ALMOST nine in 10 survey respondents across six rapidly growing e-commerce markets said they had bought products and services online in the past year, with the biggest chunk of expenses going to travel purchases.

The 2010 Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor covered 3,156 regular Internet users from mainland China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.

Respondents spent the most on travel, paying an average of US$550 over the last 12 months for airline tickets, accommodation and travel agent services. This was out of an average of US$2,086 spent in total over a one-year period.

Online shoppers from Taiwan reported spending almost double the survey average (US$4,041), while those from mainland China (US$2,557) and Malaysia (US$2,006) also spent above the median.

Making purchases on the Internet was most popular among respondents from mainland China and Taiwan where nearly all those surveyed (98 per cent and 97 per cent respectively) said they had shopped online in the past 12 months. .

Paul Jung, head of eCommerce, international, Visa, said: “China in particular continues to attract attention of many e-commerce retailers because of the growing number of affluent consumers who are going online to shop.”

THE KUONI Group has acquired Belgium tour operator, Best Tours, which is currently in liquidation, giving hotels in Thailand some hope of recovering unpaid bills.

Thailand is a key Asian destination of the specialised brand, which offers escorted cultural roundtrips, beach holidays and individual trips in the premium segment of the Belgium market and partly in the French market.

When it filed for liquidation – in the busy year-end period – it had some 5,600 travellers, the majority believed to be in Thailand.

The Belgian tour operator cited an accumulation of difficulties, including the ash cloud, the problems in Thailand and the swine flu, and that the market did not recover as quickly as hoped.

A statement from the Kuoni Group said it had taken over the activities of Best Tours and that it would retain the brand. Best Tours will join the Kuoni Benelux unit.

Kuoni-owned Asian Trails may benefit from the acquisition, with group CEO Luzi Matzig saying the account will “most likely” now go to Asian Trails.

In the past, Best Tours did all the contracting itself with hotels, did not have a handling agent but had a small representative office in Bangkok, according to sources.

Matzig said: “(The name) is well-known in Belgium. Best Tours sends at least 16,000 pax a year to Thailand alone, but they have been selling too cheap for too long.”

– Read the full report, TTG Asia, January 14 issue

By Sirima Eamtako

ASTON International has temporarily closed Favehotel MEX Building in Surabaya after a fire last Thursday.

“All guests are safe,” said Favehotel MEX Building general manager Nanang Supriady.

The fire, which originated in a karaoke club on the fifth floor of the MEX building, was put out before it could spread to the hotel on the second floor.

However, there was still damage sustained in some guestrooms, suites and hallways due to water leaking from the upper floors as a result of the sprinkler system being activated.

An inspection has shown that repairs will probably take till early February to complete.

BAGGAGE check-in facilities at the Makkasan City Air Terminal on the Suvarnabhumi Airport (SA) Rail Link will be available to passengers from today.

The check-in services, now only for passengers on flights operated by Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways travelling via the SA Express Line, require passengers to check in their baggage at least three hours prior to flight departure, or up to 12 hours in advance.

A one-way non-stop journey on the SA Express from Makkasan to Suvarnabhumi costs 150 baht (US$5), up from 100 baht previously (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 23, 2010) and takes 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, the alternative SA City Line, which runs between Phaya Thai Station and the airport, charges 15 to 45 baht per trip according to distance.

Passengers using this line have direct access to the BTS SkyTrain network, which is in turn linked to the Bangkok MRT system.

Both lines depart every 15 minutes, and operate daily from 6am to 12 midnight.

THE 70-room Innotel Hotel will officially open this week, adding some relief to the city-state’s shortage of mid-tier properties.

Located in the downtown Dhoby Ghaut area, the three-and-a-half-star property will have four accommodation options (superior, deluxe, executive & suite) spread across eight storeys, with room sizes ranging from 19m² to 35m².

The current average room rate is S$160 (US$124) per night. This should stabilise at around S$200 once promotional prices cease to apply, said general manager George King.

All rooms come with complimentary broadband Internet access, LCD TVs with cable channels and Internet Protocol telephones that can divert calls to mobile phones, while larger ones feature stereo sets with iPod/iPhone-compatible docks, bath tubs and leather recliners.

On the ground floor is an Asian cafe run by an external vendor, while there is a 17th-century-styled bar and lounge on the second level.

Business travellers make up the bulk of Innotel’s clientele, and rooms are mainly distributed through online travel agents and corporate accounts.

The hotel, however, wants to give a fair share of business to brick-and-mortar agents too, said King. He revealed that two agents had already expressed interest in buying 300 roomnights on a monthly basis.

ASIA Experience Tours is looking to double its online revenue to 50 per cent of total revenue by year-end, by improving its online B2B portal which went live a year ago.

Besides the addition of more product offerings in South-east Asia, a larger inventory of hotels and excursions will be made available on OneAsia.travel, said Asia Experience Tours CEO Ngiam Foon.

The company is also working with Malaysian suppliers to provide more online hotel allotments to key tourism destinations, especially during peak seasons.

“By this first quarter, we hope to add a new service offering flights out of Malaysia for local travel agents,” Ngiam added.

THE INDONESIAN Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched its new brand campaign Wonderful Indonesia on January 1 to help achieve its target of 7.7 million visitors this year, a 10 per cent increase over 2010.

This target is achievable with Indonesia holding ASEAN chairmanship and the MICE sector set to receive visitors for over 100 big and small meetings this year, said Indonesia Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik.

While persuading regional and international airlines to fly or add seat availability to secondary cities besides Jakarta or Bali, the ministry is also working on a proposal to the Ministry of Transportation recommending potential new hubs and routes needing additional air rights.

There were 7,000,571 arrivals to Indonesia last year, up 8.5 per cent from 6,452,259 in 2009, while the average length of stay increased from 7.69 days to 8.04 days.

– Full brand report in TTG Asia, January 14 issue