Hong Kong’s new campaign aims to spur local tourism

June 18, 2020

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has launched the Holiday at Home campaign, with the aim of encouraging residents to discover hidden gems in their own hometown so as to stimulate virus-hit consumption.

The campaign, which will be rolled out in phases, provides Hong Kong residents with information on travelling around the city, including an Insiders’ Guide featuring lesser-known attractions.

Hong Kong incentivises local residents to explore the city’s lesser-known venues and attractions

Hotels, attractions, shopping malls, tour operators and restaurants will also roll out a collection of offers on an online platform. Locals can also redeem free tours upon spending of a designated amount.

In-depth travel guides and information about the offers are found on the dedicated campaign website HolidayHK.com.

HKTB chairman YK Pang said that Hong Kong saw only around 8,100 arrivals in May, nearly a 100 per cent decrease year-on-year. He added: “The HKTB’s strategy to revive Hong Kong tourism begins with revitalising the local market. By encouraging local tourism, we hope to rebuild the city’s vibrant atmosphere and give the world a positive impression so that visitors will feel confident about coming to Hong Kong again.”

Pang continued: “Once it is possible for visitors from a certain market to travel to Hong Kong, the HKTB will appeal to those visitors by extending to them the travel and local spending information and offers featured in this campaign, together with attractive flight-and-hotel packages.”

Thailand throws US$718m into domestic tourism push

By Anne Somanas

June 18, 2020

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Grand-Palace2 — Grand Palace Bangkok, Thailand

The Thai government has approved a 22.4 billion baht (US$718 million) domestic tourism stimulus, as part of efforts to soften the impact of the pandemic and speed up recovery in the travel and tourism sector.

The stimulus package was proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and comprises three packages geared toward frontline personnel, hotel stayers and those using domestic transportation to travel.

Thailand’s government turns to domestic tourism to make up for the losses in international tourism receipts

To date, no concrete plans have been drawn up as to when international tourists will be allowed back into Thailand – a situation that has frustrated local DMC chiefs. With hints that travel bubbles may not be implemented by July, it appears the Thai government has put foreign arrivals on the backburner, instead turning its focus on reviving domestic tourism with three incentive packages running from July through October of this year.

The Moral Support package worth 2.4 billion baht will fund the holiday travels of 1.2 million frontline medical personnel, public health volunteers and officials of sub-district hospitals. The subsidy is capped at 2,000 baht per tourist for a minimum 2 days and 1 night of travel booked through participating agents.

All other Thai nationals aged 20 and above will be eligible for the 18 billion baht Travelling Together package, where the government will fund 40 per cent of overnight stay rates at participating hotels, capped at 3,000 baht per night for no more than five nights. The subsidy will apply for the first five million eligible nights of stays booked outside travellers’ home provinces. The package also includes subsidies, capped at 600 baht per room, per night for other services, including related F&B businesses.

Another two billion baht has been allocated for the third package, Happiness-sharing Trips, to subsidise domestic flight fares, inter-provincial bus fares and car rental fees for two million individuals. The subsidy will cover 40 per cent of expenses, but is capped at 1,000 baht per tourist.

The package is expected to stimulate 100 million domestic trips and benefit 36,755 F&B operations and 24,700 participating accommodations in the hospitality industry.

With this scheme, the government hopes to incentivise Thais who would otherwise have travelled abroad to opt for local adventures instead, and that domestic receipts could make up for losses in inbound tourism.

An MOF source told the Bangkok Post that Thais spent 400 billion baht travelling abroad in 2019 – and the government hopes to capture 75 per cent of that sum in domestic receipts this year.

In 2019, Thailand got 18 per cent of its GDP from tourism, and domestic travel spend made up about six per cent of that total, approximately one trillion (out of three trillion) baht of tourism income.

The government hopes to earn at least 900 billion baht from domestic travel this year, which would nearly rival 2019’s tourism revenue of 1.28 trillion baht generated by Thailand’s primary cities.

Hotels wanting to join the programme can register with state-owned Krung Thai Bank, while eligible travellers can sign up via the Krungthai Bank (KTB) app to obtain the e-vouchers. Last year, the Thai government also issued a domestic tourism subsidy via the KTB’s app, which proved so popular that the app crashed within hours of its debut.

New hotels: Hôtel Perle d’Orient Cat Ba – MGallery, Park Hyatt Suzhou and more

By TTG Asia

June 18, 2020

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Hôtel Perle d’Orient Cat Ba – MGallery, Vietnam

Accor has set up its seventh MGallary in Vietnam, Hôtel Perle d’Orient Cat Ba – MGallery, which is situated in the picturesque Lan Ha Bay. The hotel is the first international luxury property on Cat Ba Island. Offering exclusive access to its own private beach, the 121-key hotel offers five F&B venues, kid’s club, gym, spa, and wellness centre with outdoor pool. For events, the Crystal Ballroom can host up to 190 guests, while the Tonkin Room can accommodate small meetings and private functions for up to 26 guests.

Park Hyatt Suzhou, China

The Park Hyatt brand has opened an outpost in Suzhou, eastern China, located near Jinji Lake in the heart of Suzhou Industrial Park. On-site facilities include a pool, fitness centre, spa with six treatment rooms, as well as three F&B venues – Xizhou Hall serving locally-inspired fare, Living Room for light refreshments and tipples, and Apartment 208 specialising in prime steak and sustainable seafood. On show too are five function venues covering 2,400m², which can accommodate private and large groups, up to 900 guests. Accommodations can also be arranged for overseas attendees in the hotel’s 178 rooms and suites, ranging from 50 to 173m².

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Japan & China

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has expanded its portfolio with two property conversions in Japan, and the opening of five new hotels in China.

Wyndham Grand Awashima, formerly known as Awashima Hotel, is a Mediterranean-style resort hotel located on the island of Awashima. The property boasts 60 suites, an outdoor onsen, a concert hall for events and several restaurants, one of which specialises in the local cuisine from Shizuoka Prefecture. There are also several banquet halls for events.

Wyndham Garden Nagaizumi, formerly known as Nagaizumi Garden, features 95 Japanese and contemporary style-suites, all equipped with kitchenettes. Situated on the slopes of Mount Ashitaka, guests are surrounded by views of Numazu City and Suruga Bay. Visitors can bathe in the Momozawa natural onsen which contains vanadium from Mount Fuji, while travellers with pets will be delighted to know that the hotel is pet-friendly and even has a dog café, Blue Bird.

Both hotels, which have recently undergone light refurbishments, mark the debut of the brands in the country and make Wyndham the first global hotel company to expand into the emerging destinations of Awashima and Nagaizumi.

Over in China, Wyndham has opened five Ramada by Wyndham-branded hotels.

Located in the centre of Luoyang city, the Ramada by Wyndham Luoyang Downtown offers 142 rooms and suites, alongside amenities such as meeting spaces, business centre, gym, bar and restaurant.

Situated south-east of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, the Ramada by Wyndham Jianyang is the first international five-star hotel in Jianyang city. The 191-key hotel features facilities like meeting rooms, fitness centre, indoor pool, restaurant, and lobby bar.

Looking over Changsha’s Yuhua district, the Ramada by Wyndham Changsha Wuguang offers delegates easy access to the Changsha International Convention & Exhibition Center. There are 140 rooms and suites within, alongside amenities such as meeting facilities, fitness centre, and two restaurants.

Over in the capital of Central China’s Hubei province, the Ramada by Wyndham Wuhan Qingshan is situated at the intersection of Jianshe 3rd Road and Fushun Street. The property boasts over 100 keys, two restaurants and meeting facilities.

Lastly, the 179-room Ramada by Wyndham Kunming Yiliang in central Yunnan province stands 45 minutes from the Jiuxiang Scenic Region and Shilin Stone Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site. On-site amenities include two restaurants, meeting facilities, pool, and spa.

CLIA’s Cruise Champion training now open to all

By TTG Asia

June 18, 2020

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CLIA is offering open access to its new online training course, Cruise Champion, making it available to travel agents and other industry supporters from outside the association’s membership.

The course will take a deep dive into the workings of the global cruise industry, helping to combat misperceptions and raise awareness of the strict regulations that govern cruising operations worldwide, so travel agents will be better placed to respond to clients’ queries.

CLIA offers free access to its online training course, Cruise Champion, to promote greater awareness of the cruising industry

CLIA managing director Australasia & Asia Joel Katz said: “By sharing more knowledge about cruise line practices and the strict regulations that govern our industry, we can build a bigger network of voices who advocate for cruising globally.

Topics covered include regulations, safety, health, security, environmental protection and corporate social responsibility.

While other CLIA education options will remain exclusive to members, Cruise Champion can be accessed without charge.

Macau rolls out subsidised tours for locals

By TTG Asia

June 18, 2020

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The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has launched a subsidy scheme for Macau residents joining tours run by local travel agencies in hopes of spurring domestic travel.

Under the campaign, titled Macao Ready Go! Local Tours, each Macau permanent and non-permanent resident can enjoy a grant of 560 patacas (US$70) to join two tours – with 280 patacas per tour – scheduled between June 22 and September 30 organised by participating travel agencies.

MGTO will subsidise local tours for Macau residents in bid to revive tourism; Ruins of St. Paul’s in Macau pictured

Participants can pick from 15 itineraries in two categories: Community-based Tours (six itineraries) and Leisure Tours (nine itineraries). The tour fees cover sightseeing, catering, tour guide service, insurance, and more. The two grants must be used on tours in different categories. Those who wish to join a third tour must then pick up the tab.

The project is coordinated by MGTO, sponsored by the Macao Foundation, and undertaken by a task force comprising Macau Travel Agency Association, Association of Macao Tourist Agents and Travel Industry Council of Macau.

As part of the project, the task force will work with the travel agencies for their provision of resources such as coaches, drivers and tour guides, as well as arrangements for catering and tourist attractions, among others.

In addition, to cater for participants with special needs, community organisations, schools and other institutions can contact the task force for coordination of tour application via info@lovemacau.org.

Downtime reflections

By Karen Yue

June 18, 2020

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The Covid-19 pandemic has presented new and unusual business challenges for hotels. How have hotels’ approach to sales and marketing changed as a result?

With the global impact of Covid-19 on travel evolving from week to week, and market-to-market recovery being hard to predict, we conducted a survey with 500-plus hoteliers worldwide at the end of May (to understand the state of hotel marketing). Findings indicated that they are aligned on key post-Covid recovery marketing strategies.

Some key findings included:
● 42% of respondents believe we can expect to see signs of recovery in 4-6 months
● 54% are looking to government easing lockdown restrictions as an indication of recovery
● 39% will have a very small budget for marketing when recovery begins, so (spend) will be lower than pre-Covid
● 50% will keep the same marketing mix (while) 39% will be focusing on tactics that promote more direct bookings, away from OTAs

We don’t recommend that hoteliers go dark right now, as they should be focused on generating brand awareness, honing in on the local and drive markets, and (creating) advanced booking offers. Pay-for-performance models are an excellent way to achieve this without (straining) a small budget or (when there is) no budget at all.

Consumers trapped at home are spending more time online, working, learning, shopping and seeking connections. What should hoteliers do to engage these consumers online positively?

Hoteliers spending this time to upgrade their website and booking engine is key. Having a Covid-19 information page will also be key to garnering confidence among consumers to book with that specific hotel.

Now, more than ever, travellers want a flexible cancellation policy. Hoteliers are (doing that, enabling their guests) to book now and stay before the end of 2021. For example, Marriott has extended loyalty status to February 2022, and paused all points expiration to February 2021. Additionally, Marriott is making it easy for their customers to get involved in giving back, thus building brand loyalty; they can use their Bonvoy points to donate to The World Central Kitchen, UNICEF, Red Cross, (or desired) disaster relief fund.

What critical considerations should hotels take in planning their current sales and marketing strategy?

What we are seeing as part of current strategies, especially for chain hotels, is that they are offering competitive pricing and flexibility with stay dates. This has resulted in independent hotels holding off introducing offers due to the low lead in room rates.

In terms of future marketing strategies, hoteliers need to be cautious about group bookings – crowded hotels (during the) pandemic will not send a positive message and perhaps even create consumer distrust of that hotel.

When we ease out of Covid-19, hotels should focus on messaging that will give their customers and travellers peace of mind to stay with them and feel confident in their brand. Cleaning, disinfecting, social distancing, meal service protocols, and other standard operating procedures will be at the forefront for a long time.

Other recommendations I have for recovery are:

● Look for early signs of recovery, starting with the number of active cases and death rates. When numbers of new active cases and death rates plateau, it is likely that lockdown restrictions will be eased and social distancing measures will be lifted. Pay attention to government-issued travel policies obtained from reliable sources. Another sign to look out for is airlines ramping up to reinstate suspended flights.
● Promote a flexible reservation policy that is customer sensitive, and be mindful that the approach you take now will be remembered in the future. Consider incentivising postponed bookings and having a flexible cancellation policy.
● Use this time to optimise your website. Make it easy to navigate and book; provide updated and accurate information; use desirable images to convey the brand’s offering; and improve the speed of your webpages which will affect your ranking on Google search results page. It’s important to note that travellers using mobile to search are much more likely to leave a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load.
● Set up a Covid-19 information page to highlight the measures you are taking to ensure the well-being of your customers, staff and local community. Share how the team is trained to respond swiftly to anyone showing Covid-19 symptoms on property, including your process to notify medical authorities. If your country has a national health and hygiene audit initiative, call it out on this webpage.

How about their future sales and marketing strategy?

Globally, more and more people are isolated indoors. With that, many have turned online and are dreaming about and planning their next trip. Because online traffic is exponentially higher these days, it is important to maintain upper to mid-funnel marketing and brand awareness activities. We have seen a spike in travel bookings for late-2020 and early-2021, suggesting that travel will pick up (then), with a domestic focus first, then regional and finally, international.

Here are some digital advertising tips to keeping your potential customers engaged and ready to book with you as soon as they are able: choose your audience; get ahead of the staycation trend; select optimal marketing channels such as Display, Facebook, Instagram, search engine marketing, video and metasearch, and ideally, run them with a single vendor in order to avoid attribution/overlap issues; make sure your messages match the tone of your current audience’s circumstances; and use remarketing to advertise to the people who had come to your site, checked you out and then continued on their day.

Other recommendations I have are:

• Inspire dreamers on social media by continuing to showcase your business to keep future customers engaged
• Use metasearch to get in front of travel planners, starting with sites like Google Hotel Ads, TripAdvisor, Kayak, Trivago, and Skyscanner where approximately three-quarters of travellers will be browsing to plan their future travel
• Improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) strategy to get your business in top search results organically without paying for advertising. The content you put on your website determines your SEO ranking, so, during this crisis, use certain key phrases often and meaningfully throughout your website to float your site to the top of the Search Engine Results Page
• Reevaluate your rate parity and OTA strategy. When businesses are able to convince that their brand presents the best value, it encourages guests to book directly with them, thus developing trust
• Consider a co-op, especially if you don’t have the funds. Reach out to your local NTO or government destination partner for an advertising co-op possibility.

The big hotel chains clearly have all the sales and marketing guns they need to go forward in the digital world. What about the smaller local chains or independent properties that want to be competitive but may not know how to proceed? How can they get started?

Gone are the days when it cost an arm and a leg to own a website. Nowadays, there are affordable website developers and marketing partners (to be found).

At Sojern, we support independent hotels with our Pay On The Stay model, where a hotel pays a commission for the booking we have driven and (use our) tools such as The Hotels Network’s offering to… drive direct bookings.

The absolute bare minimum a local chain or independent property can do is have a well informed property website.

How is Sojern helping?

We’ve been talking with our customers across the world and travel verticals, and (many say they are) using this time to think about their current partnerships, relationships, and industry, and to see how they can use this time to re-evaluate some things.

There is so much changing every week that you need to be flexible, soak up as many great ideas and strategies from each other and from other verticals within travel, and let data guide your decision-making as much as possible.

We understand that tracking the ever-changing travel trends is more important now than ever. To help arm hoteliers and travel marketers (with timely information), we’ve released a real-time insights dashboard that provides the latest travel trends. Additionally, we have a webinar series where industry experts share how they are tackling Covid-19.

Japan to hold “simplified” Olympic Games

By Kathryn Wortley

June 18, 2020

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Japan — The five ring symbol of the Olympic Games at Odaiba. Tokyo Olympic 2020 has been postponed to 2021 due to novel coronavirus pandemic. People wearing surgical masks.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo Organizing Committee (TOC) have agreed to hold a “simplified” Games in 2021 to limit the financial impact of the one-year delay and ensure the safety of those involved as Covid-19 continues to spread.

The decision came following recognition of the need for a “realistic plan” that allows the Olympics to be held and eliminates calls for its cancellation, The Japan News reported, citing an unnamed Japanese government source.

Tokyo Olympics organisers consider simplifying the Games in 2021 due to Covid-19 impact

Some 200 items have already been earmarked for streamlining, TOC president Yoshiro Mori and CEO Toshiro Muto told a press conference. These items cover five areas: service levels, volume of provision, activities, operations and venues.

According to a statement from the IOC-Tokyo 2020 joint steering committee, organisers will make decisions on scaling back based on three revised goals: “to prioritise the health and safety of athletes, spectators, stakeholders, volunteers and staff; to reduce the cost impact of postponement and promote public interest; and to simplify and reduce the complexity of the Games to ensure they can be organised efficiently, safely and sustainably in this new context”.

Detailed plans are yet to be announced, but may include adjustments to the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as other “non-core cultural elements”.

“Critical sport competition and athlete-related elements”, however, will be maintained where possible and “only be adapted to the new context if absolutely necessary,” the statement continued.

Alongside the scaling down, the Tokyo Committee has rolled out a six-stage roadmap to 2021 to adapt to the evolving coronavirus situation.

Following confirmation of the new framework for the Games by end-June, the committee will reexamine the required service levels and initiate measures to overcome the challenges caused by the postponement. In late August, staff are set to carry out additional reviews of required services and begin their implementation, with preparation for Games time beginning in full in January 2021.

The Japanese government and the IOC have agreed that a further extension for the Olympics beyond 2021 will not be possible.

TripAdvisor sees spike in travel searches amid pent-up demand

By TTG Asia

June 17, 2020

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Activity in the travel and dining sectors look set to pick up as consumers are displaying strong pent-up demand, with growing interest in road trips and destinations closer to home, found a recent TripAdvisor study.

The study, titled Beyond COVID-19: The Road to Recovery for the Travel Industry, analysed consumer travel sentiment and first party behavioural data related to the ongoing pandemic.

More travellers favouring road trips, shorter vacations to destinations closer to home: TripAdvisor

There is significant pent-up demand that exists in the marketplace for travel and dining, the study found. New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland are among the first markets to see signs of recovery in the dining sector, with restaurant searches on TripAdvisor resurging strongly.

Consumer desire to travel remains resilient, with around two in five (41 per cent) respondents keen to take the same or more trips than last year.

Shorter trips to destinations closer to home are a recurring theme, with nearly half (44 per cent) of consumers saying they are more likely to take a road trip, and two thirds (61 per cent) saying they are most comfortable taking a road trip for three to five days.

Consumers are 218 per cent more likely to want to take a trip where they can relax compared to before the pandemic, and nearly two thirds (59 per cent) would prefer to go somewhere off the beaten path.

In addition, searches for nature and beach destinations are on the rise, with Tripadvisor seeing a spike in North American traffic researching Campgrounds, Ranches and Beach Motels, while Myrtle Beach, San Diego and Key West are among the most popular domestic destination searches in the US in recent weeks.

The report also outlined a five-stage recovery for the travel and hospitality industry, from the period of decline owing to the pandemic to the anticipated market recovery, led by domestic activity, ahead of the return of international travel.

Kanika Soni, COO, Tripadvisor, said: “Our path to recovery will depend on the steps the industry takes to prepare for the road ahead – not just in terms of new standards and practices, but also in how we collectively educate and engage consumers in a new, more thoughtful way of travelling.”

The study also detailed the changes in travel and dining behaviours resulting from the ongoing pandemic. Across the board, safety, flexibility and transparency are key to rebuilding traveller and diner confidence.

Martin Verdon-Roe, general manager of hospitality solutions, Tripadvisor, added: “For hospitality businesses, (this) report offers plenty of reasons for cautious optimism. There are clear signs that many consumers have a strong desire to dine out and travel again when they are allowed to do so, but when they do, they will bring a new set of expectations with them.

“Businesses that adapt quickly to embrace safety, flexibility and transparency will have a clear competitive advantage to communicate to consumers, and that could prove crucial in hastening their recovery.”

Attractions in Indonesia scale up health response

By Kurniawan Ulung

June 17, 2020

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Fairyland — A fairytale castle in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia Theme Park)

Indonesian attractions and parks are rolling out flash deals and heightening safety measures to win back public confidence, as they ready for a reopening after three months of closure.

Jakarta’s amusement park Fantasy Land (Dufan) in Taman Impian Jaya Ancol will reopen its doors on June 20, operating at 30 per cent capacity. To woo domestic tourists, the park is offering free admission through a quiz on its Instagram account.

Attractions in Indonesia push out special deals to woo back visitors; fairytale castle in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah theme park in Jakarta pictured

The free tickets, which will be valid till March 31, 2021, are also offered with every purchase of limited-edition Dufan X Muklay merchandise, marked down by 33 per cent, which will be available until June 30.

To lure domestic tourists, Sea World, which will also reopen on June 20, is selling its annual pass for 187,500 rupiah (US$13), 25 per cent cheaper than usual, until June 30.

From June 15 to June 30, Taman Safari Indonesia park in Bogor, West Java, which reopens at 20 per cent capacity, has also slashed the price of its entrance tickets for adults and children by 13 per cent on weekends.

The park has also rolled out a new programme, Safari Trek, a hiking trip for visitors to go on a safari and enjoy the beautiful view around Mount Gede Pangrango, in a bid to help them ease the mental and emotional strain caused by the months-long lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Borobudur temple in Central Java, which normally receives 8,000 to 10,000 visitors daily, will also halve its normal capacity upon reopening. During a trial run which kicked off this month, only 100 to 200 tourists are allowed to enter the temple daily.

Implementing cashless transactions, requiring visitors to wear face masks, conducting temperature checks, providing hand sanitisers, giving physical distancing marks, and disinfecting properties are also among health and safety protocols imposed by these attractions and parks after reopening.

Such heightened safety measures will also be carried out by Taman Mini Indonesia Indah park in Jakarta, when it reopens on June 20, and Jawa Timur (Jatim) Park 2 in Batu, East Java, which will reopen on June 27.

Meanwhile, travel agencies in Indonesia are also ramping up health measures to ease travellers’ concerns.

Hasiyanna Ashadi, managing director of Marintur Indonesia and head of Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies Jakarta chapter, said: “In our cars, we have arranged seats in a way to ensure that our guests can maintain distance. She added that hotels and restaurants partnering with the association’s members had also implemented health protocols.

She further shared that Jakarta had 59 hospitals equipped to handle Covid-19, and if travellers were to get infected with the virus or display symptoms, they would be rushed to one of those hospitals immediately for medical treatment.

The readiness of cities who have committed to health and safety protocols needs to be conveyed to tourists, according to Adjie Wahjono, operations manager of Aneka Kartika Tours, and Monas Tjahjono, managing director of Monas Tours.

They encourage local governments to boost promotions not only on tourist destinations’ offerings, but also the health measures they have adopted to safeguard the well-being of tourists.

Pandemic fears hamper Malaysia’s tourism recovery

By S Puvaneswary

June 17, 2020

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Malaysia’s interstate travel ban has been lifted on June 10 but tour operators are seeing slow crawl to domestic recovery due to persistent fears of infection.

Uzaidi Udanis, general manager, Eyes Holidays, described demand as “trickling in” but for hometown visits to see loved ones and relatives, which were restricted during the movement control order (MCO). Their visits are then extended with a short holiday to a beach or island destination.

Beach and island holidays are gaining popularity among domestic travellers in Malaysia; aerial view of a floating resort at Port Dickson, Malaysia pictured

He shared: “For families looking for a weekend outing, the requests we get are usually (for somewhere) within a three-hour drive. We see more requests for self-drive packages as travellers are not yet confident using public transport or travelling by air.”

Uzaidi’s target market are city dwellers living in the Klang Valley. He sees demand for day visits and homestays to experience local village cuisine as well as to beaches such as Port Dickson.

Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager, New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel, said the pandemic has heightened consumer awareness around cleanliness, with more travellers enquiring about the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and hygiene protocols in place at their holiday destinations.

He has observed pent-up demand for travel among Malaysian residents, and urged the local state tourism authorities to “come out with policies to jumpstart the tourism industry”.

Mint Leong, managing director at Sunflower Holidays, believes it will take time for the domestic market to recover, as many businesses and employees have been affected by the MCO.

Leong noted that measures to discourage senior citizens from outdoor activities, such as museums and galleries admitting only those aged 13 to 60, are hindering the recovery of domestic tourism. She said the older consumers are “the ones with time and money to spend”.

Hong Kong’s new campaign aims to spur local tourism

Thailand throws US$718m into domestic tourism push

New hotels: Hôtel Perle d’Orient Cat Ba – MGallery, Park Hyatt Suzhou and more

CLIA’s Cruise Champion training now open to all

Macau rolls out subsidised tours for locals

Downtime reflections

Japan to hold “simplified” Olympic Games

TripAdvisor sees spike in travel searches amid pent-up demand

Attractions in Indonesia scale up health response

Pandemic fears hamper Malaysia’s tourism recovery

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Knai Bang Chatt by Kep West

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