodia launched a joint visa (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 3, 2013) end last year, while Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand had also expressed the possibility of a single tourist visa in the past (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 20, 2012).

Meanwhile Japan waived visa requirements for Malaysian and Thai nationals while loosening terms for citizens of the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 14, 2013).

The UK has declared its intentions to streamline visa processes for Chinese citizens (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 16, 2013).

MALAYSIA is pushing Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 campaign in Turkey for more tourists, with the reopening of a Tourism Malaysia office in Istanbul and trade event in the evening today.

Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, minister for tourism and culture, was at Harmanci Giz Plaza this morning to officiate the launch of the tourism office, which will oversee the Turkish, Armenian, Romanian, Azerbaijani, and Bulgarian tourist source markets to Malaysia. The office was last operational in 2009.

In a press release issued by Tourism Malaysia, Mohamed Nazri said: “This year, Tourism Malaysia estimates that a total of 10,300 Turkish tourists will be visiting Malaysia, an increase from last year’s figure of 9,909. The figure is expected to increase to 11,000 tourists next year, during the VMY2014 campaign.”

Currently, there are no visa requirements between Turkey and Malaysia.

Air accessibility has improved with 7,238 weekly flights serving the Istanbul–Kuala Lumpur route presently through direct and indirect flights on Turkish Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, KLM, Air France and Qatar Airways.

TOURISM New Zealand has opened its first representative office in Jakarta to net more of the rapidly growing Indonesian outbound market.

Led by Christian Sidharta, country manager Indonesia for Tourism New Zealand, the office will be fully running by early November.

The decision to open the office was based on a series of market analyses including the examination of consumer trends, market size and behaviour.

Tim Burgess, general manager Australia and Indonesia of Tourism New Zealand, said: “Our research confirmed the sizable potential that Indonesia presents. Indonesians predominantly travel as families, and have an older age group skew. New Zealand’s scenic landscapes and natural attractions are key interests, as are our food and craft markets, vineyards and unique culture.”

Growth in demand for outbound travel from Indonesia rose 9.7 per cent last year, fuelled by economic growth and the emergence of LCCs. “Visitation to New Zealand is growing at a similar rate, with 12,500 visitors in the year ending May 2013,” Burgess commented.

Tourism New Zealand recently launched its website newzealand.com in Bahasa Indonesia to tap Indonesians’ frequent use of mobile devices and social media.

Burgess also said: “As with any market, aviation links are critical to the success of a sustainable visitor flow. To date, we have engaged with Indonesia from our Singapore office, and New Zealand has been promoted through indirect services with the likes of Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.

“The obvious goal is to secure direct air links to Jakarta, and both Auckland International Airport and Tourism New Zealand have recently been in positive discussions with Garuda Airlines, but no date has been committed to at this stage.”