With Japan’s borders closed to most nations, the country’s high-end inbound tourism is not expected to bounce back until 2022 at the earliest, predicts local luxury travel players.
Yuko Inamasu, representative of high-end cultural experience provider Toki, says interest in Japan remains high among Asia countries, especially Hong Kong. If travel bubbles are established, Toki’s focus will be the Asia market for the rest of 2021 and the rest of the world from spring 2022.
Apart from Tokyo and Mount Fuji, first-time visitors to Japan may also be more keen to exploring the regions
Hiro Miyatake, co-founder and COO of Bear Luxe Corporation, a network connecting Japanese luxury travel suppliers and global travel designers, says 2022 is the “concrete bet” for when the country’s luxury travel rebound will occur, although “the majority of clients are eager to travel to Japan as soon as borders open”.
Luxury travellers who visit post-pandemic are likely to want longer stays in fewer destinations as well as more authentic experiences with a stronger focus on responsible travel.
Miyake predicts visitors will have a more “slow and deliberate” approach and a desire for “meaningful and mindful travel”. There is also likely to be increased demand for social, sustainable and ecological travel, according to Inamasu.
Another priority for the high-end visitor is community engagement, making Japan well-placed to meet their needs. The uptick in unique accommodations, from traditional ryokans to boutique hotels and luxury villas, has seen many lodgings promote their community, including craftspeople, artisans, chefs and farmers.
Japanese destinations that showcase their unique local characteristics can expect to fare well, said Miyake, noting the growing interest among luxury travellers for “gastronomic experiences, not just dining in a special restaurant, but also in learning about farm-to-table (initiatives).”
First-time visitors are expected to continue to prioritise Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Mount Fuji, but they may also be more interested than before in exploring the regions due to greater ease of social distancing and the slower pace away from crowds.
Among repeaters, Toki is seeing growing demand for rural areas as well as Niseko in Hokkaido, and Okinawa. Bear Luxe is also enjoying interest in Niseko as well as Nikko (Tochigi Prefecture), Setouchi (Okayama Prefecture) and Kyoto, which Miyatake attributes to the investment and development of Japanese luxury hotels in these areas, which was triggered by Tokyo’s hosting of the Olympics.
Covid-19 has triggered a demand shock unlike anything the airline industry has ever seen. Industry data shows that Asia-Pacific airlines’ full-year traffic plunged 80.3 per cent in 2020, which was the deepest decline for any region. To stay afloat, airlines are finding new ways to stimulate demand.
‘Travel bubble’ initiatives, such as the one between Australia and New Zealand, and ‘green lanes’ allowing essential and business travel are currently underway in the region.
While airlines opportunistically chase demand, equally important is the need to tailor their payments strategy. Integral to the travel booking experience is the payments process. The way we pay is constantly evolving, and the pandemic has further brought about a shift, accelerating the adoption of alternative payment methods such as digital wallets and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL). As planes gradually begin taking to the skies, offering the right payment types and ensuring a convenient seamless payment experience will be crucial to attract, convert and retain customers.
The right payment mix matters
At least one in four travellers (28 per cent) would drop out at the checkout and book elsewhere if their payment method wasn’t available, according to research by Worldpay from FIS. Another 18 per cent surveyed indicated that they would reluctantly use a different payment method, but they wouldn’t book with that airline again. Effectively, this means that airlines are losing a significant share of customers, sales and loyalty simply by not taking payment preferences into consideration.
So, what is driving travellers’ choice of payments for flights? The research shows credit cards continue to dominate flight payments, with 52 per cent of purchases made across credit cards globally. However, if we dig into the data a little deeper, the payment landscape has considerable variance across different markets even within Asia-Pacific alone. For instance, China bucks the credit and debit card trend with only one-fifth of total payments made on cards; digital wallets such as WeChat and Alipay own this market with 44 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
Additionally, 44 per cent of travellers indicated they would like to pay for flights in instalments. BNPL has been steadily growing in popularity in the past few years, and it is now taking off in the travel vertical as well. Just last month, American Express launched a BNPL option for air travel for its US customers. Closer to home, in Asia-Pacific, partnerships between Air Asia and Zip, and Jetstar and Afterpay have been formed to offer BNPL to Australian consumers.
Mobile and social journeys are influencing bookings
Consumers are increasingly making purchases on their mobile devices, and travel is no exception. Across all countries surveyed, just under half (46 per cent) of respondents usually purchase flights on a desktop. This figure is even lower in India and China – the two largest countries in terms of population size – with only 23 per cent and 15 per cent of travellers respectively purchasing air travel on a desktop browser. Hence, if airlines do not nail the mobile experience, they risk alienating a huge segment of the market.
Social selling is also moving front and centre, with 43 per cent of travellers indicating that they click through via social media channel such as Facebook, Instagram or YouTube to book a flight. While almost every airline now has its own mobile app, convenience is driving the customer experience – airlines need to ensure that they are providing a seamless transition between social channels and the mobile app to drive conversions.
Trust and convenience go hand-in-hand
A frictionless payment process should not be underestimated. In fact, consumers ranked a smooth payment process as the third most important aspect of their travel booking, almost on par with customer service and a booking confirmation. Examples of “friction” in the payment process include a declined payment without explanation, an unexpected site redirect, or the requirement to populate card details at a later date. For airlines, taking steps to make the payment process as streamlined, efficient and frictionless as possible can improve the user experience and help build loyalty.
Needless to say, the checkout page is a key part of the booking experience, and providing the option to save user details could prove beneficial. 43 per cent of travellers are more likely to book if their personal details are pre-filled on the checkout page, and 40 per cent are more likely to book if they can use payment details saved in their browser.
While it’s essential to make the payments experience convenient, it’s equally important for airlines to gain the trust of their passengers. Apart from allowing a guest checkout, airlines can build trust and promote security throughout the booking process via a range of methods, for example, by offering third-party consumer protection, providing industry regulator logos and digital authentication logos (e.g. Verified by VISA, Mastercard Secure), and showing positive user ratings or reviews.
Another key factor for airlines to consider is the management of cancellations, refunds and chargebacks in these challenging times. One of the best practices for airlines to process quick refunds, should there be changes in travel restrictions, is to adopt real-time payment offerings such as Visa Direct. Being transparent about the refund processes and keeping travellers informed is key to gaining trust.
For airlines, trust and convenience together pave the way forward to repeat bookings online. It’s no longer about striking a balance between the two, nor is it about choosing increased security at the cost of convenience, or vice versa. Instead, it is about delivering an experience that supports the varying expectations of customers in Asia-Pacific and around the world.
What’s next?
The resurgence of the travel industry is not something that will be achieved overnight. Airlines, hotels, and travel companies will take some time to get back to where they were pre-Covid-19. Building trust and loyalty with customers becomes all the more important to aid with the recovery.
The pandemic also offers the industry a chance to reinvent itself. We have seen a great deal of innovation from airlines in their response to the crisis. Some have even pivoted to new segments to diversify their revenue streams, such as Air Asia moving into the food delivery sector and Singapore Airlines leaning into their online retail marketplace.
The travel sector may be changed forever, but what is clear is the role that payments can play to unlock the full potential and power the future of travel. Savvy airline operators will prioritise traveller-centric payments journeys that are secure and convenient, and tailored to the needs and expectations of tomorrow’s digital consumer.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently signed a MoU with the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (TGO) and the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) to promote low-carbon tourism and implementation of climate action for sustainability.
Under the partnership, TAT will be prominently involved in technical workshops with the TGO and TEATA to enhance understanding of the impacts of climate change and to strengthen competency development of tourism industry members on low-carbon initiatives.
TAT strengthens tourism sustainability commitment through low-carbon initiatives; Tung Prong Thong in Thailand pictured
TAT has been promoting awareness of green tourism with the long-established 7 Greens project.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said: “This MOU forms part of the TAT’s ongoing commitment to drive the Thai tourism industry towards safe and sustainable travel in line with Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economic Model and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. This is under the goal of making tourism part of Thailand’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by no less than 50 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents.
“TAT will also encourage tourists and travellers to support the sustainability of green tourism and enhance their travel experiences with a small or neutral carbon footprint towards the goal of achieving sustainable net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.”
TGO director Kiatchai Maitriwong added: “Tourism is responsible for roughly eight per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, and this MoU will lead the Thai tourism industry towards greater understanding of climate change and the implementation of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from tourism.”
In a bid to put the travel and tourism sector on a path towards sustainable recovery, the WTTC and the United Nations Environment Programme have launched a new report addressing the issue of single-use plastic products within the industry.
Entitled Rethinking Single-Use Plastic Products in Travel & Tourism, the report is a first step to mapping single-use plastic products across the travel and tourism value chain, identifying hotspots for environmental leakages, and providing practical and strategic recommendations for businesses and policymakers.
WTTC’s new report highlights that around 90 per cent of ocean plastic are derived from land-based sources
It is intended to help stakeholders take collective steps towards coordinated actions and policies that drive a shift towards reduce and reuse models, in line with circularity principles, as well as current and future waste infrastructures.
The report’s recommendations include redefining unnecessary single-use plastic products, giving contractual preference to suppliers of reusable products, proactively planning procedures that avoid a return to single-use plastic products in the event of disease outbreaks, supporting research and innovation in product design and service models that decrease the use of plastic items, and revising policies and quality standards with waste reduction and circularity in mind.
With around 90 per cent of ocean plastic derived from land-based sources and the annual damage of plastics to marine ecosystems amounting to US$13 billion per year, proactively addressing the challenge of plastics within the travel and tourism sector is key.
Virginia Messina, senior vice president and acting CEO, WTTC, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the sustainability agenda with businesses and policymakers now putting an even stronger focus on it. As a growing priority, businesses are expected to continue to reduce single-use plastic products waste for the future and drive circularity to protect not only our people, but importantly, our planet.
“It is also becoming clear that consumers are making more conscious choices, and increasingly supporting businesses with sustainability front of mind.”
WTTC noted in a press statement that single-use plastic products can pose a threat to the environment and human health, and that deliberate effort across the travel and tourism sector is needed to tackle the issue.
It also highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic has had both negative and positive impacts on single-use plastics pollution.
The demand for single-use plastic items has increased, with safety being a high concern among tourists and take-away services being on the rise. According to the Thailand Environment Institute, plastic waste has increased from 1,500 tons to a staggering 6,300 tons per day, owing to soaring home deliveries of food.
However, the pandemic has also catalysed consumer demand for green tourism experiences around the world, with a 2019 global study finding 82 per cent of respondents are aware of plastic waste and are already taking practical actions to tackle pollution.
The report recognises that global solutions are required to address corporate concerns about the use of single-use plastic products. It aims to support informed decision-making based on the potential impacts of trade-offs and of unintended burden shifting when considering the transition to sustainable alternatives.
Radisson Hotel Group will be debuting in the East African country of Djibouti with the signing of a new-build 144-room hotel.
Scheduled to open in 2024, Radisson Hotel Djibouti will feature not only standard rooms and suites, but also, accessible rooms that are designed for wheelchair access. Dining options will include light snacks at the lobby café, international and local cuisine at the all-day-dining restaurant, and refreshing drinks at the poolside juice bar.
Radisson Hotel Group debuts in a new African market with the signing of Radisson Hotel Djibouti
Boasting an expansive meetings and events area, the hotel will offer a variety of versatile venues, including a ballroom, five meeting rooms, a pre-function area, as well as break-out spaces. Leisure facilities will include a spa, gym, and an outdoor swimming pool.
Just 15 minutes away from Djibouti International Airport, Radisson Hotel Djibouti will be located in the heart of the city, surrounded by key infrastructures such as the Djibouti Port, Djibouti Free Zone, international headquarters, shopping malls and the seaside.
The property brings the group’s East African portfolio to 18 hotels and over 2,700 rooms in operation and under development.
International departures from South Korea were growing steadily prior to Covid-19, making the East Asian country the third largest source market out of the Asia-Pacific region going forward, according to GlobalData.
Outbound tourism from South Korea is not forecast to surpass pre-pandemic levels until 2024, when departures are projected to reach 29.6 million.
Outbound travel from South Korea was on steady rise pre-Covid; Incheon Airport in December 2019 pictured
However, South Korea is forecast to undergo one of the highest growth periods from 2020-2025 among Asia-Pacific countries, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40 per cent and 30.2 million travelling outbound by 2025.
This would make South Korea the third largest source market out of the Asia-Pacific region going forward, said GlobalData.
The data and analytics company’s latest report, Tourism Source Market Insight: South Korea (2021), found that international departures from South Korea were growing at a CAGR of 8.7 per cent over the period of 2016-2019.
As such, engaging with this source market through social media and technology integration could prove highly beneficial in a post-pandemic environment, said GlobalData.
Johanna Bonhill-Smith, travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData, commented: “Heavy workloads and pressure from superiors have made South Koreans reluctant holiday makers in the past, inadvertently affecting both domestic and international travel. Government initiatives to urge more leisure time and decrease working hours in 2018, however, did have an impact and saw yearly increases in both domestic (year-over-year +44.7 per cent) and international travel (year-over-year +8.3 per cent).
“The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 naturally saw levels of both domestic (year-over-year -70.6 per cent) and outbound (year-over-year -80.6 per cent) travel decline significantly. However, high spenders when travelling and with a large desire for alternative travel experiences, mean South Korea could be a viable market opportunity for various destinations in a post-pandemic environment.”
Over 80 per cent of outbound travel from South Korea is typically focused within the Asia-Pacific region, spurred by proximity and general ease of travel. The US is also a primary destination for this source market.
This is likely spurred by factors such as the opportunity for sun and beach, city breaks and gastronomical experiences, which were identified as the top three most typically taken holidays in 2019, according to GlobalData’s 3Q2019 consumer survey.
Technology also plays a part in travel preferences as 71 per cent of South Korean respondents identified as ‘always’, ‘often’ and ‘somewhat’ being influenced by ‘how digitally advanced/smart a product/service is’ in GlobalData’s 1Q2021 consumer survey.
The same survey also revealed that 51 per cent of South Korean respondents are spending more time online in general – highest among the 42 countries surveyed, suggesting technological dependence has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bonhill-Smith added: “Opportunities to attract South Korean tourists largely revolve around the integration of technology into the traveller experience. Social media, app engagement and translation services will only heighten the visitor experience.”
Returning quarantines, discouraging local governments and slow national vaccination progress hamper Asia’s return to European holidays
Longhaul destination marketing in Asia takes temporary backseat
Travel-starved Japanese turn to overseas-themed tours at home
Europe’s move to reopen borders this month to vaccinated travellers from non-European Union (EU) countries has done little to spur longhaul travel bookings out of Asia, observed travel specialists in this region.
While many Asian governments have eased outbound travel restrictions, even for non-essential trips, discouraging travel advisories as well as lengthy and often pricey compulsory quarantine upon return home are putting Asian residents off longhaul travel plans, Asian travel specialists told TTG Asia.
Anthony Lim, president, Asia with The Travel Corporation (TTC), said: “Although many EU countries are starting to welcome vaccinated international tourists, Asian visitors have a troublesome return home.”
Several European Union (EU) countries, such as Spain, are welcoming vaccinated travellers from non-EU markets; Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid pictured
For Singapore residents, that troublesome return comes in the form of three compulsory Covid-19 tests and a 21-day quarantine in a dedicated government facility – all to be paid out of the traveller’s pocket.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health also orders a mandatory 21-day quarantine and medical checks for returning residents.
In Malaysia, where the government has just extended its movement control order for another two weeks until June 28, 2021, international outbound travel is prohibited.
Overseas travel is similarly banned in Australia until next year, unless for essential purposes. Australia only has a travel bubble with New Zealand.
In Japan, the government discourages overseas travel. Most countries, including those in the EU, are ranked Level 3 for having a high risk of infectious disease.
Joining the list of travel obstacles is the lack of comprehensive travel insurance that covers Covid-19 pre-trip, during travel and post-travel, opined Alicia Seah, spokesperson for Dynasty Travel in Singapore, who told TTG Asia that only essential travel to Europe are taking place and will continue to be so even with a welcoming EU.
“However, we are working closely with various tourism boards and partners to keep our staff updated of information and developments in Europe, and be ready to promote the destination once borders are more laterally open between Singapore and Europe,’ added Seah.
Dynasty Travel is among a number of outbound travel specialists in Singapore that have continued to keep Singaporean consumers engaged during the pandemic downtime via creative collaborations with various NTOs.
Another critical barrier to Asia’s longhaul travel recovery is the slow vaccination rate. In a consolidated vaccination progress update by travel and tourism research and consultancy agency, Pear Anderson, South-east Asia’s vaccination rate remains mostly single digit. As of June 20, Singapore takes the lead in the region with 34.03 per cent of fully vaccinated residents out of the total population. Cambodia comes in second with 15.69 per cent and Laos third with 6.05 per cent.
Pear Anderson’s South-east Asia Vaccine Summary shows a slow vaccination rate across the region
Tourism marketers cut Asian focus for now
Asian governments’ risk-averse stance in the Covid fight has led TTC to see more booking and fulfillment activities happening in the US and Europe, while Asian markets remain quiet.
Lim said Americans and Europeans tended to be more courageous in their approach to travel and are confident about travelling post-vaccination compared to Asians.
“However, I think the number one source of their travel confidence is the lack of a returning quarantine requirement. For example, Americans only need to serve a five-day home quarantine if they were coming back from certain places in Europe and have a negative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test result to show. Because of such relaxed measures, TTC has in the last three weeks seen our trips to Iceland, Greece and Egypt doing very well and dominated by the Americans,” Lim added, and noted that Europeans are also returning to travels within Europe.
Lim: compulsory quarantine upon return is a major roadblock for Asian outbound travel
With travel recovery stronger in the US and Europe, Lim said western tourism marketers are now focusing their resources on these source markets. Asian agents retailing TTC’s longhaul programmes are also withholding their marketing spend, as demand is not expected to materialise in the near term. However, Asian source markets will not be neglected for long.
“Asian markets will return to focus once governments here ease off travel restrictions. We must not forget that wealth and spending power is growing most strongly in Asia. The rise in new money and business investments continues to be seen in Asia. The commercial value of Asia for travel and tourism remains high, but just not now for Europe and the US destinations because of travel restrictions,” Lim explained.
Also emphasising Asia-Pacific’s importance in global travel is the newly-published Asia Pacific and the Global Travel Recovery, a study produced by International Luxury Travel Market in partnership with research agency Barton. It showed that Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region for wealth in terms of both population of High Net-Worth (HNW) individuals and total wealth. The region’s luxury travellers – 6.4 million of them – contributed US$363 billion to the global luxury travel universe, the collection of travel products and services that are particularly attractive to luxury travellers. Despite only being 0.15 per cent of the region’s massive population, they contribute almost half of the region’s total to the global luxury travel universe.
Chesterfield: the world needs wealthy people from across Asia-Pacific, not just major market China, to be travelling again
And within Asia-Pacific’s expanding luxury travel potential lies China, a superpower in terms of travel consumption, found Barton’s founder and author of the study, Winston Chesterfield. Forty-nine per cent of the region’s spend on airfares and lodging, which equates to US$114 billion, is made by travellers from China. Of this, 52 per cent is made by China’s HNW population, which is around 29 per cent of the total Asia-Pacific HNW population.
China’s strict outbound travel restriction is therefore worrying for all destinations that used to benefit from Chinese arrivals, said Chesterfield.
“It isn’t just the travel industry that is impatient to get the Chinese back. Not too long ago, one in three purchases of luxury goods was made by a Chinese person outside of China. Now, it is more than that – almost approaching the level of one in two purchases. Brands need the Chinese to get back to travelling and spending,” Chesterfield said.
“That doesn’t mean the Chinese story is the only story; it is not. The world needs wealthy people from Japan, Singapore, Australia to be travelling again,” he added, also pointing to fast-growing HNW populations in Vietnam, India and the Philippines.
TTC’s Lim is laying his bet on “an explosion of outbound travel” from Asian source markets once conditions are right, especially from China, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and India which were “performing amazingly for outbound travel” pre-pandemic.
He also predicts that markets on EU’s green list – Singapore, Japan and Australia – will rebound the fastest once outbound travel restrictions ease.
“There are very limited destinations that one can visit now for holidays, so much so that travel choices will not be so much about fulfilling bucket lists. As long as the destination is open for leisure travellers, people will go,” Lim said.
Travel the world at home
With Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs still advising citizens against travel abroad and only about 10 per cent of the population vaccinated, the outlook for Japanese overseas travel looks bleak.
One large outbound agent told TTG Asia anonymously that they are not anticipating an increase in outbound demand in the short- to medium-term. But with interest in overseas travel still strong, some agents are offering an overseas experience at home.
Japan Airlines and JTB, the country’s largest travel agency, have launched “scenic flights” from Haneda Airport designed to give guests the feeling of having had a trip abroad. Themes include overseas beach resort, as well as country destinations. The airplanes are decorated according to the theme and famous tourist attractions from the destination are shown during the in-flight entertainment.
From 24,800 yen (US$225), the beach resort theme offers Hawaiian in-flight meals and the chance to experience Guam through a virtual reality lens. Aloha shirts are among the souvenirs.
Singapore-themed and Taiwan-themed flights start from 19,800 yen. Both flights cruise over famous Japanese sites including Mount Fuji, and are about three hours’ duration.
ANA has also been offering similar tours with a Hawaiian theme from Narita Airport, costing from 38,000 yen. The flight uses a special aircraft normally reserved for the Narita to Honolulu route. Passengers can take home a special boarding certificate and a backpack in the shape of Honu, ANA’s sea turtle mascot.
Travel-starved Japanese residents can also turn to Tobu Railway’s new Nikko Discount Ticket, which offers unlimited travel for four days from Tokyo to and around Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. Options include a visit to The British Embassy Villa Memorial Park in Oku-Nikko to enjoy a tea set with authentic scones supervised by the chef of the British Embassy, Tokyo.
A representative of a major outbound travel agent, who declined to be named, said overseas travel is difficult now but many people still want to enjoy a foreign experience. – Additional reporting by Kathryn Wortley
Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality has unveiled a new entertainment and lifestyle hotel brand dubbed Mhub by MGM, targeting Gen Z travellers.
The new brand aims to satisfy young guests’ pursuit of individuality and a differentiated travel experience in collaboration with the local community. The brand focuses on offering guests a complete experience of entertainment, freedom and joy, through a diversified approach.
Launched in May, Mhub by MGM Nanjing, Jiangning is the brand’s first property
Mhub by MGM is the fourth international five-star brand launched by Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality, following Diaoyutai, MGM Grand and Bellagio.
The world’s first Mhub by MGM hotel opened in Nanjing this May, with more hotels set to open successively in Shenzhen and Zhuhai; as well as other major first- and second-tier cities and holiday destinations, including Xiamen.
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia recently held a virtual meeting to discuss potential collaborative initiatives to revive the tourism and cultural industries in the two countries.
Among the initiatives discussed between the two governments were the sharing of information on policies and best practices, especially in measures to rehabilitate the tourism industry from the impact of Covid-19; as well as the joint promotion of tourism through social media and digital platforms to increase travel demand for both countries.
Malaysia, Saudi Arabia in talks to promote tourism and cultural exchange; Riyadh skyline pictured
Other areas include the exchange of best practices on the sustainable management of cultural heritage sites as tourist attractions; in addition to the forging of close collaborative relationships between arts, heritage and cultural institutions and promotion of Muslim-friendly tourism.
The virtual meeting was between Malaysia’s minister of tourism, arts and culture, Nancy Shukri, and Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb.
According to a press statement from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, these discussions are expected to open up greater opportunities in the field of tourism between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in particular, as well as countries in the Middle East in general.
In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 121,444 tourists from Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally been the country’s main source market from the Middle East.
As more countries reopen their borders, KLM will rebuild its summer route network in Asia and the Middle East to be virtually identical to the one it operated pre-pandemic in 2019, to meet the anticipated rise in demand.
Due to the pandemic, however, fewer flights to the destinations will be offered and/or flights to the destinations will be offered in different combinations.
KLM’s network in Asia and the Middle East as good as fully recovered this summer
The Dutch airline highlighted in a press statement the most significant changes to its route network as compared to 2019, including the addition of Riyad (Saudi Arabia) as a new destination this summer, and the introduction of flights to Phuket (Thailand) this winter.
In Asia, there are 17 destinations planned for this summer, compared with 19 in 2019. Xiamen (China) is temporarily closed due to the pandemic, however, KLM partner Xiamen Airlines is currently flying to this destination. Service to Denpasar (Indonesia) will be offered as soon as Bali reopens.
Phuket will be added as a destination in winter 2021, with four-times-weekly flights.
For the time being, flights to Hangzhou and Shanghai (China) will keep the current stopover in Seoul (South Korea), until the rules change.
KLM flies to Chengdu once a week, after which the flight continues on to Beijing via a stopover in Seoul. From there, KLM flies back to Amsterdam.
Service to Bengalûru (India) has been suspended.
KLM said that scheduling within the network will be updated frequently throughout the winter season, in tandem with the changing travel rules.
Over in the Middle East, KLM will fly to seven destinations in the summer of 2021 – the same number as in 2019.
KLM will be offering Riyad (Saudi Arabia) as a new destination, with flights departing twice a week in the summer season and, starting this winter, three times a week.
Service to Abu Dhabi has been suspended, although KLM offers this destination as a codeshare with Etihad Airways. KLM expects to reintroduce Abu Dhabi as a destination in winter 2021.
“It is a positive sign that the number of destinations in the Middle and Far East has nearly returned to its previous level,” said Pieter Elbers, president and CEO of KLM.
He added: “While this is a step in the right direction, we aren’t there yet. Vaccinations are the key to the recovery of the aviation sector. After that, an internationally-valid vaccination passport will play a crucial role in restoring our clients’ mobility.”
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently signed a MoU with the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (TGO) and the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association (TEATA) to promote low-carbon tourism and implementation of climate action for sustainability.
Under the partnership, TAT will be prominently involved in technical workshops with the TGO and TEATA to enhance understanding of the impacts of climate change and to strengthen competency development of tourism industry members on low-carbon initiatives.
TAT has been promoting awareness of green tourism with the long-established 7 Greens project.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said: “This MOU forms part of the TAT’s ongoing commitment to drive the Thai tourism industry towards safe and sustainable travel in line with Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economic Model and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. This is under the goal of making tourism part of Thailand’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by no less than 50 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents.
“TAT will also encourage tourists and travellers to support the sustainability of green tourism and enhance their travel experiences with a small or neutral carbon footprint towards the goal of achieving sustainable net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.”
TGO director Kiatchai Maitriwong added: “Tourism is responsible for roughly eight per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, and this MoU will lead the Thai tourism industry towards greater understanding of climate change and the implementation of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from tourism.”