TRADITIONAL longhaul markets to Malaysia have developed an appetite for volunteer tourism, with travel consultants reporting growing interest in the niche segment.

Diethelm Travel Malaysia’s managing director, Manfred Kurz, said: “Traditionally, CSR programmes appeal only to meeting and incentive groups from European markets. But we have seen growing interest from the FIT segment over the last couple of years.”

To harness rising demand, Diethelm Travel will work with established tour operators in Germany to promote more volunteer tourism programmes in Sabah and Sarawak for the FIT market this year.

Sarawak-based Masama JS Adventure Tours’ business development manager, Marco Wunsch, said: “In 2012, we saw 30 per cent year-on-year growth (in the number of participants) for our turtle conservation programme at Talang-Talang Island, with the most requests coming from FITs from the Netherlands.”

Masama works with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation for this programme.

Wunsch said: “This year, we would like to develop more conservation tours in Sarawak, especially those with the rare Irrawaddy dolphins in the Santubong area.”

Alex Lee, CEO of Terengganu-based Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours, explained the difference between the regular leisure tourist and a volunteer tourist. “The FIT tourist involved in volunteer tourism spends at least 50 per cent more than the average tourist, as they even pay the locals a fee to be involved (in activities).

“This year, we plan to develop more volunteer programmes in Terengganu, involving local culture, heritage and nature. Tourists will be able to decide on the programmes they wish to be involved in, based on their budget and length of stay.”

MARRIOTT International is set to debut its first Fairfield property in India, having signed a franchise agreement with GHJM Hotels for the Fairfield by Marriott in Surat, Gujarat. GHJM is the Indian subsidiary of US-based JHM Hotels.

The hotel will be located within the campus of Auro University, which is partially sponsored by JHM Hotels, and will feature 150 guestrooms and suites, a restaurant, business centre, gym and a 279m² banquet hall. It will be managed by JHM Interstate Hotels, a joint venture between JHM Hotels and Interstate Hotels & Resorts.

“Marriott International is looking to open two to three Fairfield properties in India by the end of this year. This should be the next growth segment  for Marriott in India. The brand falls in the three-star category and offers great quality and value,” said Kanika Hasrat, general manager, Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon.

“Most of the Fairfield properties in India will come up in second-tier and third-tier cities,” he added.

Apart from Surat, Marriott is aiming to open Fairfield hotels in cities including Vadodara, Indore, Ranchi, Manesar, Goa, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Noida and Visakhapatnam.

The company has also set a target of 52 more properties in the country over a period of four years, with most to fall in the mid-market segment, which also encompasses the Courtyard by Marriott brand.

“I think one of the strongest segments of growth in India will be the mid-market. With the economic slowdown, travellers are looking for value-for-money hotel options. Travellers stand to benefit as more international chains open new properties targeting this market,” predicted Arun Anand, managing director of Midtown Travels.

Vishwas Joshi, managing director, Girikand Travels, said: “The opening of Fairfield hotels in India will strengthen Marriott International’s presence among budget-conscious travellers.”

Separately, Marriott International yesterday signed an agreement with Jamuna Builders to operate the 700-room JW Marriott Hotel Dhaka, which is located within a mixed-use development.

Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported that the JW Marriott would open in 2015. The hotel will be Marriott’s second in Dhaka, with a Courtyard by Marriott expected to open next year.

JOHOR’S Iskandar region, already home to tourist attractions Legoland and Hello Kitty Town, is plumping up its offerings with a new RM300 million (US$96.8 million) integrated project aimed at tapping Singapore’s strong tourist traffic.

According to local broadsheet The Straits Times, Singapore retail and property company Link (THM) Holdings’s Media Village will be built over four phases on close to six hectares of land.

When completed in 2018, it will offer 2,000 Soho apartments and business suites, and 102,193m² of retail space with 70 per cent going to F&B outlets. Shops will be divided into seven categories reflecting cultural themes: Japan, India, South Korea, China, Europe, the US and a Malay kampung.

It will be located beside Pinewood Studios, 10 minutes away from Singapore’s Tuas checkpoint.

Link founder and group chief executive, Kenny Tan, said in a report that he had been hesitant to invest initially, but the opening of Legoland and Pinewood Studios had proven that the Malaysian government could deliver.

Tan predicts that 50 per cent of tourists in Singapore will stop over in Iskandar in the future.

FOLLOWING a reincarnation from the Palm Beach Club in May 2011 and its success with the family segment, Mövenpick Resort Bangtao Beach Phuket is now keen to attract weddings to boost business.

“Our beachfront location, together with the recently expanded beach club, makes the resort an ideal venue for weddings and special occasion groups of up to 300 pax,” said Michael Wenk, the resort’s executive assistant manager.

Since positioning itself as a wedding venue since last October, the resort has seen positive results, with the Australian market showing the strongest demand, revealed Linda Basran, director of sales & marketing.

The 40-key resort has 11 three-bedroom residences, but will soon begin reconstructing them into three configurations from May, so they can be rented out as one-, two- or three-bedroom units in the future, increasing the total number of keys to 51.

Hailing Russia, China, the Middle East and Australia as its top source markets, Mövenpick Resort Bangtao Beach Phuket is also hoping to boost its share of the domestic market – currently less than one per cent of its clientele – to between three and five per cent.

Wenk remarked: “Occupancy averaged around 60 per cent last year and we hope to push it up to 70 per cent this year. Meanwhile, we are aiming for an overall growth of 27 per cent this year.”

Looking ahead, Wenk said the outlook for 2013 was good. “Bookings in the first quarter have already grown 30 per cent from the same period last year, and we are only halfway through the first quarter.”

At the same time, the Mövenpick brand will see a “significant expansion” in Thailand this year, with new properties opening in Chiang Mai and Koh Samui in the second quarter and Pattaya in the third quarter, according to Basran.

TRAVEL metasearch engine Wego has opened an office in Dubai as part of its global expansion strategy, and has appointed Mohamad Ibrahim Masri as managing director – Middle East and North Africa.

The dedicated full-service operation in Dubai joins Wego’s network of operations in Singapore, Bengaluru and Jakarta, and follows the launch of Wego’s Arabic language metasearch site in April last year. Middle East and North African travellers now account for one in every seven searches on Wego.

Mohamad Ibrahim brings 16 years of regional experience to the company, including roles at Singapore Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.

“We are working with flagship carriers, hotel brands and OTAs across the Middle East, but the priority is going to be further integration and customisation to meet the burgeoning demand right into the long tail,” said Mohamad Ibrahim.

According to PhoCusWright, the online travel sector in the United Arab Emirates alone will grow 24 per cent in 2013 and 22 per cent in 2014 to reach US$9.5 billion, of which OTAs will account for US$3.2 billion.

MYANMAR’S ancient city of Bagan will get classier this year when Vietnam-based Apple Tree Group soft opens Bagan Lodge, tentatively scheduled for April 15.

The luxury property will offer 85 air-conditioned rooms in three categories ranging from Courtyard Suites to Deluxe Tented Rooms.

It will also come with a restaurant specialising in Burmese and Western fare, lobby lounge serving afternoon tea, pool bar, swimming pool, spa and travel desk for guests to book local tours and onward flights.

“Myanmar culture is on every traveller’s radar screen, and Bagan is going to emerge as the hottest attraction in the country,” said Kurt Walter, group general manager, Apple Tree Group.

ACQUIESCING to a long-standing demand of the country’s travel trade, India’s government is likely to introduce transit visas within the next four to five months, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Tourism.

Revealed earlier this week, the ministry has proposed the creation of 48-72 hour visas to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is expected to introduce it soon.

The scheme will initially be implemented in New Delhi and Mumbai to encourage short stopovers, with Agra and Goa as quick getaway options due to their proximity.

The transit visa comes after poorer inbound growth in 2012, recording just 5.4 per cent compared to 2011’s 11 per cent.

India hopes to repeat Dubai’s success in capturing tourists for short two- to three-day stopovers, where transit visas are easily available.

Said Subhash Goyal, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators: “Transit visas will allow us to tap the large number of transit passengers who fly through India to neighbouring destinations (such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan) for both business and leisure. The (new visa) can certainly help add big numbers to our inbound visitors.”

Andrew Sydney, director, Josco Travels, said: “Many European and American carriers bring travellers to major Indian airports on longhaul flights before they board shorter connections to destinations in South Asia.

“To convert a transit into a short break would be attractive to the traveller as it would be a referesher between long flights and the continuation of a gruelling business schedule. This will be a win-win situation for all concerned.”

ACCOMMODATION provider Hotelbeds is building up its presence in Hong Kong and China by investing in local teams for both contracting and sales, while also offering destination services popular with the two markets.

At a media presentation yesterday, Hotelbeds’ regional director for Greater China, Adam Krzciuk Kuna, said “dynamic packaging products that the end consumer can create by themselves”, such as airport transfers and one-day city tours, were the most popular destination services among travellers from Hong Kong and China.

He added that the top outbound destinations from China were South Korea, the UK, Spain, Brazil, Taiwan, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Russia and Japan.

Kuna stressed the importance of providing a diverse range of hotel options for travel consultants in Hotelbeds’ online database, as well as continued investments in IT tools to support sales.

In addition to providing travel services tailored to the markets, Kuna also said that setting up shop in a city was important to develop that “local touch”, which helps to build and maintain relationships between the company and its clients.

“We need people who speak the same language and understand the same culture,” he explained.

Hotelbeds, which has an online database of over 50,000 hotels in 183 countries, also plans to reinforce its relationships with clients in the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands. It currently has local teams operating across 47 countries, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.

By Cheryl Tan

WESTERN Australia (WA) wants to push tourists out of Perth and into its other regions, leveraging a new promotions campaign to do just that.

Launched yesterday, the 1001 Extraordinary Experiences campaign is the first initiative under the state government’s A$7.9 million (US$8.2 million) Regional Tourism Marketing Program.

The money will also go towards producing two new major brand commercials and increasing cooperative marketing with the trade.

Other initiatives include additional funding for the state’s Royalties for Regions Regional Events Program, nurturing cruise tourism through expanding regional ports and improving air access to regional WA.

A Tourism Western Australia spokesperson said traffic into regional areas had already been rising in recent times. The Coral Coast saw a 1.7 per cent increase in arrivals for the year ending September 2012; Golden Outback, 36 per cent; North West, 40.2 per cent and South West, 6.2 per cent.

Hotels outside Perth are also gearing up for better business. Rydges Hotels and Resorts has been appointed to manage the 300-room Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, while Accor has rebranded Quay West Resort Bunker Bay in the Margaret River wine region to Pullman Resort Bunker Bay.

However, hotel occupancy in regional WA is still lagging behind. According to latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for 3Q2012, Perth hotels in the CBD recorded an occupancy rate of 86 per cent, while regional WA hotels achieved just 65 per cent.

By Natasha Dragun