Accor, together with Trip.com Group and global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, have published a new educational whitepaper on sustainable travel in China.
The path toward eco-friendly travel in China report examines the environmental impact of China’s tourism sector, analyses Chinese travellers’ sentiment towards sustainability and sets out actions key stakeholders in China’s tourism sector need to take to foster sustainable travel.
The report delves into promoting a sustainable future for China’s travel industry
By identifying a series of sustainable changes that ought to be made, from the everyday to the systemic, which can support the travel and hospitality of tomorrow with the intention of becoming an informative industry reference tool for change, the report proposes that by adopting a set of collaborative measures across the industry value chain, from guests to major global providers, China’s tourism sector could move toward a more sustainable future.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, China is expected to have the world’s largest tourism market by 2032 and, prior to the pandemic, was already one of the biggest global markets. Analysis for the whitepaper found the environmental impact of China’s travel industry is substantial: tourism represented approximately six to eight per cent of China’s total carbon emissions in 2019.
Data from McKinsey showed that Chinese travellers are engaged about their environmental impact and are starting to seek out sustainable alternatives, but the report found they may need more help understanding where to look.
Trip.com Group found that 85 per cent of Chinese travellers rate travel sustainability as important or very important, while 60 per cent are concerned about climate change. However, Chinese consumers are not yet used to the idea of paying extra for sustainable travel, so it is important to provide travellers guidance regarding sustainability costs, highlighting the industries’ efforts to improve provision of sustainable offerings.
In response to this, the report provides guidance on the actions that travellers can take to travel sustainably and to empower their own consumer decisions, including booking sustainable travel options with certified service providers, spending more time in one destination, and cultivating sustainable habits. Traveller behaviour is just the first consideration the report highlights. Long-term sustainability will be achieved in tandem with initiatives from tourism providers, who hold a responsibility to inspire travellers’ mindset.
The whitepaper sets out a series of suggestions for the hospitality industry to support the Chinese traveller in their understanding of sustainable travel, including recommendations like using technology platforms to make sustainable travel options more visible online, using labelling to ensure travellers are informed on the environmental impact of their actions, providing incentives to encourage sustainable behaviour, and training employees to adopt a sustainability mindset.
The report states lasting sustainability improvements require collective industry-wide effort and concludes as a call to action for the hospitality industry to work together hand-in-hand to achieve sustainable transformation in China.
Sébastien Bazin, chairman & CEO, Accor, said: “When it comes to sustainability there are no individuals, only collectives, and this paper represents a major step forward for this collaborative industry approach.
“Impactful change cannot be made alone; transformation happens together.”
Trip.com Group and Mastercard Asia-Pacific have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance travel experiences and offerings for customers.
The collaboration will see both parties design and launch joint marketing events to offer travellers a comprehensive range of products, services, member privileges and benefits when they book their trips with Trip.com Group and Mastercard payment options.
The collaboration will see both parties offering travellers a range of products, services, privileges and benefits
Examples of travel-related services and premium privileges include access to airport VIP lounges, hotel room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out and priority bookings.
Both parties will also launch joint promotions on Trip.com Group’s Global Shopping Platform, through which Mastercard cardholders from mainland China may enjoy instant discounts and offline spending promotions.
“With the reopening of China’s borders, we have seen a significant increase in outbound travel-related bookings and searches in the past two months,” said Bo Sun, chief marketing officer, Trip.com Group. “We look forward to collaborating with Mastercard to create new opportunities, value-adds and unique experiences for our customers who are ready to rediscover the world.”
Yunsok Chang, executive vice president of market development, Mastercard Asia-Pacific, said: “The pandemic has accelerated not just the pace of digitalisation but also consumers’ expectations for digitalised, trusted, and frictionless experiences. Together with Trip.com Group, we are looking forward to innovating and reimagining the travel landscape enabled by data-driven insights.”
Emirates has plans to boost operations by restarting routes and adding services to established ones.
From March 26, the airline will relaunch its daily direct flight between Singapore and Melbourne; restart daily services to Christchurch, New Zealand from Dubai via Sydney; and add a third daily service to Melbourne via Singapore.
Emirates will ramp up operations with the resumption of routes and adding services to established ones
Emirates will add a daily non-stop flight to Hong Kong from March 29.
For Tokyo (Haneda), daily services will resume from April 2.
From May 1, a third daily non-stop service will be added to Sydney, while an additional daily service to Brisbane will operate from June 1.
A third daily service to Kuala Lumpur will also commence from June 1.
Starting August 1, Bangkok will see a fifth daily service added.
A second daily service to Beijing will be added from September 1.
Westin Hotels & Resorts is encouraging travellers to prioritise having a good night’s rest with the brand’s collection of Sleep Well products and programmes across Asia-Pacific.
The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort offers a seven-day well-being programme which comprises one workout session per day, a sauna and steam room experience, sports activities such as snorkelling, yoga, volleyball, and a wide variety of spa treatments for complete relaxation.
Travellers can pamper themselves with a spa treatment at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, pictured
Yoga classes led by certified instructors are now offered at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, and travellers can pamper themselves with a Wish Heavenly Package at the spa.
The Sleep Well Ritual at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali includes a 90-minute massage and a tea ritual.
The Westin Tokyo features a Sleep Well Spa Retreat Stay package that comprises accommodation, a 15-minute head massage therapy, a 60-minute body or facial spa treatment, and complimentary access to Aqua Area for its steam bath facilities.
The Westin Singapore offers a variety of fitness activities like a group exercise classes at the hotel lobby, and a five-km running route through iconic landmarks such as the Merlion statue, Gardens by the Bay, and Marina Bay.
The Westin Nanjing Resort & Spa’s Sleep Well experience package provides amenities like rain showers, extra-large bath sheets and plush bathrobes to help guests feel rejuvenated.
Available at all Westin Hotels and Resorts around the world are the Westin Heavenly Bed, the sleep-enhancing Sleep Well Menu, and refreshing amenities including the Sleep Well Lavender Balm.
Goco Hospitality has named Nicholas Clayton as its president. In this newly created role, Clayton will support and guide the expansion of Goco projects.
He has decades of experience in leadership roles at luxury global hotel groups, and previously managed the operations of multiple hotel properties within the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Ayu in the Wild, Sri Lanka
Founded by avid travellers and husband-and-wife team, Chamintha and Rajindra Jayasinghe, destination curator Ayu in the Wild sets out with a single aim: to showcase the beauty of life in biodiverse Sri Lanka while ensuring that tourism dollars are filtered down to where they matter most – the local people.
“Ayu means life in Sanskrit,” explained co-founder Chamintha Jayasinghe. “There are so many layers to life in Sri Lanka. When a traveller understands what life is really like in a country, he will appreciate it a lot more.”
With Ayu in the Wild carrying its commitment in its name, its travel designers curate trips across the country that deliver authentic experiences led by community-based guides and local topical experts who know the destination like the back of their hand.
“They are village heads, teachers, farmers, housewives, poets, architects and wildlife photographers – everyone we knew through our travels or are our friends for many years. They convey their experience growing up and living in Sri Lanka,” she said.
While travellers benefit from local tales and insights, these experience hosts earn supplementary income without being solely dependent on tourism.
Ayu in the Wild also takes pride in offering naturalists as destination guides. “Because Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot, we found it necessary to also have a naturalist lead our trips. Naturalists have a wider knowledge of culture, heritage, ecology, wildlife and way of life of our people,” remarked Jayasinghe.
From left: Rajindra and Chamintha Jayasinghe, founders of Ayu in the Wild
The company’s focus on introducing the road less travelled to its customers also helps to spread tourism earnings deeper into the country.
Ayu in the Wild crafts local journeys for every client, and is able to deliver on niché requests, such as an architecture tour of Sri Lanka to see Geoffrey Bawa’s legacies, or to learn about Sri Lanka’s archaeology, nature and conservation, or culture and heritage.
To ensure that tourism is truly beneficial to the local people, Ayu in the Wild channels earnings to a number of community projects it founded, such as Classroom in the Wild, which funds English classes for the children in a farming village in a remote part of Sigiriya; a dance therapy initiative for special needs children in Galle and a nearby orphanage; Ayu Blue Carbon Initiative, a seagrass restoration project; and the Ayu Scholarship Fund which finances further studies for needy children. – Karen Yue
Going Places Tours, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur-based Going Places Tours is backed by guiding veterans – Stevie Chan, who is also the managing director, Jane Rai, his business partner, and two tour guides Raja Shaharil and Marie Gerardine Teo. Each of them have 15 years of guiding experience, and are well versed in the art of storytelling.
The four veteran tour guides leading the journeys designed by Free Walk Kuala Lumpur Unscripted
Going Places Tours offers two tip-supported heritage walks every Saturday and Sunday under its Free Walk Kuala Lumpur Unscripted brand.
The East-West Connection walk conveys tales of the early settlements, trade and structural developments that took place close to the confluence of the Klang River and the Gombak River that ran through the city.
The Chinatown Cultural Walk takes participants on a walking tour to the early Chinese settlements in and around Petaling Street.
The four experienced guides handling these tours make their narratives interactive by interjecting it with thought-provoking questions, riddles and clues and humour.
Jane said: “The art of storytelling lies in the delivery. We engage participants through the five senses and we arouse their curiosity by asking some pointed questions and throwing in a little bit of suspense here and there, and we also show them things that they would otherwise, not expect.
“We have also developed personal relations with the traders and they are tourist-friendly. They are more than willing to interact with our guests, often revealing details of their trade and sharing stories of their families, past and present.”
As some of these local traders and artisans are third and fourth generations working in the trade, interactions are especially precious. – S Puvaneswary
Indie Singapore Tours
First established in 2015 to provide free and immersive walking tours around Singapore to backpackers, Indie Singapore Tours was eventually led down the bespoke walking tour route at the insistence of fans.
Numerous positive reviews left on social media sites gave Indie Singapore Tours the opportunity to expand beyond backpackers, the initial target as Thiam Wei Toh, founder and chief storyteller, hoped to encourage these budget-conscious travellers to fall in love with his country.
Thiam Wei Toh, founder and chief storyteller of Indie Singapore Tours
When the pandemic rolled in, Indie Singapore Tours hit a turning point that proved to be a positive milestone. In the absence of foreign visitors, Indie Singapore Tours had to conduct tours differently to reel in the locals. So, it created the Whimsical Walk through the Blair Plain Conservation Area tour, a 2.5-hour exploration of a hidden gem in modern Singapore. It pointed out conserved architecture, old school eats, gorgeous contemporary art, and beautiful hole-in-the-wall cafés.
“There was nothing like that when we started, so the tour gained a lot of attention from both customers and the media,” Toh recalled fondly.
Unusual spins on city tours continue to be a central focus, and Toh told TTG Asia that he often finds his sparks at kopitiams – local coffee houses in the neighbourhoods.
“I’d drink with the old folks and they will share their growing up stories. These tales inspire tour ideas and give us unique content,” he said.
Toh also makes it a habit to visit local businesses and talk to the owners about potential collaboration.
“Tours have to evolve to be more immersive and experiential. Collaboration with varied businesses will help to add depth to the tour experience, and this is something that has become so important during Covid,” he stated.
Conversations with business owners have led to the creation of even more fancy tours. One of them is the Whis-Kueh tour, which takes guests through some of the oldest traditional pastry shops in Chinatown, and concludes with a craft whisky-pairing experience at Furama City Centre hotel. – Karen Yue
Kouprey Adventures, Cambodia
Kouprey Adventures scours all corners of Cambodia to craft innovative itineraries that scratch way beneath the surface. The boutique tour operator does not deliver standard packages. Instead, it personalises each itinerary based on customers’ individual preferences. Managing director Richard Casswell said the company prides itself on being “Cambodia specialists that are guest-centric”.
Kouprey Adventures’ Richard Casswell
In 2022, the product and operations team visited more than 100 destinations in Cambodia, in addition to hotels, activities and experiences. The team has travelled across the entire country using all modes of transport – car, train, motorcycle, bicycle and helicopter.
“For the adventurous, we have first-hand knowledge of emerging destinations where we promote community-based tourism and bring travellers to have authentic experiences,” Casswell said. “From helicopter visits to waterfalls deep in the jungle to champagne breakfasts at remote temples, a private show by Cambodia’s top performance artists and high tea with royalty, we pride ourselves on creating unique thematic experiences.” – Marissa Carruthers
Maika Tours, Vietnam
Maika Tours’ team of Vietnamese tour guides come with heaps of on-the-ground knowledge about the destinations it taps into. Founder and owner Giang Vu believes it is this deep knowledge of the guides that enable the company to deliver immersive tours that steer way off the well-trodden path.
Maika Tours’ Giang Vu
For example, its Ho Chi Minh City walking tour may only take in 2.4 kilometres, but Maika’s guides have scoured the city’s back streets to hand-pick some of the tastiest and most authentic vendors and eateries that would usually remain off tourists’ radar.
In addition, Maika Tours has designed itineraries that are tailored towards the LGBTQ community. It also has tour guides who are trained in sign language and know how to run accessible tours that cater for the needs of people with disabilities. All of its spacious transport vehicles are able to carry electric wheelchairs. – Marissa Carruthers
Rajah Travel Corp, the Philippines
Rajah Travel Corp goes to great lengths in curating 24 itineraries each year “to convey the importance of Philippine culture, not only in history and heritage, but also in the food served and other geographical uniqueness”, said chairman and president Aileen Clemente.
Rajah Travel Corp’s Aileen Clemente
At the 2015 launch of the Liberation of Palawan under its Salute to Valor Programme, for instance, the company coordinated with the Philippine Historical Commission to renovate and put markers on historical sites and formed a government and private sector task force to ensure maintenance. It commissioned an original Filipino music score for the programme and awarded the World War II veterans.
For its mango-themed Kulinarya of Zambales and Guimaras, highlights included in-depth learning of the mango industry from local experts and how this tropical fruit is intertwined in the Filipino culture; learning to pick and cut the right fruit directly from trees; tales of the provinces and legends of this heart-shaped fruit from historians; and a visit to the National Mango Research and Development Center. – Rosa Ocampo
The Hidden Japan
For Derek Yamashita, co-founder of Tohoku-based travel agency The Hidden Japan, tours are about offering travellers deep, culturally immersive Japan experiences alongside local masters with a passion for preserving these traditions.
The Hidden Japan’s Derek Yamashita
One of the company’s experiences involves guests getting special access into the workshops of master blacksmiths to make their own Japanese knives and learn how to sharpen and maintain them. They then use their new knives to fillet fish at culinary workshops, after buying fresh fish in the local market or catching it themselves. Similarly, guests make a sake cup under the guidance of an artisan and then go bar hopping around local inns that will serve them drinks in their new vessels.
“The appeal of this programme is with the people they meet and experiences they have with their own hands,” said Yamashita, adding that this tour is extra special because even after returning home, “every time they pick up the knife or cup they will remember their journey in hidden Japan”. – Kathryn Wortley
Indonesian outbound travel agents are anticipating a busy year, with some companies reporting double the bookings in February for travel up to January 2024, as compared to the same time last year.
Travel companies that participated at the Association of Travel Agents in Indonesia (ASTINDO) Travel Fair 2023 in February, revealed that Japan and Western Europe were in high demand, as well as popular destinations such as Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
The ASTINDO Travel Fair was held in Jakarta from February 23 to 26 and saw great response from travellers
Hatta Pradhana, head of marketing, digital, communication & partnership at Dwidaya Tour, shared that the company has seen a surge in bookings since September 2022.
“The increase in orders (between January and February 2023) was around 60 per cent, (but in) September 2022 to February 2023, (the growth) was more than 110 per cent,” said Hatta.
Meanwhile, Golden Rama Tours & Travel reported that in January and February 2023 alone, the company sent 140 groups of around 20 tourists each on trips that last between six and 14 days, according to its head of marketing, Ricky Hilton.
In addition to the ASTINDO Fair, Golden Rama participated in several other fairs, including its own.
Hilton commented: “From our three-day solo exhibition in January (alone), we already received about 1,000 customers, not to mention the online booking and daily sales.”
Pauline Suharno, president of ASTINDO, expects a good year for outbound travel from the country, considering the results of the ASTINDO Travel Fair.
She said: “Visitors’ interest in the show and our sales were great despite the fact that our show was the last after (the) Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Japan National Tourism Organization travel fairs.”
According to a Google Trends report, the demand for overseas travel began increasing exponentially last year, with searches for “international travel” increasing by 280 per cent compared to 2021, and this trend is expected to continue this year.
Pauline pointed out that Indonesians seem to prefer travelling in smaller groups with families or communities, and fellow travel agents now list smaller-sized groups compared to the previous 40 passengers per group, which could be due to health and safety reasons.
She also noted that travellers are now booking their holidays in advance as opposed to last minute, partly due to the longer visa application processes post-lockdown. Additionally, with prices soaring, booking promotional airfares and tour packages at travel fairs early in the year for trips in June and December are ways to get a good deal.
Hilton, meanwhile, advised that travellers should book between three and six months in advance so they can have peace of mind. However, he stated that there will still be those who “chase last-minute bookings for school holidays and Eid holiday period”.
Marriott International is making more in-roads in the Philippines with the re-entry of The Westin, two soon-to-open Four Points by Sheraton and Fairfield by Marriott properties in 3Q2023, as well as plans for the first Autograph Collection.
The Westin Manila in Ortigas is Marriott’s seventh hotel in the country. The 303-key hotel soft-opened last weekend and will be fully operational by July.
At the soft opening of The Westin Manila in Ortigas
Currently undergoing an extensive renovation, Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa in Sabang near Puerto Princesa, Palawan, will be rebranded as Four Points by Sheraton when it opens around July or August.
Marriott International’s multi-property vice president Philippines, Bruce Winton, shared that the company is increasing the room keys at the former Sheridan resort from 168 to 250 and adding a ballroom and other facilities such as a speciality restaurant.
Around the same July period, Winton added that a Fairfield by Marriott in the business area of Mandaue in Cebu will open with 146 rooms.
About Marriott’s rapid expansion in the Philippines, Winton explained: “It’s been a long time coming – these things don’t happen overnight. Marriott has always had a very strong brand presence even though we don’t have a lot of hotels.
“Everybody is familiar with our brands so that makes things easier. When you don’t have a lot of distribution, it is easier to expand. It’s exciting, it will be busy, and there’s a lot more to come.”
Last September, Marriott opened its first Sheraton resort in Mactan, Cebu and in late 2019, the former Pan Pacific Hotel in Malate was rebranded to Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel. Another project in Palawan, still in infancy, is also pegged to be another Sheraton hotel, said Winton.
In Clark where there is already a Marriott hotel, another Westin is being negotiated.
Softer brands, particularly the Autograph Collection for independently-owned and operated upmarket hotels, are also on the radar for Marriott’s expansion in the Philippines.
Winton added that new projects in Boracay are being explored, as well as in Davao and General Santos in Mindanao.
Minor Hotels has named Paul Stocker as the new vice president of operations in South-east Asia.
With over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Stocker will help take Minor Hotels to the next phase of growth by driving operational excellence, and overseeing commercial processes across the group’s portfolio in South-east Asia.
He joins Minor Hotels from Oakwood Worldwide Asia, where he held a vice president role from 2019.
He has decades of experience in leadership roles at luxury global hotel groups, and previously managed the operations of multiple hotel properties within the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
He joins Minor Hotels from Oakwood Worldwide Asia, where he held a vice president role from 2019.
