IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry, has decided to shift its annual exposition and conference to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, from August 10 to 13, 2021.
The IAAPA Expo Asia 2021 was initially planned for Macau in June.
IAAPA Expo Asia 2021 will be held in Shanghai, China this August
IAAPA explained that the relocation and date change were in response to the continued impact of the global pandemic.
Hal McEvoy, president and CEO, IAAPA, said: “IAAPA’s role has always been to help members meet, do business, and learn from each other. It is more important than ever we provide such opportunities in a safe manner, at the right time, in the right location.
“After careful review and with significant input from our team, members, exhibitors, and the IAAPA Board of Directors, the decision has been made to relocate IAAPA Expo Asia 2021 to Shanghai, China. Given the continued uncertainties impacting travel – international and domestic – we believe the relocation and event date change will provide more opportunity for exhibitors and attendees to participate.”
Plans are underway to ensure a smooth transition to the new venue.
This year’s event will kick off with a conference day followed by three days of tradeshow, additional education programmes, exclusive special events and more.
McEvoy said the event would abide by safety guidelines and operational procedures recommended by global and health authorities as well as event industry experts.
Bangkok cityscape. Bangkok night view in the business district. at twilight.
The travel and tourism crisis has forced as many as 80 per cent of member hotels to halt operations in 2020, according to the Thai Hotels Association (THA), which has a membership of 930.
However, the true numbers of hotel casualties may be higher, as more than 80 per cent of approximately 54,200 hotels nationwide are non-member properties – most of which are by independent, small-and-medium-sized (SME) operators.
The pandemic and tourism crisis has forced 80 per cent of member hotels to halt operations in 2020, according to the Thai Hotels Association
“These independent and SME hotels are at the highest risk. Some have already closed their doors and others were sold,” said THA president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi.
Several owners of such small outfits told TTG Asia that they were entering 2021 with much anxiety, and expect the challenging environment to remain until early-2022.
Wassana Srikanchana, owner of White Villa Hotel in Hua Hin, said the company has slashed room rates by half to stimulate demand but average occupancy remains at just three to five per cent – “similar to other small hotels in town”.
Hua Hin is declared a red zone due to high numbers of Covid-19 infections. The status has further bruised local travel and tourism businesses, which are already struggling with severely reduced international arrivals.
Wassana said there has been zero business since mid-December 2020, following the second wave of infections.
To minimise loss, Wassana has slashed staff wages and kept only the first floor running to cut utility expenses.
Local independent chain Urban Hospitality Group saw 80 per cent of foreign clientele disappearing with the pandemic, along with 50 per cent of business event bookings, compared to 2019.
Managing director Wutthiphon Taworntawat has chosen to respond with aggressive sales and marketing efforts, dishing out attractive rates for hotel rooms to be used as home offices. This comes on top of reduced wages and work hours for hotel staff, as well as staff relocation to other properties in the chain.
Despite the challenges, Urban Hospitality Group has been among the fortunate few. In 2020, it acquired two hotels in Bangkok to expand its portfolio.
THA has been vocal about Thailand’s ailing hotel industry, calling on the government to provide multi-layered assistance, such as tax incentives to support hotel development or public health renovation, a commitment to hosting government meetings in local hotels, and minimum wages for workers affected by temporary hotel closures.
Without further assistance, THA expects more hotels to exit the market this year.
The Philippines
Travel agencies are among the most beleaguered in The Philippines’ travel and tourism industry, as more than 50 per cent of them have closed or reduced their scale of operations last year in the face of continuous inbound and outbound travel restrictions.
The harrowing numbers in 2020 sum it up: an 84 per cent drop in foreign visitors to only 1,323,956, from 8,260,913 arrivals in 2019, and a corresponding 83.1 per cent decrease in visitor receipts to 81.40 billion pesos (US$1.7 billion) from 482.16 billion pesos over 2019.
Boracay, Cebu, Siargao and Bohol (pictured) have reopened to domestic travellers, but demand has been scarce
Travel prospects are dashed this year as the government extended travel restrictions on January 15 on 32 countries until the end of the month to curb the entry of the new and more contagious Covid-19 variant, of which a Filipino who travelled from Abu Dhabi is confirmed to have been infected.
Domestic travel, which is the main strategy to reboot Philippine tourism, remains lacklustre although a growing number of local destinations including Boracay, Cebu, Siargao and Bohol have reopened. The absence of a uniform travel requirement for all destinations has been blamed.
“It’s a very difficult time for travel agencies, specially (when) multiple entities do not seem to follow a singular standard or treatment of the protocols. It becomes quite confusing to sell any tours,” pointed out Aileen Clemente, president and chair of one of the country’s biggest and oldest agencies, Rajah Travel.
This sentiment is shared by Dorothy Drysdale, head of international communications of one of the country’s oldest agencies, Marsman Drysdale Travel. She lamented that “there is not one (travel) rule that goes across the board. Every barangay (village) has a rule”.
In late-2020, Drysdale had suggested that the various forms that travellers must fill should be consolidated into one for all organisations, which would also simplify the process for travel agents.
Meanwhile, displaced travel agents and guides continue to face financial pressure which gets little relief from the government – each affected worker has access to just 5,000 to 8,000 pesos through the Bayanihan 2 programme.
Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said that as of January 7 this year, 388.6 million pesos had benefited 77,724 recipients of Bayanihan 2. She added that under the CARES for TRAVEL programme of the Department of Tourism (DoT) and the Small Business Corp, 415 soft loan applications amounting to 247.5 million pesos have been processed.
In addition, DoT called for a cap on the price of Covid-19 tests required for safe travels; partnered with two hospitals on the 50 per cent subsidy of swab test to make it cheaper; provided 10 million pesos for the swab tests of tourism workforce in Boracay, among others.
With the election of a new set of officers, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) also distributed a small Christmas token worth 2,000 pesos to members to signify the start of greater collaboration and attentive listening.
To survive, a number of travel consultants have segued into other small businesses like food catering and farming to sell their produce online.
Among those that have moved away from travel and tourism is im-active Tours, Events, MICE Management and Services. General manager Irine Maliwanag has chosen to take advantage of free tutorials on social media to acquire new skills such as copy writing, graphic design and digital marketing.
Maliwanag explained that running the travel agency may not be sustainable now, particularly as only domestic tourism is allowed in certain destinations and varying travel requirements per domestic destination are confusing and time consuming to manage.
Furthermore, her company has yet to be refunded by tour package partners abroad who also have been unable to get full payment from their airline and hotel partners. – Rosa Ocampo
Hong Kong
With the government wage subsidy scheme coming to an end last November and no immediate recovery in sight, travel agencies in Hong Kong have stepped up measures to keep costs down.
For some agencies, that means mass layoffs. Recently, Wing On Travel trimmed some 120 employees, while Jetour reduced its manpower by 40 per cent.
Established Hong Kong travel agencies have chosen to temporarily pivot to other businesses instead of exiting the industry
However, statistics from the Travel Industry Council are barely reflecting the impact of the pandemic, as only 88 agencies had terminated their membership last year, a slight dip compared to 96 members in 2019.
According to the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents (HATA), the agency closure rate in 2020 stood at single-digit levels, similar to the previous year, with even the addition of new members – although membership fees were waived due to zero business amid the pandemic.
Noting that HATA’s members largely comprise veterans from mid- to large-scale agencies, its chairman, Ronald Wu, shared: “These long-timers tend to not give up, and instead, adopt various measures to control costs.”
While staff layoffs became more prevalent after last November, according to Wu, four rounds of government relief measures rolled out to support tourism businesses have so far kept widespread closures at bay.
Wu does not expect more agencies to shutter over the next few months, as “the cost of keeping their license is low, especially with relaxed rules like agents being allowed to share the same office address”.
However, Jetour chairman, Ronnie Ho, criticised the government for its inadequate support for those 90 active agents who are key employers of the industry.
He explained: “As far as I know, more than 1,000 agents benefited from government financial assistance, but they are mostly small and medium-sized businesses, with staff under four people. In fact, some are even inactive with limited business transactions or have been operating at a loss over the last few years.
“The government should instead consider helping viable operators with (active) business transactions, otherwise these players with a long history will disappear.”
To get through continued tough times, some established players have evolved their business model to generate some much-needed income and keep staff active.
Hong Thai Travel Services, which has permanently shut two of its more than 10 branches last year, was one of the first agencies last April to set up an online store called HT Mall, offering staycation packages, anti-pandemic tools as well as imported goods from Taiwan, Japan and Australia.
According to a spokesman, the agency has resisted retrenchments, implementing only pay cuts and no-pay leave; workforce reduction was due to natural attrition.
Some tour guides even requested to go on voluntary leave so they could take on part-time jobs, with the condition to return to longer working hours once business is back, the spokesman added.
While most of Hong Thai offices are dormant, its Mongkok branch remains open to provide limited services.
Moving forward, Wu hopes the government would pump more funds into pandemic control and focus on creating travel bubbles with more countries and regions such as Macau and China, as the vaccines alone will unlikely lead to a significant inbound recovery this year. – Prudence Lui
Udom Tantiprasongchai, founder of One-Two-Go, the first low-cost airline in Thailand, has passed away on January 16.
He was 66 years old.
Udom Tantiprasongchai passes on at age 66; Image: www.facebook.com/udom.tantiprasongchai.3
Udom is recognised as the first-mover in the Kingdom’s low-cost carrier (LCC) business, ahead of Thai AirAsia and Nok Air, the latter being the sister budget airline of Thai Airways International.
After gaining aviation business experience through Cambodia International Airlines and a joint venture with Air Philippines, Udom founded Orient Express Air in 1995. The airline was later renamed to Orient Thai Airlines.
In 2012, he birthed One-Two-Go.
Udom’s airline businesses hit a snag years later, with Orient Thai having its licence revoked in 2018 by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand due to debt issues, and a One-Two-Go air crash that led to financial problems.
In the throes of a second lockdown and faced with a bleak forecast on travel this year, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is calling on the government to come up with an enhanced and targeted rescue plan for tour and travel agents.
MATTA president Tan Kok Liang said in a statement: “Tourism businesses are currently in extreme distress due to the very fragile and uncertain business environment which is expected to continue late into 2021. Tour and travel agents have been battling with collapsing revenue and liquidity problems since the start of the pandemic and the government’s efforts have not made any significant impact on this segment of the industry.”
Malaysia tourism bled over US$24.7 billion in losses last year due to the pandemic; tourists at Sri Subramaniam Temple in Batu Caves in November 2020 pictured
Tan also stressed on the importance of the tourism sector to Malaysia’s economy, being the third largest contributor towards the national GDP in the previous years. In 2019, the tourism industry supplied 15.9 per cent, equivalent to RM240 billion (US$59.4 billion), to the country’s GDP.
However, the pandemic’s impact on the tourism industry has led to an estimated total loss exceeding RM100 billion for 2020.
“While the hotel industry is expecting more hotels to close or wind-up due to the second phase of MCO (movement control order) and continuous closure of borders, more travel agents, especially those owning tourism vehicles, are very likely to face the same fate as those hoteliers,” said Tan.
In the face of mounting losses, he urged the government to extend the loan moratorium and enhanced wage subsidy programmes until June 30, 2021. “Reliefs on rental, insurance and statutory licensing fees are also needed to help those who are affected, especially the SMEs who have already had to burn a lot of cash just to survive the last MCO,” he added.
Urging travel businesses to go for consolidation and mergers, Tan said: “Over 5,000 travel companies are now in the ‘ICU’ condition and the government needs to initiate rehabilitation programmes as the situation will get worse.” Measures he cited include allowing travel agents to close business premises and operate from home and cancelling the mandatory Travel & Tours Enhancement Course programmes for travel companies.
Other measures that Tan said the government needs to assist are: resolving the issues on deposits held by airlines and related service providers, making urgent corrections to the Tourism Industry Act 1992, and providing flexibility of approval for conversion of tour buses into other categories so these buses can be utilised for other purposes.
He concluded: “The tourism sector has been burdened by bureaucracy and over-governance affecting the industry’s regional and global competitiveness. Overlapping jurisdictions by multiple government agencies has stifled the industry over the many years.
“It is no longer ‘business as usual’ under the Covid-19 pandemic and we urge the various government agencies to make immediate policy changes to ease the financial burden of the hardest-hit industry in Malaysia.”
The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) has revoked the certificate of authority to operate and suspended for six months the accreditation of the City Garden Grand Hotel, for breaking Covid-19 safety rules leading to the death of a flight attendant after a New Year’s revelry held at the property.
Alongside this, the DOT gave a “stern warning” to the industry that hotels used as quarantine facilities should not accept leisure guests and host social gatherings, while staycation hotels cannot be used for quarantine.
City Garden Grand Hotel, a quarantine hotel, comes under the spotlight for violating terms of accreditation
City Garden Grand Hotel, a quarantine hotel in Makati, broke the rules when, on New Year’s Eve, it accepted a group of revellers including 23-year-old flight attendant Christine Dacera, who died after being found unconscious in her hotel room’s bathtub on New Year’s Day.
The DOT found City Garden Grand Hotel “liable for the offence of gross and evident bad faith in dealing with clients/fraudulent solicitation of business or making any false, deceptive, or misleading claims or statements for the purpose of soliciting business from clients”.
“Upon investigation, the City Garden Grand Hotel was found to have misrepresented itself to the public as being allowed to accommodate guests for leisure or staycation purposes despite being a quarantine facility,” the DOT said in a statement.
The DOT National Capital Region investigation also had “pieces of evidence (that) showed that even prior to the incident and until now, the City Garden Grand Hotel is marketing packages to accept leisure guests and never indicated that it is a quarantine hotel”.
The hotel, which has also been slapped with a 10,000 pesos (US$208) fine, has the right to appeal within the period prescribed by DoT rules and regulations.
Even before City Garden Grand Hotel’s violation, tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has been receiving complaints of quarantine hotels within and outside metro Manila accepting staycation guests and allowing social gatherings.
“This is not acceptable and should not be tolerated,” Romulo-Puyat said in a previous statement.
As of January 10, a total of 765 hotels nationwide with a combined 72,547 rooms are listed as quarantine facilities for returning overseas Filipino workers.
Only four- and five-star hotels are allowed to operate as staycation hotels, with only 15 of them in metro Manila having been issued the Certificate of Authority to Operate as Staycation.
Like others in the industry, hospitality consultant Jerome dela Fuente, said the hotel violator was lucky that it only got a six-month suspension and that the US$208 fine is too small. The penalties for quarantine hotels violating terms of accreditation should be tightened to prevent more breaches, he added.
As it looks to revive its tourism sector, Kenya is banking on the Indian market to boost its international arrival numbers in the year ahead.
In 2019, Kenya welcomed a total of 122,649 travellers from the Indian market, according to official data. That number dipped to 25,251 from the period between January to October 2020, as the pandemic swept the globe and forced both country’s authorities to impose travel restrictions.
Kenya’s wildlife tourism has taken a major hit from the coronavirus
Now, as travel picks up in 2021, Kenya sees the Indian market as key to the country’s tourism revival going forward. Kenya Tourism Board CEO, Betty Radier, said the East African country’s tourism offerings hold greater appeal to Indian travellers over other destinations. “The Indian market is one that has continued to uptake our tourism offerings for many years. Kenya and India continue to have cordial relations, especially because both countries are bound by both history and culture,” she added. “It is certainly not by mistake that India has been one of our key source markets.”
Known for its picturesque tourist attractions and safari experiences, Kenya’s national parks and game reserves are a major draw for wildlife and adventure seekers. Alongside wildlife and rustic experiences, Kenya also offers up a myriad of other attractions including authentic African cuisine, exotic cultures, breathtaking beaches, and even, spectacular cityscape.
As part of health and safety protocols, all travellers entering Kenya must show a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours prior to departure. The yellow fever vaccine continues to be a mandate for all Indian travellers visiting Kenya, thus, they would need to possess a valid vaccine card upon arrival in Kenya. They also have to obtain an eVisa.
At present, Kenya Airways operates thrice-weekly direct flights from Mumbai to Nairobi.
First product enhancements will roll out to the Silver Muse flagship later this month
Silversea Cruises is offering travel agents a A$270 (US$200) bonus commission for new bookings made on any voyage departing between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.
Available until February 28, 2021, the offer applies to 139 voyages.
Silversea Cruises increases support to travel partners with bonus commissions
“Our travel partners are extremely important to Silversea, playing a key role for us and our guests. We are therefore delighted to offer this added benefit to express our appreciation for their hard work, and make it even more rewarding to partner with us – especially during these challenging times,” said Roberto Martinoli, Silversea’s president and CEO.
Silversea has enhanced its range of initiatives aimed at supporting travel partners in recent months. This includes Marketing Central, an online suite of marketing resources and sales tools; Silversea Academy, an interactive training platform with over 18 modules; and Virtual Visits, a short informative video series, hosted by Silversea team members globally.
Silversea’s Cruise with Confidence programme allows guests to cancel their cruise booking up to 30 days prior to departure and receive a 100 per cent future cruise credit for the amount paid, with a two-year validity.
The WTTC has released a set of mental health guidelines to support tourism workers and help businesses build back better from the pandemic.
Suited for businesses of all sizes, the Mental Health Guidelines build on the Diversity & Inclusion Guidelines released by WTTC last year, going one step deeper to focus on mental well-being.
Investment in mental health promotes good business and greater profitability: WTTC
The guidelines come at a time when mental health could not be more important. With lockdowns, quarantines, job losses and uncertainty looming larger than ever all against the backdrop of winter, it is crucial that mental health support is given space in the conversations around recovery.
Gloria Guevara, president & CEO, WTTC, said: “After nearly a full year of insecurity and hardship that has come from the Covid-19 pandemic, the time could not be more appropriate to invest in the mental well-being of (the travel and tourism) sector.”
Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed that more than 95 per cent feel that poor mental health affects their performance at work, while 85 per cent say it is difficult to concentrate when struggling with poor mental health, and 64 per cent feel that it takes them longer to complete tasks.
Furthermore, research conducted by the WHO revealed a US$4 return in improved health and productivity, for every US$1 investment in improved treatment for common mental disorders.
As such, WTTC, alongside leading health authorities and private sector leaders, compiled the Mental Health Guidelines which are divided into four pillars: Developing a Supportive System, Creating Safe Spaces, Supporting an Agile System, and Exemplifying Support for Good Mental Health.
Some of the guidelines include:
• Provide appropriate mental health support within the organisational structure, including access to professional and specialised support through the local health authority and/or the business itself.
• Develop leave policies that offer equivalent time off and/or concessions for mental and physical health, without prejudice.
• Develop feedback systems that allow employees to share if and how the current systems are working well or not to meet staff needs.
• Foster an environment that respects the value of well-being, at all levels of the organisation, and does not ostracise those with mental health conditions, whether common or less common.
• Consider incorporating intentional wellness elements in the design of new buildings, offices, locations, and/or spaces.
• Engage with like-minded businesses and associations to share best practices and improve support for and awareness of mental health.
Philippine tourism players persist in battling for a uniform set of travel requirements to be implemented nationwide so as to facilitate ease of travel, noting that varying regulations across destinations stymies post-lockdown domestic tourism recovery efforts.
For instance, some local government units (LGUs) require travellers to undergo a rapid antigen or PCR test for Covid-19, with validity periods of the result varying across destinations. As well, some destinations do not require travellers to serve a quarantine period, while others do, with the quarantine period varying from three to 21 days.
Destinations across the Philippines have reopened to domestic travellers since late 2020; locals visiting the Temple of Leah in Cebu City in September 2020 pictured
Such a non-standardised approach to Covid-safe travel regulations across the country has proven a stumbling block for travel agents when it comes to selling multi-destination tour packages.
Rajah Travel Corporation president and chair, Aileen Clemente, said: “Where multiple entities do not follow a singular standard or treatment of the protocols… it becomes quite confusing to sell any tours, given that there are different rules to each part of one’s journey.”
Agreeing, Irine Maliwanag, general manager, im-active Tours, Events, MICE Management and Services, said the current varying domestic travel requirements confuse both the travel agencies and the travellers, making it tough to sell multi-destination packages, despite the reopening of domestic destinations towards the end of last year.
Clemente advised: “The authorities must really learn to work together in a coordinated fashion in order to also ensure full compliance. With different protocols (across different localities), you’re bound to find more violations, given the fact that it is very difficult to keep track of all the different rules”.
In support of LGUs adopting uniform travel requirements, tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said: “Since tourists would wish to visit several destinations, it is confusing and cumbersome if LGUs have different apps, protocols and requirements to comply with. Thus, uniformity (would) make travel plans a lot easier and ultimately, more fun.”
As it looks to revive its tourism sector, Kenya is banking on the Indian market to boost its international arrival numbers in the year ahead.
In 2019, Kenya welcomed a total of 122,649 travellers from the Indian market, according to official data. That number dipped to 25,251 from the period between January to October 2020, as the pandemic swept the globe and forced both country’s authorities to impose travel restrictions.
Now, as travel picks up in 2021, Kenya sees the Indian market as key to the country’s tourism revival going forward. Kenya Tourism Board CEO, Betty Radier, said the East African country’s tourism offerings hold greater appeal to Indian travellers over other destinations. “The Indian market is one that has continued to uptake our tourism offerings for many years. Kenya and India continue to have cordial relations, especially because both countries are bound by both history and culture,” she added. “It is certainly not by mistake that India has been one of our key source markets.”
Known for its picturesque tourist attractions and safari experiences, Kenya’s national parks and game reserves are a major draw for wildlife and adventure seekers. Alongside wildlife and rustic experiences, Kenya also offers up a myriad of other attractions including authentic African cuisine, exotic cultures, breathtaking beaches, and even, spectacular cityscape.
As part of health and safety protocols, all travellers entering Kenya must show a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours prior to departure. The yellow fever vaccine continues to be a mandate for all Indian travellers visiting Kenya, thus, they would need to possess a valid vaccine card upon arrival in Kenya. They also have to obtain an eVisa.
At present, Kenya Airways operates thrice-weekly direct flights from Mumbai to Nairobi.