INSTEAD of splashing the cash on promotions to woo the Chinese outbound market, Spain’s tourism minister has urged the country’s tourism players to adapt their products to better appeal to Chinese preferences.

Speaking at World Tourism Day in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria last week, the Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Borrego, said that while China was now the third largest outbound market in the world, Spain still lacked an adequate range of tourism products to meet its demands.

Borrego advised local tourism industry stakeholders to learn more about the profile of Chinese tourists and their individual needs, and to adapt their products and services accordingly.

Inbound tourism from China is likely to see a boost in the near future with the easing of visa procedures – already kickstarted following a recent visit to China by Industry, Energy & Tourism minister, José Manuela Soria.

While there, Soria signed agreements with local tour operators to introduce Spain’s new visa system. Called Visatur, the system has made visas to Spain available through three cities in China, and is similar to the one launched for the Russian market.

The new system has already boosted Russian tourist numbers to Spain by 47 per cent this year so far, Borrego revealed.

A SECURITY alert issued by the US Embassy in Manila lasting until October 10 raises old questions about safety in the Philippines for foreign visitors.

On September 28, the US Embassy warned that a threat against American citizens had been detected in metropolitan Manila, specifically the Pasay City neighbourhood. While the threat was unspecified, the embassy advised its citizens to “exercise caution”. Security has since been stepped up at government facilities in the area.

The warning was followed by similar advisories from the British, Canadian and Australian embassies to their respective Manila-based nationals.

Delegates at last week’s PATA Travel Mart in Manila told TTG Asia e-Daily that safety in the Philippines, including its capital, remained a key concern for international visitors.

“For French tourists, security is their top concern,” said Abdel Halim Karoun, executive director, Besoin de Partir Lyon. Besides the Philippines’ “lack of image”, prospective visitors tend to be “afraid” and want others to try the destination first, he explained.

Luigi Petrosillo, managing director, Asia Holidays Rome, said his customers often asked about security and previous kidnapping incidents when considering the Philippines as a destination. “The problem is the Philippines doesn’t spend enough to raise awareness of the good things,” he lamented.

So far, no official statement has been issued by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism regarding the alert.

Aileen Clemente, president, Philippine Travel Agencies Association and president, Rajah Travel Corporation Manila, said: “There is a difference between perception and reality, and the problem is making announcements that affect (wide) areas. Security alerts should be very specific about which areas are affected.”

Loubelle Mercado, sales & marketing supervisor, Rajah Travel Corporation, said: “We normally verify the advisory and check that the destinations we are offering are not affected. If there is an incident in (a particular) area, we will revise the itinerary or offer another destination.”

SINGAPORE-headquartered GTMC Travel, which specialises in the global wholesale of outbound travel products and regional inbound ground operations, inaugurated a new office in Jakarta on September 1, in a bid to carve a slice of the burgeoning Indonesian outbound market.

GTMC Travel has had a presence in Indonesia through a local representative since mid-2011. The success of this pilot project led to the establishment of its latest wholly owned outpost. Currently, the office is manned by four employees, but going forward the company hopes to raise this figure to 10.

“We felt it was the right time to establish a local presence to grow bookings from Indonesia, which is projected to see further increases in economic and disposable income in the near future. There was a definite need for us to get in closer touch with local travel consultants,” said Samson Tan, CEO, GTMC Travel.

“Through this move, we aim to achieve a target of servicing over 60,000 passengers from Indonesia next year. Jakarta will be our starting point, but we are considering opening offices in other parts of Indonesia at a later stage.”

After Indonesia, GTMC Travel is looking to make its mark in Greater China, including Taiwan and Macau. “We hope to establish joint ventures with partners there in a similar vein to the one we have with Vitours in Vietnam (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 3, 2012), hopefully by the first quarter of 2013,” said Tan.

THE mainstream media have repeatedly described the Iskandar Malaysia region in Johor as the Orlando of South-east Asia, but according to buyers at the recent PATA Travel Mart in Manila, this label needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Tushar Jain, director, BTC Tours & Travel New Delhi, said it would be difficult for Iskandar Malaysia’s theme parks to gain a following among Indian travellers, given the overwhelming popularity of Universal Studios Singapore.

“There’s hardly been any promotions in India for Legoland, Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and The Little Big Club. Indians have therefore been left in the dark about these new theme parks,” he said.

“Secondly, the parks in Iskandar are aimed at young children, whereas Universal Studios Singapore caters to all ages. From a business perspective, it makes more sense for us to bring clients just to Universal Studios when they visit Singapore.”

According to Leo Chan, marketing manager, Charlotte Travel Hong Kong, visitors from Hong Kong to Singapore would see little sense in heading over the border to Johor unless “they were die-hard Hello Kitty or Lego fans”.

“When Hong Kong tourists visit Singapore, they stay for only four days. They do not want to visit more than one theme park (besides Universal Studios) during that time, especially if they have to travel out of Singapore. However, they might hop over to Johor on subsequent trips,” he said.

Dennis Law, managing director, Star Holiday Mart Singapore, was also circumspect about the prospects for the Iskandar theme parks in drawing visitors from outside Malaysia and Singapore.

“Iskandar currently suffers from a lack of tourism infrastructure such as hotels and restaurants to make the region an attractive and viable destination for foreign travellers. This might change in future, but for now, this is a sizeable obstacle,” he said.

“Cost is another impeding factor. Visitors have to fork out around US$85 each to visit all three Iskandar theme parks. However, if the parks can band together to develop value-for-money packages, they might just be able to draw visitors from Singapore and other parts of Malaysia,” he added.

THE hike in daily tariff in Bhutan earlier in the year (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 7, 2012) has not slowed tourism business for the kingdom.

Bhutan sellers at the recent PATA Travel Mart in Manila said they had registered a double-digit growth in visitor numbers since the beginning of the year, and attributed this to heightened awareness of the destination and its catchy slogan, Happiness is a Place, introduced by Tourism Council of Bhutan in March 2011.

In January, the daily tariff for tourist groups of three pax or more was raised from US$200 to US$250 a night during high season, and from US$180 to US$200 a night during low season.

Despite the tariff hike, Choki Dorji, managing director, Blue Poppy Tours & Treks Thimphu, said he had so far registered a 35 per cent year-on-year increase in arrival numbers for 2012. His main markets include the US, Japan and Germany, with groups spending an average of seven to 10 nights.

Laxmi Sherpa, general manager, Sacred Himalaya Travel Thimpu, observed double-digit growth this year from the US and China. She is now looking to tap new markets such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore through participation at international travel trade fairs.

Laxmi pointed out that the tariff was not particularly costly, taking into account its all-inclusive nature. “It includes accommodation in a twin-sharing three-star hotel, all meals, tours with a licensed tourist guide, internal taxes and charges, transport and transfers. You are well taken care of,” she said.

Russell Oquist, president, MG Tour Company US, explained that the raised tariff had little impact on his clients, who are mostly from the middle- and high-income brackets. “The destination appeals to the adventurous and for those looking for something beyond the ordinary,” he said.

However, Oquist said the challenge in selling Bhutan was the unavailability of direct flights from the US. His clients usually pick Bhutan as part of a twin-destination holiday programme, leveraging onward connections to Paro from cities such as Kathmandu, Bangkok and New Delhi.