As the world’s fight against Covid-19 stretches on, the fallout has been markedly different across countries. Asia-Pacific has had some success in dealing with the pandemic – nations such as Japan and New Zealand have been lauded for their handling of the virus, and just this week, thanks to its containment efforts, Singapore announced plans to re-establish cross-border business and essential travel with Malaysia.
At the same time, the world is by no means clear of the crisis, and second waves are a distinct possibility, as seen in South Korea and Hong Kong. Despite the air of doom and gloom across the globe, an underlying sentiment of cautious optimism about travel is building in some parts of Asia-Pacific (like Singapore).
Adara’s spike analysis also reveals that, for the month of June 2020, flight searches to China from all countries reached an all-time high since the beginning of the year – suggesting that individuals are already beginning to make plans to travel overseas.
While the situation will continue to evolve, various elements of traveller activity and behaviour can be examined to prepare for the near future. Significant gating events such as infection rates and lockdowns are key factors travel brands need to understand. Brands should create scenarios that examine each layer of gating events across different timelines. With analytics resources, companies can lay out potential futures, and create action plans for marketing, staffing, and capacity management based on the timing and strength of individual rebounds.
Leveraging data to better target consumers
There is a danger that travel marketers try to create a single timeline of the future, with a unifying outcome. For example, Adara travel booking data reveals small signs of increases in the US, where leisure travellers are making bookings 90 days out. However, small inflection points will not add up to a single bottoming out and rebound of the curve – there will be fits and starts, with each slice telling its own story.
As positive trends arise, a logical framework – using data to analyse micro-trends – can prepare travel marketers for more personalised targeting. It is important for travel brands to get the inflection point just right, to optimise ad spend and accurately time their messaging and communication directly to prospective travellers in a relevant and considered manner. Notably, individualised messaging, pricing and services will be more relevant to travellers than a blanket campaign – the latter could come across as tone-deaf at best, and irresponsible at worst.
Individual travellers will respond differently to ad messaging depending on a complex interaction of past booking behaviour, demographics, and emotions. Older people, for example, are more anxious about travelling because of the personal risk of being harmed by the virus, compared to younger people, notes Lori Pennington-Gray of the University of Florida.
Discerning future upswings to stay ahead of the curve
Widely-held assumptions about how travel is likely to rebound over the course of the next 12 months are gaining traction. For example, international travel is expected to lag behind domestic travel, and outdoor destinations such as national parks are expected to be more popular than other attractions that tend to draw dense crowds. These forecasts seem logical and align with indications of consumer sentiment.
However, it is particularly important to challenge logic when there is a lack of historical precedent. Adara has tracked actual consumer behaviour that defies seemingly logical assumptions – for example, the notion that people will avoid destinations that cater to crowds is proving to be false, with the city of Las Vegas seeing a nearly 200 per cent uptick in bookings for late summer.
Travel marketers can leverage data from many companies that make their insights publicly available, including Smith Travel Research which tracks hotel performance, International Air Transport Association which provides scenario forecasts and BCG’s Travel Recovery Dashboard which provides a snapshot of key recovery indicators.
Adara’s free dashboard tracks consumer intent and booking trends for travel, with additional data for other discretionary activities such as dining and entertainment rolling out soon. Utilising this wealth of data enables brands and marketers to develop a shared, cross-functional plan to coordinate go-forward messaging, media buying, pricing and service as these micro-trends arise.
Having a sensible approach to data analysis and a coordinated marketing effort sets the stage for success. Having a compassionate approach to the individual needs of each traveller ensures it.
Why
We are in the midst of a Microsoft Teams meeting, and our companions at the other end of the video call are loud, boisterous… and very, very distracted. They aren’t paying attention to what we are saying, and are instead caught up in their own constant chatter. They also happen to be a bit wet having just come out of the shower. Not that any of that matters to us, as these leggy African beauties are a sight to behold. All 65 of them.
It isn’t every day that we get to hang out with a flock of flamingos. Or have the chance to grill a keeper for some fun flamingo facts.
That is now possible, thanks to Wildlife Reserve Singapore’s (WRS) Hello From The Wild Side programme, a host of online offerings that include virtual encounters with its feathered residents. This initiative was launched amid the closure of the group’s four zoological parks during the country’s circuit breaker. While all the parks have since reopened (except Night Safari which will reopen on July 30), the popularity of its virtual initiative has led WRS to expand its menu of online offerings.
What
Hello From The Wild Side now includes the option to purchase personalised video greetings featuring select animal personalities, and a private behind-the-scenes session with Singapore Zoo’s Asian elephants.
As part of its refresh, guests can have virtual group meetings with the double yellow-headed amazon, scarlet macaw and toco toucan (Jurong Bird Park); as well as great horned owl, Asian small-clawed otters, and white raccoon (Night Safari). That is on top of the original cast: capybara and great white pelican (River Safari), African penguins (Singapore Zoo), as well as oriental pied hornbill and white cockatoo (Jurong Bird Park).
How
Our virtual meeting on a Friday afternoon was with the Bird Park team, featuring a quartet of avian beauties: the double yellow-headed amazon, scarlet macaw and a pair of toco toucans, with a surprise appearance from the supermodels of the wild.
Taking us into the colourful and cacophonous colony of feathered fowls is the chirpy and wildly animated Lynn from the animal presentation team.
We hear our first guest before we see him – Quincy, a loud and talkative double yellow-headed Amazon parrot, a native to the forests of South America. Parrots like Quincy, we are told, are adept at mimicking skills. He can utter the words “welcome to parrot paradise”, mimic a cat’s meow, and even do a rousing rendition of Singapura, Sunny Island. We also learn that parrots like Quincy require a lot of time and attention, can create quite a ruckus, and live up to 80 years old.
Our next close-up encounter is with another South American native: Ippy, a long-tailed scarlet macaw, which tongue wiggled and somersaulted his way into our heart. As one of WRS’ Go Green for Wildlife ambassadors, Ippy even schooled us in the importance of recycling with a charming demo involving three types of bins and litter – and a pint-sized stool.
Our next guests are no stranger to the limelight, having graced cartoons and cereal boxes. Meet the big-beaked Mr and Mrs Axle, a pair of wildly popular toco toucans, which are the largest in the toucan family. The husband-and-wife duo quickly get busy munching on their treats comprising a mix of assorted fruits, eggs, and chicken – “for a well-balanced diet”, we are told. Despite their oversized bills, we found out that they are incredibly agile, via a performance involving one nicely fielded morsel of grape.
These interactive sessions would be a hit with parents with young kids, friend groups, or remote teams for teambuilding activities.
As opposed to an in-person trip, these virtual sessions offer the opportunity to interact with the keeper and learn more about these critters. It also affords an up-close look at the animals, albeit via a screen. It was almost surreal seeing the toco toucans in such close proximity in real-time, and we were entranced by their cartoonish-looking bills.
While these sessions are non-exclusive, they are limited to only three user profiles at any time. Alternatively, participants can opt for a personal session by booking out all three slots for that timing and invite up to five friends to join in the call. Part of the funds raised through these interactive sessions is channelled towards supporting ongoing efforts by WRS to care for and protect wildlife and habitats across South-east Asia.
Verdict
All in all, the 20-minute session was equal parts entertaining and educational, and we walked away with newfound knowledge on feathered fowls – some fun to know, some hard to swallow.
Like when we learnt how many parrot owners end up giving up their pets at the Jurong Bird Park due to the birds’ high maintenance. Or how the number of toucans in the wild is shrinking due to poaching and deforestation, driving home the importance of supporting local conservation efforts.
Turns out, staging a show with animals in real-time can make for pretty good comedy, thanks to their penchant for going off-script. To wit, Lynn’s repeated attempts at getting Quincy to say hello is met with stony silence, while earnest appeals for him to mimic a rooster’s crow sees the fowl letting loose a series of shrill whistles instead.
We were, perhaps, most delighted by a surprise appearance from the flamingo family as our session drew to a close. During an interactive Q&A session with the host, we received a crash course on flamingos: These pink beauties are not au naturel, but get their colour from their diet which contains beta carotene. They love to shower. Sometimes, they stand on one leg even when they are sleeping. And, yes, flamingos fly. But, like airplanes, they require a long runway to run a few paces to gain speed before taking flight.
Rate: S$100 (US$72.50) for a 20-minute session with all animal groups for virtual meetings, except oriental pied hornbill and white cockatoo (S$50 for a 10-minute session)
Contact:
Website: www.wrs.com.sg/en/hello-from-the-wild-side