TTG Conversations: Five Questions with Lina Ang, Sojern
Changes in consumer’s travel preferences, media diet and media channels along with continued pandemic challenges require travel and tourism marketers to take a different approach to target audience engagement, says Lina Ang, managing director APAC, Sojern.
In this new episode of TTG Conversations: Five Questions video series, Ang discusses how travel intention has failed to match up with actual search and bookings here in Asia-Pacific, where travel restrictions remain while national vaccination programmes are still a work-in-progress; challenged marketing budgets for travel and tourism companies and the impact on advertising activities; and the rise in social media marketing.
Ang also dispenses numerous tips for travel and tourism marketers looking to stretch their dollar, make sense of what the end of third-party cookies will bring, effect call-to-action amid a pandemic, and more.
Malaysia mulls relaxing Covid restrictions for those fully vaccinated
The Malaysian government is looking into relaxing restrictions on travel and dine-ins at restaurants for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, said he had asked for these relaxations to be considered as part of the National Recovery Plan as the country takes steps towards returning to normality, The Star reported on Saturday.
However, it is still unknown whether relaxing restrictions on travel will mean that interstate and inter-district travel for leisure purposes will be allowed once again. The easing of restrictions will be decided at the National Recovery Council meeting this week.
On Saturday, Malaysia’s daily number of Covid-19-linked deaths rose to a record high of 138 from 115 the day before, with the country recording 12,528 new cases that day.
Nigel Wong, secretary-general at the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, said that should the government relax restrictions and allow travel for leisure purposes for those fully vaccinated, initial take-up will be slow given the high daily Covid-19 caseload. However, it might stimulate purchase of travel products for travel at a later date.
Adam Kamal, head of contracting & domestic market at ICE Holidays, said: “I don’t expect to see a demand for interstate travel for leisure purposes until all the (hotels and attractions) are open. Currently, all hotels in the country are closed for leisure purposes. Also, with the high number of Covid-19 cases, I don’t think people will feel safe to travel despite being fully vaccinated.”
He added that the relaxation may, however, trigger a demand for business travel purposes.
TTG Asia breaks for Hari Raya Haji
TTG Asia e-Daily will be taking a break on Tuesday, July 20, for the Hari Raya Haji public holiday.
News will resume on Wednesday, July 21.
From all of us at TTG Asia Media, Selamat Hari Raya Haji to our Muslim friends!
ASEAN tourism leaders urged to issue common SOP to support sector recovery
South-east Asian tourism leaders need to urgently devise a common SOP to facilitate seamless travel in the post-pandemic era, said industry experts at a panel discussion during the Halal in Travel Global Summit 2021.
Intra-ASEAN travel has been the key segment for South-east Asian countries, accounting for 44 per cent of arrivals in the last decade and the market is expected to be even more important post-pandemic.
Speaking at a forum entitled ‘Strategies and Plan for the Revival of the Tourism industry in ASEAN’, Pauline Suharno, chairman of Association of the Travel Agencies in Indonesia (ASTINDO), said: “ASEAN (leaders) need to come up with a common standard for travel, (pertaining to areas like) digital travel passports, new normal operation guidelines, hotels and restaurants cleanliness and health measures, quarantine period, and also, compulsory travel insurance.”
The varying procedures across countries in the region currently have created “headaches” for travel consultants when handling guests, she said.
Pauline cited the example of how when it comes to PCR test results, Indonesia requires a digital QR coded report while Cambodia needs a hard copy letter with original signature and clinic stamp.
As well, she added, each South-east Asian country has developed its own digital travel passport app. Indonesia, for example, has Peduli Lindungi, while Singapore has SafeTravel. “Why don’t we encourage (regional) governments to use the worldwide known application such as IATA Travel Pass so that travellers do not need to download a different app each time they want to travel?” she said.
Eddy Soemawilaga, president of the ASEAN Tourism Association, said that the South-east Asian leaders had agreed to set up the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement in November 2020, however, by the time of the summit in April 2021, they had not completed the term of reference.
“We were informed that the (draft) would be submitted in the next Summit in October. You can imagine how long it takes to just develop an SOP (on something that) supports ASEAN itself,” he lamented.
Mohamed Ismail Hussain, executive residence (internationalization), Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who moderated the session, suggested that ASEANTA takes a proactive role in coming up with the SOP and presenting it to the governments.
However, Eddy, who previously was with the ASEAN Secretariat, said the current set-up at the meetings between ASEAN leaders and NTOs, where access to their meetings was limited to a dedicated slot in the agenda, had made it difficult for ASEANTA to be more engaged.
Samson Tan, CEO of GTMC Travel and chairman – inbound of NATAS Singapore, proposed that ASEANTA form an ASEAN Emerging Stronger Task Force involving the private sectors and governments.
Pauline agreed, saying that what is needed is a strong ASEANTA voice that the government cannot ignore.
Malaysia, Singapore ranked as most Muslim-friendly travel destinations
Malaysia and Singapore have come out tops once more in the list of most Muslim-friendly holiday destinations, according to the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2021. Both countries have maintained their pole position since the inception of the GMTI index in 2015.
This year’s GMTI report, which ranked 140 destinations on how ready they are to attract the international Muslim travel market in the Covid-19 environment, saw Malaysia retain its top spot.
For both Malaysia and Singapore, the key challenge in maintaining pole position when international travel resumes would be to identify the new behaviour patterns and expectations of the post-pandemic Muslim traveller in order to better cater to their needs.
Speaking at a forum session entitled ‘Readying OIC destinations for Halal Travel’ at the Halal in Travel Global Summit 2021, Mohmed Razip Hasan, director-general of Islamic Tourism Center (ITC) in Malaysia, said enticing international Muslim travellers to Malaysia will be more challenging post-Covid due to changed travel behaviour patterns and demands. “We have to understand new behaviour patterns and ensure that our product lines appeal to (these travellers),” he said.
Another challenge he foresees is destination competition for the Muslim market. He noted that non-Muslim majority countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong were also working hard to increase their share of the lucrative global Muslim market with a population of 1.9 billion, of which 300 million reside in South-east Asia.
Tourism, arts and culture minister Nancy Shukri pointed out in her keynote address at the summit that ITC has developed a Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Recognition (MFAR) programme to assist Muslim tourists in identifying accommodations that would cater to their needs in terms of prayer facilities, halal food and family-friendly services.
For hoteliers, the recognition programme is a value-added marketing tool to reach out to the wider Muslim tourist market. A total of 44 hotels in Malaysia have been recognised, including local chains such as Sunway Hotels, The Light and Perdana Hotels as well as international brands such as Mövenpick, Hilton, Pullman and Sofitel. Grand Hyatt and Marriott group have also applied to be under the programme, she said.
John Gregory Conceicao, executive director, South-east Asia, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), shared in a forum entitled ‘Marketing to Muslim travellers from a destination perspective’ that pre-Covid, Muslim international travellers to Singapore comprise about 20 per cent of total visitor arrivals.
One of the misconceptions that STB is working to correct among Malaysian and Indonesian Muslim visitors to Singapore is that halal food is predominantly Malay Muslim food.
Conceicao said that halal food and halal certified food in Singapore is wide-ranging, and includes Western, Spanish and Italian dishes. Moving forward, STB will be promoting modern Singapore cuisine as part of its marketing initiatives to entice the overseas Muslim traveller, alongside Singapore’s new offerings, the heartlands and nature-based attractions.
Trio of Thai islands reopen under Samui Plus scheme
The Thai resort islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao has reopened to fully vaccinated foreign travellers with no quarantine requirements, under the Samui Plus programme which launched on Thursday (July 15).
The Samui Plus programme is for travel to these three islands located in Surat Thani province between July and December 2021, according to a release by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, minister of tourism and sports, said the reopening of the three islands following Phuket’s pilot project is “another significant step toward achieving the Thai prime minister’s recently announced policy of reopening the whole country within 120 days, or by the end of October”.
Tourists visiting under the Samui Plus programme can choose to stay in Samui Extra Plus and SHA Plus hotels for the first seven nights and the remaining seven nights, respectively. Both labels are officially approved in terms of hygiene and safety.
On the launch day of the Samui Plus programme, there were nine international arrivals from Hong Kong, France, Germany, Singapore, and the UK. All are members of the media by the invitation of the TAT, as part of the plan to create awareness of the Samui Plus programme.
TAT expects some 1,000 foreign tourists to arrive under the Samui Plus programme during the first month of its launch.
Following Phuket and Surat Thani’s Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao, the next destinations to reopen on September 1 will be Krabi (Ko Phi Phi, Ko Ngai, and Railay Beach), Phang Nga (Khao Lak and Ko Yao), Chiang Mai (Mueang District and Mae Rim, Mae Taeng, and Doi Tao Districts), Chon Buri (Pattaya, Bang Lamung, and Sattahip), and Buri Ram (Mueang District and Chang Arena).
The scheduled date for the reopening of Bangkok, Phetchaburi (Cha-am) and Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin) is October 1, with the rest of Thailand due to reopen throughout the month of October.
Approved vaccine inconsistency could delay the restart of international travel: WTTC
The restart of international travel could be seriously delayed without worldwide reciprocal recognition of all approved Covid-19 vaccines, warned the WTTC.
The global tourism body’s warning follows concerns tourists face being turned away at the borders because countries don’t have a common list of internationally recognised and approved Covid-19 vaccines.
This comes just days after a number of British holidaymakers, who had been administered the Indian Covishield batch of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, were rejected entry into Malta despite the drug being chemically identical to the UK-made vaccine.
Over the past few weeks, reports of holidaymakers facing obstacles to entry have been on the rise, with some even being prevented from boarding their flights to destinations.
WTTC believes that once again, the lack of international coordination to agree on a list of approved vaccines, is creating yet another major stumbling block for the restart of international travel.
This comes despite most vaccines having secured the approval of the World Health Organisation or Stringent Regulatory Authorities.
WTTC warned that reports of travellers being turned away because they have the ‘wrong’ vaccine batches or ‘unrecognised’ vaccines have fuelled concerns from consumers, deterring them from booking and thereby damaging the already struggling travel and tourism sector.
Virginia Messina, senior vice president of WTTC, said: “Reciprocal recognition of all vaccine types and batches is essential if we are to avoid any further unnecessary and damaging delay to restarting international travel.
“The failure of countries to agree on a common list of all approved and recognised vaccines is of huge concern to WTTC, as we know every day travel is curbed, more cash-strapped travel and tourism businesses face even greater strain, pushing ever more to the brink of bankruptcy.
“We can avoid this by having a fully recognised list of all the approved vaccines – and vaccine batches – which should be the key to unlocking international travel, not the door to preventing it.
“It will also give holidaymakers and travellers the confidence they need to book trips, flights and cruises, confident in the knowledge that their fully-vaccinated status will be internationally recognised.”
Accor signs SO/ property in the Maldives
Accor has inked a hotel management agreement with S Hotels and Resorts and Wai Eco World Developer to bring SO/ Hotels & Resorts to the Maldives.
Nestled on its own exclusive island overlooking the Emboodhoo Lagoon, just 15 minutes by speedboat from Malé’s Velana International Airport, SO/ Maldives will boast 80 luxury villas, including beachfront and over-water options.
Scheduled to open in 2023, the new resort will take centre stage on the third island of Crossroads Maldives, the integrated leisure destination in the South Malé Atoll.
Guests will be able to take advantage of facilities at The Marina @ Crossroads, an 800m lifestyle area and beach walk that is home to cafés and restaurants, a beach club, upmarket boutiques, a spa, the Marine Discovery Centre and a 30-berth yacht marina. Events can also be hosted at the oceanfront wedding venue and meeting space.
Jetstar Asia to restart Singapore-Phuket services
Jetstar Asia will operate two weekly services from Singapore to Phuket starting September 3, following the reopening of the popular Thai resort island to fully vaccinated foreign visitors on July 1 under the government’s ‘sandbox’ scheme.
The scheme exempts these tourists from quarantine upon arrival in Phuket, if they present a negative Covid-19 test result. Travellers who wish to visit other destinations in Thailand will be required to stay in Phuket for at least 14 days.
Jetstar Asia’s Singapore-Phuket services will be operated using the Airbus A320, carrying up to 1,700 visitors a month. The airline is offering fares on the route starting from S$79 (US$58).
Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi said the airline was excited to restart services to this popular destination as border restrictions begin to relax for vaccinated travellers.
“Initiatives like the sandbox scheme are important opportunities as we continue to ramp up our operations and respond to the increasing demand for leisure travel in the region,” he said.
The LCC also anticipates strong demand for the Phuket service from transit travellers connecting through Jetstar Asia’s Singapore Changi hub. Customers can connect between Phuket and a number of destinations in the airline’s network including Clark, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Penang and Phnom Penh.
Customers from Jetstar Asia’s partners Air France, KLM, British Airways and Emirates can also make one booking and transit through Singapore to and from Phuket.
Flight Schedule
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has joined hands with kid-centric app Voot Kids and Indian animation company Green Gold Animation to take Indian audiences on a virtual adventure in Singapore through an animated mini-series featuring the iconic Indian comic character Chhota Bheem.
Titled Chhota Bheem – Adventures in Singapore, the series seeks to engage families and children across India in an innovative format amid pandemic-induced travel restrictions. Launched on July 17, the series has seven episodes, and is available in three languages – English, Hindi and Tamil.
The web-series follows Chhota Bheem and friends as they celebrate his birthday in Singapore by embarking on various activities. Each episode takes the viewer through different experiences in Singapore, from action and adventure to shopping and food, all from the comfort of their homes.
Featured attractions include Jewel Changi Airport and its HSBC Rain Vortex, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, among others. The series also features the city’s skyline, framed by Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, as well as landmarks such as Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay.
Bheem and friends also traverse the streets of the island city, taking in its diverse sights and sounds, as well as restaurants and cuisines. In addition to the webisodes, e-books and interactive games featuring their adventures are also available for download from the Voot Kids app.
GB Srithar, regional director, India, Middle East & South Asia (IMESA), Singapore Tourism Board, said: “As part of a vision to engage our Indian audiences creatively in the new Covid-19 environment, the STB has been harnessing technology to reimagine its content, products and offerings.
“We have explored new partnerships and social engagements with many well-known brands. Many of these collaborations involved Indian talents and influencers working with Singaporean artistes, presenting their common passions to the Indian audiences virtually through engaging storytelling and showcasing of the destination. This creative partnership with Voot Kids and Green Gold is our first animation project and we are happy to offer this to the family audiences in India.”