Myanmar extends VOA to ASEAN business travellers

May 8, 2012

MYANMAR will introduce a new visa on arrival (VOA) scheme for business travellers from ASEAN member countries, effective June 1.

Speaking at a recent press conference in Nay Pyi Taw, the country’s Immigration Minister, U Khin Yi, said business travellers from the other nine ASEAN member states would be able to avail of the new VOA facility when flying into Yangon International Airport.

The VOA will cost US$40 and allow stays of up to 70 days, he said, adding that it would be extended to citizens of other countries at a later date.

In May 2010, Myanmar adopted a VOA system for overseas visitors arriving at Yangon and Mandalay International Airports. The scheme was scrapped just four months later by the country’s Immigration and National Registration Department.

A VOA facility is currently available for visitors arriving in the country on Myanmar Airways International flights from Phnom Penh and Guangzhou.

Sports adventure facility sets eye on MICE

By Marianne Carandang

May 8, 2012

THE CAMSUR Watersports Complex (CWC) in the southern Luzon region of the Philippines is looking to extend its positioning as a top sports tourism destination into the MICE sphere by offering its facilities for corporate rental.

The complex, which is managed by the local government, offers three halls of varying sizes that total more than 10,000m2.

Camarines Sur provincial governor Luis Villafuerte Jr said facilities at CWC were capable of supporting MICE activities and special events such as weddings.

Corporate groups that take their events to CWC can also engage participants in watersports such as wakeboarding, wakeskating and waterskiing.

CWC is also supported by 500 guestrooms, which Villafuerte acknowledged were more suited for “young adventure types”. However, he believes that CWC can offer corporates a fun approach to business events.

He is currently considering an offer by a five-star hotel brand to build convention facilties on site.

TCEB dangles monetary support to draw Indian trade show visitors

By Shekhar Niyogi

May 8, 2012

THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has taken its 100 A-Head programme to India, as part of its efforts to attract more Indian visitors to trade exhibitions held in the kingdom.
The programme, which targets event promoters, MICE tour operators, DMCs, trade associations, chambers of commerce and trade publications, will see TCEB dishing out US$100 per pax to groups with at least 15 participants who stay a minimum of three days/two nights in Thailand.

According to a TCEB publication, the 100 A-Head programme had helped India’s Doon Valley n Travel to bring a group of 70 poultry trade members to Victam 2012 in Bangkok this February. Jatinder Dhamija, operations head of the travel firm said: “The programme helped promoters like me to double the participants’ joy. They get to gain new knowledge at the exhibition and enjoy the benefits as well.”

Further efforts to court more trade show attendees from India will come in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that TCEB is likely to sign with India’s Ministry of Tourism in 2013.

Supawan Teerarat, TCEB director of exhibition, said the agreement would be in line with the bureau’s “strategic approach under the ASEAN MICE Collaboration, which is aimed at promoting the MICE tourism industry in the ASEAN region”.

Supawan said: “The Indian MICE segment is an essential market for Thailand. In 2011, India ranked second in terms of overseas visitors for trade shows in Thailand, and in 2012, we are projecting a 10 per cent increase in the number of MICE travellers from India.”

“We are looking forward to partner with the travel trade in India to enhance our overall efforts for promoting Thailand as a MICE destination.”

AMEX debuts new rewards programme for corporate accounts

By TTG Asia

May 8, 2012

AMERICAN EXPRESS has launched its new Corporate Membership Rewards in Singapore – the first Asian market to access the programme that offers savings and benefits on corporate expenditure.

The programme allows businesses to consolidate reward points earned through multiple cards issued to employees into a single company account, and to use these points for redemptions on items such as statement credits against travel-related charges, credit amounts against corporate card statement balance, dining and fuel vouchers, and employee incentives.

Every S$1.60 (US$1.30) spent on the American Express corporate card earns the company one rewards point.

Jennifer Berthold, vice president & general manager, global corporate payments, American Express, said: “This programme provides the type of corporate savings and maximum benefits from company spending that our corporate customers have been telling us they want.

“(It) provides businesses an additional way to save by virtually turning company-wide expenses into savings.”

India grants VOA to French, Germans & Russians

By Shekhar Niyogi

May 7, 2012

INDIA’s Ministry of External Affairs has extended its visa on arrival (VOA) facility to nationals of France, Germany and Russia, adding to the 11 countries to which the privilege is currently accorded.

Countries for which Indian VOA arrangements are pending include Spain and Malta, while Ukraine and Kazakhsthan are also under consideration.

Rohit Kohli, joint managing director, Creative Travel New Delhi said: “Most Indian missions overseas are very tardy in issuance of visas, and this can be a deterrent for foreign tourists. In some cases where visa issuance is outsourced, there is only an English version of the application form available, when they (should) at least be bilingual. In principle, VOA should enhance visitor arrivals.”

Rajesh Dumma, managing director, Classic Travel said: “We welcome the visa on arrival (being extended) to major source market countries. This will help us to market our packages more aggressively.”

Indian immigration records reveal that approximately 1,500 visitors avail of VOAs at Indian airports every month.

Hainan Airlines forced to trim operations

By TTG Asia

May 7, 2012

HAINAN Airlines has been ordered by the Civil Aviation Administration of China to scale back services after some of its airborne staff contravened regulations on rest and recovery, according to Bloomberg News.

The carrier reportedly fell foul of a requirement for pilots and cabin crew to receive at least 36 hours of continuous rest every seven days.

Effective this week, Hainan Airlines will be forced to reduce monthly operations by at least 15 per cent from December’s figure, with the duration of the penalty to be determined by how quickly the carrier corrects the shortfall in standards.

During this period, the airline will be limited to 28,755 flying hours a month. The carrier will also be barred from adding new aircraft to its fleet this year.

In addition, Hainan Airlines has been fined RMB 29,000 (US$4,600) for the transgression, which were committed by 120 flight attendants and 33 of its pilots, some of whom have since had their licences suspended for two months.

Jet Airways adds flights to Bangkok, Dubai

By Shekhar Niyogi

May 7, 2012

JET Airways will introduce a second daily service from Kolkata to Bangkok on May 10, and a fourth daily flight from Mumbai to Dubai on May 18.

Mamta Panjani, general manager-east, Mercury Travels Kolkata said: “The demand for Bangkok, particularly in the summer holiday season, is very high, and the additional flight does bring relief to the heavily overbooked flight capacity to Thailand.”

“We hope the flight addition will be permanent as there is sufficient demand to justify it.”

Meanwhile, the airline has ended its inventory impasse with MakeMyTrip, restoring bookings of its flights via the OTA.

Sudheer Raghavan, CCO, Jet Airways said: “We are pleased to announce the resumption of our full inventory on MakeMyTrip, and we look forward to a mutually beneficial association between the two companies.”

Gulf Air hikes services to South India

By Shekhar Niyogi

May 7, 2012

GULF Air has boosted its services between Chennai and Bahrain from nine to 12 flights per week.

Samer Majali, CEO, Gulf Air said: “India is one of our key markets, and a large number of (Indians) are employed or doing business in Bahrain, the Gulf and Middle East countries. Our Chennai route has seen a high load factor throughout the past year, which has encouraged us to introduce the extra flights.”

Majali added: “We have introduced split timings (on the Chennai-Bahrain route), with morning and night departures to provide connectivity for people travelling from South India (via Bahrain) to Europe, Africa, and Egypt, and to the US via our codeshare partner American Airlines.”

Padmini Narayanan, director, Akshaya India Chennai said: “Passenger demand to the Gulf and Europe has increased substantially over the past one year, and Gulf Air has (aided) tour operators by providing more flight options. Increased flight capacity (also) keeps increasing ticket costs in check.”

Qataris top Arab travel spending ladder

By TTG Asia

May 7, 2012

QATARIS are the highest overseas spenders among Arab travellers, according to a study on the outbound travel habits of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals unveiled during Arabian Travel Market 2012.

The study, entitled ‘The Outbound GCC Travel Market – Unique Trends and Characteristics of GCC Nationals’, was based on interviews with 2,500 GCC nationals from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Conducted over a one-year period from January to December 2011, the study revealed that Qataris spend the most on travel with an average expenditure of US$4,100 per day, followed by travellers from Saudi Arabia at US$3,360 and the UAE at US$3,280.

The breakdown of spend across all GCC nationalities includes 54 per cent allocated to airfares (across all classes of travel), 18 per cent on accommodation, nine per cent on dining, and five per cent on car rental. Compared to the rest of the world, GCC nationals spend 260 per cent more on airfare and 430 per cent more on accommodation, but 13 per cent less on car rental.

The class of travel is also important, with 40 per cent of Qataris interviewed opting for first class, and between 40 and 60 per cent of all GCC nationals booking business class.

Decision makers differ across the region, with the wife usually picking the destination in Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE, and the male head of household having the final say in Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

According to the report, 53 per cent of survey respondents plan to embark on leisure trips to between two and five countries over the next 12 months, with Saudi nationals the most frequent travellers, followed by the UAE.

Cultural experiences and family focus are the two most important factors when planning travel, with 40 per cent of respondents looking at taking an extended three to four-week trip over the next 12 months.

View from the Top: Brett Tollman

By Raini Hamdi

May 4, 2012

Envisioning Japanese-language Insight Vacations departures, Chinese chartering his Uniworld cruises, Red Carnation hotels in Asia – Brett Tollman is taking a 40-year-old family-owned business centred on the Western market on a trip to Asia

Brett Tollman
President & chief executive
The Travel Corporation, US

When was that moment when you said, okay, we’re going to seriously expand in Asia?
About two years ago. My father, who started the company, has always been a great visionary and ever since Jim O’Neill (chairman, Goldman Sachs Asset Management) coined the term BRIC, we have appreciated the growth coming out of these markets.

I took over as CEO two years ago and the timing kind of matched the after-effects of the global financial crisis and the coming together of a whole bunch of issues, trends and opportunities: a huge loss of capital in the US and Europe that we don’t believe is going to come back soon, coupled with a shift from Western-focused control and domination of the global economy to one that’s more East-focused today.

We do live in a globally connected market where no region is in the centre. We want to be a global player so I’ve made a personal commitment as CEO to help drive this. My father and cousin Gavin, who runs Trafalgar, came to Asia last September, having worked on this plan the prior year, and we went to Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo.

What strengths will work for you on this Asian journey?
We’re very good listeners and learners. It’s important we’re not perceived the wrong way: We approach this market with great humility as Westerners coming in. We have to look, listen and learn what the market wants and we need to adapt. It’s not about being Asian-centric; it’s about being customer centric.

We’re in a niche business. Collectively, while we move quite a few people globally, our brands (individually) don’t move that many people, so we have the opportunity to understand what our niche is looking for and therefore customise our product.

What are your observations so far on customising the product for Asians?
There are so many issues, starting with local guides, getting hotels to work with us so they have breakfasts, TV programmes, collateral materials in those languages, understanding what each of the Asian markets looks for, adapting to their travel duration, which is seven to eight days, as opposed to, say, three to four weeks for Australians.

Visas are a real issue: getting 40 individuals ready to go on a scheduled set of dates then having half cancel because they can’t get a visa is a great financial exposure to the agency who’s booked them and to us.

Booking conditions are a big issue as well. Traditionally in Europe, we take a deposit at the time of booking, not refundable after seven days so we lock in our inventory, which is always very precious, then you have to pay in full before you travel. I understand that we probably have to adjust our deposit policies in some cases, but we are certainly going to hold the line on paying full before travel.

It’s not in reflection to any culture or any country but, as a business principle, if we are going to provide an outstanding set of services to someone, they have to pay us in advance, we’re not going to chase them and collect payment afterwards. That’s a core business philosophy and that’s why we’ve grown and we’re financially strong today.

I imagine getting consumer recognition for a brand like Trafalgar, which is difficult to pronounce in some markets, is also an issue?
Absolutely, but I’m hoping that by providing the marketing support and investment to our partners, and providing the training support to their frontline agents, it can be communicated to their customers.

You have 22 brands. Do you see a consolidation?
No, we’ve always been decentralised. Our founder, my father, has always believed you must keep the brands separate because if you homogenise them, you lose brand integrity, service and customers who are loyal to the clearly defined brands.

It’s fantastic leading a company that has great brands and great executives managing each one.

What about launching an Asian brand?
We have a history of doing start-ups, and if it is appropriate and we see growth out of these markets, we’d love to. At the moment, we’ll see if the Chinese will embrace our brands if we make them more Asian.

I know what we think we’re going to do today is probably very different from what we end up doing in a year and two from now – it’s a first step in a very long journey.

You took over as CEO two years ago – what would you like to be remembered for?
I’m passionate about sustainable tourism. I want to make sure we are giving back in all aspects: help protect the places and cultures we take tourists to on a yearly basis, develop a culture of great employees who together feel proud of the business, develop great brands that are driven by service, and to be known as a company of integrity with regards to the partners and suppliers we work with.

There’s incredible transparency in the world we live in today. As Google once said, if you lie, you die, so you’ve got to say what you mean and mean what you say.

So the legacy remains though the world has changed?
Yes, my father’s shoes are big ones to fill. I hope I can live up to his expectations and what he’s done in the last 40 years.

What’s it like growing up in a family in travel and tourism, and did you want to be in business?
I have always wanted it, ever since I was three or four years old and my parents built a hotel group in South Africa. I have always been passionate about serving people, about giving the opportunity to people to experience cultures, see new things. I’m a third-generation hotelier so that’s in my blood more than anything.

People in this business work 20 hours a day, six to seven days a week, because they love it.

Do you put in those hours?
No, but some days it seems like it. I also know I have to balance it because I have a fantastic wife and three children, and I’m away from them a lot.

When on holiday, do you travel with your brands only?
Absolutely, though we don’t have our hotels in some places but we certainly will use one of our local guides. In June we’re gong on one of our Trafalgar family experiences and last August, we cruised on one of our ships in the south of France. I love our brands and I live our brands, so we do it when we can.

Do you get special treatment?
It’d be silly to say I don’t, but I always want to experience the product through the eyes of our customers and that’s not always possible. I always ask to stay in our smallest rooms, or our oldest, when I’m staying in one of our hotels because I want to see the quality, cleanliness and experience the size, facilities, etc.

Also, when you travel on a product such as Trafalgar or Insight, 80 per cent of what we deliver is not ours, it’s just our service, so you get to experience as a customer would – the coaches, the dining, excursions and so forth, which is so valuable on top of the mystery shopping we do through third parties.

Who inspires you?
My parents, our customers, my peers. My mum runs Red Carnation (Hotel Collection). Every year, she handpicks 4,000 Christmas gifts that she gives to every one of our employees and each year she keeps track of what she did the year before.

People inspire me all the time. We can be open to learning every day.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, May 4 issue, on page 7. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.