Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MTCE) will be implementing the CHS (Cleanliness, Health, and Safety) programme in every destination across the archipelago linked to the tourism and creative industries, in a bid to speed up the sector’s recovery post-pandemic.
As part of the nationwide move, Bali is set to become the pilot project. During a meeting with Bali’s vice governor Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati on May 14, MTCE secretary Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani said that the Ministry is currently preparing recovery measures including compiling SOPs relating to health, cleanliness, and safety standards.
Bali’s triumph over the virus will see it serve as the pilot project for Indonesian tourism ministry’s new health-centric programme
“Our Ministry collaborates with the Ministry of Health and related institutions in conducting surveys, verifying the implementation of the CHS SOPs properly and correctly, in accordance with the established standards,” said Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, who is also head of Center for Tourism and Creative Economy.
She added that the initiative aims to rebuild visitor confidence and encourage tourists to return to Indonesia in the wake of the pandemic.
In general, Giri explained, the concept of CHS refers to health protocols issued by the Ministry of Health and the concept of sustainable tourism development, as well as the implementation of Sapta Pesona, which is the soul of Indonesian tourism.
In the initial stage, the CHS programme will be implemented in Bali, due to its relative success in containing the virus, despite being a tourist hub.
Giri said that the results from the CHS trial in Bali will become a point of reference for local governments and other tourism and creative economy stakeholders. “The next steps are verification, audit, and certification of CHS by involving certification institutions,” she concluded.
• Squeezed by fiscal woes, travel providers across Asia turn to diversification
• Revenue from pivots stands in stark contrast to tour sales, but proving a lifeline in uncertain times
• Pivots poised to outlast pandemic, say agents
To diversify or not to diversify has become less of a luxury and more of a necessity for tour operators across Asia, as the travel halt spurs them to forge new money-making roadmaps.
From selling produce to providing proxy shopping services, these innovative pivots in the face of the pandemic are raking in vital income, while at the same time, surfacing long-term growth opportunities.
Philippines-based tour agency MAD Travel’s employees packing bottles of honey sourced from local farmers for delivery to consumers across metro Manila, as part of their pivots amid the travel slump
For South Korean agency, Trazy – Travel Crazy Korea, it has opted to cast the net wide, offering since March a diverse range of services such as proxy shopping, food and grocery deliveries, as well as interpretation and translation.
Kristine Um, co-founder and CMO at Trazy, said those diversifications came about as the pandemic paused travel, adding that it was a breeze to pivot into these fresh revenue streams as they already had the basic infrastructure and skillsets in place, not to mention the necessary platforms to market these services to their target customers worldwide.
Though she declined to reveal income numbers, Um let on that these services are “gaining some traction, leading to actual sales”. A quick browse on Trazy’s website show that their food delivery service has grabbed some 2,600 eyeballs, while their proxy-buying service which ships internationally have been checked out by nearly 4,000 users.
Trazy’s staff leverage the agency’s social media platforms to plug their pivots, including their proxy shopping services. While foreigners may not be able to travel to South Korea during this time, via Trazy’s proxy shopping service, they are still able to snag everything from popular Korean snacks to Starbucks Korea’s coveted Cherry Blossom collectibles.
Um said the bulk of their customers hail from South-east Asia – Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines – and North America, with a smattering of Europeans.
As well, the agency is offering food delivery services in select cities across the country, targeting foreigners seeking to skirt the hassle of conversing in Korean and the complex Korean payment system. More recently, the agency has rolled out translation and interpretation services, facilitated by its English and Korean bilingual staff.
Over in the Philippines, eco-tour operator MAD Travel has started the MAD Market, an online marketplace that sources from local farmers and SMEs, while delivering fresh produce to doorsteps across metro Manila.
“This new service came about when people in the metro were searching for means to have fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to their doorstep. So, we did what we’ve always done – bridge farmers and communities to guests – just this time, through an online delivery market instead of tourism,” said MAD Travel co-founder Rafael Dionisio, adding that the initiative partners 60 farmers, four small businesses, and 10 market vendors.
“At the MAD Market, we’ve started selling some of the produce from our partner communities – earning them income critical at this time. We plan to continue our MAD Market even when travel bounces back as it’s another channel to pump up village economies and engage even more tribes and communities.”
Additionally, MAD Travel has expanded their online social enterprise courses, which were first started in 2019. These online courses offer experiential learning to students by connecting them with social entrepreneurs, explained Dionisio.
“With travel currently off the agenda for most schools around the world, we had to rethink our approach to service learning by ensuring experiential, inspiring and thought-provoking experiences without compromising student safety,” he said.
“We do this through virtual tours, where students will have authentic interactions with local communities and social entrepreneurs which broaden horizons and enhance understandings of what constitutes impactful service. Once travel lifts, we plan to fuse online and on-ground learning.”
Already, their pivots are bearing fruit. Since its April launch, the MAD Market has chalked up more than 600 orders, while the agency is catering custom-made online courses to over a dozen school partners.
Dionisio said: “We have already begun running programmes with international schools and universities in Europe and South-east Asia, especially for our existing partners.”
“Fortunately, we have in our team foreigners who are equally passionate about the Philippines, and this enables us to connect to new markets in Australia, France, Malaysia and the UK, to name a few.”
For Japan-based Joy Paradise Solution, the pandemic saw the Malaysian tour agency pivoting to commercial food exports. Its co-founder, Dominic Teh, said the idea was born when a movement control order (MCO) disrupted the travel plans of their returning Malaysian clients, who began asking the agency to send some Japanese goods their way.
He said their export business which launched in March has since grown from word-of-mouth and social media publicity including livestreams, and the company now has a distribution warehouse in Osaka. The firm’s main markets for its exports are Malaysia and Singapore, but it also services customers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, according to Teh.
The company exports mainly food items like Japanese instant ramen, and Calbee’s breakfast cereals and snacks, but also Japanese anti-virus products like surgical masks and sterile hand sanitisers that have become coveted commodities in the pandemic’s wake.
Dominic Teh, co-founder of Japan-based tour agency Joy Paradise Solution, promoting Japanese instant ramen, which are among the food items exported by the company, on its Facebook page
Teh claimed that their products are sold at lower prices from those found on the local online market. Moreover, he noted, there is a shortage of food items across Asia due to supply chain disruptions, and that they ship their goods by air, the swiftest mode of transport.
Building on that demand for Japanese goods, the company has recently started pushing Japanese luxury watches to its Malaysian clients, citing a surge in interest from local watch enthusiasts.
Silver, long-term lining to coronavirus
The short-term downturn may have thrown up long-term growth prospects, with tour operators adopting a far-sighted perspective in their pivoting strategies, even as they tackle short-lived headwinds posed by the pandemic. As businesses are driven to pad up their portfolios, reinventions made in light of evolving realities could prove long-lasting, including a greater focus on e-commerce and virtual experiences.
For MAD Travel, Dionisio said that the agency’s diversifications form part of its long-term strategy, and are poised to outlast the pandemic.
“Through offering virtual tours, an online marketplace and, eventually, on-site tours once more, we hope to be able to support communities in different ways. They are actually part of a long-term plan to diversify our income streams, and also to support our communities in a more holistic manner,” he said.
“All our plans are flexible or can be done online as we don’t know how long it will be before people feel comfortable to travel again – and that’s a big part of what we considered with our strategy.”
That deeper dive into virtual engagement has necessitated the reskilling of their workforce, which may very well be a linchpin to thrive in a new normality.
Dionisio elaborated: “For online education, we are focused on training the travel team to market virtual experiences instead of on-site ones. The team learning how to become teachers and facilitators online is a challenge. After all, what works in person doesn’t necessarily work online.”
Also thinking long-term is Teh, who stressed that the seven-person company plans to continue its newfound venture even after travel resumes, especially since business has grown by 30 per cent over the past two months. “At most, we will hire more staff to continue maintaining this business,” he said.
On the other hand, Um said it remains to be seen how long her company’s pivots will persist, as uncertainty abounds.
Still, she sees a silver lining amid the Covid-19 cloud. “(These pivots are) a way to see things in a new perspective. Perhaps, it may be a great opportunity for us to expand and diversify our business,” Um said. “We’re at a stage where we’re trying to increase awareness (of our new services) so as to provide something beyond the travel industry.”
Short-term losses, long-term gains
Though agents reported that the revenue from their pivots so far pale in comparison to their tour sales, they claim that it is still vital income nonetheless.
Teh called the company’s export sales a “far cry” from its pre-pandemic tour business income, matching only 10 per cent of the former. But he said that the earnings are helping to cover their losses during the MCO period, especially given Japan’s high living costs.
Likewise, Dionisio shared that MAD Travel’s pivots are raking in merely 20 per cent of the agency’s travel revenue before the crisis hit, but declined to reveal the actual numbers.
Still, he is optimistic about the future outlook of the market. “In times like these, 20 per cent is plenty, and much better than zero. It has allowed us to keep parts of the company operational, in a world where most travel companies are at zero. We think that we can get back on track within a year,” he said.
Joy Paradise Solution’s Teh (left) and fellow co-founder Hugo in talks with their local supplier partner for luxury watches, which they plan to market to Malaysians during the travel downturn
Looking ahead, both Dionisio and Teh reported that this diversification of revenue streams feeds back into their core travel business.
Dioniso said: “Long-term, we see that the education programme can feed into the travel programmes, and that the online marketplace allows us to continuously connect with customers before or after they travel.”
Similarly, Teh said that the company’s export venture has raised awareness about its main tour business. He added: “We tap into new markets for our export enterprise. Occasionally, we will also distribute some tour vouchers with our products, so more people come to know that we are in the travel business. This is to pave the way for our future recovery.”
One of Malaysia’s many adventure spots, Kiulu River, Sabah, is suitable for families and amateurs with its gentler Class One to Two rapids
A decade ago, adventure tourism used to be associated with Europeans on holiday seeking an adrenaline high through adventurous pursuits such as bungee jumping, rock climbing or a hiking expedition.
This trend is changing. Over the last couple of years, the travel trade in Asia has seen increasing demand from Asians looking for soft adventure activities as well as authentic experiences in destinations off the beaten track.
Natasha Martin, a freelance consultant on adventure travel based in Cambodia, reckoned that the trend is motivated by an increasingly mature Asian traveller market. Unsatisfied with the typical shopping and sightseeing, the market is eyeing more meaningful experiences.
That is where adventure travel comes in. Travellers are given the opportunity to explore new places and learn about new cultures – two elements which make for “a memorable holiday”, noted Martin.
Where nature meets culture
It is that emphasis on not just nature and adventure, but education and culture that sets Asian adventure travellers apart.
Irshad Mobarak, founder of JungleWalla Tours – a tour operator specialising in taking groups to eco-tourism destinations in Langkawi – has seen that with his company.
He noted a rise in the number of participants from Singapore, South Korea, Japan and the domestic Malaysian market over the last five years. “Most (of them are) FIT nuclear and multigenerational families, who appreciate an educational element in the programme,” he shared.
Unlike European travellers, the Asian market prefers soft adventures. “They seek activities such as birdwatching, wildlife spotting and kayaking, as well as the opportunity to, say, trek to a waterfall and enjoy a home-cooked meal at a local’s residence on the way back,” revealed Mobarak.
In comparison, guests from France and Germany tend to engage JungleWalla Tours for hardcore adventures.
Where dollars make sense
Given the high-risk and specialised nature of adventure tours, travellers in this niche sector are more likely to engage professional services – including that of guides and tour operators – than the traditional travel market, noted Martin.
Uzaidi Udanis, general manager, Eyes Holidays, agreed and noted that, in fact, travellers were ready to fork out more than usual for such services. This was evident when his company took FIT travellers from neighbouring countries to Gopeng, Perak, for a two-day, one-night whitewater rafting trip.
“(The travellers) were willing to pay US$500 for the unique experience of being in an all-natural, pristine setting where rapids were of Class One to Class Four,” he shared.
Paul Landgraver, co-founder of Wicked Adventures, said travellers were willing to pay for his packages, which are priced at the higher end of the market. Wicked Adventures draws an increasing number of working professionals from Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, aged 25 to 35.
Wicked Adventures takes travellers to remote Indonesian destinations, such as Komodo, Flores and Sumbawa, where they can engage in active adventures.
Where sustainability matters
Landgraver shared that a percentage of his company’s revenue is channelled to the local community through the Wicked Good Foundation. The latter provides on-the-job training for locals interested in the tourism industry, and funds turtle conservation camp Pante Hera in the Savu Sea Marine Protected Area.
Run by volunteers and operated through donations, Pante Hera camp works to protect endangered hawksbill sea turtles and raise environmental awareness among local villagers.
Considering the close relationship between nature, culture and adventure travel, making genuine efforts to engage with and give back to the local community – while taking on the responsibility of environmental conservation – seems the natural course of action for players in the sector.
Where community is key
This brings to mind another niche sector where adventure and experiences of local culture can meet: community-based tourism (CBT).
Guam, located in the western Pacific Ocean and nearest to the Philippines among ASEAN nations, is a choice location for CBT travellers, with culture dating back to neolithic times. Latte stone structures on the island are testament to the culture of her indigenous people – the Chamorros – which dates back to the Latte Period of 2000BC.
Currently, the US island territory receives mostly tourists from Japan and South Korea, which are a few hours’ flight away. However, Guam is looking to promote CBT on the island to South-east Asian markets.
Mark Manglona, marketing manager, Guam Visitors Bureau, shared that his team is looking to set up marketing representation in either Singapore or Malaysia.
One of the island’s key eco-tourism destinations closely tied with the community is The Valley of the Latte Adventure Park. Locals are involved in the tours offered, which feature an adventure riverboat cruise on the Talofofo and Ugum Rivers, kayaking as well as stand-up paddle-boarding.
After all the action, visitors go on a tour of the Latte Stones and an ancient Chamorro village. They are also invited to witness fire-starting and basket-weaving demonstrations and learn about the culture of the Chamorros.
Within South-east Asia, CBT is also thriving. Local communities have been able to benefit from tourism while visitors get to appreciate the heritage of the places they visit. And for this authentic exchange to happen, local communities find value in preserving their environment and way of living.
Where they get the word out
Tapping on the potential of adventure travel and CBT is inevitably tied to responsible promotion.
In mid-February, 347 delegates from 33 countries gathered in Sabah, Malaysia, for the 2020 run of the PATA Adventure Travel Conference & Mart to promote their destinations, network, and better understand the adventure travel market.
Sabah took the opportunity to bring some of the delegates to the renowned Kinabalu National Park, where they learnt about local culture and myths amid unspoiled nature.
Considering Sabah’s status as a key eco-tourism spot in Malaysia, the local tourism office continuously emphasises to CBT players the need to market their products online, Noredah Othman, general manager, Sabah Tourism, told TTG Asia.
They are also encouraged to follow Sabah Tourism on overseas roadshows and tradeshows for promotions.
OTA Insight, a cloud-based data intelligence platform for the hospitality industry, is introducing several new product features to its business intelligence tool Revenue Insight to support hotels’ Covid-19 recovery plans.
As lockdowns lift, hotels’ PMS data will become an even greater source of insights to understand the market and demand shifts at the property level.
Revenue Insights rolls out new features to help hoteliers anticipate demand and plan recovery
To make the most of the rebound and business recovery, it’s critical that hoteliers and revenue managers can easily visualise pick-up and pace insights, analyse business mix trends, rapidly adjust forecasts, and most importantly, quickly spot segments that are showing signs of recovery.
“Hoteliers are relying on Revenue Insight more than ever to help navigate unpredictable market conditions,” Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO of OTA Insight, said in a statement.
“We’re working closely with hotel and cluster level users to quickly innovate and deliver features and insights based on the ‘new normal’ versus relying on historical trends.”
In addition to monitoring each property’s performance, cluster managers can now manage their hotel portfolio to monitor trends and track data on a granular level. This is increasingly critical as the onset, pace, and intensity of the recovery differs by market, region and customer segment, said OTA Insight.
Revenue Insight multi-property delivers instant access to portfolio performance data to make faster and better decisions suitable for each hotel, as well as comprehending where each property stands in the recovery phase.
Emerging as the first business intelligence solution to remove manual Excel reporting and fully harness the power of detailed PMS data, Revenue Insight empowers multi-department commercial teams to achieve better cross-functional alignment.
Revenue Insight unique property-level features include:
● Custom date period comparison – the same period last year is no longer relevant. The new compare features enables comparison with last week, last month or any custom periods to make better planning assumptions.
● Make quick forecast adjustments – as restrictions are lifted and market conditions change rapidly. Hoteliers will be able to adjust, compare and keep their enterprise team up to speed. Budget and forecast targets can easily be uploaded directly into the dashboard to monitor performance.
● Business breakdown details – track data by segment, agency, channel and company as the onset, pace, and intensity of the recovery will differ by region and by customer segment.
● Rate Insight’s rates integration – evaluate how rate positioning impacts hotel business, and take immediate actions to optimise performance.
This is in addition to portfolio-level features, including aggregated KPIs, which allow users to monitor hotels’ overall performance and momentum, as well as a dynamic business mix dashboard to predict the recovery, and monitor which locations start picking up and on which channels to refine pricing and distribution decisions.
Marriott International will be marking the return of its W brand to Australia, with the opening of its second property in Melbourne this December, following a delay of its original June launch.
Forming the centerpiece of Cbus Property’s A$1.25 billion (US$816 million) Collins Arch mixed-use precinct, W Melbourne is touted as the city’s first luxury lifestyle hotel with a “rebellious luxury” edge.
W Melbourne will open its doors to guests this December
Located at 408 Flinders Lane, W Melbourne will feature 294 guest rooms, including 29 suites. Hotel facilities include four F&B outlets, starring a Japanese fine dining restaurant, an all-day dining venue, as well as two bars including a hybrid café-meets-wine-bar.
Other amenities include a fitness facility, a gold-roof adorned indoor pool with poolside bar and DJ booth, as well as 830m2 of conference, meeting and event space, including a 426m2 pillarless ballroom.
The aviation industry will likely take three to four years to get back to pre-Covid-19 activity levels, while Emirates, one of the first airlines to be impacted by the pandemic, will be among the last to recover from the crisis.
That is the “pessimistic” prognosis by Gary Chapman, president, group services and DNATA, Emirates Group, taking into account not just the recovery from the crisis but also “the mother of all recessions that will follow” to be marked by waves of unemployment and disruptions.
Emirates may take three, four years to bounce back from the pandemic, says Gary Chapman during a webinar hosted by the Philippine’s tourism board
“I am very positive about the future and about our ability to come through this, but at the moment, it is a pretty horrible place to be in the aviation industry… because it is, frankly, a horror story,” Chapman said in a webinar called The Future of Travel, a World Travel and Tourism Council exclusive organised by the Philippine Department of Tourism.
He added that while there’s a need to plan for the uncertain future, “the real focus right now is making sure that we stop the haemorrhaging, the cash bleed that we’re all facing”.
It’s “a very emotional, a very difficult time” for Emirates, with 260 aircraft grounded and 105,000 staff in the organisation, while presently doing only a number of repatriation flights, he said.
Chapman shared that as a hub-and-spoke operator globally, Emirates will be among the last to recover from the pandemic given that “we have no domestic market” and “we are also bringing people (to and from all continents)”.
Based on what can be seen in the last few weeks as the pandemic progresses, “we become a little more pessimistic in the sense that we make forecasts and predictions… and it’s turning more and more into a worst-case scenario”, Chapman said.
“Any recovery will be toxic and erratic”, he added, as the travel and tourism sector fights for consistent and clear safety and security standards for travelling.
Chapman also noted the impracticality of some proposed travel protocols like a two-week quarantine for travellers and social distancing.
“There’s a risk that it will make the (travelling) experience rather unpleasant. You may compare it with going to the dentist for root canal and you have no anaesthetic and what happens is not about medical control but what the experience is going to be like,” he said.
Chapman added that “the talk of social distancing in aircraft is garbage as far as I’m concerned,” pointing out that the economics of it will be the “death knell” for the industry and that no airline will be able to operate commercially.
“If anyone wants that, let them buy six or seven seats and they can have their own space.”
The Indian government has allowed domestic flights to resume in a calibrated manner from May 25, after two months of grounding.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that has to be followed by airlines, airports and passengers for the resumption of flights.
Domestic flights will resume from airports across all major Indian cities from May 25
To ensure affordability of air fares for passengers, the government has capped ticket prices for three months. The elderly, pregnant women and people with health issues have also been advised to avoid travel.
“The industry has been waiting for the systematic opening of domestic flights. Even though the capacity will be limited to begin with, it is a step in the right direction as many stranded people will be able to travel by air,” said Ankur Bhatia, executive director, Bird Group.
He added: “The government has given a detailed SOP which will be helpful in curtailing the spread of the virus. Fare cap might be challenging and impact the airline yields but these are extraordinary times and such measures are required.”
Kanika Tekriwal, CEO & founder of JetSetGo Aviation, said: “In the downtime, we were preparing ourselves to reopen our services by working on the guidelines prepared by the government to ensure the maximum safety of our guests. We are looking forward to the detailed plan of flying and reopening our bookings by the authorities.”
Industry players urged the government to also allow hotels to reopen to support tourist demand that will surface through the opening of flights.
“Most travellers would need to stay at hotels. Hotels on their end have used the lockdown period to prepare for reopening, putting into place measures such as social distancing,” said Bhatia.
However, a section of the travel trade was quick to add that it may take some time before domestic tourism starts picking up.
Arun Anand, managing director, Midtown Travels, said: “Domestic travel may slightly ease up, but travellers’ apprehension (to flying) has to go in order for demand to rise significantly.”
Jia Community Centre in China distributes masks and thermometers to nearby villages during Covid-19
Planeterra Foundation, G Adventures’ non-profit partner, has launched a fund-raising campaign to help tourism-reliant communities weather the Covid-19 storm.
The Turn Travel into Impact from Home campaign aims to raise CAD$50,000 (US$35,800) in emergency funds for needy communities.
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Jia Community Centre in China distributes masks and thermometers to nearby villages during Covid-19
An artisan at Tribal Textiles in Zambia sewing masks for local healthcare workers
Already, the campaign has raised more than CAD$15,000, allowing the non-profit to transfer grants to six of their partners to help support basic community needs, including food and medicine.
Among the first to receive funding is the AidChild Leadership Institute (ALI) in Uganda, which sees 50 per cent of their operating budgets generated by their tourism initiatives, including a cafe and guesthouse. The grant is helping to feed the 67 HIV-positive orphans in their care.
Despite hardships, many communities are demonstrating kindness and resilience, with project members offering support and services to others amid the crisis.
In China, the Jia Community Restaurant, which supports rural women and children by providing meaningful employment, has turned into a delivery and distribution centre for masks and thermometers for nearby villages.
Elsewhere in Zambia, the team at Tribal Textiles, which supports local artisans outside South Luangwa National Park, are using their workshop to sew 1,500 masks for local healthcare workers.
Planeterra president Jamie Sweeting said in a statement that fragile communities need the support now more than ever to ensure they are protected and can continue to offer life-changing experiences when travellers return in the future.
“Our global team is working overtime to support our projects, with grants to purchase food and medicine already going out to communities in Morocco, Belize, and Botswana,” she said.
We’re encouraged by projects that are helping one another and their communities, and we hope this fund will provide some relief and help to ensure jobs and organizations remain intact for when travellers inevitably return,” Sweeting continues.
Donations, which can be made here, will help project partners cover basic needs like food and medicine for their staff and beneficiaries, and provide support and vital resources to help tide them through this period.
Accor has teamed up with insurer AXA to provide medical support to guests at its 5,000 hotels across 110 destinations worldwide.
From July, the hospitality giant’s guests will be able to enjoy free medical teleconsultations, as well as access to AXA’s medical networks with “tens of thousands of vetted medical professionals”, which will allow hotels to make the most relevant referrals to their guests, in terms of language, speciality, and more.
Accor’s new partnership with AXA will allow its guests to enjoy free medical teleconsultations
The medical service complements Accor’s overall Covid-19 recovery plan, and is part of the group’s enhanced hygiene protocols put in place across its properties through its ALLSAFE Cleanliness label, the companies said in a statement.
Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor, said: “This distinctive partnership with AXA which we have been working on for several months makes even more sense in today’s context.
“In an increasingly complex environment, our 300,000 team members on the ground will be able to assist our guests and ensure their safety during their stays, turning our hotels into shelters.”
Currently, most travellers who love the journey are grounded. How can travel brands connect with travellers to reassure them, support them, and help them to once more take to the skies when the time is right?
The first few months of 2020 brought a seismic shift to travel. Under the influence of Covid-19, airlines, hotels and every business across the travel ecosystem has had to navigate uncharted territory. With certain Asian markets beginning to return to travel, now is the time to ask: How can we engage, support and assist travel lovers today, to champion the travel recovery of tomorrow?
Acting with continued empathy and flexibility Asia-Pacific is the world’s top spender for outbound tourism and has the largest aggregate domestic travel market. However, in recent months, Covid-19 has left frequent travellers feeling frustrated and powerless. They have been cut-off from doing the thing they love, unable to plan for the future, and in many cases, prevented from doing their job. During this time, it has been imperative that travel brands provide flexibility with regards to rebooking and cancellation policies.
Many airlines, hotels, loyalty programmes and tourism operators have waived cancellation fees, relaxed loyalty membership earning requirements, and introduced more flexibility on future bookings – providing peace of mind at what has been a difficult time.
We also saw brands empower and reward loyal customers, by way of helping them to manage the challenges of Covid-19. Hong Kong’s flagship airline Cathay Pacific was one of the first to reward their Marco Polo Club members three months of relief points to enjoy when travel resumes; and the airline is allowing customers to make unlimited changes to tickets purchased before June 30 this year.
This type of action displayed loyalty to customers during this critical time, while also helping give back control at a time when many felt powerless. As travel lockdowns begin to lift, and we start to see a return to domestic travel in region, it remains imperative that businesses maintain this amenable, customer-first mindset; so customers feel brands are supporting and championing their return to travel.
Staying engaged and connected Most brands have been on a communications journey, depending on when and how their business was affected by the outbreak. Now, with the first green shoots of progress being seen in markets like China, brands have the opportunity to get more creative with aspirational and even bold communications – because travel lovers need reassurance and crucial information, as much as they need a reminder that the joy of travelling is not forever lost.
Shangri-La launched a new Always Care. Always Here. campaign, while Lonely Planet is using social media to share cool travel finds – and these are just two examples of how brands can use timely, aspirational communications to stay front of mind and inspire people to keep their love for travel alive.
Diversify and grow The coronavirus outbreak even spurred businesses to go one step further and add value by diversifying their offering during this unprecedented period. Carousell is working with the Singapore Brand Office to give free exposure to out-of-work creative freelancers, restaurants are transforming into grocery stores, and fashion and beauty brands are pivoting to produce face masks, face guards and hand sanitiser.
For travel organisations who invested in an online earn or redeem platforms – designed to reward customer loyalty – the Covid-led surge in online retail has provided a much needed ancillary revenue stream.
While enabling travel companies to stay in touch with grounded travellers, earn platforms also ensure that their customers can continue to build points and air miles with a range of retailers, to put towards a dream holiday once lockdowns lift.
At a time when many are trying to reduce outgoing spend, redeem platforms have proven popular with consumers wishing to use points instead of cash. With Asia being the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce market, it’s likely the importance of platforms such as these will only continue to grow as the world adjusts to its new normal.
Building traveller confidence in the journey With markets in Asia already beginning their travel recovery journey, the new normal for now is domestic, followed closely by market-to-market routes. The optimism of Asia-Pacific travellers is fantastic news for global travel’s eventual recovery, but it’s also important to ask – what do customers expect from brands, in order for them to feel confident travelling?
A renewed focus on health and safety should be a priority. One recent survey found that disinfection procedures are the number one concern for nearly 80 per cent of travellers considering a return to the skies, with around three in four respondents also citing a desire for communications on safe places to travel.
These types of concerns have prompted travel industry action, such as Emirates’ decision to do Covid-19 testing for all passengers – and Hong Kong International Airport’s introduction of cleaning robots and disinfection booths.
It will be critical that travel brands not only institute health and safety measures, but also communicate these with frequency, clarity and transparency.
Travel brands can also consider new and creative ways to help travellers feel more comfortable and in-control after this intense period of unexpected disruption.
More collaboration across the travel ecosystem, to give customers an integrated door-to-door journey that feels connected, cohesive and catering to their needs at all times, will be core to this.
Looking towards travel recovery After Covid-19, the future of travel may look very different than any of us imagined. But there’s no going back; and every business operating in and around the travel sector must take a stake in building that future.
With a cautious resumption of some travel in Asia-Pacific, the time to act is now – as travellers will remember the brands that went above and beyond to reward, reassure and reconnect with them during this difficult period.
Travel brands must take a stand, be kind and be innovative in order to show their customers that they are valued. Engaging travel lovers today will help ensure the travel recovery of tomorrow.
