Traditional travel agencies (TTAs) in the Philippines are welcoming a changing customer landscape that is no longer dominated by online travel agencies (OTAs), with the core reason being the comfort of having human assistance in a complex travel environment.
Dorothy Lauron-Aytona, president and general manager of Skynet Travel Corp., told TTG Asia: “Travellers appreciate that there’s a warm body to inform them, reply to their questions, and troubleshoot for them.”
She added: “When destinations were opening up after the lockdown, travellers who booked with OTAs did not know where to go and who to talk to (for) refunds for cancelled and overbooked flights as well as changes in visa processing and entry requirements for various countries.”
Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) president, Fe Abling-Yu added that as the pandemic has proven, people serving the people-oriented travel and tourism cannot be taken out of the equation.
Abling-Yu said “groups can never be online as they have requirements different from leisure travellers and some of these requirements cannot be met by the hotel.
“They have to pass through TTAs because we have to cater to their other needs, ancillary services like transport, tours and negotiating with hotels for room rates,” said Abling-Yu.
Bluewater Resorts director of sales and marketing, Margie Munsayac, recalled how hotels “had a very big percentage of online bookings” as they emerged from the pandemic, but that was only because offline operators were not back in business yet.
Even OTAs are realising the value of travel agencies and tour operators, and have started dealing with the latter within their B2B platform. “Now, OTAs have a strong B2B because they have to find other sources of income,” Munsayac said.
In a previous interview, Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA) president, Loleth So, had estimated that 90 per cent of hotel bookings go through travel agencies and 10 per cent go directly to hotels.
“That’s why travel agencies or tour operator business are critical to accommodation. We have very limited resources in the hotel, but with a travel agency partner we can reach more,” So noted.
So said the channels that travellers book through are changing even as travel agencies are evolving, with OTAs, consortia, DMCs and others added to the list. A number of TTAs now have their own online platform.
Taman Wisata Candi (TWC) Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko, the state-owned company that manages the temples, has set new regulations for visitors looking to explore the archeological site of Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Indonesia.
The new regulations include limited tickets for sale, pre-set visiting sessions, and a sale period of no more than a week ahead of the intended visit. These are aligned with the Indonesian government’s policy of imposing stricter visitor controls at the temple, with no more than 1,200 people allowed each day or 150 per session.
From hereon, tickets are only sold online and open for sale seven days before the intended visit; a maximum of 10 tickets may be purchased in a single transaction.
Visitors can choose from one of eight hour-long sessions, between 09.00 and 17.00.
Jamaludin Mawardi, general manager of the Borobudur Unit of TWC Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko, said visitors are welcome to purchase an additional session for longer visits, and can do so with the help of a guide and subject to ticket availability.
He said the new regulations are being tested until October, and improvements will continue to be made.
“There will be a special landing page for tour operators on the website, including a special quota plan for ASITA (Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies) Yogyakarta members using voucher codes,” Jamaludin added.
Indonesian travel trade players welcome the new regulations, especially as the sole online sales channel will remove ticket brokers, and are offering ideas for system improvements.
Monas Tjahjono, managing director of Monas Tours & Travel Surabaya, said TWC should make the sale of tickets transparent, so that visitors to the site can see the number of tickets available for sale in real time. This is important since tickets are very quickly snapped up, as soon as the online purchase slot is opened.
The temple’s online ticketing system could also take a leaf out of airlines’ book, where sales are open every day throughout the year and which allows visitors to see ahead tickets that are available for sale.
She then urges TWC to reduce website downtime.
Meanwhile, Trianto Sunarjati, director at Travel Help Indonesia, opined that the reservation system needs to be separated for the public and travel operators, so that the latter could purchase more tickets for tour groups.
However, ASITA vice chairman Budijanto Ardiansjah voiced concerns for the sudden regulations change “in the middle of the year, during the high season”.
As group bookings have been confirmed since last year, travellers worry if they would still be allowed into Borobudur Temple, while tour operators are concerned about cost increment and affected earnings.
Budijanto hopes that destinations or attractions that are the main tourist draws, such as Borobudur Temple, will consult tourism industry players when making decisions.
“Keep in mind that tourism is a future business, where business obtained today is the result of last year’s actions,” he stated.
Budijanto also suggested a dual online and offline ticketing system during the trial period, to allow tour operators to try for tickets manually should they fail to secure online tickets.