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VIEW FROM THE TOP PPS 619/02/2013(022926) In just two decades, Qatar Airways has become a force to be reckoned with in the aviation world. The airline’s outspoken CEO, Akbar Al-Baker, speaks his mind to Sim Kok Chwee No. 1733/April 2016 REJECTED REJECTED Walls between us There is reason to fear that governments will start to tighten visa policies and entry rules given the issues today. The UNWTO and its allies are lobbying harder for them not to. Will governments listen? By Raini Hamdi Who’s afraid to be middlemen? Not quite business as usual Making old new again in Kedah The trade ponders the future for intermediaries What a tepid economy means for business travel The Malaysian state touts its millennia-old heritage 01apr ttgAsia p01 cover-XY-march29.indd 1 29/3/16 4:06 pm April 2016 TTG Asia 2 Contents & editorial Want to read us on the go? Analysis 04 Intelligence 10 Agency 12 View from the top 13 Shop 15 Connect 35 16 22 25 32 Report: Destination: Destination: Destination: Business travel Macau Malaysia Myanmar SAFETY MUST BE FIRST PRIORITY n a mere 10 days between March 13 and March speaking in one voice on behalf of global travel and 22, there were three terror attacks. Gunmen tourism. But because safety and security are inextri- Iopened fire on civilians at an Ivory Coast beach, cably interlinked, GTAC must ensure it is lobbying another terror attack in Istanbul, this time on its for the right outcome. And for me, the right out- main shopping street Istiklal, and the attacks at come is not more openness for tourists to enter a Brussels airport and metro last week. country, but more security measures to ensure they Beach, airport, shopping street. As a tourist or are as safe as possible. business traveller, would you stop travelling? As As a traveller, I used to lament how tiresome head of homeland security of a country, would you flying has become, with one feeling like a criminal tighten up security? As someone whose livelihood at security checks and immigration. But today I’d depends on travel & tourism, what should you do? have more stringent checks at airports, planes and The UNWTO does not think tourists or business trains, hotels, beach resorts, etc, please. This should travellers will stop travelling. More than 50 million be the new normal. GTAC should press for more se- more tourists travelled the world last year than in curity, then run a campaign for the world tourists 2014, a 4.4 per cent increase to a total of 1.2 billion to understand why more stringent safety measures people. This year, it expects another year of growth, are needed and what tourists themselves can do to around four per cent, despited increased volatility make it easier on everyone travelling (say, read up and uncertainty. what is/isn’t allowed on planes today; don’t hold up On the second question, it would be unlikely that everyone by arriving at the nick of time, etc). security would not be tightened. But the Global Those of us whose livelihoods depend on travel Travel Association Tourism (GTAC) comprising and tourism should also make safety first the top groupings such as UNWTO, WTTC, IATA, etc, is priority today. Otherwise, the four per cent increase worried that this would be done in such a way that UNWTO believes we will get again this year will not As a traveller, I used to lament how tiresome would “end up killing the industry we are trying happen. Immediately after Brussels, it’s the stocks of to preserve”, said UNWTO secretary-general Taleb travel companies such as Carnival Corporation that flying has become...But today I’d have more Rifal. At a media conference at ITB Berlin (see went down. And with technology such as augment- stringent checks at airports, planes and trains, Analysis on pages 4-5), he called for not just safe but ed reality, we can’t take growth for granted. ‘friendly’ passage of travel. “If we (countries) start hotels, beach resorts, etc, please. This should closing borders, building walls, reducing our open- Raini Hamdi ness attitude, mixing the refugees issue with tour- Senior Editor be the new normal. ism, we will reverse our openness index,” he said. [email protected] In these times, we are indeed lucky to have GTAC twitter.com/rainihamdi COMING UP INSIGHTS INTO EXPEDIA TTG Asia heads ASIA’S HOTTEST RESORTS Outbound to Seattle for a first-hand account of how Expedia agents rate the region’s resort markets and pick NEXT ISSUE: runs the show and experiments for the future the emerging destinations to watch out for MAY TICKETS TO FUN With Asia now the epicen- OLMYPIC GLORY As Pyeongchang readies 2016 tre of theme park development, each market is for the 2018 Winter Olympics, South Korea seeing a different stage of development, dynam- sets its sights on becoming the ski destination ics and potential of Asia Legoland Malaysia 01apr ttgAsia p02 Op010416rhxyfinal.indd 2 29/3/16 4:00 pm Analysis REJECTED REJECTED XXXX impression of soon-to-open M Social SingXXXXXXXX WALLS BETWEEN US he industry is worried the handi- and friendly travel, not just safe, but friend- the number one issue today. potential threats through the use of tech- work it has done to-date on getting ly,” he said. But safety inevitably is linked to security, nology,” he said. Tgovernments to ease visa and entry “It is clear travel has become more com- which in turn can impact entry rules. But managing director of Marco Polo regulations will disentangle in the face of plicated and travellers are faced with the Hardy explained: “The danger we’re fac- Reisen, Holger Baldus, begged to differ that terror attacks in recent months in cities as challenge of security. Security is important ing is if there is an increasing number of countries weren’t tightening up on visas. random as Paris, Jakarta, Istanbul and most but it must be done in a way that does not these attacks moving forward, countries will “Visa procedures are getting a bit more dif- recently, the Ivory Coast, Brussels and Istan- end up killing the industry we are trying to go the opposite way of what we want them fi cult – even for Germans travelling to the bul again. The refugee crisis and a shaky EU preserve. to do – they’ll increase restrictions on visas, US,” he said. that could even put paid to the Schengen “If we (countries) start closing borders, make it more diffi cult for people to enter “Before, Germans needed a kind of visa only add to concerns. building walls, reducing our openness at- the country, and that will impact tourism.” landing permit for the US which could be Before all this, travel and tourism was titude, mixing the refugees issue with tour- Asked if he’s already seeing countries applied online costing around US$11 to coasting on a general mood of increased ism, we will reverse our openness index,” he reversing entry rules, Hardy said: “Not at US$13. Now, it’s been tightened. For exam- welcomeness. According to UNWTO’s Visa said. this stage. There hasn’t been an increase ple, if I’ve been to countries like Iraq, Syria Openness Report 2014, the percentage of Rifai added: “We’re advocating that tour- in restrictions because of these attacks yet. or Sudan since 2013, I need a visa, and I do world population requiring a traditional ism have a seat, so to speak, when it comes The refugee problems do have an impact, get that. But Iran, which is a top study tour visa prior to travel was 62 per cent in 2014, to discussions on safety and security. Tour- particularly in Europe, not in Asia, but then destination for us? So, because I’ve been down from 77 per cent in 2008. In 2014, 19 ism is being targeted everywhere by the it might affect outbound from Asia into to Iran lately, I’ve to go to the US embassy per cent of the world population was able forces of darkness because they know it Europe in the long term if Europe tries to in person and apply for a visa, which costs to enter a destination without a visa, while hurts economically and politically. Now, if put up borders again, if England pulls out more than a landing permit, even though 16 per cent could receive a visa on arrival, hurting this sector will cause a lot of dam- of EU and if there are restrictions (with the) when we listen to the news, it seems Iran is compared with 17 per cent and six per cent age to the country, then the country has an Schengen (visa).” on the right path. respectively in 2008. obligation to say, ‘Come, let’s hear what you Hardy said with technology today, coun- “In some places of the world it is getting The UNWTO was aiming to further low- have to say’. If it ends up taking measures tries could still have their necessary controls stricter. Germany itself is extremely strict. er the percentage of the world population without consulting the sector, it will end up to monitor people “but not necessarily We hear from partners from quite a num- requiring a traditional visa prior to travel killing that very sector and it’s something it fending off the 99.9 per cent who are com- ber of countries attending ITB Berlin that to 50 per cent last year.

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