MITA labours to plug Perak’s tourism talent shortage
As tourism and hospitality companies scramble to fill job openings vacated during the pandemic, the state government of Perak has collaborated with Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) to organise a tourism and hospitality career fair in Taiping this Saturday.
Twenty two companies comprising hotels, travel agencies, event management firms and product operators are expected to participate in the fair, said Uzaidi Udanis, president of MITA.
He said that the career fair is also an opportunity for the organisers to identify the skills that potential candidates are lacking in so as to determine the type of training programmes that are needed.
“Providing the necessary entry level and supervisory training programmes will be the next step (after recruitment),” said Uzaidi.
Uzaidi hoped to be able to replicate this initiative with other state governments in future. He said the labour shortage in the tourism industry was more acute in small towns and islands.
Anthony Wong, secretary of Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners, expressed support for the joint initiative, saying that he believed it was building a foundation for the future when inbound travel restarts.
He said not all hotels in the country are operating at full capacity, partly due to lack of manpower, but also because the domestic market is seasonal.
Citing his personal experience of managing the 115-key Cottage by the Sea by Frangipani in Langkawi, he said average occupancy last month was 80 per cent due to the holidays, but it dropped to 10 per cent this month. He had only opened 80 rooms in December due to a lack of staff – a situation experienced by many hotels in Malaysia that had to lay off workers during the pandemic.
He said part of the reason it is difficult to hire staff for the hospitality industry is the current state of uncertainty as the pandemic rages on.
Sri Lanka ambitiously aims for 2.3m tourists this year
Sri Lanka has revised its initial forecast of inbound tourist arrivals for this year, setting a new highly ambitious target of attracting 2.3 million tourists, with special focus on the Indian, Middle Eastern and Russian markets.
Tourism minister Prassana Ranatunga told reporters at a media conference in Dubai on Monday that the government is hopeful for a rebound in the traditional markets in Europe in the latter part of 2022.
“The 2.3 million tourist arrivals is a target that we want to aspire to and to generate an income of around $4.5 billion rupees (US$22.2 million),” Ranatunga was quoted as saying in the local Daily FT newspaper.
This marks a drastic upward revision of their inbound forecast for 2022 from last month, where tourism officials stated that they were projecting 1.2 million arrivals for 2022 – approximately half of the 2.3 million arrivals recorded in 2018, a record year for the country’s tourism industry.
According to local sources, the revised figure to pre-pandemic level is based on a likelihood of increasing arrivals from India, the Middle East and former Soviet states.
The Daily FT newspaper reported that provisional data showed that Sri Lanka finished 2021 with 194,495 tourist arrivals, with December attracting 89,506 visitors, the highest for a month since the pandemic’s onset.
India was the top source country for foreign tourist arrivals with 56,268 visitors; followed by Russia (16,894), the UK (16,646), Germany (12,442), and Ukraine (7,037), according to the report.
Ranatunga described the 2021 figure of nearly 195,000 tourist arrivals as an achievement amid the pandemic. “We hope this trend will continue. Our expectations are that tourist arrivals will improve to 100,000-125,000 per month in the first quarter of 2022,” he was quoted as saying.
However, that optimistic outlook is not shared by industry officials.
Tourist Hotels Association president M. Shanthikumar said hotels were hit by a wave of cancellations during the winter season, with an estimated drop of 30 per cent in bookings, due to the Omicron variant spreading fast in Europe.
But he pointed out that if there are no travel restrictions in place across 2022, tourist arrivals are likely to grow this year.
Hope for new tourism bookings during Malaysia’s extended school holidays dashed
Malaysian tourism players have expressed disappointment at the absence of new bookings despite the government’s announcement of a week-long extension to the year-end school holidays due to floods in many parts of the country.
The school term was initially supposed to start on January 2 for schools in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu; while schools in other states were supposed to start on January 3. It has since been pushed back to January 9 and 10, respectively.
Adam Kamal, head of procurement & domestic market at Ice Holidays, said the company had anticipated that the extension would result in new tour bookings “since we were doing well from the Christmas season until the New Year”.
“Unfortunately, we have not received any new bookings but we hope bookings will start to pick up closer to the Chinese New Year break. Domestic travellers tend to make last-minute bookings, so we are hopeful,” he added.
Mega Water Sports & Holidays director of sales and marketing, Sharmini Violet, shared that despite extending promotions to entice the domestic market to holiday in Langkawi during the extended break, the company did not get any new tour or hotel bookings.
She said: “I think families are preparing for the school reopening and the recent floods and rainy weather also dissuade people from travelling.”
Traditionally, Langkawi is heavily dependent on Scandinavian travellers who make up the majority of international nights from mid-November to February. However, with the current pandemic, tourism providers on the island have had to rely on the domestic market.
Anthony Wong, who is based in Langkawi and serves as secretary of the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners, shared that the “year-end holiday season is (considered) over, despite the extension of the school holidays”.
He said domestic tourism in Langkawi has been “doing well” since inter-state travel was allowed to recommence last September.
W headed for Nanjing
Marriott International is set to bring the W Hotels Worldwide brand to Nanjing, with the signing of W Nanjing that is slated to open along the southern bank of the Yangtze River come 2025.
W Nanjing will form part of the OCT Fundland complex, which will also feature office buildings, cultural centres as well as luxury apartments.
Designed by British architect Richard Rogers, the hotel is expected to feature 257 guestrooms and suites, four restaurants and bars, as well as a signature destination bar that will serve as a daytime playground and a nightlife social hub.
With nearly 1,700m² of multi-functional space, the hotel is slated to accommodate a wide range of events. Plans also call for a 24/7 fitness centre, a swimming pool, and spa.
Marriott International currently operates ten hotels in Nanjing, with several new projects in the pipeline spanning W Hotels, St. Regis, JW Marriott and Marriott Hotels. W Nanjing is expected to mark the second W Hotels in the Jiangsu Province.
New Hotelbeds tool helps travel agents spot market trends
Hotelbeds has rolled out a new industry tool designed to help travel consultants tap into market trends and demand, while providing them with a unique insight, all in one place.
The Compass Pro, which is available to API clients, follows the launch of the bedbank’s award-winning market intelligence platform, The Compass, for web clients last year.
“Through a new web-based client portal embedded in Hotelbeds.com, our API clients will have access to personalised and granular information based on cutting-edge algorithms that are tailored to their business model and distribution strategy and ultimately designed to give them a real competitive advantage,” said León Herce, core commercial director at Hotelbeds.
The Compass Pro has been designed to provide tailored data and information for Hotelbeds’ clients, and to help them grow their business in three main ways:
• Bespoke data and intel. The web-based portal puts Hotelbeds’ clients in full control of their opportunities by converting complex data into easily understandable results. Travel agents can quickly see which properties will deliver an uplift in room night production, as well as identify opportunities by type and market (e.g., not mapped, inactive, etc.).
• Actionable insights. With the data provided, clients can check the progress of each opportunity and room night growth in real-time. Using visual dashboards, they can produce detailed reports to instantly evaluate the impact their actions have on their opportunities.
• Supporting growth. By empowering travel buyers with a data-driven tool, Hotelbeds is sharing the best data and market information directly with its clients, so they can discover the full potential of travel agents working with Hotelbeds.
IHG to open two hotels in Hainan
IHG Hotels & Resorts has inked a partnership with China Duty Free Group to develop two new luxury and lifestyle hotels in Hainan – the Regent Sanya Haitang Bay and Hotel Indigo Sanya Haitang Bay.
Situated along the Haitang Bay coastline, and within close reach of Sanya International Duty-Free Shopping Complex, the two hotels are expected to open in 2026.
The Regent Sanya Haitang Bay will boast 317 rooms and five room types, including 10 private villas; while the Hotel Indigo Sanya Haitang Bay will house 175 rooms and four room types.
At present, IHG has 12 hotels in operation in Hainan and 17 under development, spanning a range of distinctive brands.
PAL implements Amadeus’ self-service tool for flight disruptions
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has implemented Amadeus’ new Self Re-accommodation solution, allowing passengers to seamlessly choose and rebook their itineraries in the event of flight disruptions amid the pandemic.
The solution not only improves customer experience, but also reduces the load on PAL’s call centre and airport agents managing re-bookings, ultimately reducing the cost of operations for the airline.
Oscar Enrico Reyes Jr., senior vice president for marketing and sales, PAL, said: “During the first seven months of the solution going live, more than 160,000 passengers with disrupted flights have benefited from this self-service tool.
“The Self Re-accommodation tool is an integral part of our omnichannel strategy and provides critical information and control for our passengers when they need it the most. Our next step is to give more control to passengers by empowering them with a self-service refund tool, without any penalties, if they are not happy with the alternative flights provided.”
The Amadeus Self Re-accommodation solution comprises a booking engine and user interface. Part of the Amadeus Digital Experience Suite, the solution supports travellers in the event of flight cancellations or delays.
When a disruption occurs, PAL’s passengers will receive an alert, redirecting them to the airline’s Self Re-accommodation page. There, they can accept the default flight offered by the airline or choose a replacement flight free of charge according to the airline’s disruption policy.
The implementation is part of a digital deal Amadeus signed with PAL and comes close on the heels of the carrier’s passenger service system migration to Amadeus.
MITA works to connect Malaysian tourism players with SE Asian agents
In anticipation of stiffer regional competition for the tourism pie following the pandemic, the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) is giving inbound players in the country a head start by organising virtual B2B sessions to connect local tourism players with overseas travel agencies ahead of the annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF).
This year’s ATF, hosted by Cambodia, will take place from January 16 to 22 in Preah Sihanoukville.
MITA president, Uzaidi Udanis, shared that the association has planned seven B2B meetings with agents from Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines between January 4 and 14.
Unlike the traditional format of travel trade shows where pre-appointments are made and business appointments are prescribed a time limit, Uzaidi shared that MITA has done away with these formalities.
He said that the aim of organising these B2B events is to provide regional exposure for SMEs in Malaysia’s tourism sector, while showcasing new products and services that the country has to offer.
At the same time, Uzaidi hopes that it will encourage outbound players who had to pivot to attract the domestic market during this pandemic to now expand their services into the inbound sector, in preparation for the return of leisure tourists, which is expected sometime later this year.
He explained the focus is on South-east Asia as the region represented the majority of Malaysia’s inbound tourist arrivals pre-pandemic. China, which used to be the country’s top medium-haul source market, was excluded as “our outbound counterparts from China were not confident that China would allow its citizens to travel overseas for leisure purposes before 3Q2022,” shared Uzaidi.
To encourage participation, the fee is capped at RM100 (US$24) per session for sellers. It is free for buyers to attend.
Uzaidi stressed: “At ATF, we are competing with our counterparts for regional and international travel business. It is also easy for small and niche sellers, such as adventure tourism players, to get ‘drowned’. Here, we keep the fee affordable and encourage new sellers in the market to participate, and we are not competing with other nations for business.”
South-east Asian travel agents who wish to participate as buyers can register at https://virtualaseanb2b.eventbrite.com. Registration for Malaysian sellers has closed.
New report highlights importance of big data in tourism recovery
UNWTO and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have launched a joint report on the use of big data for better tourism planning and management.
The report features examples from across the Asia and the Pacific region, while also showcasing the main trends in the use of big data in tourism at the forefront of technology and innovation. It also makes clear the role that big data can play in recovery and the measurement of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of tourism.
UNWTO notes that international arrivals plunged by 73 per cent in 2020 due to the pandemic, and predicts a 70 per cent and 75 per cent fall on 2019 levels for 2021.
As the sector looks to recover, data and market intelligence are critical to empower destinations, businesses, and tourism workers to be better prepared in a rapidly changing landscape. The Covid-19 pandemic has also accelerated the shift toward digitalisation and so further highlighted the need for relevant and reliable data and intelligence to manage tourism.
The joint UNWTO and ADB report will assist both governments and the private sector as they look to complement official statistics with big data so as to better understand changes in consumer behaviour and to enhance recovery with targeted products, segments, and source markets.
Big data will also be key to supporting seamless travel through the implementation of safety protocols, biosecurity technologies, and digital health certificates to enable the safe reopening of borders.
The report further addresses some of the key challenges standing in the way of fully realising the potential of big data and digitalisation for better tourism policy. These include ongoing concerns over privacy, skills gaps, data reliability, inadequate governance and infrastructure, the digital divide, and accessibility barriers.
These challenges make clear the need for comprehensive agenda to pave the way for the effective use of big data to assist tourism recovery and its transformation toward a greener, more resilient sector.
Together, UNWTO and ADB will work to ensure tourism policies across the region are aimed at establishing measurement, monitoring, and management systems and frameworks, thereby ensuring harmonised, comparable, and reliable data and indicators.
Come March 2022, the Kingdom of Bhutan will reopen the historic and sacred Trans Bhutan Trail for the first time in 60 years, following two years of extensive restoration.
The trail will be officially inaugurated by His Majesty the King of Bhutan, whose vision it was to restore the ancient route for tourism, adventure and connection.
From April 2022, international tourists will be able to walk the trail for the first time, simultaneously providing much-needed economic benefits to rural communities along the way.
Community tourism pioneer, G Adventures, has been selected by the Bhutan Canada Foundation, the non-profit that led the restoration of the trail, as the first group adventure operator when the trail launches to the public.
Two active trekking itineraries are on offer. The 11-day Camp the Trans Bhutan Trail trip features camping and homestays, while the 12-day Highlights of the Trans Bhutan Trail itinerary offers accommodation in homestays, locally-owned guest houses and hotels.
Yves Marceau, vice president of product at G Adventures, said the operator’s two tours focus on trekking specially selected parts of the 403km trail and connecting with local people to learn about Bhutanese life and culture, thus combining active travel and cultural immersion with the benefits of community tourism.
It is expected that Bhutan’s borders will reopen to tourism ahead of the Trans Bhutan Trail’s official opening ceremony in March 2022. The two new G Adventures trips on the Trans Bhutan Trail depart from May 1, 2022.