Frasers deploys Sabre’s SynXis Retailing
Frasers Hospitality and Sabre Hospitality have formed a strategic partnership to deploy the latter’s latest solution, SynXis Retailing, as part of Frasers Hospitality’s retailing strategy, marking a pivotal step in its commitment to retail innovation and superior guest services.
Building upon a strong partnership established in 2009, this collaboration saw Frasers Hospitality enrol one of its properties in the Preferred Launch Partnership programme as a pilot to tap into the capabilities of SynXis Retailing to elevate the overall guest experience. The outcome of the programme surpassed expectations, with the pilot property reporting a significant increase in ancillary revenue. The Retail Studio also complements the existing SynXis Booking Engine which offers a more personalised guest experience and seamless booking process via Frasers Hospitality’s platform.
SynXis Retailing provides hospitality players with the ability to “sell anything”, presenting an opportunity to introduce new revenue streams to properties with limited amenities, such as serviced residences. This flexibility enables hoteliers to enhance offerings for guests across their portfolio, from policies and services to food and beverage options, and even activities and experiences from third-party suppliers.
Sabre Hospitality president Scott Wilson said: “This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to innovation and delivering unparalleled value to hoteliers and guests alike. Hospitality retailing plays a pivotal role in this endeavour, as it allows hospitality companies to not only offer accommodation but also to curate personalised experiences and ancillary services tailored to individual guest preferences.”
“We look forward to leveraging Sabre Hospitality’s latest solutions to analyse guest preferences and personalise our offerings as part of our purpose and commitment to curate and enrich guest experiences,” added Mark Chan, chief operating officer of Frasers Hospitality.
Sustainability, heritage themes central to Bali and Beyond Travel Fair 2024
Calls for collaboration among Indonesia’s travel and tourism players to drive quality and sustainable tourism are resounding at the 10th Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF 2024) that kicks off today.
Speaking at the event earlier today, Ida Pandita Mpu Brahmananda, who is known to industry players as I Gede Pitana, tourism expert and professor of tourism science at Udayana University Bali, underlined the importance of collaboration in successful implementation of regenerative tourism.
He also urged industry players to ride on the tourism strength of Bali to spread business and benefits throughout the country.
Indeed, the annual BBTF’s mission has been to emphasise Indonesia’s varied travel and tourism destinations and products beyond popular Bali as well as the resort hotspot’s latest developments.
The theme at BBTF 2024, which runs from today until June 14, is Exploring and Experiencing Sense of Indonesia’s Beauty. Content highlights diverse attractions across the country as well as sustainable practices in preserving nature, culture and heritage. The event also aims to foster collaboration that facilitate quality and sustainable tourism.
I Putu Winastra, committee head of BBTF, told TTG Asia: “Last year, the event focused on how the industry was stepping up efforts on sustainability. This year, we expect to see resulting products that meet the demands and needs of today’s travellers.”
BBTF 2024’s exhibits promote products and experiences in the categories of adventure, nature, rural, gastronomy, community-based and health – particularly emphasising on the current mounting interests in wellness and medical tourism.
Some 460 buyers from 45 countries will connect with 282 seller organisations during the B2B sessions on June 13 and 14.
Eleven provinces, comprising of Bali, Jakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, West Java, Central Java, Riau Islands, Yogyakarta, East Nusa Tenggara, Bangka Belitung Islands, South Sulawesi, and East Kalimantan are participants this year.
Additionally, Nepal, Timor Leste, China, the US, Malaysia, South Africa and Iran are also at the show.
Putu said: “We have been working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in inviting and selecting buyers, and are happy to see many new buyers from countries we have not reached before, such as Panama and Bulgaria.
“We are also happy to see more international sellers participating this year. Last year we had five; this year seven. This shows that BBTF is seen as a good platform for them to do business.”
BBTF attendees this year have access to an upgraded event app that functions on android and iPhone devices, allowing them to pre-schedule appointments with ease.
TBO goes public to accelerate growth of travel agencies in Asia-Pacific
Travel distribution platform TBO.com has completed the public listing of its equity shares in India via the National Stock Exchange of India and the BSE Limited, raising approximately US$186 million.
The investments will be used to further enhance the TBO.com’s technology and services as well as expand into new markets in the region.
The public issue received an overwhelming response across all categories of investors, being oversubscribed 86.70 times overall. The Qualified Institutional Buyers portion was subscribed 125.51 times, while the Non-Institutional Investors portion received a subscription of 50.60 times. The Retail Individual Investors portion received 25.74 times, while the portion reserved for employees received 17.82 times subscription.
The company was listed on May 15 this year on the aforementioned Indian stock exchanges with a premium of 50 per cent plus over the issue price.
TBO’s two-sided technology platform enables suppliers and buyers to transact seamlessly with each other. For buyers, the platform is an integrated, multi-currency, and multi-lingual one-stop solution that helps them discover and book travel for destinations worldwide, across various travel segments such as leisure, corporate, and religious travel.
The TBO platform has a strong presence in Asia-Pacific and connects over 159,000 buyers across more than 100 countries with over a million suppliers. Their global impact was exemplified by the anchors attracted before the initial public offering, which included the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and institutional investors from countries like Norway, Japan and India.
“TBO’s listing on the Indian stock exchanges marks a significant milestone in our company’s journey. This accomplishment paves the way for new opportunities, enabling us to drive innovation, expand our reach, and enhance value for our shareholders and customers,” said Gaurav Bhatnagar, co-founder and joint managing director, TBO.com.
Dusit International to manage dual-branded luxury resort and residences in Phuket
Dusit International has signed a partnership agreement with VillaCarte Group, a Phuket-based real estate development company, to manage a dual-branded luxury hotel and apartment complex at the heart of VillaCarte’s Layan Verde Project on the west coast of Phuket, Thailand.
Slated to open in 2027, the 398-key Dusit Collection – Layan Verde hotel is set over five buildings, while another five buildings will be under Dusit Residences – Layan Verde comprising 388 rooms.
Guests and residents of Dusit Collection and Dusit Residences Layan Verde will enjoy a range of premium lifestyle facilities, including an all-day dining restaurant, fitness centre, swimming pool, kids club, rooftop bar, and banqueting space.
Located just 800 metres from Bang Tao Beach, Layan Verde spans over 108,000m² and will also encompass a shopping centre and an ocean club.
The hotel and apartment interiors will be finished with eco-friendly, moisture-resistant materials while advanced EDGE-certified technology will be implemented to decrease water and electricity consumption by up to 45 per cent.
“This project perfectly complements our existing Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket resort and further strengthens our commitment to providing exceptional hospitality experiences in Phuket,” said Siradej Donavanik, vice president – global development, Dusit International.
VillaCarte Group co-CEO, Vadym Bukhkalov, added: “Alongside Dusit’s renowned five-star standards of service and growing global portfolio of Dusit Hotels and Resorts, we were also impressed by the size and scale of the upcoming Dusit Central Park project in Bangkok. Its design, seamlessly integrating a luxury hotel and residences with sustainable features like a public roof park, aligns perfectly with our own commitment to creating a harmonious blend of nature and contemporary luxury at Layan Verde. This shared passion for sustainability is the cornerstone of our exciting and promising partnership with Dusit. We’re confident it will be a long-term collaboration filled with meaningful success.”
Cathay Pacific to connect Hong Kong and Riyadh
Cathay Pacific is launching direct flights to Riyadh from Hong Kong starting October 28 this year.
The airline will offer three return flights per week (Monday, Thursday and Sunday) between Hong Kong and Riyadh using its modern Airbus A350-900 aircraft, featuring Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.
This new service will offer more travel options and greater convenience for those travelling to and from Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia combats overtourism
Infrastructure improvements and promotion of lesser-known destinations are among the steps being taken by Indonesian travel and tourism players to tackle overcrowding in hotspots like Bali.
Within Bali alone, the spread of tourists has been uneven, with a strong concentration in South Bali, which comprises Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Jimbaran, Benoa, Nusa Dua, Uluwatu and Pecatu.
Wayan Suena, president director of Indonesia Impression, noted that hotels in South Bali are usually fully booked, while hotels in the north, east and west suffer low demand. He believes that demand can be spread out to the other regions of Bali by improving access.
To disperse travellers to other parts of Bali, the Bali Tourism Office is improving tourism hardware and infrastructure. “We are repairing the Besakih Temple; building an international theme park with Paramount Pictures in Jembrana, West Bali; completing the Singaraja-Denpasar shortcut access; and continuing construction of the toll road in West Bali,” detailed Tjok Bagus Pemayun, head of the Bali Tourism Office.
Wayan said the Singaraja-Denpasar shortcut access development has already yielded positive results – more visitors are taking one-day tours to Sekumpul waterfall and the Lovina area in Singaraja.
“More agents are also selling one-day tours for dolphin-watching in Lovina,” he added.
Beyond Bali, Wita Tour is promoting itineraries such as Bangka-Belitung, and will create tours to Komodo, Sumba and places in Sumatera.
Addressing the woe of overtourism, Dwi Nugraha, world product manager, Pacto DMC, said areas like Bali’s Canggu and Ubud were often congested due to improper traffic management, not overtourism.
“It is important to carefully assess each area and the reasons behind the high tourist numbers before labelling (the issue) as overtourism,” Dwi warned.
Meanwhile, he is hopeful that road improvements will connect all Bali regions so travellers can easily access areas such as Pemuteran, Amed, and Munduk, thus easing the burden of crowds on South Bali.
David Putrawan, sales and marketing manager of Wita Tour, opined that improved infrastructure could be a double-edged sword. With easier access, more people would visit a destination and give rise to potential overtourism.
Singapore university partners SITA to enhance air passenger experience
SITA is collaborating with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to create new off-site passenger processing solutions, allowing airline passengers to check themselves and their luggage in from almost any location – even before they arrive at the airport.
The SUTD-SITA off-airport processing project kicked off in March this year and will run for a year. SITA will provide SUTD access to its SITA Flex solution, giving the SUTD researchers the necessary technology to turn their current physical, digital, and experiential off-airport designs into workable prototypes.
When fully integrated and completed, passenger processing procedures – passport scanning, luggage weighing, and printing of luggage tags and boarding passes – which are usually done at airports, will be available off-site using these prototypes.
Tourists could even have their luggage sent to the airport in advance right from their hotel, eliminating the need for them to leave their luggage with the hotel concierge should their flight depart hours after checking out of the hotel. They can simply carry on with their activities and head straight to the airport just an hour, instead of the usual two hours, before their flight departs.
As the hardware and service design requirements are ironed out and the solution takes shape, the off-airport concept will be tested for seamless integration and optimal performance with various SITA partners, including airlines, airports and ground handlers.
Sumesh Patel, SITA’s president for the Asia-Pacific region, commented: “SUTD’s designs break away from a traditional approach to off-airport touchpoints, and powering it will facilitate innovation and our ability to continually transform the passenger experience. It will also demonstrate the existing versatility of our solutions, which can be deployed both in- and off- airport and on non-SITA platforms.”
“We are designing the first fully integrated offsite solution to be powered by the SITA Flex solution – this will reshape and elevate global air travel with greater convenience and efficiency. We look forward to validating our designs in trials with airport and airline operators, cruise centres as well as hoteliers in the months to come,” shared Chong Tow Chong, president of SUTD.
Natra Bintan wants more domestic guests
Tented accommodation Natra Bintan, a Tribute Portfolio Resort has rolled out glamping experiences with activities for couples on honeymoon, friends, families as well as corporates groups on incentive and team-building programmes – all in a bid to grow bookings from the domestic Indonesian market.
Natra Bintan, Marriott International’s first tented accommodation concept on Bintan island, comprises 100 safari-themed tents, each 45m² in size, which come with outdoor patios and lush gardens where guests can have a private barbecue party.
The resort is home to South-east Asia’s first and largest man-made seawater lagoon, the Crystal Lagoon. A variety of land and water activities, such as ATV rides, archery and cable ski, are available to guests. These are operated by Treasure Bay Bintan.
For the adventurous, the resort can arrange a guided kayak tour through the private mangroves, golfing at Bintan Golf Club, and hiking in the rainforest of Gunung Bintan. A Mangrove Discovery Tour and dinner at Kelong floating restaurant are also recommended activities.
Young guests are entertained with painting, martial arts, dance and picnics.
While the resort’s hardware and software offerings are attractive, Ratna Wahyuni, general manager of Natra Bintan, said her team face the challenge of raising the awareness of Bintan as a destination among domestic travellers.
“Bintan is not so popular among Indonesians yet. We still hear people asking where Bintan is, and even those who know Bintan will ask what can they do here,” Ratna added.
Natra Bintan made moves to court the domestic market during the pandemic. “We started building awareness among Indonesian travellers through promotional videos with Traveloka.”
More efforts are needed, especially in educating Indonesians about Bintan’s accessibility.
Ratna said not many are aware that there are daily flights from Jakarta to Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport in Tanjung Pinang, just about an hour’s drive from the resort. Local travellers are not limited to the ferry service via Singapore – something that many perceive.
Calvine Vorry, Natra Bintan’s director of sales and marketing, said the resort is ideal for bringing people together. Families and friends staying together within a compound can arrange for a joint barbecue dinner.
Many corporate groups recognise the resort’s social bonding potential, making it a popular choice for team-building programmes. This year alone, Natra Bintan has hosted events from Indonesian financial institutions and oil companies. It will welcome a large event this September, organised by a tobacco manufacturer from Batam for more than 200 guests from Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. This event will buyout 100 rooms.
Currently, the domestic market is 20 per cent of the total business at the resort. Its biggest market is Singapore, at 70 per cent, while China, India, and South Korea make up the rest.
Ratna wants to grow the domestic share by 10 to 15 per cent, and hopes that airfares between Jakarta and Bintan – often higher than that to Bali and other destinations with similar flight duration – would come down to facilitate travel.
Community-powered hospitality platform to promote sustainable travel stays
StayAltered has unveiled the latest version for its community-powered hospitality platform, with new booking and rewards features, partner services, and member benefits for independent hoteliers and sustainable travellers.
Contributing to this new version are over 80 independent hoteliers who joined forces with a founding network of contributors and partners, including COAX Software in Ukraine, GuestRevu in the UK, and Weeva in South Africa.
StayAltered combines the power of a global hospitality brand with the reach of a travel booking website, and helps sustainable travellers easily find, book, and earn rewards with independent hoteliers.
In the coming months, StayAltered will announce enhanced membership benefits for StayAltered guests with the launch of Special Guests and Super Guests plans, as well as more cooperative solutions and partner services for StayAltered hosts.
“StayAltered champions independent hoteliers, who represent over two-thirds of the global hospitality industry,” said Evan Tzeng, founder of StayAltered. “When locally-operated and sustainably-managed, their accommodations become sociocultural anchors and economic drivers for communities to thrive and flourish.”
“We believe in harnessing collective power to make tourism more purposeful and impactful. StayAltered provides us a platform to realise this vision collaboratively,” added Arunavh Dam, StayAltered host and co-founder of Muhaan Collective, a social enterprise in India developing experiential tourism and hospitality models with rural communities.
Skyscanner has seen significant growth in the Indian market over the past few years, with India emerging as one of Skyscanner’s top five markets, driven by a surge in both international and domestic travel searches.
Hugh Aitken, vice president, strategic relations and development, Skyscanner, who was on a visit to New Delhi last week, shared: “India has grown substantially for us in the last couple of years. India is now one of our top five markets. Since 2019, we have seen a 121 per cent growth in bookings via Skyscanner for international destinations in India and a 639 per cent growth in domestic bookings. Comparing January this year with last year, we saw a 35 per cent growth in international searches. We are seeing substantial growth in the Indian market.”
Skyscanner has strengthened its partnerships with all major Indian airlines and OTAs to ensure travellers have access to the best prices, content, and choices. Earlier this month, Skyscanner announced a partnership with Indian carrier Akasa Air, offering the latter an audience of over 110 million monthly users searching for flights on Skyscanner platforms.
Aitken noted: “As a marketplace, we have on one side, travellers, and the other side, partners. We have strong partnerships with all the Indian airlines and OTAs. In the last few years, we have worked towards building our partner size for the marketplace so when travellers come to Skyscanner in India, they know they can see the best prices, best content, and the best choice.”
To enhance its local presence, Skyscanner launched a Hindi site last year and is considering introducing its platform in other regional languages. The company has also noted a growing trend of Indian travellers seeking inspiration on Skyscanner, and searches from India – without a specific destination in mind – have grown by over 55 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022.
According to Skyscanner’s research, 61 per cent of Indian travellers planned on taking more trips in 2024 versus 2023, which is higher than in the US (44 per cent) and the UK (32 per cent) and represents the highest intent among the markets in Asia-Pacific – Singapore at 54 per cent, South Korea at 46 per cent, and Australia at 38 per cent.
Aitken noted that on average, Indian travellers planned on taking three trips in 2024, compared to the 2.5 trips recorded in 2023.
Skyscanner is also seeing Indian travellers exploring new destinations. The top trending destination for Indian travellers is Danang, Vietnam, with a growth of 1,141 per cent. Other top outbound destinations for Indian travellers in 2024 include the cities Dubai, London, Bangkok, Toronto, and Jeddah. Domestically, the top destinations are New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa, and Hyderabad.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Skyscanner is observing a preference for shorter-term booking windows compared to other markets. While 40 per cent of American travellers plan longhaul travel more than three months in advance, in Asia-Pacific, it is only 28 per cent.
Editor’s note: This copy has been amended with updates from Skyscanner relating to several data points.