PPS 619/02/2013(022926)

No. 1710/August 8, 2014

40 years of Asian travel & tourism

8aug ttgAsia P01 cover-JUL24 FINAL.indd 1 24/7/14 10:44 am TTG40ANNIv3.pdf 2 7/17/14 5:03 PM

C

M

Y ROYAL PLAZA

CM

MY ON SCOTTS

CY turns

CMY K FORTY Leaving 40 years of footprints. Thank you for joining us on the journey.

25 Scotts Road Singapore 228220 www.royalplaza.com.sg Tel: (65) 6737 7966 Fax: (65) 6737 6646 Email: [email protected] Advertorial

Showing Off a New Look at 40

RP TTG advertorial.indd 2 7/21/14 5:05 PM Contents & foreword

Trade tales 05 CEO views 10 Game changers 26 Infographics 48 Under 40 64 3426 42 Game changers: Game changers: Game changers: Finale 70 airports products WE TURN 40 Dear readers, We invite you to journey with us through 40 years of Since the advent of the Internet and technology, peo- Asian travel and tourism with this special edition that ple have said that travel agencies are dying, publishing marks the 40th anniversary of TTG Asia, our flagship is dying, the meetings business is dying, and on and on publication. they go. Yes and no. When I joined the company in 1984, travel was rather Sure, many travel agencies have closed, but many are dominated by Western travellers looking east. Tour op- also thriving like never before. Video-conferencing has erators and travel agencies ruled travel sales. Alliances not replaced meetings. And in the four decades since the among national carriers were unthinkable, so was the first TTG Asia was issued, we have had our fair share notion that flying could be a low-cost affair. And who of competitors and today these include the new media. then would dare bet a wager that competing hotel But we are still standing – constantly revamping our brands, like Le Méridien, Sheraton and Westin, would print titles, launching new ones, embracing new media one day be part of the same family? and going into new businesses such as the launch of There have been many changes. But if you ask me Roomonger.com recently. to pick two of the most profound changes, they would Why hasn’t technology displaced everything? I be- have to be the rise of the Asian travel market and the ad- lieve that whenever ‘people’ are involved in a business, vent of technology, as both have cut the deepest impact technology cannot completely replace that business. I DARREN NG on your business, and on ours (inextricably linked that believe completely in the word ‘trust’ and that people MANAGING DIRECTOR we are). Till today, we are still benefiting and challenged trust other people and not machines. And of course it at the same time by these two forces, as you have read in is also because there are always players in the industry TTG ASIA MEDIA every issue of TTG Asia in the past 10 to 15 years. with enormous 40tude capacity to change and adapt in This is why we chose the theme, 40tude, for our 40th order to survive. anniversary celebrations. It brings to mind two key On that note, I wish you lots of 40tude. Enjoy this 40th words, ‘fortitude’ and ‘attitude’, which we think encap- special edition, which was conceptualised by our sen- sulate the state of the industry and hint at the qualities ior editor, Raini Hamdi, and deputy group editor and needed for survival: courage in adversity, bravery, en- TTG Asia editor, Gracia Chiang. On behalf of the entire durance, moral fibre, individuality and self-confidence, TTG Asia Media team, thank you for your loyalty and just to name a few aspects of these two words. support all these years.

TTG ASIA EDITORS PAST AND PRESENT “I joined TTG Asia in 1992 as senior reporter and “Before I entered the tourism industry, my mindset was its editor for many years. In my time, we didn’t was similar to many of my Millennial peers: Why use have acronyms like BFF or ICYMI, and cloud really a travel agency when you can plan your holidays us- was something to do with the skies, not that which ing the Internet? After four years of getting to know enables us to work from anywhere today. We also did the trade and covering its latest developments, I am not have the ability to fact check or research the way convinced that there is definitely a market for travel we do today with the Internet, or hound our contacts consultants – but only if they keep innovating and through more ways than just the phone. Technology making themselves valuable. I am happy that TTG is a blessing for us journalists!” Asia is able to play a role in championing this.” RAINI HAMDI, Senior Editor, TTG Asia Media GRACIA CHIANG, Deputy Group Editor & TTG Asia Editor

40tude-Content(ky)RHgcmy.indd 4 22/7/14 2:32 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 5 Trade tales

Clockwise from top: Richard Willis doing his signature number, My Way; Singapore Tourism Industry Ball at the Singapore Zoo; all ready to sell travel – Lotus Tour reception desk

BLAST FROM Interviews by Raini Hamdi, Prudence Lui, Rosa Ocampo, Greg Lowe and THE PAST S Puvaneswary In the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, the Far East was still new. working in competition to operators, doing their How was travel sold? Why There was a real sense of discovery, not just in sourc- utmost to attract direct customers. ing new products but also in explaining the appeal On client habits, the biggest change is, in the past was it fun? What made it to clients. In many areas, you were just looking at a there was an appreciation of your time and knowl- handful of hotels whereas now you have over 100. edge – and almost a guilt factor should the book- memorable? Tourism and At most hotels, you were dealing with a director ing not proceed. It is vastly different now. Clients of sales who could make instant decisions and had now seem to think of the trade as a free consulta- hospitality veterans reminisce the full trust of the owners. This was way before rig- tion service, to verify what they might have heard the good old days with id automation/yield controllers came into fashion! or read. There is no embarrassment about taking an It was fun as you could be creative and innovative, it hour of your time without the ‘reward’ of a booking. anecdotes that will make you was not just sold on the lowest price. Ironically this is coming from clients who in their There was more unity and cooperation between own professions charge by the hour (e.g. lawyers, gasp in disbelief and ponder the operators, hotels and airlines. We all wanted the doctors, etc). Due to the Internet, everyone seems business, but the hotels felt the best way to sell their to be an ‘expert’, but with extremely selective vision whether the industry has product was through the tour operator. Hardly any and hearing! – David Kevan, director, Chic Loca- clients booked direct with hotels. tions UK on how the overall business of selling travel changed for the better Obviously the introduction of the web changed has changed. Read on for more personal reflections much of this, and now hotels almost seem to be by Kevan and others.

TTG ASIA_236X90MM_BUSINESS ESSENTIALS CAST.indd 1 17/7/14 1:18 PM

40tudeTradeTales_hhky1RH(ky)redgc.indd 5 22/7/14 2:34 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 6 Trade tales

cused fairs. But soon the entrepreneurial minds of some of COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY the bigger agencies made them hold their own fairs. Quick- AND THE BUT FULL OF HUMANITY ly, everyone jumped onto the bandwagon to get direct sales OPERATORS ASKED One of my first in- and price became a fierce competitive tool. With the advent of OTAs, price competition became more intense. IF WE LIVED ON ap troductions to the Robin Y travel trade was a Technology should be a tool that makes the sales process TREES PRESIDENT, copy of TTG Asia 36 more efficient, thus improving profitability, but somehow TRAVEL CORPORATION ASIA, years ago, on May 23, it does not out work out that way. Software keeps changing SINGAPORE 1978, when I was with fast; the need to keep up means more investments which do not necessarily result in better returns. So this endless (SIA). Since then, it pursuit of technology at times takes the focus off the core has been my source business of travel agencies. Many tried to go high-tech but of trade information lost the high-touch. The recent change of employment policy (in Singapore) and news. Through Wong the news revolution and its blind application across the board makes it even Anthony from print to digi- harder for service to be efficient. The ever-increasing de- GROUP MANAGING tal, TTG Asia has mand of consumers today with decreasing tolerance levels, DIRECTOR, ASIAN OVERLAND kept its focus on coupled with high costs and lack of manpower, makes it SERVICES TOURS & TRAVEL, MALAYSIA providing the most impossible to achieve the optimal equilibrium of price and relevant news yet service. My first trip to ITB Berlin was in 1978. It was keeping up with the But one thing hasn’t changed, for which I’m glad, and so difficult then to market Malaysia and South- times to meet the that is the humanity of the travel agency workforce. While east Asia as the Europeans had not heard of needs of the new fiercely competitive, we are probably one of the few indus- this region. So I took out a huge map of South- online readers. tries where competitors can enjoy a game of golf, meal and east Asia and showed them where Malaysia, Yap in 1978 at SIA Engineering As a young tour party with no boundaries drawn. Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Singapore planning officer of The Travel Corporation brands Insight Vacations, and were. And the operators asked if Singapore Airlines (SIA) Tourism Development Depar- Trafalgar Tours and Contiki Holidays have benefited im- we lived on trees. In jest, I replied: “Yes, to run ture, I was assigned to man the SIA Holiday booth at the mensely by working closely with all our travel agency part- from the crocodiles and tigers!” first NATAS Travel Fair held at the Hyatt Hotel in 1987. It ners for more than 30 years in Singapore. Many mentors Today, thanks to the good work of Tourism was then dominated by NTOs showcasing their destina- who helped me in the early ‘80s to establish Insight Vaca- Malaysia and the other NTOs in this region, it is tions. Consumers came to learn about the destination be- tions in Singapore are now close friends. so much easier to market South-east Asia. fore they book. It was fun working at these destinations-fo- Today, we do brisk walking regularly.

I WAS YOUNG there were only 10-15 people travelling, I could still make AND MORALLY MY VERY FORWARD- the tour happen. If it was a bigger group with 30 people, we THINKING IDEA could make more money and even share the earnings with ADHERED TO Back in the 1970s, I worked with P&O SIA. Cathay Pacific was worried as it operated only to Lon- THIS RULE Travel and we were one of the don and Frankfurt. The idea was very forward-thinking at very first longhaul wholesal- that time and business jumped 100 per cent while transac- ers operating from Hong tions grew from nothing to thousands. Kong to Europe under Singapore Airlines (SIA) CONTIKI DANCED Europe Holidays. I pro- ITS WAY THROUGH posed a system of three When we launched the Contiki brand, we had only 500 illis levels of ticket fares brochures. We held the kick-off (party) at a disco in Richard W g based on group size. I Causeway Bay. Using a disco was way beyond the think- HP Kon VICE CHAIRMAN, needed a very good fare ing (then) and eventually we got 300 bookings, which was HONG KONG ASSOCIATION FOUNDER AND OF TRAVEL AGENTS for a smaller group so if amazing. CHAIRMAN, LOTUS TOURS, HONG KONG

When we were appointed an IATA agency in 1959, there was a stipulation stressing no rebate money from our property in Hua Hin that had much bet- for clients. I was young and morally adhered to LUCKY IF WE GOT US$15 ter rates back then. We were lucky we started in those sorts this rule. That’s why for the first six years, my FOR A ROOM of places. company hardly made any profit. IATA later We opened our first property in Pattaya in These days it’s pretty tough and competitive. sent me a letter and said that with no growth of 1978. We never planned to be in the There aren’t the same opportunities and I my ticketing business, it might not renew my ap- hotel business. The only other com- haven’t seen any uncompetitive markets in pointment. I later had a meeting with my staff pany was Italthai, which also never the country. The good thing is the country and found that it was common practice for agen- planned to be in the hotel busi- is still growing. cies to rebate customers and no one got caught. ness. They had Nipa Lodge and we I smile every time people write off Thai- So I started doing this in January 1965 and the had the Royal Garden. They went land. I remember when people said no one monthly turnover rose from HK$150,000 to from the Nipa Lodge to doing The ke would ever go back to Phuket after the over HK$1 million that summer. Today, the fig- einec Oriental and then the whole Amari Bill H 2004 tsunami. I’ve lived through six of the ures have mushroomed to HK$500 million per chain came along. CHAIRMAN, 12 coups in Thailand. month. IATA forced me to earn money! MINOR INTERNATIONAL, We started in Pattaya with the Royal THAILAND Now, again, we seem to Garden Resort. We really knew nothing be at one of those times about the hotel trade apart from the fact that when people think Thailand The opening of we had a property we wanted to sell, but we couldn’t is in a dire situation. There’s noth- Lotus office in get anyone to buy it. Next thing we knew we were in the ing wrong with Thailand; what’s 1959 as hotel business. wrong is the perspective from requested by When I look back to those days in Pattaya it was a really abroad. IATA tough market. We were lucky if we got US$15-20 a room; We’re fortunate to have a to get US$25 was really lucky. When we opened our riv- world-class tourism industry. erside hotel in Bangkok a couple of years later there was We’re never going to be world- another crisis – martial law was announced the day we class at making tennis shoes or opened. So we opened the hotel even though there were no mining coal; how many other guests. That was another tough period for Thailand. Rates countries in the world are better were terrible in Bangkok but at least we were able to make than Thailand at hospitality?

40tudeTradeTales_hhky1RH(ky)redgc.indd 6 22/7/14 2:34 pm My Magnifique Voyages

Sofitel So Singapore

Mister karl lagerfeld lends his signature touch To singapore’sWith “the first lion’s luxury seal” exclusivedesign boutique emblem hotel 35 robinson road, singapore 068876 Tel: +65 6701 6800 - e-mail: [email protected]

H I-SO Rooftop Pool & Bar

So Lofty Xperience Restaurant & Bar

DiscoveDiscover singapore so differently. COSMPOLITAN MODERNITY MEETS INNOVATIVE HERITAGE AT SINGAPORE’S FIRST DESIGN

BOUTIQUE HOTEL. LET YOUR JOURNEY TO PLAYFUL LUXURY BEGIN IN THE CITY. DISCOVER JOIN OUR GLOBAL LOYALTY PROGRAM ALL OUR MAGNIFIQUE ADDRESSES IN OVER 40 COUNTRIES ON AT ACCORHOTELS.COM 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 8 Trade tales

everyone disappeared!” they wailed. We were left stranded YOU WANT TO BE on the island and all the hotel’s equipment had disappeared. DEPORTED OR WHAT? When I tried to collect payment from the palace officer, It was during martial law in the 1970s he suddenly vanished! My head was spinning. I was on the under Philippine president chopping block. I guaranteed this catering, waiving the re- Ferdinand Marcos when, as quired deposit to the great apprehension of my banquet the banquet manager of colleagues. the then Manila Hilton Luckily, I had another hotline to the palace. He raised the (now Waterfront Ma- money and we got paid. nila Pavilion Hotel), I The catering cost one million pesos – which in today’s was asked by a Mala- value is about 15 million pesos (US$342,234) – a record in pez Arthur M Lo canang Palace officer the history of any catering contract for the hotel. to cater to the grand OWNER/PRINCIPAL, inauguration of San AMLHOTELCONSULTANTS WHAT A GIFT! Juanico Bridge connecting The entire Sheraton Auckland Hotel and Towers, of which I Samar to Leyte in Visayas. was manager, was abuzz because the emir of a Middle East- My expatriate colleagues advised me ern kingdom was visiting New Zealand for the first time. to turn down the business, fearing that the government Since the local staff was not familiar with the Middle Agency professionals just love to perform would not pay. But I said: “I can’t. Otherwise all of you will East, I called someone from the foreign affairs department be deported.” to brief them on the specific nuances and habits peculiar to GUNG-HO The hotel’s kitchen brigade, including ice carvers, was the Arab culture. brought on site and we set up the kitchen and service facili- The visit proved to be fruitful with trade and investment TRAVEL TRADE ties including marquees, ice carvers and flowing fountains agreements exchanged between the host and visiting gov- PARTNERS a week in advance. ernments. On the day of their departure, the chief minister g The palace officer even commandeered the army, navy came to see me, expressing the emir’s delight over the su- Wan and air force at my disposal. What a high and mighty feel- perb service, delicious food and warm reception. And he Terruce ing to be the skipper in charge! When I saw the helicop- gave a few dozen boxes as token gifts. VICE PRESIDENT, ters whirling in an open field and men in fatigue uniforms I called the department heads, asking them to distribute SALES AND DISTRIBUTION MARKETING, loading our china and other catering accoutrements, I was the gifts to the staff who attended to the emir. That day, HONG KONG DISNEYLAND strutting like a peacock to see our hotel’s logo on display. the air was thick with excitement. “Mr Lopez, do you know RESORT Everything went like clockwork, a complete success. what was in those boxes?” shrieked the F&B manager. But the following morning, the cooks were furiously “Rolex watches!” When I made my Disney debut in 2010, at our banging on my door. “Wake up, quick! Everything is gone, – Lopez is also president, Philippine Hotel Federation travel trade summit marking the resort’s fifth anniversary, travel agencies were content to be entertained. Increasingly, however, we have been introducing interactive formats in trade educa- tion, and travel consultants have become active residing between Rasa Sayang participants in our edutainment and webinars, WHISKY AND and Golden Sands. Langkawi was such as in the launch of Toy Story Land, Grizzly RAW CHILLI not even a consideration. Gulch and Mystic Point. In Bali, the focal point was Sa- In March this year, my team and I had our nur, with Bali Hyatt and Segara Vil- top travel trade partners put on costumes and van David Ke lage as the two most popular hotels join the cast of the Adventure Behind the Scenes followed by Sanur Beach. Nusa Dua show, staged for the Celebration of Sales Excel- DIRECTOR, lence 2013 where 26 awards were presented to CHIC LOCATIONS UK was still being developed and Kuta was the preserve of young surfers. our top performers. Our trade partners didn’t need much per- Looking through my old pass- Upcountry, there were just a few ho- suasion! They were keen to go on stage, and ports, my first visit to Thailand tels in Ubud, with the Amanpuri and the experience gave them a more intimate un- was in 1977, 37 years ago. It was Kupu Kupu as the forerunners. derstanding of the behind-the-scenes work that my trip to Asia and I stayed Singapore, like Bangkok, had makes Disney entertainment appears effortless. at Montien Patpong – never more demand than beds, with most Ultimately, such involvement brings them closer seen such a busy coffeeshop at of the hotels located off Orchard to our brand and contributes to more mutually 02:00! Then down to Pattaya Road/Tanglin Road. Popular hotels rewarding partnerships in the long run. and met with a young, fresh- A wai from Kevan, who was recently awarded ‘Friend at the time were Century Park Shera- faced Henry Widler who was of Thailand’ by the Tourism Authority of Thailand ton, Marco Polo and Goodwood Park. then a resident manager. Clarke/Boat Quay were still a twinkle in Kurt Rufli was general manager of the Nipa a developer’s eye. Lodge. Depending on the year, Hong Kong HOW THINGS Hardly anyone went to Asia at the time from the UK, seemed to go from feast to famine. There were times when HAVE CHANGED then Kuoni bought Houlders Holidays, a big player in the you had to beg for a room, literally, then six months later UK and Asia took off in the mid-70s. you could negotiate a stay three/pay two deal with trim- ah In Thailand my first points of call were Amari, Dusit mings. Popular hotels at the time were Lee Gardens at Anju Sh and Diethelm Travel under Luzi Matzig at the time, as that Causeway Bay and New World Harbour View at Wan Chai. MANAGING DIRECTOR, covered 60 per cent of your product needs. Dusit at the It was an exciting time, as everything was new and fresh. AMBIKA TOUR AGENCY, time had Rayavadee and Santiburi as well. Then it was to You were applauded for innovation and creativity, and THAILAND Akorn Hoontrakul of the Imperial Group – he introduced tourist boards/airlines and operators all worked hand in me to the delights of whisky and raw chilli, which made hand to build awareness. It was at a time when sales Back then, it was much easier to operate an agen- for an interesting lunch! I recall Akorn telling me about his managers could be instrumental in building up routes and cy. The rise of OTAs and direct selling by airlines dream to build a hotel on a totally undeveloped little island could really influence what was on offer, rather than just changed everything. Airlines don’t pay commis- called Samui. So the next day, we went to have a look. The reacting to a head office directive. They had the autonomy sion to agencies anymore. That started in the US flight to Surat Thani (this was way before Samui had an to make decisions without having to refer everything to a and took longer to take a hold in Asia. Our cli- airport), then the ferry and we’re there, ending the day on yield controller. It was much less controlled, and probably ents have access to a lot of the information we the beach at what was to become Tongsai Bay. more fun. in the trade have, so we have to make ourselves It used to be incredibly difficult to get a room in Bang- In many cases, tourism contacts I made in the region relevant. kok, as demand totally exceeded supply so frequently that became good personal friends, although commercially I When we realised that, we started focusing we used airport hotels as base. Traffic was horrible even in am now probably dealing with their grandchildren! on higher-end clients and people who still want those days, and most taxis considerately carried a plastic After all these years, I still have a great love for the re- to be looked after. Clients expect you to be con- bottle in case of contingencies. gion. I am privileged to have seen many destinations in tactable 24/7 and that has taken some getting In Malaysia, Penang was the only resort on the radar. their infancy and, in my own way, helped in their devel- used to. Getting to grips with social media can be Rasa Sayang, Golden Sands, Casuarina, Lone Pine and a opment. By the same token I am also saddened by the quite difficult for old fogies like me, so we make delightful little place called Palm Beach which Shangri-La commercialisation of certain destinations, such as Bali or sure we have lots of bright young people work- knocked down to build the entertainment complex now Phuket, but in reality that was always going to happen. ing on that!

40tudeTradeTales_hhky1RH(ky)redgc.indd 8 22/7/14 2:34 pm BFP2_Advertorial_TTGAsiaSpecial_380x260_AW3_OP.pdf 1 23/7/14 2:59 pm

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K CEO views

In this section, Raini Hamdi asks industry leaders to pen their thoughts PEEK INTO on what the future will bring THE FUTURE Brett Tollman on the future of traditional distribution Page 10 Adam M Goldstein on the future shape of cruise ships Page 12 Francesco Violante on the future passenger journey Page 16 Desirée Bollier on the future of shopping tourism Page 16 Tony Tyler on the future of aviation safety Page 17 Ho Kwon Ping on the future of integrated resorts Page 18 Frits van Paasschen on the future of hotel management Page 19 Loh Lik Peng on the future of boutique hotels Page 21 and Top row from left: Brett Tollman, Adam M Goldstein, Francesco Violante; mid-row from left: Desirée Bollier, Tony Tyler, Ho Kwon Taleb Rifai rounds off with harnessing the power of tourism Page 22 Ping; above from left: Loh Lik Peng, Frits van Paasschen, Taleb Rifai

we work closely to support and engage our travel trade TRAVEL PLANNING SOURCES IN partners. We have evolved WHICH US ADULTS HAVE THE MOST TRADITIONAL our traditional, original CONFIDENCE OF ACCURACY (AIDED) ‘tour operating’ model to immersive, curated life- % of US Adults Most DISTRIBUTION changing experiences, be Travel Planning Confident (“Top they guided holidays on Sources Trafalgar and Insight, lux- Box”) n=1,006 ury river cruises with Uni- WILL STILL THRIVE Family and friends 39% world, or independent soft adventure travel with Adventure World, to name a few. All Providers of professional By Brett Tollman, CEO, of our brands and products still need great travel agency 33% ratings such as AAA The Travel Corporation professionals to promote, explain and book via our call centres around the world. In fact, we are now moving to Travel agency 26% e are often asked and challenged about a 24/7 ‘follow the sun’ policy to provide our agency part- The Travel Corporation’s long standing, ners with an ‘always open’ call centre solution, recognis- Online travel agency such as 21% dedicated engagement and reliance on ing that many of them work at home today, and early or Expedia, Priceline or Hotwire the traditional travel agency distribution late. model.W We consistently repeat our belief, as follows: The future is very bright too: WTTC, UNWTO and Company websites for hotels, 18% Oxford Economics predict massive growth in travel over cruiselines or airlines the next 10 years, especially out of and around Asia. So Online consumer review sites “A QUALIFIED, ENGAGING, this is an industry that will enjoy continued success in 14% VALUEADDING, GOOD the future. Technology will keep evolving, to both benefit such as TripAdvisor and challenge our industry. Google Glass and other mo- Social media sites such as RETAIL TRAVEL AGENCY IS 12% bile device adoption creating new connected travellers to Facebook and Twitter STILL ESSENTIAL TO MOST online predictive search, and dynamic packaging by the OTAs, will continue to challenge the traditional agency Source: American Automobile Association (AAA) TRAVELLERS’ HOLIDAY model. Attracting, hiring, training and retaining a new gen- where – whether in Asia, North America, or Southern Af- TRAVEL PLANS AND eration of agency staff is critical – we as an industry still rica, where we ourselves operate a growing retail agency BOOKINGS .” have to do more to ensure this happens. That for me is business, Pen Travel. We have to keep sharing, learning the biggest challenge we face together, something WTTC from each other and helping each other to succeed, to en- Leisure travel has certainly evolved and changed sig- is working hard on with its global members through its sure our businesses are sustainable. nificantly over the past 40 years, everywhere. However, Tourism for Tomorrow working group focusing on our Recent research in the US validates the importance and when a customer is looking to buy a great holiday which industry’s future human resource scarcity issues. future of the traditional retail agency. The 2014 American has added value, is an enriching experience and matches Those who will succeed and endure in the future are Automobile Association (AAA) survey (see above) con- their expectations, a very good travel agency is still the best those companies that get this, and are also able to mas- firms that while most people are comfortable with and way to ensure these objectives are met or even exceeded ter the opportunities of Big Data and other such tools to reliant on their own online research, when it comes to in many cases. This is as valid today as it was in the past. better understand, engage and communicate one-on-one booking their holiday, especially those other than a ba- So many potential customers today are time poor despite with their customer database. One has to be agile, adapt sic airline booking, car rental or standalone hotel book- their excellent multi-tasking skills, have overloaded work and change as needed while still providing the same fun- ing, they place their highest confidence in a professional schedules, are connected almost 24/7 yet are still trying to damentals of any successful business: giving great cus- travel agency to book (59 per cent for AAA-branded lead a relatively good work-life balance. I can personally tomer service, working hard and being a good employer. travel agencies and non-AAA branded travel agencies validate this and I use a great travel agency in Los Angeles I was impressed when I recently saw the Dynasty Trav- combined). It is also exciting to see our next generation for ALL of my personal and family travel plans. el Singapore’s tablet developed for its consultants to go of travellers validating the importance of a professional The Travel Corporation today is relatively complex to time-poor customers’ offices and homes, engage them travel agency for booking, after friends and family, with and diverse, operating 30 brands in over 60 countries, and book their travel where they want to be. This highly the older generation highly recommending an agency in with 38 offices globally. In each of our ‘selling’ markets, competitive, dynamic, fast-changing landscape is every- many cases.

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 10 24/7/14 2:51 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 11

“RECENT RESEARCH IN THE US VALIDATES THE IMPORTANCE AND FUTURE OF THE TRADITIONAL RETAIL AGENCY...SO OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURE REMAINS BRIGHT.”

Brett Tollman (second from right), his parents Bea and Stanley Tollman (centre), with Robin Yap (right) and team in the Singapore office

US adults place the most confidence in the accuracy cy’ (26%). media sites such as Facebook and Twitter’ than house- of travel planning information from ‘family and friends’ Women are more likely than men to place confidence holds with income of US$75,000 or more. (39%). Respondents who are 18-34 years of age place in the accuracy of ‘providers of professional ratings such So our collective future remains bright and we remain more confidence in the accuracy of travel planning infor- as AAA’ (41% vs 25%), ‘travel agency’ (30% vs 22%) and very dedicated and focused on the traditional travel dis- mation from ‘family and friends’ than respondents who ‘social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter’ (16% tribution model. We will continue to work hard to ensure are 65+ years of age (42% vs 32%). vs 9%). as many travel agencies as possible are highly profitable. The travel information services US adults have most Households with less than US$35,000 annual income With a strong price integrity model, when agencies book confidence in after ‘family and friends’ are ‘providers of place more confidence in the accuracy of ‘online travel our brands, they make great money in working closely professional ratings such as AAA’ (33%) and ‘travel agen- agency such as Expedia, Priceline or Hotwire’ and ‘social with us.

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 11 22/7/14 2:37 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 12 CEO views

“IN LESS THAN 20 YEARS WE HAVE TRANSITIONED FROM MARKETING THE BENEFITS OF DISCONNECTING FROM DAILY LIFE TO CALLING OUT IMPROVEMENTS TO ONLINE CONNECTIVITY.”

Goldstein: Ships will just get bigger and better SHIP SHAPE Dynamic Dining concept. By Adam M Goldstein, I’m also comfortable forecasting that president & chief operating four critical elements of ship design and construction will continue to play a cru- officer, Royal Caribbean cial role in the cruise industry’s develop- Cruises ment. First, technology will be ubiquitous. eople sometimes ask me if there In less than 20 years we have transitioned will ever be a cruise ship larger from marketing the benefits of discon- than our Oasis-class ships. My necting from daily life to calling out im- answer is yes. It’s clear from his- provements to online connectivity. This is Ptory that ships get larger over time. There the beginning of a revolution in the guest may be a longer-than-usual hiatus as Oa- and crew experience with unforeseeable sis-class represents a significant increase developments ahead. in guest occupancy (5,400) and GRT Second, safety and environmental sen- (225,282), but it is highly unlikely that sitivity will continue to be front and cen- there will never be a bigger ship. tre. We take responsibility for our guests The only certainty is that cruise ship and crew every time a cruise ship leaves size and design will respond to consum- port and this will not change. Nor will er preferences. Over the last 15 years the our need to protect the oceans on which average size of cruise ships has expanded we sail. Continuous improvement in this rapidly. While economies of scale result domain must be unceasing. from increases in size, at least to a point, Third, fuel efficiency will only grow in this efficiency goal has not been our focus. importance but how this quest will mani- The primary driver has been the desire of fest itself in terms of types of fuels, pro- customers for ever more options, choices pulsion and power generation is unpre- and variety. The proliferation of spe- dictable. cialty restaurants, entertainment venues, Finally, destinations will continue to themed bars and action-oriented experi- emerge around the world, especially in ences is the visible manifestation of this Asia, over the upcoming decades. These insistent pressure. new ports-of-call will often lack the ability I’m comfortable forecasting that this to handle the largest cruise ships early in a consumer-led desire for diversity of ex- port’s maturity curve. So it’s highly likely periences will continue. I’m considerably there will continue to be a variety of ship less comfortable predicting what these sizes and a need for appropriate tendering experiences will be. After all, when Royal services as well as permanent docks, re- Caribbean began in 1970 with the first gardless of the size of the source markets purpose-built ships for warm weather that produce the customers. cruising, no one could have imagined Taking all of the above into account, it’s rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, clear Royal Caribbean and the cruise in- surfing, sky diving, digital signage or per- dustry will continue to push the bounda- vasive Wi-Fi, not to mention the elimina- ries of cruising as we have known them. tion of the main dining room as on the It will be exciting to see the innovations forthcoming Quantum of the Seas with its unfold.

Untitled-1 1 18/7/14 3:01 pm

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 12 22/7/14 2:37 pm TTGASIA_140718_FA.indd 1 21/7/14 15:47 Explore Incredible Indochina with Best Western From ancient civilizations to modern metropolises, idyllic beaches to jungle-clad mountains, Indochina offers a wealth of wonders for the modern traveler.

C Across the region’s five rich and diverse lands – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – Best Western has M developed a broad collection of hotels and resorts, allowing more visitors to explore this exotic and exciting region. And with Y contemporary rooms, excellent connectivity – including free Wi-Fi – and a range of amenities to suit all types of traveler,

CM Best Western allows you to make your journey of discovery in comfort and style.

MY

CY

CMY CAPTIVATING CAMBODIA

K Once the heart of the ancient Khmer Empire, Cambodia has become one of the 21st Century’s most exciting destinations. And nowhere is this new-found prosperity more evident than in the capital, Phnom Penh, where Best Western recently unveiled its newest hotel, BEST WESTERN River Palace.

Best Western is also present on the doorstep of the spectacular Angkor Wat, BEST WESTERN Suites and Sweet Resort Angkor CAMBODIA offering a perfect two-center experience in this captivating country.

BEST WESTERN River Palace Hotel Set on the banks of the Tonle Sap River, BEST WESTERN River Palace Hotel offers a delightful escape from the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh. With rooms overlooking the city or river, this modern hotel is the perfect base from which to explore the sights. Sample exquisite Khmer cuisine at the Palace Seafood Restaurant or relax with a cooling drink at the Riviera Lounge Bar. And after a day discovering the city, guests can unwind in the hotel’s excellent spa, which features hot and cold jacuzzis, a steam bath and the only Turkish hammam in Cambodia.

Wherever life takes you, Best Western is there.® LAID-BACK LAOS Serene, spiritual and visually stunning, Laos is Indochina’s hidden gem. And no matter which part of this seductive country you visit, the warmth of the welcome and laid-back ambience always captivates travelers. Nestled on the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane is one of Asia’s most charming capitals, and BEST WESTERN Vientiane Hotel provides a convenient and comfortable accommodation option in the heart of this elegant city.

MAGICAL MYANMAR Hidden from view for so long, Myanmar is now emerging as one of the 21st Century’s brightest stars. The largest city, Yangon provides a wonderful mix of old colonial buildings and gleaming, golden temples, including the glorious Shwedagon Pagoda. Overlooking this breath-taking national landmark, the new BEST WESTERN Green Hill Hotel is an excellent city center option for the growing number of visitors to this true Asian icon.

VIBRANT VIETNAM Vietnam offers a glorious array of attractions for travelers. In the rolling hills of the Central Highlands, BEST WESTERN PREMIER Indochine Palace provides a luxurious way to discover Vietnam’s UNESCO-listed former capital. BEST WESTERN Dalat Plaza Hotel is the ideal base from which to explore this exotic region, while in the historic central coast region

TANTALIZING THAILAND The ‘Land of Smiles’ is one of the world’s most sought-after tourism destinations, offering the full spectrum of attractions and activities for travelers. Approximately 20 million people flock to the capital Bangkok each year, and they now have a choice of six Best Westerns to stay at, including the flagship luxury hotel, BEST WESTERN PREMIER Sukhumvit. And if the heat of the city gets too much, guests can take a trip to Thailand’s resorts and islands, where Best Western is present in some of the world’s most idyllic beach destinations, such as Phuket and Koh Samui.

BEST WESTERN Vientiane Hotel BEST WESTERN PREMIER Havana Nha Trang BEST WESTERN Green Hill Hotel BEST WESTERN PLUS Serenity Hua Hin LAOS VIETNAM MYANMAR THAILAND

With 19 hotels currently operating across Indochina’s five countries, and a further 10 coming soon, Best Western International offers the perfect accommodation choice, wherever your next adventure in Indochina takes you.

THAILAND CAMBODIA BEST WESTERN PREMIER Amaranth Suvanabhumi Airport, Bangkok BEST WESTERN Suites and Sweet Resort Angkor, Siem Reap BEST WESTERN PREMIER Sukhumvit, Bangkok BEST WESTERN River Palace Hotel, Phnom Penh BEST WESTERN PLUS At 20 Sukhumvit, Bangkok BEST WESTERN PLUS Grand Howard, Bangkok LAOS BEST WESTERN Mayfair Suites, Bangkok BEST WESTERN Vientiane Hotel, Vientiane BEST WESTERN Klassique Sukhumvit, Bangkok MYANMAR BEST WESTERN PREMIER Bangtao Beach Resort & Spa, Phuket BEST WESTERN Green Hill Hotel, Yangon BEST WESTERN Phuket Ocean Resort, Phuket BEST WESTERN Samui Bayview Resort, Koh Samui VIETNAM BEST WESTERN Phanganburi Resort, Koh Phangan BEST WESTERN Dalat Plaza Hotel, Dalat BEST WESTERN PLUS Serenity Hua Hin, Hua Hin BEST WESTERN PREMIER Indochine Palace, Hue BEST WESTERN Royal Buriram Hotel, Buriram BEST WESTERN PREMIER Havana Nha Trang, Nha Trang

For reservations, visit www.bestwesternasia.com Facebook.com/BestWesternAsia | For GDS connectivity, please contact [email protected] CEO views

More self service in future. Left, SITA’s self bag-drop in Melbourne; above, express passport control another great example of IT benefiting the passenger ex- perience and increasing airport efficiency. The next major technology-led trend at airports is self bag-drop. We are seeing the rise of bag-drop areas at air- ports, although our surveys find that passengers are still intelligence, which will furnish passengers with informa- cautious. Our work includes self bag-drop at Melbourne tion they say they want – flight times and bag status, and Brisbane airports in Australia. for instance, or waiting times at check-in, security and With IATA’s and Airports Council International HIGHTECH checkpoints. (ACI)’s SmartSecurity, the industry is working on the A third trend is m-commerce, enabling passengers to next generation of checkpoint. IT is the enabler, helping purchase travel services on the move. According to our to optimise processes. New biometrics kiosks are a prime PASSENGER surveys, once passengers have bought their tickets, nearly example of change to come, as they fast track interna- 40 per cent would purchase ancillary services while en tional arrivals, enabling a ‘land, touch and go’ procedure. route – such as paying for parking or buying a lounge Our work involves the introduction of Automated pass. Most airports plan to offer m-commerce in the next Passport Control self-service kiosks at Orlando Airport JOURNEYS two years, while airlines see it as a new frontier in retail- as well as new self-service passport control kiosks at Mi- ing. ami International Airport. By Francesco Violante, CEO, SITA SITA is also involved in some exciting collaborative If we are going to create this new journey then con- innovations and developments at airports that promise tinued investment in IT is essential, along with infra- s technology becomes a normal part of people’s significant change. At check-in, SITA’s trial with Virgin structure based on global standards and interoperability travel experience, it is continuing to uproot the Atlantic of wearable technology, including Google Glass between technologies, sharing data securely and using traditional passenger journey. and Sony Smart watches, demonstrates great potential to common processes and approaches. That means backing One major area is the rise of the connected enhance passengers’ travel experiences. IATA’s and ACI’s programmes to deliver a better passen- aircraft.A By 2016, more than three-quarters of airlines will The trial enabled concierge staff to meet and greet VIP ger experience. deploy tablets, onto which information such as passen- passengers with a personalised check-in service. But we We see common-use technologies as vital to the new ger name lists, passenger bag load status and connecting are only at the beginning of a learning curve that could journey. Passengers do not want to learn how to use dif- flight information is loaded, thereby improving the pas- see wearable technology impacting other areas across the ferent technologies every time they use a different airline senger experience. airport and aircraft maintenance. or go to a different airport. Passengers are beginning to expect to use their mobile Also at the airport, we are starting to pilot beacon Finally, we need to decide who owns the passenger, devices onboard for calls, Internet, emails and entertain- technology that could open up a range of low-cost possi- and work together to share the benefits of business intel- ment, with those signing up for inflight connectivity bilities for interacting with passengers, such as determin- ligence and analytics because these have great potential through SITA’s subsidiary OnAir increasing year on year. ing passenger location, navigating the airport and much to improve our industry’s processes and the passenger Most airlines and airports are also investing in business more. Developments in passenger flow monitoring are experience.

In China, for example, the customer relies on the on- line community for support in making purchasing deci- sions. We thus invest heavily in digital marketing to reach SHOPPING out to them and are taking key learnings from China and applying them across our business in Europe. We have also launched an app to enable guests to book their travel, TOURISM JUST access exclusive offers and plan their visit to our villages using interactive maps. This serves to make their overall experience smoother and simpler, from before they arrive GOT SERIOUS to the moment they leave. It is more important than ever that travel and tour- ism companies consider the customer experience from By Desirée Bollier, CEO, tourism was at the heart of every holiday, was I the only 360 degrees. With social media at the fingertips of every one not surprised? tourist, complaints can enter the public domain and go Value Retail Management The rapidly growing Asian middle class is a huge bag global quickly. Although technology can be perceived as of opportunity for retailers and tourist operators. Multi- a threat in this respect, when used cleverly it can serve hopping has always been viewed as incidental, shopping destination packages are particularly popular to enhance the customer experience. But it needs to be a last-minute grab for the odd souvenir to take with Asian holidaymakers. We have found that increas- targeted: many companies invest large amounts in tech- to folks back home. The truth is quite different. ingly fashion-conscious Chinese consumers are tired of nology that is over-complicated and irrelevant; it doesn’t Shopping tourism just got serious, and the travel counterfeits: they want the real thing and a lifestyle to aid the customer’s experience. Technology should never Sand tourism industry is finally sitting up and taking no- match. This is why we launched the Suzhou Village in be the starting point. We need to listen to the customer’s tice. May while another, Shanghai Village, is due to open in wants and needs, and develop a complementary digital The facts speak for themselves. Our nine Chic Outlet autumn 2015. strategy accordingly. Shopping Villages in Europe drew more than 31 million But as the market gets more competitive, with The tourist is more sophisticated and well-informed visits a year, with most visitors spending a major part of online shopping a player to contend with, there is a need than ever before, and it’s a constant challenge to antici- their time enjoying a leisurely day and a good meal with to constantly innovate to engage our astute global voyag- pate and exceed their expectations, but an exhilarating friends. Thus, when the UNWTO declared that shopping ers. one.

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 16 24/7/14 2:51 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 17

– we must not allow another commercial airline to go missing without a trace for so long. IATA has established an Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF) to develop rec- EVEN SAFER SKIES ommendations to improve global flight tracking. ATTF includes the International Civil Aviation Organization By Tony Tyler, ing and Settlement Plan (BSP) that we operate around (ICAO) and experts from around the world. A draft of the world, including in 28 countries in Asia-Pacific, and recommendations will be given to ICAO in September. director general and the New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative that Ultimately, our goal is to predict the potential for ac- CEO, IATA will modernise the shopping experience for airline prod- cidents, and prevent them from happening. Data has a ucts. BSP and NDC are examples of IATA’s role in setting key role to achieving this. IATA has created the Global ongratulations global standards to improve the industry’s processes and Aviation Data Management (GADM) project, which is to TTG Asia on efficiency. the world’s largest resource of operational information. its 40th anniver- It is also through global standards that we have made It contains data collected from partners, including ICAO, sary. TTG Asia is flying the safest way to travel. In 2013 there were 29 mil- the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Europe- Ca valued partner, report- lion flights with Western-built jet aircraft and only 12 an Aviation Safety Agency. Each new data contributed to ing on the industry’s de- hull losses. This translates into one accident (after which GADM and every improvement in our analytical capabil- velopment since 1974 the aircraft could not be repaired) for every 2.4 million ities move us closer to this reality of preventing accidents. on a wide variety of flights. In Asia-Pacific, the region’s carriers experienced 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of commercial topics: the travel trade, one hull loss for every 1.4 million flights last year. aviation. Scheduled commercial aviation began with a hospitality and air travel. Despite the tragedy of MH370, aviation accidents are 23-minute journey across Tampa Bay, Florida on January Similar to TTG Asia, IATA’s rare. Nonetheless the aviation industry is determined to 1, 1914. Since then, it has changed our world immeasur- involvement in the industry’s improve on our safety performance. ably for the better. As we embark on the second century, development has been multi- The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), with its we look forward to even safer skies, and a long future of faceted. 900-plus standards, is at the core of our efforts to improve working together with TTG Asia to meet the industry’s Many of TTG Asia’s read- safety. Almost 400 airlines are on the IOSA registry. As a future needs. ers know IATA for the Bill- group, their safety performance is more than two times better than the average for airlines that have not com- pleted IOSA. We are making IOSA an even more effective “WE MUST NOT ALLOW standard with Enhanced-IOSA, changing the audit from Tyler: Enhanced a snapshot of an airline’s safety management into a sys- ANOTHER COMMERCIAL safety audit will be a tem for constant monitoring. Enhanced-IOSA becomes a AIRLINE TO GO MISSING requirement from 2015 requirement for all IATA airlines from 2015. The loss of MH370 points us to an immediate need WITHOUT A TRACE.” TTG Asia 40th Anniversary Supplement_Ad_Final_pathed.pdf 1 7/14/2014 4:08:34 PM

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 17 22/7/14 2:37 pm CEO views

dredging would destroy the biodiversity of the area). As well, Queensland is redeveloping a state-owned land into an IR development, Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, but THE STATE’S HAND IN again stipulating a few other requirements for a casino licence. This model would work in high income, high popula- INTEGRATED RESORTS tion areas, not in places that are remote. Singapore too is an integrated city, has a coherent masterplan for the next 20 years and, when it takes on a game-changing develop- By Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman, ment, pulls all its best brains on it and takes a hands-on Banyan Tree Holdings, shares his approach. Another country may insist on a cruise centre of a casino developer, but what point is that if it is hands- thoughts in an interview with off afterwards? The developer might build a sub-standard Raini Hamdi terminal. Even if it builds a fantastic cruise centre, no cruise ships would call if the government does not build he biggest innovation in integrated resorts (IRs) the roads and other infrastructure needed to accommo- since we opened Laguna Phuket 20 years ago is date cruise passengers. one that is government-led rather than private Newly developing countries such as Cambodia, Viet- sector-driven. Singapore has demonstrated that nam and Sri Lanka which are said to be mulling casinos aT casino licence can be structured in such a way it fulfils a may be better off doing the classic IR. But buying power socially useful function and a tourism infrastructure de- for property sales is a precondition, since infrastructure velopment role. services such as security, landscaping, golf and recreation The Singapore government essentially allowed two ca- are all paid for by the residents who value the commu- sino developers to enter, but negotiated the terms such nity they live in. And when these services are integrated, that they also invest in other substantial enterprises they for example, when there is inter-hotel billing, inter-hotel would not normally make. Thus, Resorts World Sentosa transport and integrated destination marketing, only (RWS) had to cross-subsidise a Universal Studios theme then is there a ‘real’ integrated resort. park, which would otherwise not enter as it could not Laguna Phuket, for instance, offers free use of inter- achieve high returns with such small scale. Marina Bay resort transportation via shuttle buses and lagoon boats, Sands (MBS) had to have a MICE facility and was used a choice of over 30 restaurants and bars, one centralised as the anchor for the redevelopment of the whole Marina billing system allowing signing privileges at all hotels, and Bay area. access to a wide spectrum of sports and recreation facili- The innovation thus is in the IR model than in the ties through a day pass. It also focuses on environmental product. From a product/hospitality perspective MBS, conservation through shared ancillary services such as while a fantastic architectural masterpiece, is a casino, laundry, water treatment and maintenance. 2,500-room hotel and convention centre – nothing too I have not seen any others like it besides our own innovative there. Similarly RWS with its casino, theme “SINGAPORE HAS projects in Bintan and now, Vietnam. I don’t consider park and hotels. upcoming developments in Lombok or Johor to be in- Developed country governments – top of mind be- DEMONSTRATED THAT A tegrated resorts – they are basically a masterplan of ing Australia and Japan – appear to be learning from CASINO LICENCE CAN BE land sale sites. There is no integration in the way I de- the Singapore example. Australia previously issued only fine it. Even Nusa Dua in Bali is not an integrated resort pure casino licences for small facilities, say Star in Dar- STRUCTURED IN SUCH A because other than selling plots of land to different ling Harbour Sydney or Jupiters in Queensland’s Gold WAY IT FULFILS A SOCIALLY investors to build hotels, there is no integration of any Coast. But probably after seeing what Singapore has services. done, Queensland’s Gold Coast is issuing a casino li- USEFUL FUNCTION AND A Thus, nothing much has changed apart from the in- cence to a China-backed developer – but with the con- novation in forcing casinos to play a more socially useful dition it must develop a cruise centre (although there TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE role. has been opposition from some quarters that massive DEVELOPMENT ROLE.” That – and the loose use of the term ‘IR’.

Two-bedroom Double Pool Villa at Banyan Tree Phuket, part of the Laguna Phuket integrated resort

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 18 24/7/14 2:52 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 19

BIG DATA WILL CHANGE HOTEL MANAGEMENT Today, technology and By Frits van Paasschen, president & social media are accel- CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts erating the evolution of brands. People are con- oday, technology is evolving faster than com- nected real-time, all of panies and consumers can think of ways to use the time, with each other, it. This is having a profound impact on how we with their interests and live our lives, and in the hospitality industry, with their brands. They howT global brands cater to the evolving needs of their no longer want a one-size- guests. fits-all option, they want If you go back in history, you will see that brands were a dialogue and they want actually born from technology and change. In our in- brands to know what’s on dustry, about 50 years ago in the newly arrived jet age, their mind right now. For travellers began to look for reliability from hotel brands us, technology is not only – a consistent, quiet, clean room from one market to the changing the way peo- next. Brands like Sheraton and Le Méridien rode this ple search and book their wave and hotels planted flags in new and exotic loca- stays, it’s changing the way we connect with our guests. tions, creating outposts for Western travellers. Yesterday’s While it is far from simple, we must keep pace because luxury became today’s necessity and, over time, reliability companies that can deliver personalisation consistently became boring. and globally will be set up to win. Global hospitality Then, as television, sports, music and modern adver- companies, like Starwood, have the scale to build and tising turned the world of brands from black and white to connect digital capabilities, pulling together revenue living colour, companies began to create brands with per- management, Big Data offer engines, reservation sys- sonality and dimension that tapped into people’s imagi- tems and information about individual guests – and nations and self-definition. Brands like Nike, BMW and then tie it all to brand loyalty, a global network of hotels, Gucci spoke to people’s attitudes and aspirations, and and thousands of associates to give guests personalised a new way of living. In our industry this phenomenon experiences. led to the creation of W Hotels, bringing global scale to Our oldest hotel, the Goldener Hirsch in Salzburg, Left, an old Sheraton ad a burgeoning boutique segment focused on lifestyle and was built in 1407 with a tunnel from the general manag- design. er’s office overlooking the front desk so he could see and As change marched forward, the ‘90s ushered in the hear guests arriving, come down the stairs and warmly “...COMPANIES THAT CAN Internet age, changing consumer expectations yet again. greet each once like an old friend. Big Data is a 21st cen- With new abilities to access a wealth of information, tury version of this tunnel, allowing us to recognise our DELIVER PERSONALISATION people learned more about the companies behind their guests and provide personal hospitality on a global scale CONSISTENTLY AND favourite brands and wanted those companies to share across 1,200 hotels in 100 countries. Really knowing their personal values, such as sustainability. A cool image our guests allows us to send people offers that matter to GLOBALLY WILL BE SET UP was no longer enough. This is why we launched a brand them, customise their visit, do more that they actually like Element and set goals to reduce our energy and water want, and avoid doing things they don’t, which makes TO WIN.” consumption by 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively us more efficient operators while providing our guests over 10 years. Those actions say a lot about who we are. superior experiences.

Asia-Pacific’s Leading Travel Trade Business Resource Since 1974

ttgasia.com | TTG Asia e-Daily | TTG Asia DIGITAL Breathing Life to Your Perspectives on Asia-Pacific’s Travel Trade Connecting 28,000 industry professionals across the region and beyond with our multi-dimensional channels

Untitled-1 1 24/7/14 12:23 pm

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 19 22/7/14 2:37 pm TTG Asia Calling Out to all Travel Agencies, Tour Operators 40tude and Wholesalers in Asia-Pacific! Innovator Award In celebration of TTG Asia’s 40th anniversary, we are recognising agencies that have displayed fortitude and foresight by embracing technology in today’s dynamic landscape. Share your success story with us !

Stand a chance to win USD 2,000* cash and free ITB Asia 2014 Passes!

Simply submit a 1-page entry detailing the following to [email protected] • What your key businesses are and goals for the company • What problems you encountered • How you used IT to overcome them and reach objectives • How these solutions benefited your customers • How these solutions benefited your staff, bottom line

Contest Closes on 29 August 2014

* Prize will be presented at TTG Asia’s Technology Conference at ITB Asia 2014 and winner will be required to present his/her winning entry during the TTG conference. TTG Asia will be covering the winner’s flight and accomodation for the presentation.

40tude.indd 1 3/7/14 4:08 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 21 CEO views

COSTLIGHT AND LOCAL BOUTIQUE HOTELS tory while manpower is increasingly difficult to come by By Loh Lik Peng, director, and visitor arrivals are starting to slow from record highs. Unlisted Collection How will existing boutique hotels cope with this? Boutique hotels have always had less economies of ingapore’s hospitality scene has changed dramati- scale than the large branded hotels, and the new business cally since I opened Hotel 1929 in 2002. When environment means cost pressures will increase while we opened 1929, the industry was moribund competition for guests will be much fiercer. To thrive in Loh: Challenges ahead for boutique hotels and dominated by older hotels, most of which this new environment the incumbents and the new en- Swere managed by the big hotel brands. In that environ- trants must look beyond the traditional ways of operat- paigns built around local neighbourhoods and key cul- ment 1929 was seen as a breath of fresh air; for such a ing. Singapore will be a much tougher environment in tural events, and a strong emphasis on interesting stories tiny property in the ‘wrong’ part of Chinatown, it opened the next decade, and boutique hotels will need radical relevant to today’s global traveller, will allow boutique people’s minds to new concepts and redefined what was solutions to survive. hotels to continue to be interesting and relevant. We will considered suitable locations for hotels. I believe the way forward is to embrace change and also need to strip ourselves as much as possible of the Fast forward to today, there is a huge range of new look at the traditional strengths in marketing and public heavy fixed costs that large hotels are capable of absorb- boutique hotels spread around all corners of Singapore, relations, agility and flexibility that boutique hotels have ing and start giving today’s guests only the things that are especially in its distinctive heritage and conservation always been good at. Building something bigger, better truly important to them. This means less fancy check-in neighbourhoods. Is the market getting saturated? I do and fancier than your competitive set is going to be much desks and less traditional manpower-intensive luxuries, think we need a new paradigm for Singapore’s boutique harder to justify because those types of hotels are much and more local tie-ups up with interesting businesses and hotel scene going forward. harder to run in today’s environment. The new premium events so that guests can enjoy the true experience of be- Land and building costs in Singapore have acceler- branded hotels that have recently come into the market ing in Singapore without the hotel carrying such costs. ated beyond what is sustainable for boutique hotels. This will always have a massive advantage in facilities and ser- We need to move to a model that caters to the modern means that hotel yields are now so compressed, and it is vice offerings compared to boutique hotels. traveller’s real needs without bearing the costs of Singa- hard to justify the investment at a time when interest rates The large expansion of the hotel market leaves niches pore’s increasingly expensive business environment. This look to be rising and competition increasing. Singapore that I believe boutique hotels are much better at occupy- will require agility and flexibility like never before. I hope is getting a massive increase in new hotel room inven- ing. Cultural relevance and distinctive marketing cam- we as an industry are up to the challenge!

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 21 22/7/14 2:37 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 22 CEO views

people travelled the globe, mainly to and from the tra- ditional destinations of Europe and North America. In THE POWER “THE TRANSFORMATIVE 2013, the number of international tourists surged ahead and hit 1,087 million, with emerging economies increas- IMPACTS OF TOURISM ingly capturing the imaginations of travellers. OF TOURISM ARE COUNTLESS, YET Today, tourism is one of the biggest and fastest-grow- THEY DO NOT COME ing economic sectors in both emerging and developed By Taleb Rifai, secretary-general, countries, accounting for nine per cent of the global GDP, FREE OF CHALLENGES 30 per cent of total services exports and employing one in World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 11 people across the globe. AND COMPLEXITIES .” But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The deeper sig- n a riverboat sailing along a quiet stretch of nificance of tourism´s continued expansion is its extraor- the Trang An river in rural Vietnam, I had the dinary ability to propel inclusive socio-economic devel- privilege of speaking with the lady who was opment, create millions of jobs, empower communities, paddling our group through the winding wa- raise awareness of environmental preservation and spark ters.O She told us that she was part of a group of women global interactions that foster multicultural respect and who had created a local community business of taking understanding. tourists on river tours. The transformative impacts of tourism are countless, “Before, when I did not row the boat for tourists, my yet they do not come free of challenges and complexities. income was mainly from rice paddies,” she said. “This For such positive benefits to be realised, we must ask our- work gave my family a more prosperous life than before. I selves: How can we ensure the continued growth of the saved money to build my house.” tourism sector while safeguarding our precious resourc- That was just one of the many profound experiences es? How do we guarantee that tourism’s benefits trickle I have had travelling around the world while witnessing down to the host communities in a fair and equitable how tourism can change people’s lives. way? And how do we make tourism accessible to all? Many times when we think of tourism, we think of the Answering these questions and ensuring that sustaina- pretty veneer of tropical beaches and famous landmarks. bility is at the core of tourism development is central and What we don´t usually see are the millions of people be- requires a concerted and cohesive effort of all tourism hind tourism, whose lives depend on this global sector stakeholders – embracing the public and private sectors, that moves over a billion people around the world each civil society and, of course, tourists themselves, as trans- year. forming tourism’s growth into the global phenomenon In just six decades, tourism has seen a dramatic rise that it is today challenges us to answer our higher call as in breadth and scope. Back in the ‘50s, a mere 25 million global citizens.

40tude-CEO View(12JUl)RH-red2.indd 22 22/7/14 2:37 pm FA poster (PATHED).indd 1 7/21/14 12:52 PM Cotai Strip Resorts Macao IT’S A BloCkBuSTER Discover family fun and all-inclusive convenience at Cotai Strip Resorts Macao this SuMMER! summer. Meet beloved characters from DreamWorks Experience, join in the action at the TRANSFORMERS 30th Anniversary Expo, shop, eat, or just relax. This is the getaway that will put a smile on everybody’s face.

he integrated resort at Cotai Strip, Macao – collectively known as Cotai Strip Resorts Macao – has emerged as one of the most exciting Tall-in-one family holiday destinations in Asia. Discover exceptional accommodation from some of the best hotel brands in the world, top-notch shopping, superb dining, delightful entertainment and more. With Cotai Strip Resorts Macao just a 10-minute shuttle bus Cotai Strip Resorts Macao is only a ten-minute ride on the free shuttle bus ride from Macao International Airport, the fun starts (right) from Macao International Airport. almost immediately. This summer, the spotlight is on family fun. Expect lots of laughter, music and dance as the famous DreamWorks Gang put on one rollicking good show after another throughout the day. Also not to be missed is the one-of-a-kind TRANSFORMERS 30th Anniversary Expo, which features 10 interactive zones, giant TRANSFORMERS statues and thousands of toys and collectibles.

DreamWorks Experience at Cotai Strip Resorts Macao There is never a dull moment with the DreamWorks Gang – & Fiona (Shrek), and Tigress (), Alex and the penguins (), Toothless and Hiccup from , Mr Peabody and Sherman and other well-loved DreamWorks characters. Four major DreamWorks activities have been scheduled for this summer (See box). The highlights are the daily special theme buffet breakfast (“Shrekfast character breakfast with the DreamWorks Gang”) and buffet dinner (“Dragons Viking Feast with the DreamWorks Gang”). A ballroom has been transformed into a colourful event DreamWorks characters perform everyday at Shrekfast character breakfast with the DreamWorks Gang.

Say hi to and other characters at the DreamWorks All Star Parade. DreamWorks Experience at Cotai Strip Resorts Macao

Shrekfast character breakfast with the DreamWorks Gang Time: 10am-11:30am (Sat-Mon) 9am-10:30am (Tue-Fri) * Reservation required.

DreamWorks Meet and Greet (Free) Time: Daily 12pm and 4pm

DreamWorks All Star Parade (Free) Time: Daily 3pm

Dragons Viking Feast with the DreamWorks Gang Time: Daily 7pm-9pm Get up close with * Reservation required. Mr Peabody and Sherman.

I Cotai Strip Resorts Macao TTG Asia August 8, 2014

TTGA140808-2ppCotaiStripF.indd 2 7/21/14 1:15:43 PM TTG Asia Advertorial SuMMER HolIDAy SPECIAl

At Shoppes at At the TRAnSfoRMERS 30th Anniversary Expo: Bumblebee and Ironhide (Zone 6). Venetian, which features a “nightless sky” and the distinctive architectural streetscapes of Venice, look out for live musical performances at St. Mark’s Square. Listen out too for the sweet serenades by gondoliers as they sail by along any of the three indoor canals with their guests. It’s a lovely and uniquely Venetian Enjoy a gondola ride at experience. Shoppes at Venetian. Classic local treats Macao’s most delicious snacks Pick up delicious local snacks such as egg tarts, almond cookies, pineapple cakes or sesame biscuits from some of Macao’s most reputable brands such as Koi Kei Bakery and Lord Stow’s located at Shoppes at Venetian.

space lined with buffet stations featuring a tantalising 3D-mapping of spread of popular dishes, including some familiar items optimus Prime inspired by DreamWorks characters. The programme (Zone 4). EAT kicks off with an energetic song-and-dance performance by each of the DreamWorks characters on stage, who will Seafood platter at Portofino. then visit each table and freely mingle with guests. It’s great fun for everyone, including adults! But that’s not all. Everyday, guests can also catch the 3pm DreamWorks All Star Parade at Shoppes Cotai Central where a cast of up to 32 performers — including DreamWorks characters, dancers, puppeteers and stilt walkers — entertain and interact with the crowd. Then at 4pm, the DreamWorks Meet and Greet takes place at Sands Cotai Central’s Paradise Gardens, where guests have another chance to strike a pose with DreamWorks characters from Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How SHOP to Train Your Dragon. On weekends, there are free screenings of DreamWorks animations too. A duty-free shopping paradise TRAnSFoRMERS Cotai Strip Resorts Macao is home to some 600 th international brand outlets, ranging from prestigious 30 Anniversary Expo high-end boutiques to popular lifestyle stores. Shopping The TRANSFORMERS have landed at Cotai Strip Resorts Macao! areas are concentrated within Shoppes at Venetian, The TRANSFORMERS 30th Anniversary Expo is the Shoppes at Four Seasons and Shoppes at Cotai Central largest TRANSFORMERS Expo ever held in Asia with 10 and are open from 10am until 11pm (12midnight on interactive zones. It features the first ever 2-metre tall Friday and Saturday). Be it fashion, jewellery, watches, TRANSFORMERS 3D hologram, 7-metre tall statues of electrical and IT accessories, toys, cosmetics, leather Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, amazing collections goods, sporting goods, confectionery or local specialties, by two loyal fans, game booths, film screenings, and there is always beautiful presentation, great variety and exclusive merchandise. See the development of the friendly services. Autobots and Decepticons through the past three decades. It’s on daily 11am – 8 pm (last entry at 7pm) until St. Mark’s Square, Shoppes at Venetian. October 5, 2014 at Exhibition Hall F, The Venetian Macao. More than 100 restaurants At Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, there are more than 100 STAY restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Indian restaurant The Golden Peacock. Guests will never need A hotel for every budget to venture far regardless of their tastebuds or dietary There are more than 9,000 guestrooms and suites to suit requirements. Restaurants can be found in hotels and all shopping areas all budgets and tastes at Cotai Strip Resorts Macao. north Indian vegetarian feast The hotels are: The Venetian Macao (3,000 suites); at The Golden Peacock. and their menus Conrad Macao, Cotai Central (636 rooms and suites); span all the world’s Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central (1,224 rooms and great culinary suites); Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central (3,896 cultures. From guestrooms and suites); and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Mediterranean to Cotai Strip (360 rooms). All hotels are linked by the Vietnamese, Indian Bridge of Stars and within walking distance of each other to , there and all shopping, entertainment and dining facilities. is something for everyone. There Extraordinary luxury are also two food Holiday Inn Macao Cotai Central courts offering This is the largest Holiday additional variety Inn in the world and is best and numerous known for its luxurious rooms and services. The cafés for quick hassle-free check-in and bites or time-outs check-out, high-speed in- between activities. room internet and choice of firm or soft pillows are all part of the four-star Please visit www.cotaistrip.com for more information hotel’s “five-star” service. and hotel packages at Cotai Strip Resorts Macao.

TTG Asia August 8, 2014 Cotai Strip Resorts Macao II

TTGA140808-2ppCotaiStripF.indd 3 7/21/14 1:16:00 PM GAME CHANGERS From regulation to deregulation, protectionism to open skies, legacy to low cost – all this and more have shaped Asian carriers AIRLINES to what they are today

Above, AirAsia; below, Cathay Pacific’s regional Cathay Pacific Cathay CHINA low-cost carrier. It started domestic operations in mid-2005 and gradu- CAAC separation from Air Force ally added Hong Kong and Macau to A major development that shaped its network. It launched its first in- aviation in China into what it is to- ternational flights to Ibaraki, north day goes back to 1980 when the Civil of Tokyo. Spring Airlines now serves Aviation Administration of China a number of cities in North Asia such (CAAC) separated from the Air as Osaka, Taipei and Jeju, and South- Force. CAAC was formed in 1949 east Asia including Bangkok, Dan- to manage non-military aviation in ang, Singapore and Siem Reap. China. It operated scheduled do- mestic flights to cities in the main- China became ICAO member land. The People’s Liberation Army China joined the International Civil Air Force initially managed it. Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2004 and passenger traffic that year Six airlines became three reached 120 million. In 2004, there CAAC began international flights were 1,200 scheduled flight routes, monopoly of the route. The keen Cathay Pacific’s in the ‘60s to other Communist comprising 975 domestic and 225 competition that followed stimulat- acquisition of Dragonair bloc countries and to the US, Eu- international, linking 127 cities in ed tremendous growth of UK traffic Cathay Pacific Airways acquired rope, the Middle East and Australia China to 38 cities in 80 countries. to Hong Kong. Passenger traffic on Dragonair in 2006, but allowed in the mid-1980s. In the late ‘80s, it China’s civil aviation fleet also ex- the route soared to about 444,000 in Dragonair to continue operating un- separated its roles as a government panded to 754 by end-2004, includ- 1981, from 190,000 in 1979. der its own brand, only managed by agency, airline and airport author- ing 680 large and medium-capacity Cathay. This enabled the synergy of ity. Its airline operations comprised aircraft, compared with merely 140 Liberalisation Cathay’s international network with six airlines: Air China, China South- small-capacity aircraft for up to 100 of traffic rights Dragonair’s shorthaul services to west Airlines (which merged with passengers back in 1980. – Caroline In 1997, the return of Hong Kong to China and secondary regional desti- Air China in 2002), China Eastern Boey China opened traffic rights to many nations. Airlines, China Northwest Airlines countries which had previously been (which merged with China Eastern denied entry by the British Hong Failure of Oasis in 2002), China Southern Airlines Kong Government. The HKSAR Oasis took off as Government negotiated with for- the city’s first low-cost, longhaul car- and China Northern Airlines (which HONG KONG merged with China Southern in eign aviation partners on air service rier connecting Hong Kong to Lon- 2003). Open skies between and transit agreements. In 1998, 14 don in 2006. However, it went bust in Hong Kong and London rounds of air service consultations 2008, becoming the first Hong Kong Spring’s dominance In 1980, the entry of Cathay Pacific were held with 12 aviation partners; airline to be liquidated in history. Its Spring Airlines, a subsidiary of Airways and British Caledonian 12 agreements were signed with failure also dampened the city’s con- Shanghai Spring International Travel Airways on the Hong Kong-London countries like Israel, Pakistan, Bah- fidence of having a homegrown low- Service, is China’s most established route ended ’ long rain and Papua New Guinea. cost carrier. – Prudence Lui

40 gamechanger-airlineRHmy1.indd 26 24/7/14 3:03 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 27

INDIA saw Jet Airways’ acquisition of Sa- liberalised foreign direct investment Said Amber Dubey, partner hara Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines’ ac- in the aviation sector. The move al- and head of aerospace and defence, Growth of low-cost carriers quisition of Deccan and the merger lowed foreign airlines to invest up to KPMG: “The move resulted in the The budget airline sector in of and . 49 per cent of paid-up capital in In- creation of two start-ups, Tata-Air started in August 2003 with Air Dec- dian companies operating scheduled Asia and Tata-SIA joint ventures, as can. Said Vishal Bhadola, associate Easing of FDI norms and non-scheduled air transport ser- well as Etihad’s equity investment in In 2012, the Indian Government vices. Jet Airways.” – manager of CAPA India: “The initial TTG AUG 8 173x280_hires.pdf 1 17/7/14 6:00 PM Rohit Kaul success of Deccan made everyone re- alise that it (low-cost) could be done in India as well. There was genuine deregulation in the domestic markets R from 2004 to 2008/09, which resulted in new airlines and growth of low- cost carriers.”

International operations for HERE, ONE WORD SAYS IT ALL. Indian airlines In 2004, India’s scheduled carriers with a minimum of five years of con- tinuous operations and a minimum fleet size of 20 aircraft were permit- ted to operate scheduled services to international destinations. “It had a very positive impact on tourism and trade as access was available across markets,” said Bhadola.

Industry consolidation With many new entrants in the mar- ket like Deccan, SpiceJet, GoAir, Para- mount Airways and IndiGo, consoli- dation was the way ahead for India’s WW aviation sector. In 2007, India’s skies For the ultimate holiday filled with WOW moments, come on board Asia's largest cruise ship – Mariner of the Seas® and experience first-ever ice shows at sea, miniature golf, rockwall, exclusive DreamWorks programs and more! Best Cruise Operator, Asia INDONESIA TTG award winner 2008 – 2013 Commercial operation of CN-235 aircraft Merpati Nusantara Airlines bought 15 Indonesia-built CN-235 aircraft, and started operating them commer- cially in March 1988. The CN-235s were the second generation of Indo- nesia-built aircraft Merpati operated

after the NC-212. The airline used the ROCKWALL ICE SHOW CN-235 as a commuter aircraft serv- ing short routes such as Bandung- Asia’s Largest Cruise Ship – and Bali-Lombok-Bima. The 1997 economic crisis affected 3-NIGHT MALAYSIA EXPLORER CRUISE 5-NIGHT SPICE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA CRUISE the aerospace company, which re- Singapore Departures: Singapore Departures: 2014 Nov 21, 28, Dec 19, 26 2014 Nov 12, Dec 1, 6, 29~ structured and downsized, affecting ~ production and aircraft maintenance. 2015 Jan 16, Mar 4 2015 Jan 3, Feb 6, 22 , 27 Ports-of-call: Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang)/ Ports-of-call: Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang)/Penang/ Penang/Kuantan Langkawi, Phuket Deregulation of airline industry The Ministry of Transportation de- 4-NIGHT BEST OF MALAYSIA CRUISE 7-NIGHT MALAYSIA AND THAILAND CRUISE Singapore Departures: Singapore Departures: regulated the airline industry in 1999 2014 Nov 17, Dec 15 2015 Jan 19, 26, Feb 11# to encourage the private sector to en- 2015 Jan 8, Feb 2 Ports-of-call: Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), ter the airline business. The require- Ports-of-call: Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang)/ Penang, Langkawi, Phuket ment that companies must own a Penang, Langkawi #Similar 7-N itinerary to Thailand and Vietnam is available. minimum of two aircraft to operate saw more than 15 Indonesian airline 4-NIGHT ISLES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA CRUISE 8-NIGHT EXOTIC ASIA CRUISE companies set up within a few years, Singapore Departures: Shanghai/Singapore Departures: 2014 Nov 24, Dec 11, 22 2014 Nov 4, 2015 Mar 7 mostly serving domestic routes. 2015 Jan 12, Feb 18~ Unfortunately, the lack of flight Ports-of-call: Xiamen, Hong Kong, Ports-of-call: Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Phuket Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Singapore, safety control and frequent air crashes Shanghai (Baoshan) led to the European Union’s ban on ~Festive sailing all Indonesian airlines in 2007. The Ports-of-call dier by sailing dates. Kung Fu Panda and all related characters properties TM and ©2014. Dreamworks Animation L.L.C. situation improved only after new, DESTINATION WOW SM stricter transportation regulations were introduced in 2009. Currently, R OYALC ARIBBEAN.COM , Mandala and In-

donesia AirAsia have been removed ~Festive sailing Ports-of-call dier by sailing dates. from the ban. For more information or reservations, please contact Royal Caribbean International and representatives at

Short-lived Air Paradise International • Brunei (673) 223 4874 • Philippines (632) 894 3957 / 892 2701 to 03 The Bali-based scheduled charter air- • India (9111) 4906 1000 (New )/ • Singapore (65) 6305 0033 (9122) 4311 2000 (Mumbai) • Sri Lanka (94) 114 704542 line was set up to lure back travellers • Indonesia (6221) 3199 1312/38/39 • Thailand (66) 2634 2882 / 2634 8080 SCAN HERE FOR from Australia following the first Bali • Malaysia (603) 7727 4835 / 6286 6292 • Vietnam (848) 3920 1201 / 6291 2277 A WOW EXPERIENCE bombing in October 2002. The air- line offered affordable flight and stay

40 gamechanger-airlineRHmy1.indd 27 23/7/14 9:55 am 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 28 Game changers | airlines

packages and restored local tourism stakeholders’ confidence. It even ex- panded services to South Korea and Taiwan a year later. Unfortunately, the second Bali bombing took place in October 2005. The resulting drop in traffic to Bali forced the airline to cease opera- tion a month later and it never made it to the skies again, even though travellers’ confidence in the island returned a year or so after.

Garuda’s Quantum Leap The economic crisis in 1997 and po- litical instability in Indonesia in 1998 affected Garuda Indonesia’s busi- ness. By the late ‘90s, the national carrier had incurred a US$1.8 bil- lion debt. By December 2004, 85 per cent of the airline’s 19 domestic and 22 international routes were mak- ing losses. The airline managed to restructure and cut bleeding routes under the leadership of president Left, Garuda and CEO Emirsyah Satar, who took stewardess’ office in 2005. In 2009, it announced uniforms from a transformation plan, Quantum 1970 to 1985; Leap 2011-2015, aiming to increase below, ’ cabin fleet size from 89 in 2010 to 154 by crew 2015, number of passengers from 12.5 million to 35.2 million, and weekly frequencies from 765 to 2,316 flights. – Mimi Hudoyo Lumpur-Singapore route million) in 4Q13 due to higher oper- as ‘Asia’s Boutique Airline’ in 2004 to The route between Kuala Lumpur ating expenditure. – S Puvaneswary get higher ticket prices in the face of and Singapore was liberalised in competition from low-cost carriers. 2008, putting an end to the duopoly MACAU held by MAS and Singapore Airlines, Entry of budget airlines Air Macau and enabling the entry of five new THAILAND Thai AirAsia revolutionised the local The airline was established in Sep- carriers: AirAsia Malaysia, Firefly, aviation industry when its maiden tember 1994 and took off in Novem- Jetstar Asia, SilkAir and Tigerair. The ’ flight took off in February 2004. Un- ber 1995. Its current fleet of seven competitive airfares offered by the boutique branding til then, International Airbus aircraft flies to major Chinese low-cost carriers and the increase in Bangkok Airways was officially (THAI) and Bangkok Airways had cities, Hanoi, Seoul, Bangkok, Dan- seat capacity stimulated greater air launched in 1989, though its origins dominated the market and kept do- ang, Tokyo, Osaka, Kaohsiung and travel between the two cities. date back to Sahakol Air launched mestic air tickets beyond the reach of Taipei. – Caroline Boey some 21 years, and was Thailand’s many travellers, especially locals. The MAS joined Oneworld first privately owned domestic air- low-cost carrier not only eroded the MAS joined Oneworld in February line. Owner Prasert Prasarttong- profits of the industry’s mainstays, it 2013. Although the membership Osoth made a number of shrewd led to the creation of a new aviation MALAYSIA helped the airline increase load fac- moves, including expanding its net- sector with other affordable Thai Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles tor by 4.3 per cent last year to 81.6 work to 20 major domestic and in- brands following suit, namely Nok and Mexico City per cent, the carrier still posted a net ternational routes, establishing three Air, the now defunct One-Two-Go Malaysia Airlines (MAS) launched loss of RM343.4 million (US$106.7 private airports and rebranding itself and Thai Lion Air. twice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles in July 1986 using its B747 Combi aircraft. Anthony Wong, group managing director of Asian Overland Services Tourism & Hospitality Group, re- called that the direct flights helped his company to promote Malaysia to the US market and increased aware- ness of the destination, adding: “In the ‘80s, you could market a desti- nation extensively, but without di- rect flights, marketing efforts would come to near nothing.” MAS also started twice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Mex- ico City in November 1992, its first Latin American destination. The air- line was able to pick up passengers from Los Angeles onwards to Mexi- co City, and from Mexico City to Los Angeles, as it had the fifth freedom rights to do so. At the time, MAS was the first Asian airline to obtain these rights, which allowed a foreign car- rier to disembark or pick up passen- gers from a point outside its country to a third destination.

Liberalisation of Kuala

40 gamechanger-airlineRHmy1.indd 28 23/7/14 9:55 am WELCOME TO HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. YOUR NEW GATEWAY TO THE WORLD.

Comfort, Convenience, Choice These are the things that matter the most to Qatar’s new airport and we have made them the heart of our new home. The result is a world class airport facility which has set a new standard in customer comfort and seamless travel. dohahamadairport.com 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 30 Game changers | airlines Singapore Airlines Singapore Phuket Air down and out Having started commercial services in 2001, Phuket Air rapidly ex- panded internationally in 2003 and 2004 by adding scheduled flights to London, , Bali, Dubai and Yangon. Promotions, includ- ing some of the cheapest returns to the UK at just £275 (US$467), saw hundreds of Thais queuing for visas at the British Embassy in Bangkok from as early as 04.00 in late 2004. Plagued by maintenance and safety issues, the airline was blacklisted by the EU from 2005-07, and the carrier terminated all domestic and interna- tional flights soon after.

Cessation of two of the world’s longest direct flights The global financial crisis which dampened global business and lei- sure travel, along with THAI’s disas- trous fuel-hedging policy, signalled the death knell for two of the world’s longest direct flights. The flag car- rier’s daily direct service to New York was first to fall by the wayside in 2009. Shortly after, economic real- ity forced the airline to can its direct flights to Los Angeles, which indus- try insiders said was financially unvi- able from its inception. – Greg Lowe

THE PHILIPPINES ’ Cebu- Tokyo link In 1988, Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched its first direct Cebu-Tokyo flights, also the first scheduled inter- Clockwise from top: KrisWorld, Singapore national service from a point out- Airlines’ inflight entertainment system; Thai side Manila. The new connection Airways International and Tigerair brought Japanese visitors directly to Cebu and helped turn the resort in 2010, the European Union (EU) unprecedented 400, and adding 14 ary 1997, allowing Singapore-based island into a major hub for interna- banned Philippine carriers from weekly flights between Manila and airlines unlimited access to the US tional visitors and a tourist destina- flying into EU soil. PAL was forced Tokyo-Haneda, effective March 30, market and the right to fly to all in- tion in its own right. to fold its European operations and 2014. New flights from ANA, Phil- termediate points and beyond. This prevented from mounting additional ippines Airlines and Cebu Pacific provided airlines with maximum op- Launch of Cebu Pacific US flights. However, after extensive followed suit. The agreement also erational flexibility and opened new In 1988, soon after the abolition of safety reviews, the EU lifted the ban applies the Philippines’ ‘pocket open routes between the two countries. the country’s one airline policy, Fili- on PAL in July 2013, and on Cebu skies agreement’ allowing unlim- pino-Chinese tycoon John Gokong- Pacific on April 14 – incidentally, the ited flights from Japan to points out- Entry of low-cost carriers wei set up Cebu Air Inc, a low-cost same day the US FAA announced the side Manila, and unlimited flights Singapore-based low-cost airlines airline that would allow “every Fili- country had earned back its Catego- from the Philippines to all Japa- first started operations when Val- pino to fly”. The airline, now known ry One rating. nese points except Tokyo-Haneda. uair launched its maiden flight in as Cebu Pacific, began operating – Marianne Carandang May 2004. Following swiftly, Tigerair in 1996, with 24 daily flights link- Entry of Tigerair and AirAsia and Jetstar Asia began commercial ing Manila, Cebu and Davao. In- AirAsia and Tigerair Philippines flights in September and November ternational flight operations began began operating in 2012 and 2013 SINGAPORE the same year respectively. Singapore in 2001, with twice-daily flights to respectively, although stiff competi- now serves 13 budg- Hong Kong. Today, it flies to premi- tion caused both airlines to quickly Debut of Singapore et carriers from at least six countries. um destinations such as Bali, Siem shift strategies: Philippines AirAsia Airlines’ KrisWorld Growth of the budget segment has Reap and Phuket. bought into Zest Air, paving for a In April 1995, Singapore Airlines greatly expanded the range of prod- transfer of operations from Clark to unveiled the world’s most advanced ucts available to travellers. One in Manila, while Cebu Pacific acquired inflight entertainment system, Kris- four passengers passing through Tigerair Philippines’ operations and World, becoming the first airline to Changi currently travels on a low- retained a marketing partnership offer customers a choice of person- cost carrier, compared to around one with Tigerair Singapore. The upshot alised entertainment during their in five in 2010. of this is travellers now have seam- flight, ranging from movies and tel- less access to AirAsia’s and Tigerair’s evision programmes to games and ’ choice of Dubai Cebu Pacific wide regional networks that reach as music channels. over Singapore far as China, India and Australia. Prior to this, passengers could Qantas terminated its 17-year-old only look forward to a movie project- agreement with fellow Oneworld Revised air services ed on screen at the front of a cabin, member British Airways in March Loss of Category One rating agreement with Japan which could be heard via a head- 2013 for a decade-long alliance with and the EU ban In September 2013, the Philip- phone socket at his or her seat. . This saw Dubai replacing US Flight Aviation Administration pines scored a landmark air services Singapore as the stopover for Qan- (FAA) handed down a Category Two agreement with Japan, the country’s Open skies with the US tas’ European services, as part of an rating to Philippine aviation in 2008 third-largest source market, rais- Singapore became the first Asian overhaul of the Australian carrier’s because of inadequate adherence to ing weekly flights between Manila country to conclude an Open Skies loss-making international business. international safety standards, while and Tokyo-Narita from 119 to an Agreement with the US in Janu- – Paige Lee Pei Qi

40 gamechanger-airlineRHmy1.indd 30 24/7/14 3:03 pm

Build, and they will come. GAME CHANGERS For decades, airports are the wings that enable destinations to soar in the global tourism field. Many Asian airports not only do that, they also AIRPORTS become world’s best

Above, Hong Kong International Airport; below, Kai Tak International Airport

CHINA HONG KONG airlines to meet growing passenger volume. It is a multi-modal hub Beijing Capital Kai Tak International Airport where air, land and sea transport International Airport A US$34.8 million extension of Kai converge seamlessly. Passengers are Beijing Capital International Airport, Tak International Airport’s terminal conveniently connected to local established in 1988, rapidly rose in was completed end-1988, with ad- hotels and 110 Chinese cities and rankings of the world’s busiest air- ditional facilities such as check-in towns by coaches and limos at this ports in the past decade. It became desks, cafeteria, commercially impor- terminal. Moreover, the automated the busiest airport in Asia in terms tant passenger rooms and baggage people-mover connects to the Sky- of passenger traffic and total traffic reclaim loops. The extension expand- pier. movements by 2009, and is said to ed passenger-handling capacity to 18 be the busiest airport in the world in million per year or 5,300 inbound or Skypier and North Satellite terms of passenger throughout as of outbound passengers per hour. Concourse at HKIA this year. Its third terminal opened Since 2003, a temporary cross- in 2008 – the year the city hosted the Hong Kong International boundary ferry terminal within Olympic Games – following large- Airport (HKIA) HKIA had provided a speedy ferry scale construction. – Caroline Boey HKIA commenced operation in July service for transfer passengers. The Statistics 1998 after an overnight relocation permanent Skypier opened in 2010, Statistics from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok. The making HKIA a transport hub for Total passenger traffic China passenger traffic first flight to land there was Cathay convenient air and sea travel. About Kai Tak (1997): 29.7 million pax Pacific’s CX889 from New York. The 87 trips in two directions operate 1980: 3.4 million HKIA (2013): 59.9 million pax first departing flight was CX907, for every day between HKIA and eight 2002: 85.9 million Manila. The addition of a second ports in the Pearl River Delta. Runway dimensions 2 Number of airports in China runway in May 1999 at HKIA en- In the same year, the 20,000m Kai Tak (1974): 3,373m by 61m hanced Hong Kong’s services to air- North Satellite Concourse was 1980: 79 HKIA (2013) north-south runway: lines and passengers. launched, with 10 extra bridge- 2010: 101 3,800m by 60m In June 2007, HKIA’s 140,000m2 served parking stands, to serve the 2015: 183 (projected) Terminal 2 opened, providing room rising number of narrow-bodied air- Source: Civil Aviation Department; Hong Kong Government; Airport Authority Hong Kong Source: IATA for new carriers to operate and for craft using HKIA. – Prudence Lui

40 gamechanger-airportsRHredmy1.indd 34 24/7/14 3:04 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 35

Statistics Total passenger traffic 2006/07: 86.6 million 2013/14: 169 million International Airport Delhi passenger traffic 2003/04: 10.3 million 2012/13: 34.5 million Number of Indian aircraft FY2002: 130 FY2012: 410 Sources: Airports Authority of India; KPMG

Buddha hands welcome arrivals at Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport,

INDIA Cochin International it was not until June 2003 that AAI the highest number of passengers Airport approved a modernisation pro- in India (21 per cent), followed by Airports Authority of India Cochin International Airport, which posal costing about Rs30 billion Mumbai. India’s Civil Aviation Department opened in 1999, was the first green- (US$502.2 million) for Delhi and In 2006, the government also de- used to manage Indian airports until field airport in India to be developed Mumbai airports through a public- cided to modernise 35 non-metro the creation of International Airports through a public-private partner- private partnership. According to a airports in cities including Chandi- Authority of India (IAAI) in 1972 and ship. Thereafter, two more greenfield survey conducted by the IATA, Delhi garh, Bagdogra, Imphal, Viskhapa- National Airports Authority (NAA) in airports were approved for Bengaluru and Mumbai airports – the country’s tnam, Agartala, Madurai, Bhopal, 1986. In 1995, the Airports Authority and Hyderabad. two busiest airports – ranked among Raipur and Aurangabad. New ter- of India (AAI) was established with the three least-favoured airports in minal buildings were constructed in the merger of IAAI and NAA for ef- Modernisation of Asia-Pacific in 1999. some airports and citywide develop- ficient management of all airports in Indian airports Following modernisation, as per ment undertaken at around 24 such India by a single authority. Though mooted in as early as 1996, AAI’s FY2013 report, Delhi handled airports. – Rohit Kaul

40 gamechanger-airportsRHredmy1.indd 35 22/7/14 2:40 pm Job : 571234 Size : 520 mm X 380 mm

Game changers | airports

INDONESIA with Singapore by SilkAir prior to BIL, to new links with Kuala Lumpur Soekarno-Hatta by AirAsia and Perth by Jetstar today. International Airport Based on latest available data, arriv- In response to growing traffic de- als to Lombok totalled 15,945 in Jan- mand and in line with the national uary-March compared with 5,069 in plan to develop tourism as a top the same period in 2013. revenue earner for the country, Soekarno-Hatta International Air- I Gusti Ngurah Rai port opened in April 1985 after International Airport completing its Phase 1 construction. Bali saw an extensive expansion and With one terminal and two runways, renovation of I Gusti Ngurah Rai In- it took over the operation of domes- ternational Airport last year. A new tic airlines and international airlines 120,000m2 international terminal, from Airport and Halim double the size of the previous one, Perdanakusumah Airport respec- was built and opened in September tively. The airport reached its capaci- 2013 to welcome APEC Summit del- ty for nine million passengers within egates. The domestic terminal was seven years of operation. moved to the former and renovated Top, KLIA; above, arrival hall waiting area of Klia2 international terminal, increasing Abolition of exit permit capacity five times from 13,300m2 MACAU Total Airport Continuing a regulation introduced to 65,800m2. Total passenger han- Management System during the Dutch colonial period, dling capacity has expanded from Macau International Airport Introduced in 1998 at a cost of Indonesians had to apply for an exit eight million to 25 million a year as Unlike other destinations in Asia, RM700 million (US$217.5 million), permit before making an interna- a result, meeting the needs of inter- Macau did not have an airport un- Total Airport Management System tional trip. In 1992, the Indonesian national and domestic traffic growth til 1995, when the Macau Interna- (TAMS) provides the infrastructure government abolished this permit as well as new hotels and MICE fa- tional Airport started operating in for the integration, interconnection for outbound travel. Although a high cilities in the last few years. – Mimi November. Today, the airport is a and distribution of information exit tax known as fiscal tax was later Hudoyo vital air link in the Pearl River Delta. across Kuala Lumpur International imposed for outbound travel, the Air Macau and 21 other regional Airport (KLIA) via thousands of removal of the exit permit opened Statistics and low-cost carriers operate to and kilometres of fibre optic cables. opportunities for outbound travel from the airport. – Caroline Boey Through TAMS, Malaysia Airports agencies to promote international Soekarno-Hatta International Holdings, which manages KLIA, Airport capacity travel. In 2011, the fiscal tax was succeeded in linking more than 40 also removed. This, along with the 1985: 9 million MALAYSIA operational and passenger conveni- growth of the middle class and im- (with only one terminal) ence systems, including air traffic proved air connectivity, drove the In- 2014: 23 million Langkawi management, runway/ taxiway light- donesian outbound market to surge. (with three terminals) International Airport ing control, baggage handling, pas- 2015: 62 million (projected, after Prior to 1987, Langkawi Interna- senger check-in and flight informa- Lombok International Airport completion of expansion) tional Airport was only a small tion display, making KLIA the first Lombok International Airport (BIL) landing strip that was able to handle fully integrated airport in the world. opened in October 2011 with a I Gusti Ngurah Rai Skyvans. Malaysia Airports Hold- International Airport tax 2,750m runway and a capacity for ings upgraded the airport so it LCCT-KLIA airport three million passengers per year, ef- 1987: Rp9,000 (US$6.40), could accommodate bigger aircraft The temporary LCCT-KLIA airport fectively replacing the overcrowded international; Rp2,000, domestic and more passengers during peak opened in March 2006 to handle an Selaparang Airport. It also plays an 2014: Rp200,000, international; hours. This included expanding the increasing number of low-cost carri- important role in the development Rp75,000, domestic runway and foyer as well as creat- ers arriving and departing from Kua- of West Nusa Tenggara as a tourism I Gusti Ngurah Rai International ing more comfortable arrival and la Lumpur. It provided only basic gateway together with neighbouring Airport passenger traffic departure halls. With the upgrading facilities, without any aerobridges, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara, as stip- completed in July 1987, the airport and had a maximum capacity for 15 ulated in the Indonesia Economic 1991: 2.7 million could cater to international Boeing million passengers annually. In 2013, Master Plan 2011-2025. As a result, 2013: 14 million 757 flights and up to 1,000 passen- it handled 21.8 million passengers, Lombok has seen the growth of di- Source: Travel Indonesia Magazine; Angkasa gers per hour compared with just way over its maximum capacity of rect air links, from only a single link Pura Airport Authority 400 previously. 15 million. Its last day of operations

40 gamechanger-airportsRHredmy1.indd 38 22/7/14 2:40 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 39

Puerto Princesa nine out of 10 flights to Samui International Airport originate within Thailand, though Puerto Princesa International Air- regional hubs Singapore and Hong port in Palawan gained importance Kong still account for about 70 per when Puerto Princesa Underground cent of passengers landing on the River became recognised as one tarmac. of the New7Wonders of Nature in 2012, doubling flights from Manila Suvarnabhumi practically overnight. In May 2014, International Airport Korean firm Kumho-GS won the When Suvarnabhumi International Above and right: Suvarnabhumi International Airport bid to expand the airport, a US$82.9 Airport opened in September 1996, million project that is expected to four decades of planning and 28 was May 8, after which all low-cost be completed in 1Q17. – Marianne years of construction made it one airlines were moved to operate out of THE PHILIPPINES Carandang of the longest-lived airport projects Klia2 (see below). in the world. Heralded as South- Kalibo International Airport Statistics east Asia’s hub and promising to be Klia2 Although 1.5 hours’ drive from Bangkok’s only airport, the facility Klia2 opened in May 2014 and was Boracay, for some years now Kalibo Total number of registered airports was warmly welcomed by the inter- International Airport has been a di- designed to cater for up to 45 million National Private national aviation industry. Passenger passengers a year, thrice more than rect gateway for international flights throughput hit 38 million within a from regional destinations such as 1983 86 141 the temporary LCCT-KLIA that it 1993 87 162 year, surging to 66.5 million in fiscal replaced. Klia2 is located just 1.5 km Incheon, Busan, Taipei, Shanghai 2013 (October to September) well and Hong Kong. Low-cost carriers 2003 85 78 from the main KLIA terminal and is 2013 86 NA beyond the official capacity of 45 the largest low-cost carrier terminal have since joined the fray, currently million. A new terminal is expected offering direct flights to and from in the region, spanning 360,000m2 Scheduled flight services to open in 2016, elevating capacity to and offering 80 aerobridges. There Singapore (Tigerair) and Kuala (in millions) 60 million. are over 200 F&B and retail outlets at Lumpur (AirAsia). Domestic International Gateway@KLIA2. – S Puvaneswary Don Mueang Godofredo P Ramos Airport 1993 4.3m 5.6m International Airport Statistics (Caticlan Airport) 2003 6.1m 7.4m Don Mueang International Airport 2013 20.3m 17.3m Airport tax In 1995, South East Asian Airlines was supposed to die a dignified and (now Tigerair Philippines) be- Source: Source: Civil Aviation Authority of the quiet death once its big sister Suvarn- 1992: RM5, domestic; RM20, gan flying short runway aircraft Philippines; Civil Aeronautics Board abhumi opened her gates. Imagine international to Godofredo P Ramos Airport in the industry’s surprise then when the 2014: RM9, domestic; RM65 Caticlan, leading to a huge surge Thai government threw the old dog international in popularity for Boracay, only a THAILAND a chunky bone to chew on in March KLIA annual passenger 15-minute ferry ride from the air- 2012, relocating LCCs, chartered handling capacity port. This also prompted compet- Samui International Airport and non-connecting flights to the ing services from Cebu Pacific and Bangkok Airways opened its pri- facility. While easing congestion at 2001: 25 million Airphil Express (now PAL Express). vately owned Samui International Suvarnabhumi by removing six mil- 2014: 100 million In 2011, Transaire, a subsidiary of Airport in 1989, transforming the lion passengers a year, the reopening LCCT-KLIA passenger traffic San Miguel Corporation, upgraded dreamy Gulf of Thailand island from effectively cancelled the single air- the passenger terminal, while work a backpackers’ haven into a cluster port policy, a move slammed by Star 2006: 4.7 million to extend the runway to accommo- of five-star spas and luxury geta- Alliance and Oneworld. There are 2013: 21.8 million date A320s and A321s is expected to way resorts. The carrier’s monopoly plans now to more than double ca- Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings be completed by 2016. on air access to the island means pacity to 30 million a year.

40 gamechanger-airportsRHredmy1.indd 39 22/7/14 2:40 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 40 Game changers | airports

Phuket International Airport Group Airport Changi Terminal X Terminal X opened at Phuket In- ternational Airport in February, instantly easing horrendous check- in queues at the overcrowded and ageing airfield. The new terminal services check-ins for interna- tional charter flights, a key source of visitors especially from China and Russia, and is the first phase of a US$180 million expansion which will also see new interna- tional and cargo terminals and a five-storey parking next year. – Greg Lowe

Statistics Airports with paved runways 1984: 56 2014: 63 Airports with runways longer than 2,440m 1984: 13 2014: 20 International airports with scheduled flights 1984: 1 2014: 9 Source: CIA World Factbook; Lonely Planet

SINGAPORE Skytrain service at Singapore Changi Airport Opened in 1990, the Skytrain was the first auto-guided system in Asia. It now interlinks all three terminals at Singapore Changi Air- port, and operates at both transit and public areas. This service is free and travels approximately one to four minutes between terminals, with an average waiting time of one to three minutes.

First A380 in Singapore Singapore Changi Airport was the first airport outside Europe to wel- come the A380 on November 11, 2005 when the super jumbo double- decker aircraft arrived for airport compatibility verification tests. The world’s first A380 passenger flight took off from the airport as Singa- pore Airlines flight SQ380 departing from Terminal 2 for Sydney, Austral- ia on October 25, 2007.

Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 4 Taking over the grounds of the short-lived Budget Terminal which stakeholders face by offering a cus- Statistics Top, Singapore Changi opened in 2006 and closed in 2012, tomised mix of performance-based Airport Terminal 3; above Skytrain; below, Airbus Terminal 4 is expected to finish con- incentives. These include encourag- Total number of air passenger arrivals A380 in Singapore struction by 2017. It will be able to ing airlines to enhance the airport’s facilitate faster passenger process- connectivity by starting new routes; 2000: 13.5 million ing and quicker turnarounds. It will helping new airlines to start opera- 2013: 26.5 million also feature a larger terminal build- tions at the airport; rewarding pas- Total number of ing, with the capacity for 16 million senger and cargo traffic growth; and aircraft arrivals passengers a year. In comparison, the supporting airlines and groundhan- budget terminal catered to 4.6 mil- dlers to enhance their product and 2000: 86,853 lion passengers in 2011. service offerings. 2013: 171,850 Singapore Changi Airport signed Number of airlines Changi Airport Growth its first CAGi partnership with Jet- serving Changi Airport Initiative star Asia in January 2010, which saw The Changi Airport Growth Ini- Jetstar making the airport its largest 1990: 52 Singapore Airlines tiative (CAGi) was launched in No- hub in Asia for both short- and long- 2014: 106 vember 2009 to address challenges haul operations. – Paige Lee Pei Qi Source: Changi Airport Group

40 gamechanger-airportsRHredmy1.indd 40 22/7/14 2:40 pm (H)MICE0312_TTG Asoa 40th Anniversary Supplement-p.pdf 1 4/7/14 2:51 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 42

Over the decades, Asian GAMEGAME CHANGERSCHANGERS destinations transformed their tourism fortunes through massive investments in product. Here are among the key attractions that PRODUCTS helped change the game for them

Above, the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai; below, Hong Kong Disneyland

CHINA and an with high- end thrill rides. Beijing 2008 Olympic Games The hosting of the Summer Olym- pic Games in the capital created an The Lantau Link officially opened in improved environment, increased 1997, a vital connection in the trans- opportunities for the development port network comprising Tsing Ma and growth of tourism in China, Bridge, and and raised service quality. Viaduct, and serving Hong The games also helped to in- Kong International Airport. This ternationalise the city and bench- unprecedented new infrastructure marked hospitality and service linked Lantau to the rest of Hong guidelines and standards across the Kong by road and rail, ending the city. island’s years of isolation. It also opened up new tourism opportu- World Expo 2010 Shanghai nities for the island, with the sub- The May to October event attracted sequent opening of attractions like more than 73 million visitors and Hong Kong Disneyland (see below) boosted Shanghai’s status as a pop- and Ngong Ping 360. ular tourist destination, burgeoning international financial centre and Hong Kong Disneyland the next great world city. Though known as the world’s small- To support the hosting of the the country’s transport infrastruc- HONG KONG est Disneyland, when it opened in event, six new metro lines were ture, notably the high-speed rail, 2005, this theme park helped en- opened, roads were widened and which has boosted tourism across Ocean Park hance the overall appeal of the des- 4,000 taxis were added. A new sec- East China. Opened in 1977, this attraction was tination. Located on , tion of the main Middle Ring Road Tourists can now make easy originally intended as another out- it is equipped with the purpose-built was constructed, cutting travel time roundtrips and have the opportu- door activity option for local fami- Disneyland Resort Line connecting to and from Shanghai Pudong In- nity to see more of the country. Rail lies. Now an iconic landmark draw- along the exist- ternational Airport by 20 minutes. travel time between Shanghai and ing over five million visitors each ing MTR . Its entry Hangzhou has been cut to 45 min- year, its highlights include the popu- prompted dormant rival Ocean Park High-speed rail in East China utes, while travel from Shanghai to lar pandas, a marine park, a fabulous to reinvent itself in response to the China invested heavily to upgrade Beijing only takes five hours. oceanarium, an animal theme park competition.

40 gamechanger-products.RH-jul11my2-red.indd 42 22/7/14 2:42 pm

Game changers | products

The Parthenon Pool on SuperStar Virgo

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is a luxury tourist train showcas- Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa A lack of modern berthing facilities ing the aesthetics of the royal past. for large cruise ships had hindered Its 14 coaches are named after for- the city’s dream to be a regional mer Rajput states and offer modern cruise hub. The birth of Kai Tak amenities. There are two restaurants, Cruise Terminal finally unleashed Maharaja and Maharani, which serve the potential. Located at the for- Indian, Chinese and Continental mer runway, the delicacies. first berth of the terminal started to receive cruise ships in June 2013. Chokhi Dhani Construction of the second berth is Located in the pink city of Jaipur, expected to be completed later this Chokhi Dhani came into existence in year. When fully opened, the termi- 1989 replicating an ethnic Rajasthani nal will be able to accommodate the village. It includes the Chokhi Dhani largest cruise ships in the world and Village where one can indulge in lo- draw more international cruise lines cal dance, music, shopping and cui- to homeport at Hong Kong. sine, as well as Dhani Resort, which is a blend of modern and ethnic Star Cruises sails into Asia property. A pioneer in its own right, Gent- ing Hong Kong was incorporated in Adlabs Imagica September 1993 operating its fleet Adlabs Imagica opened in 2013 under Star Cruises and taking on the around 75km away from Mumbai. A bold initiative to grow the Asia-Pa- major investment built using world- cific region as an international cruise class technology, the theme park is Senggigi Beach Hotel expanded its plenary hall capacity destination. The novel experience divided into six zones, namely Viva Senggigi Beach Hotel Lombok, from 4,000 to 5,000 seats, and add- of cruising as an all-inclusive vaca- Europa, Arabia, Asiana, Americana, recently rebranded as Kila Seng- ed two new exhibition halls, break- tion on a ‘floating five-star resort’ India and Zambo Africa, each having gigi Beach Lombok, was the first out rooms and a tunnel connecting appealed to Asians, defying skeptics its own attractions and restaurants. international-standard hotel on the the centre to the Jakarta Hilton who thought otherwise. Today, Star There are a total of 26 attractions island when it opened in 1987. The Hotel (now The Sultan Hotel). The Cruises together with its Norwe- and five themed restaurants. – Rohit 57-room hotel (now 148 rooms) expansion was completed in time gian Cruise Line is the third largest Kaul opened with the attendance of high- for the Non-Alignment Movement cruise operator in the world, with a ranking dignitaries, marking the first Summit, one of the biggest if not combined fleet of 19 ships cruising step towards developing Lombok as highest-profile events Jakarta has to over 200 destinations. Passengers INDONESIA a tourist destination. Merely 20 min- ever hosted. in Asia can embark on the ships in utes’ flight from Bali, Lombok was at Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Taiwan Nusa Dua Tourism Resort the time promoted in tandem with Bali Mandara Toll Road or Singapore. – Prudence Lui Nusa Dua Tourism Resort, a self- its famous neighbour and received The 12.7km Bali Mandara Toll contained tourism enclave in the spillover traffic from it. Today, with Road connecting Nusa Dua, I Gusti southern part of Bali, kicked off with the Lombok International Airport, Ngurah Rai International Airport INDIA the opening of Nusa Dua Beach Ho- it plays a bigger role as the tourism and Benoa Harbour opened in tel & Spa in 1983. The development gateway to east Indonesia. A mas- September 2013, marking Indo- was designed to meet increasing visi- sive integrated resort is being built nesia’s first toll causeway bridge. India’s first amusement park, Appu tor numbers and demand for high- while several other developments are The road was built over the Benoa Ghar in New Delhi, was inaugurat- quality rooms. The resort is close to opening their doors to domestic and Bay, and the mangrove forests pro- ed in 1984. Hugely popular among the airport and offers beautiful white international investments. vide a panoramic view of the sur- youngsters, it housed 20 rides and sand beaches. Today, Nusa Dua is roundings. A major investment, a water park on its premises. It re- Bali’s top venue for important inter- Jakarta’s MICE developments it connects the airport, Nusa Dua ceived an average of 1.4 million visi- national conventions with two major In 1992, the 32,000m2 - and Benoa, whose main port is un- tors annually and operated for over convention centres within the area – grounds Kemayoran Centre (now dergoing development to accom- two decades before ceasing opera- Bali International Convention Cen- rebranded Jakarta International modate big cruise ships. The toll tions. tre and Bali Nusa Dua Convention Expo) opened as the biggest inter- road has reduced congestion on the Center – and major international national-standard venue in South- Ngurah Rai bypass, which connects Palace on Wheels hotel brands such as Grand Hyatt, east Asia. Meanwhile, the existing the north and south of the airport. Opened in 1982, Palace on Wheels Westin, Novotel, Melia and St Regis. Jakarta Hilton Convention Center – Mimi Hudoyo

40 gamechanger-products.RH-jul11my2-red.indd 44 22/7/14 2:42 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 45

MACAU Gaming industry liberalised The gaming industry in the former Portuguese enclave was liberalised in 2002/03. This was followed by the opening of the China market through the Individual Visit Scheme.

World Heritage status earned In 2005, Macau was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status, changing the perception of the des- tination as only a gaming centre.

The Venetian Macao and Cotai Strip Resorts Macao Macau welcomed the entry of major international hotel brands, including the 3,000-room The Venetian Ma- cao which opened in August 2007. The largest hotel in Macau today is Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Cen- tral, which opened in September 2012 with 3,896 rooms. Both are part of the Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, which opened in 2011, boasting col- lectively 9,000 rooms, 600 duty-free retail shops, over 100 dining options, 120,000m2 of meeting space and in- ternational live entertainment.

The House of Dancing Water COM0458.pdf 1 16/7/14 11:54 AM Costing US$250 million to produce, the world’s largest and most spec- Above, the lagoon at The Venetian Macao; tacular water-based show premiered below, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in September 2010 in the city. The world-class show is inspired by Chi- ist area, Sunway Resort City. Within it, nese culture and tells an epic love theme park Sunway Lagoon opened story. – As told to Caroline Boey by in 1993 and till today is still the largest Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Cen- in Selangor with more than 80 rides tral – general manager of sales and and attractions. It also houses the marketing, Ruth Boston world’s largest man-made surf beach and one of the world’s longest pedes- trian suspension bridges. By 1Q15, it MALAYSIA will welcome Explorers’ Oasis, the first Nickelodeon themed- Sarawak Cultural Village based attraction in Asia. Sarawak Cultural Village, located at Within walking distance from the the foot of Santubong Mountain, park is Sunway Pyramid shopping about 35km from capital Kuch- mall, which opened in 1997 with 890 ing, opened in 1989. It offers visi- outlets, as well as the Sunway Pyra- tors a better understanding of the mid Hotel and Sunway Resort Ho- cultures and lifestyles of the major tel and Spa, offering a total of 1,234 racial groups in Sarawak. There are guestrooms. C displays of costumes, handicraft and M traditional dwellings of the state’s Kuala Lumpur Y major ethnic communities, with a Convention Centre twice-daily cultural performance. Kuala Lumpur Convention CentreCM

This is also the venue for the re- is Malaysia’s first purpose-built andMY nowned annual Rainforest World most technologically advanced MICE Music Festival organised by Sarawak facility in the heart of Kuala LumpurCY Tourism Board. city. The centre opened with theCMY 1,537-delegate 10th Asia Oil and Gas K Sunway Resort City Conference in June 2005. To date, it An old tin mine and quarry in Selan- has hosted over 8,590 events and 15.9 gor was developed into a major tour- million delegates and visitors. Its suc- Game changers | products

cess can be attributed to the contin- ued delivery of innovative, flexible and value-added solutions for inter- national, regional and local business tourism, banqueting and entertain- ment events.

Johor Premium Outlets The first premium outlet centre in South-east Asia, Johor Premium Outlets (JPO), has been a shoppers’ haven since it opened in December 2011. Featuring a collection of 130 brand outlets, JPO claims to offer savings of 25 to 65 per cent. On the list of leading brands are Armani, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Esprit, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gap, Guess, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Nike, Oro- ton, Royal Selangor, Salvatore Fer- ragamo, and many others. Since its opening, JPO has played a role in at- tracting both domestic and regional shoppers, including from India, Chi- na, Hong Kong and Taiwan, to Johor. – S Puvaneswary

THAILAND Damnoen Saduak floating market Anyone who has seen the 1974 James Bond classic, The Man with the Golden Gun, will find it impos- sible to forget the hair-raising boat race through Damnoen Saduak the city, it remains the most popu- floating market. Tourism Associa- lar and best connected to the trans- tion of Thailand certainly didn’t and port system. Beyond myriad luxury the NTO was quick to promote the boutiques, supercar outlets, which destination as an essential element include Rolls-Royce’s first-ever sales on bucket-list tours of Bangkok space in a shopping centre, the retail and its environs. Today, the market mecca includes Siam Ocean World, is for tourists only, with goods cost- one of the region’s largest aquariums. ing more than almost anywhere else, It is especially popular with monied and few Thai people are to be seen, fashion junkies from Hong Kong, save for the scores of tour guides, taxi Singapore, India, China and the drivers and vendors. Middle East. In 2013, it was named the most Instagrammed place in the Skytrain and MRT world. – Greg Lowe Bangkok continues to lead numer- ous polls as the favourite urban des- tination for globetrotters with its di- THE PHILIPPINES verse array of cultural sites, awesome restaurants and decadent nightspots. Banaue rice terraces But it has always suffered from hor- The Banaue rice terraces in the Cor- rendous traffic, something which the dillera regions of northern Luzon, Skytrain, launched in 1999, literally sculpted into the mountainous ter- rises above. The network now covers rain by Ifugao tribespeople over much more of the city and has been 2,000 years ago, are a well-docu- augmented by the MRT metro sys- mented, highly photographed desti- tem which opened in 2004. nation since the ‘70s, which for some time gave the attraction the title of Chiang Mai Zoo ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. To When Chiang Mai Zoo was reno- this day, it is included in most long- vated and reopened in the ancient stay itineraries for visitors seeking a Lanna capital in 2004, it gave the unique highlands experience. local tourism industry a shot in the arm by being one of the few modern Boracay attractions in a city made famous Boracay, a tiny undisturbed islet on by its plethora of wooden temples the northern tip of Aklan in western and gilded wats. The zoo is home Visayas, was a virgin beach destina- to some 400 species of exotic ani- tion known only to locals and back- mals. The 2009 birth of Lin Bing, a packers in the ‘70s and ‘80s. By the captive-bred panda cub, parented by early ‘90s, it became world-famous Lin Hui and Chiang Chiang, further for its powdery white sand, the vi- added to the attraction’s appeal. brant nightlife on its well-known White Beach and a wide range of re- Siam Paragon sorts just steps away from the ocean. Siam Paragon opened in 2005, add- ing some 400,000m2 of retail space Donsol, Sorsogon to Bangkok. While it has since been From November to June, the plac- joined by other high-end malls in From top: Damnoen Saduak floating market; Siam Paragon and the Banaue rice terraces id waters of Donsol in Sorsogon, 43 mm

08.08.2014 TTG Asia 47 Resorts World Sentosa Resorts World

Best Western Brings Cambodia’s first Hammam to Phnom Penh

By Glenn de Souza Best Western International’s Vice President International Operations - Asia & the Middle East

Best Western International is inviting guests to relax and unwind in its spa, which has opened as part of the new BEST WESTERN River Palace Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The new wellness facility Resorts World Sentosa; below, Kai Kai, the male panda at the Singapore River Safari features a range of amenities to soothe the body and soul, including hot and cold jacuzzis, a steam bath, southern Luzon, are home to the New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival, global spotlight on the city. The first fitness center and the

butanding, an endangered species while Little India showcases the col- night and street F1 race in Asia show- 356 mm of whale shark (Rhincodon Typus) ourful Deepavali and Pongal. cases the dazzling downtown cityscape only Turkish hammam in measuring between 4m and 12m and profiles the city-state as a beauti- Cambodia. Dating back long, and in fact is the world’s largest Mandai nature cluster ful, vibrant and attractive destination. thousands of years, the fish. For about 10 years now, visitors Outstanding nature-themed attrac- Complementing the race are premium Turkish hammam is an usually fly into Naga or Legazpi City tions Jurong Bird Park, Singapore lifestyle events, dance parties and mu- integral part of Middle and drive south two to three hours to Zoo, Night Safari and the latest River sic performances which has included Eastern and North African interact with this gentle species. Safari in the city’s western area offer international artistes such as Beyonce, culture, offering a serene visitors a different experience and re- Katy Perry and Rihanna. Puerto Princesa inforces Singapore’s ‘City in A Gar- cleansing experience. Underground River den’ appeal. Singapore Zoo opened Integrated resorts Best Western is now inviting In 2012, a global poll from the in 1971 and is the first zoo in the Singapore joined the ranks of other our guests in Phnom Penh New7Wonders of Nature campaign world to create free-ranging areas cities such as Macau and Las Vegas to experience this age-old named the 8.2km underground river for animals, while the Night Safari, when Resorts World Sentosa officially tradition, which is the cave and habitat of unique biodiver- which opened in 1994, is the world’s opened the nation’s first casino in 2010. perfect way to relax after a sity, Puerto Princesa Underground first safari for nocturnal animals. Shortly after, Marina Bay Sands opened River, as one of the new seven won- with the city’s second casino. Apart busy day exploring this ders. The recognition coincided Formula One from gaming facilities, both resorts bustling, exciting city. Guests with the launch of the Department Since its debut in 2008, the Formula have also added a wide array of attrac- have a variety of options to of Tourism’s brand campaign, It’s One (F1) race has generated sig- tions to the local tourism landscape, revitalize their bodies, More Fun in the Philippines, which nificant visitor arrivals and tourism such as the Skypark, Universal Studios including traditional Asian went viral on Twitter and Facebook, receipts for Singapore. The broad- Singapore, celebrity chef restaurants massages, full-body treat- and cemented tourism recall for cast coverage reaching more than 43 and museums, as well as 33,500m2 the country and Puerto Princesa. million international viewers over of MICE space and over 4,000 hotel ments, scrubs, facials and – Marianne Carandang the last five races has also cast the rooms. – Paige Lee Pei Qi water therapies.

We are confident that the SINGAPORE exquisite and extensive spa at BEST WESTERN River Chinatown and Little India Palace Hotel will provide a cultural precincts As Singapore developed, there was a welcome addition for our need to balance urban development guests, and set us apart as with heritage preservation. The a unique proposition on the Singapore Tourism Board, together Phnom Penh hotel scene. with other government agencies, embarked on various initiatives to conserve ethnic enclaves including Chinatown and Little India. Today, these two precincts are among the top free-access attractions visited by tourists, and serve as important nodes to experience and celebrate Singapore’s unique multicultural heritage. Chinatown plays host to key Chinese festivals such as Chinese

40 gamechanger-products.RH-jul11my2-red.indd 47 22/7/14 2:42 pm TTG Asia Column 8 AUG 14 43 x 356 mm 18 JULY 14 issue date size deadline content proofread 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 48 Infographics CHINA By Caroline Boey INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FOREIGN EXCHANGE REVENUE 2006: US$34 billion 2012: US$50 billion

TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 12,852,185 1994: 43,684,456 2004: 109,038,218 2014: 12,843,300 (Jan-Mar)

Source: All from College of Innovation, Thammasat University, Thailand c/o John Koldowski unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND NTO CHIEFS TRAVELLERS LEST MARKETS 2004: 34,523,600 83,182,700 He Guangwei WE Hong Kong/ 2014: FORGET Macau Shao Qiwei Taiwan Japan 1989 – TIANANMEN PROTESTS 1994 South Korea On June 4, Chinese troops opened Japan 2006 2012 fire on unarmed civilians in the heart Russia AOR Source: Horwath International of Beijing, shocking the world. Hong Kong 2014 NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS Macau 2002/2003 – SARS OUTBREAK Taiwan 76,994 62.2% 59.5% The outbreak in southern China 2004 1984 1994 2012 resulted in thousands afflicted. The majority of cases were reported in Hong Kong, but the disease spread DESTINATION ADR to infect people in 37 countries. 406,000 1,497,200 BRANDING/ Source: Horwath 1994 2012 RMB International 2008 – SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE SLOGAN The epicentre was in Wenchuan 2014: Beautiful China 329 County, 80km northwest of Chengdu. – 2014 Year of 2012 The catastrophe killed 69,195 Smart Travel Source: Horwath International people and left 18,392 missing.

inforgraphic-china_kygckygcmy.indd 48 24/7/14 3:06 pm ADVERTORIAL

Untitled-2 1 18/7/14 4:13 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 50 Infographics HONG KONG By Prudence Lui AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY (NIGHTS) 2004: 3.8 2013: 3.4

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE (PER CAPITA) 2004: HK$4,478 2013: HK$8,123

TOURISM ARRIVALS Source: All Hong Kong Tourism Board unless otherwise stated 1984: 3,303,719 1994: 9,331,156 TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF HONG KONG 2004: 21,810,630 2014: 14,697,981 MARKETS RESIDENT DEPARTURES (Jan-Mar) LEST 12,699,494 32,586,892 WE FORGET Japan China US Taiwan NO. OF TRAVEL Australia Japan 1997/1998 – ASIAN ECONOMIC 1984 1994 AGENCIES 1984 1994 CRISIS 1,200* This crisis dealt a long-term China China 68,903,433 27,574,204* economic blow, causing property Taiwan Taiwan prices to collapse and dampening Japan Japan inbound and outbound travel. 2004 2014 (Jan-Apr) 1994 1998 – CHAOTIC TRANSITION 2004 2014 TO NEW AIRPORT LOCATION (Jan-Apr) 1,400 1,700 The hasty overnight move from BIGGEST SPENDER *By control points. Previous calculations were done (MARKET) based on the destinations Hong Kongers travelled to. Kai Tak to Hong Kong International Source: Census and Statistics Department Airport at Chek Lap Kok on July 6 resulted in computer system failure China on the first day of operation, stalling 2004 2004 2014 NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS (as of Mar) flight information and affecting *The 1994 figure includes only licensed outbound baggage and cargo handling. 41,818 70,630 travel agencies. Inbound agencies have only been 2004 2014 licensed since November 2002, so are included in (Jan- the 2004 and 2014 figures. China Mar) 2002/2003 – SARS OUTBREAK 2013 Source: Tourism Commission The pandemic prompted the World Health Organization to issue a travel advisory in April against Hong Kong AOR NTO CHIEFS and Guangdong. DESTINATION 1984: HMP Miles BRANDING/SLOGAN % 2010 – TOUR GUIDE 1994: Martin Gilbert Barrow 88% 90 ‘AH ZHEN’ SAGA 1995: Wonders Never Cease 2004 2014 2004: Selina Chow (Jan-Mar) The infamous guide tarnished the 2004: Live it, Love it! 2014: Peter Lam city’s image when she verbally 2014: Asia’s World City abused and forced Chinese groups TOURISM MINISTERS ARR to shop. This led Travel Industry 2004: Eva Cheng Council (TIC) to unveil 10 measures HK 2014: Yung Wai-hung, HK against such malpractice. TIC will be replaced by an independent Philip $803 $1,495 2004 2014 statutory body, Travel Industry (Jan-Mar) Authority, come 2015/2016.

inforgraphic-hk_KYkngcmygcmy.indd 50 22/7/14 2:44 pm 28574JWT_002 STB_Magazinep Rev1 c1.indd 1 S07_4642 NH3783 23.07.14 25/7/14 11:41 AM D19 Rev1 C1_25.07.14 Infographics INDIA By Shekhar Niyogi AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE 2004: US$1,872 2014: US$2,686 (Jan-Mar)

TOURISM ARRIVALS Source: All Ministry of Tourism unless otherwise stated. Arrival and 1984: 1,193,752 departure figures are with help from WTTC, UNWTO and World Bank 1994: 1,886,433 2004: 3,457,477 TOP 3 OVERSEAS 2014: 1,761,848 NO. OF OUTBOUND MARKETS (Jan-Mar) TRAVELLERS LEST 3,401,558 WE FORGET US US NO. OF TRAVEL AGENCIES UK UK 2004 – INDIAN OCEAN Bangladesh Russia 16,000 30,000 TSUNAMI 1984 1994 1994 On December 26, the tsunami 6,212,809 4,115,962 wreaked unprecedented devastation US US in many coastal areas of mainland UK UK India and Andaman and Nicobar Russia Russia 1984 1994 islands, killing 10,776 and resulting 2004 2014 60,000 100,000 in 5,640 missing. 2004 2014 (Jan-Mar) 2008 – MUMBAI TERRORIST BIGGEST SPENDER ATTACK (MARKET) AOR On November 26, terrorist attack 2004 2014 (Jan-Mar) and bomb blasts in Mumbai on Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Trident Hotel US Source: Travel Agents Association of India and % IATA Agents Association of India 66.5 and the Victoria Terminus Rail station 1994 UK killed 166 people, of which 38 were 2014 NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS foreigners, and wounded 293. 96,770 170,000 % 2004 2014 69% 68.6 2008/2009 – EUROPE DEBT NTO CHIEFS (Jan-Mar) 2004 2014 (Jan-Mar) CRISIS The economic meltdown reduced 1994: GR Kathpalia Source: HRAI buying power, affecting tourism from 2004: AK Misra prime source markets in western Source: Hotels and Restaurants Association of India 2014: Parvez Dewan (HRAI) ARR and southern Europe. TOURISM MINISTERS DESTINATION Rs 2012 – NEW DELHI RAPE CASE BRANDING/SLOGAN 3,025 In December, the highly publicised 1984: Ashok Gehlot 1994 gang rape and resulting death of a 1994: J Geeta Reddy 2004/2014: Incredible India! young woman shocked the world. 2004: Kurupassery Varkey Rs Rs This as well as other instances Thomas of rape involving tourists brought 2014: Sripad Yesso Naik 4,299 7,420 security concerns to the forefront, 2014 (Jan-Mar) 2004 discouraging solo women travellers Source: HRAI to India in the last year and a half.

inforgraphic-india_KYkngcmy.indd 52 24/7/14 3:08 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 53

INDONESIA By Mimi Hudoyo AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY 2004: 9.5 2013: 7.7

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE 2004: US$902 2013: US$1,142

TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 700,910 1994: 4,006,312 2004: 5,321,165 2014: 3,700,047 (Jan-May)

Source: All Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND NO. OF TRAVEL MARKETS TRAVELLERS AGENCIES (ASITA* LEST 3,914,381 5,515,400 MEMBERS) WE Singapore Singapore FORGET Australia Taiwan Around 3,000 4,650 Japan Australia 1984 1994 1997 – THE ASIAN ECONOMIC CRISIS 2014 1998 – THE INDONESIAN SOCIAL Singapore Singapore 2004 (Jan-May) 2004 2014 CRISIS Japan Malaysia Source: Central Board of Statistics Source: Association of the Indonesian Tours and The economic crisis caused the Australia Australia Travel Agencies (ASITA) 2004 2013 exchange rate to plunge from NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS Rp2,600 per US dollar mid-1997 (STAR-RATED) AOR ARR to Rp14,000 in January 1998. BIGGEST SPENDER 97,525 Subsequently, it led to widespread (MARKET) 1994 Rp social unrest and the fall of 58.2% 526,499 Soeharto’s 33-year-old government. Singapore Australia 2004 2004 Airlines cut flights, arrivals dipped, Japan Singapore a number of hotel constructions Australia Malaysia 148,781 stopped, some travel agencies went 111,744 Rp 2004 2012 2004 2014 out of business and travel advisories (Jan- 65% 1,146,210 were issued against Indonesia, Mar) 2014 (Jan-Mar) 2014 except Bali.

Source: STR Global Source: STR Global Source: STR Global 2002/2005 – BALI BOMBINGS Relying heavily on Bali for tourism in the wake of the economic and social NTO 1984: Joop Ave crises, the country suffered a new DESTINATION CHIEFS 1994: Andi Mappi Sammeng setback from the bombings in Bali. BRANDING/SLOGAN 2004: Udin Saifuddin The 2002 bombing caused 2014: Esthy Reko Astuti average daily arrivals to the island 1994: Indonesia, A World All to drop from over 5,000 to around Its Own 1,000 (October 2002). Some hotels 2004: Indonesia Ultimate in TOURISM 1984: Achmad Tahir and travel companies shuttered, and Diversity MINISTERS 1994: Joop Ave travel warnings were issued against 2014: Wonderful 2004: I Gede Ardika & Indonesia, including Bali. Indonesia Jero Wacik Then, just as the situation was 2014: Mari Elka Pangestu starting to recover with tourists returning, the second bombing took place in 2005.

inforgraphic-indonesia_kygcredkngcmy.indd 53 22/7/14 2:46 pm Infographics JAPAN By Hannah Koh AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY 2004: 9.0 2013: 11.9 AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE 2013: ¥127,575* *For tourists staying 90 days or less

TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 2,110,346 1994: 3,468,055 2004: 6,137,905 2014: 6,260,400 (Jan-Jun)

Source: All from Japan National Tourism Organization Singapore and 2013 figures from Japan Tourism Agency unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS MARKETS TRAVELLERS (JHA MEMBERS) LEST WE 4,658,833 13,578,934 73,264 98,162 South Korea 1984 1994 FORGET South Taiwan Korea US 1984 1994 1985 - PLAZA ACCORD The Plaza Accord caused the 58,722 South Korea 1984 1994 59,031 Japanese yen to appreciate 46 per South Korea Taiwan 2004 2014 cent against the dollar. As a result, Taiwan China 16,831,112 17,472,748 Japan’s export and GDP growth USA 2014 essentially halted in the first half of 2004 (Jan-Mar) 1986, according to the IMF. Source: Japan Hotel Association (JHA) BIGGEST SPENDER 2002/2003 - SARS (MARKET) 2004 2013 The outbreak of Severe Acute NTO CHIEFS Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 2004: Nakamura slowed international arrivals US NO. OF TRAVEL Minoru growth, especially with the World 2004 AGENCIES 2014: Matsuyama Health Organization issuing an Ryoichi emergency travel advisory. 10,869 10,145 2011 - TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE China TOURISM MINISTERS 2013 AND TSUNAMI 1984: Kawamoto Kakuzo International arrivals to Japan was 1994: Suganuma Motoharu left in tatters after the March 11 2004 2013 2004: Ishihara Nobuteru twin disasters as did the subsequent DESTINATION 2014: Kubo Shigeto nuclear crisis. BRANDING/SLOGAN

2004: Yokoso Japan 2014: Japan. Endless Discovery

inforgraphic-japan_kygcmy.indd 54 22/7/14 2:46 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 55

MACAU AVERAGE By Caroline Boey LENGTH OF STAY (NIGHTS) 1994: 1.3 2004: 1.2 2014: 1.4 (Jan-Mar)

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE (PER CAPITA) 1994: MOP$909.10 2004: MOP$1,633 2013: MOP$2,030

TOURISM Source: All from Macau Government Tourist Office ARRIVALS unless otherwise stated 1984: 3,979,348 1994: 7,833,754 TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF TRAVEL 2004: 16,672,556 MARKETS AGENCIES 2014: 7,690,166 LEST (Jan-Mar) 120 189 WE Hong Kong FORGET Japan China AOR 1987 – STOCK MARKET CRASH 1994 China Hong Kong 2004 2014 The crash began in Hong Kong Taiwan (as of Apr) 55.6% and spread around the world. 1994 China 2014 Neighbouring Macau took a direct hit Hong Kong (Jan-Mar) as the number of visitors from Hong Taiwan NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS Kong, a top source market, plunged 2004 following the crisis. 7,982 % % 1994 75.7 85.7 2004 2014 (Jan-Mar) NTO CHIEFS 1984: Joaquim Leonel Ferreira 28,890 ARR Marinho de Bastos 10,019 2004 2014 1994/2004: João Manuel Costa (as of Apr) MOP MOP Antunes $541.70 $1,638.50 2014: Maria Helena de Senna 2004 2014 (as of Apr) Fernandes Source: Horwath International PRE-1999 – RISE IN TRIAD INCIDENTS Leading up to the Portuguese government’s handover of Macau to China, triad activity was rampant. While there was little impact on ordinary residents, the increasing reports created a negative image of safety and security.

2002/2003 – SARS OUTBREAK Although the majority of cases were reported in Hong Kong, Macau was also affected. The outbreak in southern China resulted in thousands afflicted, with the disease spreading to infect people in 37 countries.

inforgraphic-macau_kygckygcmy.indd 55 22/7/14 2:47 pm Infographics

MALAYSIA AVERAGE By S Puvaneswary LENGTH OF STAY (NIGHTS) 1984: 4.0 1994: 4.8 2004: 6.0 2012: 7.0 AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE 1994: RM240* 2004: RM1,888^ 2012: RM2,419^ *per diem expenditure ^per capita expenditure

TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 2,779,081 1994: 7,197,229 2004: 16,703,406 2014: 2,447,397 (Jan)

Source: All Tourism Malaysia unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF TRAVEL NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS NTO CHIEFS MARKETS AGENCIES 1984: Hamzah Abdul Majid 863 32,835 65,907 1,641* 1984 1994 1994: Ahmad Bakri Shabdin Singapore Singapore 2004: Abdullah Jonid Thailand Thailand 2014: Mirza Mohammad Taiyab Indonesia Japan 1984 1994 TOURISM MINISTERS 1994 2004 169,410 151,135 1984: Razaleigh Hamzah Singapore Singapore 3,072* 2004 2014 (as of 1994: Sabarruddin Chik Thailand Indonesia Feb) Indonesia China 2004: Muhammad Leo 2004 2014 (Jan) Michael Toyad Abdullah Source: Tourism Malaysia and Malaysian 2014 Association of Hotels 2014: Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz BIGGEST SPENDER (as of May 9) *Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MARKET) (MATTA) members value, which had dropped from Source: Tourism Malaysia and MATTA LEST RM2.50 per US dollar in 1997 WE to RM4.60 in January 1998. Saudi Arabia Kuwait FORGET Malaysians travelling on holidays 2005 2012 AOR overseas were imposed a limit of RM10,000. 1986 – CANCELLED! TOURISM 55.2% 65.3% MISSION TO AUSTRALIA 2009 – H191 INFLUENZA 1984 1994 Tourist Development Corporation VIRUS OUTBREAK cancelled a tourism mission to Malaysia was also hit by the DESTINATION Australia in July due to strained outbreak, which was part of a BRANDING/SLOGAN 60.8% 65.5% relations between Malaysia and worldwide pandemic. Malaysia 2004 2013 Australia, after the hanging of Airlines (MAS) reported that flight 1990: Fascinating Malaysia. two Australians convicted under cancellations from Japan and China Year of Festivals. Malaysia’s drug trafficking laws. That were the most among all its routes. 1994: Fascinating Malaysia. ARR year, arrivals from Australia fell short Naturally More. of forecast arrivals of 81,000. 2014 – WHAT HAPPENED TO FLIGHT MH370? 2014: Malaysia Truly Asia RM RM 1998 – RINGGIT PEGGED AT The search for MAS’ Beijing-bound 260 465 RM3.80 flight MH370 continues at press 2004 2014 The Malaysian government pegged time. Inbound operators handling the (Jan-Apr) the ringgit at RM3.80 against the US Chinese market have reported many dollar in August to stop speculation cancellations for tours from all over Source: STR Global – Kuala Lumpur, luxury and upper-upscale class on the ringgit and to stabilise its China.

inforgraphic-malaysia_kykngcmy2.indd 56 22/7/14 2:47 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 57

MALDIVES AVERAGE By Feizal Samath TOURIST EXPENDITURE (PER DAY) 2007: US$113.80 2008: US$121.70 2009: US$118.20 Source: UNWTO-ILO study in 2013

AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY (DAYS) TOURISM 1984: 9.4 ARRIVALS 1994: 8.4 1984: 83,814 2004: 8.3 1994: 279,982 2014: 6.3 2004: 616,716 (Jan-Apr) 2014: 321,561 (Jan-Apr) Source: All Ministry of Tourism unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND AOR MARKETS TRAVELLERS LEST (MALDIVIANS ONLY) WE Germany 46.7% 67.9% FORGET Italy 60,930 139,201 1984 1994 UK 1996 China 2004 – INDIAN OCEAN Germany TSUNAMI UK % % Several resorts were destroyed or Italy 83.9 83.3 seriously damaged in the catastrophe 2014 2004 2012 2004 2014 (Jan-Apr) UK (Jan-Apr) that struck on Boxing Day. Arrivals Germany fell by 36 per cent in 2005. 2004 NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS DESTINATION 2008-2009 – GLOBAL (BEDS) BRANDING/SLOGAN EC0NOMIC DOWNTURN NTO CHIEFS This had a massive and lasting effect 4,676 10,160 2004/2014: on the Maldivian economy. Several 2014: Mohamed Adam, 1984 1994 Maldives – The source markets in Europe were managing director of Sunny Side of affected and continue to be so. the Maldives Marketing Life and Public Relations 2012 – PRESIDENT MOHAMED Corporation According to the NASHEED OUSTED 16,858 27,008 Ministry of Tourism, there was just one He was forced to resign due to TOURISM 2004 2014 campaign logo: Maldives – The Sunny Side of political developments followed by (Jan- Life initiated in 2000. An attempt to change it severe unrest in the capital, Male. MINISTERS Apr) in 2012 to Maldives – Always Natural failed and the authorities reverted back to the old There was a slight drop in arrivals, 1994: Ibrahim Hussein Zaki logo. which later picked up. 2004: Mustafa Lutfi 2014: Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor

inforgraphic-maldives_kygc.indd 57 24/7/14 3:08 pm Infographics PHILIPPINES By Rosa Ocampo AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY (NIGHTS) 1984: 8.2 1994: 11.5 2004: 9.1 2013: 9.6

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE (PER DAY) 1994: US$137 2004: US$91 2013: US$101

TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 816,712 1994: 1,573,823 Source: All Department of Tourism unless otherwise stated 2004: 2,291,352 2014: 1,696,537 TOP 3 OVERSEAS DESTINATION (Jan-Apr) NO. OF TRAVEL MARKETS BRANDING/SLOGAN AGENCIES (PTAA* 1984: The Philippines: Where NO. OF OUTBOUND MEMBERS) US US Asia Wears a Smile TRAVELLERS 367 346 Japan Japan 1994: Huwag Maging Dayuhan Hong Kong 1,435,399 3,188,000 Taiwan sa Sariling Bayan (Don’t 1984 1994 Be a Stranger in Your Own Country) US South Korea 2005 2014 Japan US 2004: Wow Philippines More South Korea China than the Usual 1994 2009 *Philippine Travel Agencies Association 2014 2014: It’s More Fun in the 2004 (Jan-Apr) Philippines 2001 – 9/11 ATTACK & LEST DOS PALMAS KIDNAPPING WE The 9/11 terrorist attack in NTO CHIEFS/ FORGET New York City shook air travel TOURISM MINISTERS worldwide, including to the 1983 – ASSASINATION OF Philippines. Earlier in May, the 1984: Jose Aspiras BENIGNO AQUINO JR kidnapping of tourists in Dos 1994: Vicente J Carlos NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS The August 21 assassination of Palmas, Palawan had also hurt 2004: Robert Dean Barbers, Benigno Aquino JR, greatest political the destination’s image. Roberto Pagdanganan 178,036 foe of dictator president Ferdinand Evelyn Pantig & Joseph 2013 Marcos, as well as a series of coup 2012 – SCARBOROUGH Durano de e’tat and attempted coups till SHOAL DISPUTE 2014: Ramon R Jiminez Jr 1989, raised security issues. The standoff began in April after the Philippine Navy confronted

Source: Accommodation Capacity Survey 2012. 1991 – MOUNT PINATUBO eight Chinese fishing vessels Note that the survey was only conducted in 2012. ERUPTION in the disputed area. Chinese 1997 – ASIAN ECONOMIC tours to the Philippines were CRISIS suspended due to the ongoing AOR Both events were uncontrollable tensions, which also saw a factors that slowed down tourism. protest in Hong Kong. 55.3% 59.4% 1984 1994

68.2% 67.2% 2004 2013

infographic-philippinesknmykngcRHmy.indd 58 22/7/14 2:48 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 59

SINGAPORE By Paige Lee Peiqi TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 2,991,430 1994: 6,898,309 2004: 8,328,720 2013: 15,567,923

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE 1984: S$1,325 1994: S$1,653 2004: S$1,177 2012: S$1,592 AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY 1984: 3.0 1994: 3.0 2004: 3.2 2013: 3.5

Source: All Singapore Tourism Board (STB) unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS MARKETS OUTBOUND TRIPS LEST 16,440 25,440 5,164,906 8,047,808 1984 1994 WE Malaysia Japan FORGET Japan Indonesia Indonesia Malaysia 1984 1994 1997/1998 – ASIAN ECONOMIC CRISIS 2004 2013 36,765 58,000* Indonesia Indonesia 2004 2014 This crisis caused visitor arrivals in China China 1997 to dip for the first time since Japan Malaysia NO. OF TRAVEL 1983, by 1.3 per cent to 7.2 million, 2004 2014 and a further 13.9 per cent to 6.2 (Jan-Mar) AGENCIES million in 1998. *An approximate figure based on 2013’s count and 789 1,157 about 3,000 rooms expected to come on stream in 2014. 2002/2003 – SARS OUTBREAK BIGGEST SPENDER This pandemic resulted in (MARKET) visitor arrivals for April and May AOR plummeting by over 70 per cent 2007 2013 while the full-year figure fell to 6.1 China million from 7.6 million in 2002. Indonesia % % The government launched a Relief India NTO CHIEFS 75.5 86.6 2014 (Jan-Mar) 1984 1994 Package in the form of tax rebates 1984: Yuen Kum Chuen and bridging loans for the tourism 1994: Pek Hock Thiam and transport sectors. Tan Chin Nam 80.6% 86% 2008/2009 – GLOBAL DESTINATION 2004: Lim Neo Chian 2004 2014 (Jan-Mar) BRANDING/SLOGAN ECONOMIC CRISIS 2014: Lionel Yeo This crisis rattled the global tourism 1984: Surprising Singapore industry as many travellers started 1995: New Asia – Singapore TOURISM cutting back on their travelling and MINISTERS ARR 2004: Uniquely Singapore spending as well. STB mitigated this impact and strategised 2014: YourSingapore 1984: Tony Tan Keng Yam 1994: Yeo Cheow Tong to target increasingly value- S$106 S$146 conscious travellers. Short-term 2004: George Yeo & 1984 1994 measures, such as the Building Lim Hng Kiang On Opportunities to Strengthen 2014: S Iswaran* Tourism initiative, were rolled out S$122 S$261 to help the tourism sector weather *While Lim remains as head of Ministry for Trade (Jan-Mar) the economic downturn and to drive and Industry, of which STB is under purview, second 2004 2014 minister Iswaran oversees the tourism portfolio. demand for Singapore.

inforgraphic-singapore_cmykkngcredgcmy.indd 59 22/7/14 2:50 pm Infographics

SOUTH KOREA AVERAGE By Kathy Neo LENGTH OF STAY (DAYS) 2007: 6.3 2010: 7.2 2013: 6.8

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE 2007: US$1,273.40 2010: US$1,298.30 2013: US$1,648.20

TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 1,297,318 1994: 3,580,024 2004: 5,818,138 2014: 2,861,000 (Jan-May) Source: All from Korea Tourism Organization unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND NO. OF TRAVEL MARKETS TRAVELLERS AGENCIES LEST 493,108 8,728 WE Japan FORGET China US 2007 2009 – OUTBREAK OF H191 China INFLUENZA VIRUS 1984 2004 Japan Reported swine flu cases in South Japan US 3,154,326 8,825,585 Korea caused cancellation of tours China 2013 NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS by Japanese travellers. The Korean US (SEOUL) government raised its pandemic alert 2010 27,197 level to two out of four, and carried 2014 out emergency procedures 24 hours 1994 2004 (as of a day to prevent the spread of the Apr) Source: BIGGEST SPENDER STR Global virus. (MARKET) NTO CHIEFS 2011-2013 – TENSIONS 1984: Ha Dae Don ESCALATE FOLLOWING DEATH 1994: Ji Yeon Tae AOR (SEOUL) OF NORTH KOREAN LEADER Middle East 2004: Yoo Gun KIM JONG-IL 2007 In 2013, worries of a nuclear attack 2014: Byeon Chu 74.2% Seok Source: surfaced amid an increasingly 2004 STR Global provocative North Korea. The Korea Russia China Tourism Organization had to issue a 2010 2013 press release to reassure travellers TOURISM MINISTERS 83.2% 73% that the entire country remained 1984: Lee Ji Heui 2010 2014 (Jan-Apr) stable and that all tourism facilities 1994: Lee Min Seob & were operating as normal. DESTINATION Ju Don Sik ARR (SEOUL) 2014 – SINKING OF SEWOL BRANDING/ 2004: Lee Chang Dong & Jung Dong Chae The capsizing of a ferry en route to SLOGAN US Jeju resulted in a death toll of nearly 2014: Yoo Ji Ryeong 300, many of them local secondary $173.40 Source: 2004 STR Global school students on an excursion. The government attracted criticism for US US its disaster response. Cancellations of educational trips in the domestic $176 $192 market and postponement/ 2010 2014 (Jan-Apr) 2014: Korea, Be Inspired downsizing of events were reported.

inforgraphic-koreagcmy.indd 60 22/7/14 2:50 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 61

SRI LANKA By Feizal Samath AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY 1984: 8.9 1994: 10.4 2004: 10.1 2013: 10.0 TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 317,734 1994: 407,511 2004: 566,202 2014: 534,132 (Jan-Apr)

AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE Source: All from Sri Lanka Tourism and (PER DAY) industry unless otherwise stated 1984: US$37.20 1994: US$54.20 TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND 2004: US$72.20 NO. OF TRAVEL MARKETS DEPARTURES (SRI 2013: US$156.50 AGENCIES LANKANS ONLY) 200 239

Germany Germany 274,418 448,437 AOR India UK France India 1994 1984 35.6% 56.6% 1984 1994 1984 1994 454 533 India UK UK 1984 1994 India Germany Germany 680,248 1,261,711 2014 % % 2004 (Jan-Apr) 59.3 71.7 2004 2013 2004 2012

NTO CHIEFS 2004 2013 ON BANDARANAIKE 1984: HP Siriwardana LEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND 1994: HMS Samaranayake WE NEARBY AIR FORCE BASE 2004: Renton de Alwis & Udaya NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS FORGET In the shocking strike, the Tamil Tigers destroyed and damaged 20 Nanayakkara 9,627 10,742 airforce planes and five SriLankan 2014: Bashwara Gunaratne 1984 1994 1983 – ETHNIC RIOTS Airlines’ Airbuses. No foreigners or The July attacks on minority local civilians were injured. TOURISM MINISTERS Tamils by sections of the Sinhalese 1984: Anandatissa de Alwis community eventually led to a full- 2004 – INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI 1994: Dharmasiri Senanayake 14,322 16,233 blown civil war that would affect At least 40,000 locals and tourists 2004: Gamini Lokuge & 2004 2013 tourism for the next 25 years, died in this disaster that rocketed Anura Bandaranaike particularly in the north and east. the coastline of Sri Lanka. Several hotels were destroyed or damaged. 2014: Basil Rajapaksa 1986 – BOMB BLAST AT BANDARANAIKE 2007-2009 – WAR ESCALATES DESTINATION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BEFORE FINALLY ENDING An Air Lanka Lockheed L-1011 Government troops move to crush BRANDING/SLOGAN TriStar was blown up on May 3 by Tamil Tigers, finally succeeding 2004: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No a suspected Liberation Tigers of in May 2009. The escalation of Other Tamil Eelam (LTTE) bomb, killing hostilities during this period affected 2014: Sri Lanka: Wonder of Asia 21 including 13 foreigners. tourism as there were fears of rebel bombs in the safer parts of 2001 – LTTE ATTACK Sri Lanka.

inforgraphic-sri lanka_KYgcmy.indd 61 22/7/14 2:50 pm Infographics THAILAND By Greg Lowe TOURISM ARRIVALS 1984: 2,346,709 1994: 6,166,496 2004: 11,650,703 2013: 26,546,725

AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY 1984: 5.5 1994: 7.0 AVERAGE 2004: 8.1 TOURIST 2012: 10.0 EXPENDITURE 1984: B2,127.32 1994: B3,373.70 2004: B4,057.85 2013: B4,473.93 (Jan-Mar) Source: Tourism Authority of Thailand

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND DESTINATION AOR (BANGKOK) MARKETS TRAVELLERS BRANDING/ 607,527 1,680,772 SLOGAN 55.6% 48.6% Malaysia Malaysia 2004 2012 Japan Japan 1984: Thailand...The Most Exotic Singapore Taiwan Country in Asia 1984 1994 1984 1994 1994: Discover the Treasures of a Kingdom LEST Malaysia China 2,743,617 5,829,581 2004: Amazing Thailand, Unseen WE Japan Malaysia Treasure FORGET South Korea Russia 2014: Amazing Thailand: It 2004 2013 Begins with the People... 2003 – SARS, BALI BOMBING 2004 2012 The SARS crisis and 2002 Bali BIGGEST SPENDER bombing caused arrivals from (MARKET) Oceania to drop, particularly NTO CHIEFS NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS Australians, by about 19 per cent. US Kuwait 1984: Somchai Hiranyakit 44,190 246,113 1984 1994 2004 – INDIAN OCEAN 1994: Dharmnoon Prachuabmoh/ 1984 1994 TSUNAMI Seree Wangphachitr The natural disaster devastated parts 2004: Juthamas Siriwan of the Andaman Coast, killing 5,395 Brunei Hong Kong 2014: Thawatchai Arunyik and injuring almost 9,000 with some 2004 2013 (Jan-Mar) 357,922 557,488 3,000 missing. TOURISM MINISTERS 2004 2014 2008 – OCCUPATION OF 2004: Sontaya Khunpleum SUVARNABHUMI, DON 2014: Somsak Pureesrisak MUEANG AIRPORTS Protestors occupied both airports from November 25 to December 2, leaving thousands of international visitors stranded.

2011 – WORST FLOODS IN SIX DECADES The floods waterlogged 65 of 77 provinces. Negative news flow caused arrivals even to unscathed southern areas, like Phuket, to dip.

inforgraphic-thailand_KYkngcmy.indd 62 22/7/14 2:51 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 63

VIETNAM AVERAGE TOURIST By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena EXPENDITURE 2003: US$74.60 2007: US$83.50 2009: US$91.20 2011: US$105.70 Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam

TOURISM ARRIVALS AVERAGE 1994: 1,020,000 LENGTH OF STAY 2004: 2,927,876 2005: 9.7 for package 2014: 3,073,905 tours, 16.8 for FITs (Jan-Apr) 2011: 10.8 for package tours, 12.0 for FITs Source: All Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) unless otherwise stated

TOP 3 OVERSEAS NO. OF OUTBOUND AOR ARR MARKETS TRAVELLERS 3.5 million 1,836,310 74.3% VND Source: 2007 2007 China Vietnam Tourism US Association Japan China 2004 South Korea 2,620,328 2,786,940 2012 % 67.7% Japan 64.1 VND VND 2013 2014 (Jan-Mar) 2014 (Jan-Mar) 2014 2013 (Jan-Apr) NO. OF HOTEL ROOMS Source: STR Global Source: STR Global 324,800* *Of which BIGGEST SPENDER 2013 62,029 Both events led to a dramatic belong to LEST decline in foreign arrivals by as (MARKET) three-star and above WE much as 70 per cent during the categories FORGET most affected months, resulting Norway Austria in massive loss of bookings and Austria Sweden low occupancy rates in hotels. Canada Belgium NO. OF TRAVEL 1975 – US TRADE EMBARGO Vietnam fell short of reaching 2005 2011 AGENCIES The US immediately imposed a its goal of attracting five million 1,322 trade embargo on the newly unified foreign visitors in 2008 and 4.5 Vietnam after the fall of Saigon in million in 2009. 1975, which prevented American businessmen and tourists from 2014 – RIOT AGAINST visiting the country. The embargo CHINESE COMPANIES was eventually lifted on February 3, Anti-Chinese sentiments in 2014 1994 by President Clinton. Vietnam boiled over in May when DESTINATION some 20,000 rioting workers BRANDING/SLOGAN TOURISM 2002/2003 – SARS OUTBREAK attacked 15 factories in industrial MINISTERS The outbreak and subsequent travel parks outside Ho Chi Minh City. 2004: Vietnam – A Destination warnings from the World Health Although their target was Chinese for the New Millennium & 2014: Hoang Tuan Anh Organization dealt a severe blow to companies, Taiwanese, South Welcome to Vietnam Note that according to VNAT, there was no Ministry of Culture, Sports and Culture in 2004 and 1994. Vietnam’s tourism and caused the Korean and Singaporean factories 2014: Vietnam – Timeless country to lose around one million were also implicated. The Chinese Charm tourists from China and Taiwan. government issued a warning NTO CHIEFS against travel to Vietnam, and 1994: Do Quang Trung 2008 – GLOBAL ECONOMIC many Chinese responded by 2004: Vo Thi Thang CRISIS cancelling their travel plans to the 2014: Nguyen Van Tuan 2009 – H1N1 PANDEMIC country.

infographic-vietnam_cmykkngcRHmy.indd 63 22/7/14 2:51 pm Under 40

people from different cultures, personali- ties, hobbies, backgrounds as well as new challenges, and a job well done makes people happy and me happy.” THE NEXTGEN His exposure to high-flying interna- tional visitors through travel guiding would shape his life outlook and career. “Thanks to them, I have developed a good taste of life and know how to live a good life. They come as foreigners but leave as friends,” he shared. As Pham built up experience in the tourism industry in roles ranging from TRAVEL operations to sales and marketing, it deep- ened his desire to introduce Vietnam’s beauty to more foreigners; it also led him to identify a gap in high-end, tailormade travel at a time when budget, low-quality service was the call of the day and luxe resorts and international-standard golf courses were still far and few between in LEADERS the country. Young, ambitious and ready to rev up their business to greater heights, here are some of Asia’s next-gen CEOs

Indonesia | Pauline Suharno, products. “We provide clients with one travel consultant as their point of contact 36, managing director, Elok to handle all their needs,” she said. The Tour company now boasts nine travel consult- ants and 50 staff. Pauline Suharno took over from her fa- Pauline sees further growth in niche ther Jono as managing director of Jakarta- services as Indonesians are becoming based Elok Tour two years ago, a position more affluent travellers. she earned after many years of hard work “We have had clients of just two people in the company. but requiring a private guide. Also, there “I started working for my parents (her are companies giving out (incentive trip) mother handles finance in the company) bonuses to suppliers or presents to clients when I graduated from tourism high of only three to five people in a group. school in 1997, doing ticketing and ho- These are the kind of clients we are cater- tel reservation. I worked in the morning ing for,” she added. and went to college in the evening, taking “This allows me to keep learning from management subjects,” said the second- problems and finding ways to solve them. generation leader. This also improves my capacity as an as- Her association with the travel busi- sessor (of travel consultant certification),” ness, however, started much earlier dur- said Pauline, who also sits on the execu- ing her childhood. “While other families tive board of the Association of Air Tick- spent school holidays travelling, my par- eting Companies in Indonesia as deputy ents were busy serving them as it was the secretary general and the Association of peak season,” she recollected. “They took the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies me to work to show how busy it was in the (ASITA) Jakarta Chapter as business de- office…They showed me how many tick- velopment coordinator. ets they needed to sell to buy me shoes, to Pauline envisions an industry pay for school.” where players big and small have Besides recognising the value of hard a chance to grow. “ASITA has ap- work, the early exposure to the travel proached NTOs to organise fam business also taught her the importance of trips and include the SMEs because delivering high service standards to meet some of them also handle MICE clients’ needs, a concept that remains core groups. And the more travel compa- to the company despite a changing busi- nies are familiar with the destinations, ness environment. “This business is about the bigger the chance for the NTOs to serving people, so keeping up good ser- grow the market,” she said. – Mimi Hu- vice should always be the key to keep up doyo the business.” While other travel firms set up in the ‘70s have grown to handle volume-based Vietnam | Pham Ha, and group series travel, Elok Tour remains a medium-sized company specialising in 39, CEO and founder, ticketing and outbound travel, with an eye Luxury Travel on catering to more niche segments like FITs, premium FITs, families and small Pursuing a tourism career was a natural incentives. option for Pham Ha, a Vietnamese na- “Our clients are those who like to be tive with a penchant for the good life pampered; they communicate more by and a strong interest in foreign languages phone (as opposed to emails), requiring a – backed by a trio of degrees in French, lot of assistance from the planning stage to English and business administration. the end of the trip,” she said. “I chose tourism as a career as I find it One of the changes Pauline had made the happiest job in the world,” said Pham, Clockwise from top: Pauline Suharno; to the company was to steer it towards a who started guiding tours during his stu- Jason Wong; Pham Ha and travel consultancy with more tailormade dent days in the 1990s. “I can meet many Chotechuang Soorangura

aug 40th p07 under40-v2RH-redgc-FINAl.indd 64 22/7/14 2:53 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 65

With just “US$1,000, one person, one Thailand | Chotechuang knowledge, and the travel business trains him, Nijhawan said it is his own passion laptop and one website”, Pham founded both my adaptability and flexibility. In for the industry and the myriad of oppor- Luxury Travel in 2004, positioning the Soorangura, 33, associate fact, being innovative is always our com- tunities available that keep him going. He company as a luxury tour operator spe- managing director, NS Travel pany motto,” said the younger Wong, who joined the business in 2000 and became cialising in privately guided, fully bespoke & Tours became the helmsman of the company the managing director in 2004. Since then, and experiential travel experiences. three years ago. his focus has been on establishing the To that end, the tourism entrepreneur Chotechuang Soorangura cut his teeth as “This particularly applies to our tour company as one of the leading players in has designed training programmes for a marketeer for brands such as ExxonMo- products. We think out of the box by India. each of his staff – whom he calls “Luxers” bil, Thanachart Bank and Procter & Gam- working with different media and tourism “We are working in 14 countries today – to ensure they embrace professionalism ble. Two years ago he decided to follow his bodies to explore new products, for in- and are hopeful to take this tally to 30-35,” and a positive attitude when engaging younger twin brother Chatchawan into stance, gourmet tours guided by celebrity he revealed. “Now our aim is to be the with customers. the travel business their father Suparerk chefs and the introduction of exotic des- largest B2B player in the world.” Now, a decade later, the Hanoi-based Soorangura, the current president of the tinations like Ethiopia and Brazil exclu- In particular, Nijhawan has been focus- DMC boasts offices outbound-focused Thai Travel Agents As- sively guided by travel guru James Hong,” ing on the company’s technology prod- throughout Vietnam, sociation, established 35 years ago. he added. ucts to make inroads into international Cambodia, Laos, Following in their father’s footsteps is The company has also worked with markets including South-east Asia, the Myanmar and no mean feat when you consider the net- Tourism Australia to produce a series of Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Thailand, in ad- work of businesses he has developed over short movies promoting outbound travel As part of its branding and business dition to repre- the past four decades. Down Under. alignment process, the company has sentative offices in “It’s more of an empire really,” said “Group travel has moved into a more brought its existing products, Travel Bou- California, Lon- Chotechuang as he detailed some of the insightful and personalised format. More- tique Online (TBO), Techmaster and the don, Paris, companies within the group, including over, we are stepping into a new emerg- recently launched tboholidays.com, under Berlin, NS Travel & Tours, which takes up 80 per ing market – overseas wedding services,” the ambit of the TBO Group. cent of his time; the recently launched Wong revealed. “Through TBO we have a strong inven- World Collection Travel that targets out- tory of domestic and international air- bound MICE; Transasia Express, which lines, but now through tboholidays.com boasts a fleet of 100 coaches and 30 vans; we are looking to further strengthen our and Serenata Hotels & Resorts Group, hotel inventory. We aim to be one of In- which has a portfolio of 15 properties. dia’s top two B2B players in the hotel busi- “Were lucky to have a highly experi- ness through tboholidays.com.” enced team, more than half of them have Tboholidays.com now allows real-time been with us for 17 to 20 years,” he said. They (my parents) booking of over 200,000 hotels world- This brings its challenges, however, espe- wide, he said. “We have ensured a hassle- cially when it comes to using new technol- showed me how free booking experience for travel (con- ogy and social media, something he is try- sultants),” said Nijhawan. ing to hardwire into the company’s DNA. many tickets they He is also looking to aggressively mar- “I recently had a client say if we could ket Techmaster, which offers a range of not talk to them via Line (a social messag- needed to sell to travel technology solutions for travel ing app) he would go to another company, agencies, tour operators and consolidators so I set up the account straightaway. The buy me shoes, to in emerging countries. problem is some of our staff still don’t like “We have been exporting technology using email, let alone social media.” pay for school. solutions to international markets includ- Chotechuang has already improved ing the Middle East and Africa. Our tar- Pauline Suharno get now is to tap markets like the Far East the design of NS Travel’s website and en- Managing director, Elok Tour Indonesia hanced its search engine optimisation, and Latin America. We have purposely and is looking at more contemporary not sold technology solutions in India as ways to market the company. “One of Amid a burgeoning FIT market, Wong the market here doesn’t value intellectual the challenges is trying to adjust the will continue to enhance Hong Thai’s suc- property,” said Nijhawan. – Rohit Kaul company culture so we can at- cessful position as a travel retail store by tract enough new blood to keep fine-tuning the company’s online plat- us strong in the future while form through the roll-out of a wider prod- Philippines | Aileen Clemente, making sure we listen and uct range that includes group buy special learn from the experi- offers and online air ticketing functions. 40, president and chairman, enced staff who have “Hong Kong is such a convenient city Rajah Travel Corp been with us for years.” so many clients still rely on frontline staff EC Vacation is one of support at branches,” he said. “Still, social Aileen Clemente, president and chairman his other innovations due media channels like Facebook can’t be of Rajah Travel Corp, has brought the to come online imminently. underestimated – our Facebook page now family-owned business into the high-tech The business will work as a wholesaler has the biggest number of fans (among age and transformed it from a travel agen- Buenos Aires, Bris- for domestic tour operators. “No one has travel agencies in Hong Kong) at around cy into a travel management company. bane and New Delhi. really looked at this type of wholesaling 100,000.” “Rajah Travel is always evolving. We are Last year, Luxury in Thailand before because it’s a high- Network distribution is key for Hong always looking for ways to streamline op- Travel unveiled its new volume, low-margin business. But I’m Thai, which currently boasts 24 branches erations and enhance processes. We have B2B website and es- convinced it’s a viable idea as every tour in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The created new departments and shifted the tablished a joint-venture operator is looking for customers today opening of a joint-venture office in Shen- organisational structure several times, company – Asia Premium and customers still value service, so we zhen last September under the Closer always with a view to create a stronger Travel – in Cambodia. can support both sides.” – Greg Lowe Economic Partnership Arrangement has team,” said Clemente, who just turned 40 As well, the ambitious Pham has sights enabled the company to take advantage of in May. set on realising another dream: to be the the vast Chinese outbound market. – Pru- “In recent years, we have also put extra owner of a luxury cruise boat. Come end- dence Lui focus on the digital and technology as- 2014, he will launch Emperor Cruises in Hong Kong | Jason Wong, 33, pects of the business. We have upgraded Halong Bay, a 10-cabin traditional Viet- general manager, Hong Thai our website to allow our clients to book namese wooden boat featuring six-star, Travel Services India | Ankush Nijhawan, 36, online and harnessed the power of social all-inclusive cruising experience with but- media to communicate directly with our ler service. The son of Jackie Wong, who founded managing director, Nijhawan clients and partners. “We want to create an experience that Hong Thai Travel Services in 1966, Jason Group “We are also reaping the benefits of touches the heart and senses of the most Wong was groomed for the tourism world technology, specifically cloud-based solu- discerning travellers. Our customers from young by his dad and naturally took Ankush Nijhawan is a third-generation tions. These have allowed us to move away will be served like feudal emperors,” said on the family business upon graduation leader at Nijhawan Group, a New Delhi- from heavy capital expenditures and shift Pham, who believed his latest venture from university in 2003. based travel conglomerate with diverse these to operating expenses,” Clemente would enable him to tap the unexploited “Tourism is an eye-opening industry interests across the technology, hotel and enthused. ultra-luxury market. – Xinyi Liang-Phol- which exposes me to various cultures airline representation domains. “We have improved our branding and sena as well as challenges. I like gaining new Although the baton has been passed to created our own product lines. I am most

aug 40th p07 under40-v2RH-redgc-FINAl.indd 65 22/7/14 2:53 pm Under 40

From left: Ankush Nijhawan; Aileen Clemente; Chris Ng; Chaminda Dias; Clifford Neo; Shafraz Fazley and Lawrence Cheng

fond of Funtastic Vacations, which we Ng, then the firm’s general manager, saw packages for health tourism.” – S Puvane- to already boast close to half a lifetime of started for the Philippines. These are more further growth potential in the company. swary experience in the travel and hospitality theme-based itineraries and not just the He bought over the business and has since sector. usual city breaks that our competitors are been running the agency as managing di- Dias started his career as a manage- selling,” she added. rector. Singapore | Clifford Neo, 38, ment trainee at the Hilton Colombo, then Clemente’s work at Rajah Travel offi- “I wanted to take (the company) to the moved to United Holidays to handle des- cially began 17 years ago, but unofficially next level,” recalled Ng. “At the time, in- managing director, Dynasty tination marketing before founding Luxe she had been involved in the business bound comprised about 80 per cent of the Travel Asia five years ago with financial backing since childhood. She said: “I have fond total business revenue, outbound made from Expolanka Holdings, a diversified memories of helping out on tour runs and up 10 per cent of the business and 10 per With technology making huge strides and conglomerate in Sri Lanka. creating marketing collaterals when I was cent was from visa (processing) – we were revolutionising the travel space, many crit- Operating in Sri Lanka with a pres- still a kid.” the official outsource travel agency for the ics have viewed traditional travel agencies ence in the Maldives, the Colombo-based Rajah Travel was founded 42 years ago Singapore High Commission in Malaysia as a ‘sunset’ industry. But Clifford Neo, DMC’s core business is predominantly in 1972 by Aileen’s parents, Joe and Ale- for the acceptance and submission of visa managing director of Dynasty Travel, begs B2B but it has ventured into B2C initia- jandra Clemente. She said: “I continue applications and collections. to differ, and is using innovative technol- tives in certain mature markets such as the along this path as I share their pride for “I have diversified the company’s busi- ogy to drive the growth of his agency. UK, according to Dias. the country and their vision of contribut- ness by growing the outbound depart- He said: “Technology is the rage today, Dias, who continues to head Luxe Asia ing to the economy through the multiplier ment and corporate business,” he said, and I have spearheaded many new initia- as managing director when the company effect that tourism generates. attributing the outbound business growth tives and scored an industry breakthrough came under the ownership of Galle Face “Also, this is more of a stewardship for to strong support from airline partners with our own iPhone travel app, iDynasty, Hotel Group in January, believes that me. I believe in the jobs we create and the such as Malaysia Airlines and LCCs like in 2012.” the new owner’s inventory of 800 rooms families we help. Most of our current em- AirAsia. With this app, customers are able to across Sri Lanka will give the DMC fur- ployees are the sons, daughters, relatives “Prior to 2010, most of our outbound browse travel package details and even re- ther flexibility and edge in the market. and neighbours of our previous employ- business was retail. Today, retail leisure deem their after-travel rewards points for With his sights set for Luxe Asia to be ees,” said Clemente. “In all honesty, this is business makes up only 30 per cent of our shopping/food/travel vouchers and cin- “among the best travel groups” in Asia, my family.” – Rosa Ocampo outbound business revenue while the re- ema tickets – on the go. Dias sees Luxe Asia as a well-established maining is outbound corporate business.” Keeping in mind customers’ evolving brand in five years’ time, and one which Today, both outbound and inbound travel needs, he added: “We want to slowly leverages technology as a potent weapon Malaysia | Chris Ng, 38, business revenue are almost equal for MP steer our sales consultants away from the to stay ahead. Travel & Tours, revealed Ng, while the traditional paper-and-pen tour agency “With the right technology platforms managing director, MP Travel company has also expanded its share of norm.” we can be anywhere we want; we can & Tours corporate business. This year Neo launched an iPad mini bring travellers from anywhere to any- “There is less risk in servicing corporate booking system, which enables all front- where (they want),” he said. “Innovation When the previous owner decided to part outbound travellers as this is a year-round line staff to conduct their sales pitch any- is changing the travel industry. Clients with MP Travel & Tours in 2010, Chris market, compared with leisure outbound time, anywhere. have access to products and are constantly which is seasonal. There are also higher In pursuit of brand excellence and cus- searching for new packages, new ideas. margins in handling corporate outbound,” tomer satisfaction, Neo said the company That’s where we want to pitch in and pro- he remarked. is always looking to improve and differen- vide niches. The next step in the business is to up- tiate itself from the rest of the industry by “For example Luxe Africa could be a grade the company’s B2B online book- creating unique travel experiences. possibility – anything is possible once we ing engine, to allow tour packages to be Looking forward to the future, he said: get our technological platforms. Africa is booked online, and to develop a mobile “We are intending to capitalise on the kind of a virgin territory and I would like phone application so that rooms and surging tourist traffic from wealthy (mar- to exploit that market,” he added. I believe in the packages can be booked on the go with kets) with special luxury travel package of- Mauritius, the Seychelles and Bali are instant confirmation. ferings. also on Luxe Asia’s radar within the next jobs we create Ng said: “We need to stay ahead of the “We are also looking to expand the busi- three years. Said Dias: “If they (travellers) game as I see the usage of smartphones to ness regionally via B2B collaborations with trust you in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the families make bookings as a future trend. We plan key partners in the region in countries they will trust you to get the product right to develop this app within two years.” such as Malaysia and Indonesia in the next in other places as well.” – Feizal Samath we help...In all With a self-confessed immense love two to three years to grow the business for his job, Ng finds personal satisfaction even further,” he added. – Paige Lee Pei Qi honesty, this is my in taking the business to new heights and Maldives | Shafraz Fazley, 34, believes that innovation is key to growth. managing director, Viluxur family. “The challenge is to do things differ- Sri Lanka | Chaminda Dias, ently and to service your clients well,” Holidays he stressed. “Everyone sells inbound 38, managing director, Luxe Aileen Clemente tours to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi Asia Shafraz Fazley, managing director of Vi- President and chairman and other places. We offer more variety. luxur Holidays, has set a five-year timeline Rajah Travel Corp, Philippines We have culinary tours, cycling tours and For a 38-year-old, Chaminda Dias seems to achieve his goal of turning the DMC

aug 40th p07 under40-v2RH-redgc-FINAl.indd 66 22/7/14 2:53 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 67

into Asia’s leading luxury travel consul- tancy. Within three short years since its incep- tion in 2010, Viluxur Holidays now boasts a US$40 million annual turnover in the Maldives, with more than 100 staff across its four offices in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Chi- The key to entrepreneurial success is innovation, the confidence na and Singapore. The company recently moved its headquarters to Singapore and to take risks, healthy competition and the love to overcome started B2C operations last year. A GSA for many resorts in the Maldives obstacles. and Sri Lanka alike, Fazley aims to launch one new inbound destination per year for Viluxur Holidays, with Mauritius, Sey- Shafraz Fazley, managing director, Viluxur Holidays Maldives chelles and Bali being next on the radar. “The key to entrepreneurial success is innovation, the confidence to take risks, However, a stint as a tour leader after China | Yates Fei, 34, general focus from air spend management to wid- healthy competition and the love to over- graduation convinced him that interact- er consolidation and process engineering. come obstacles,” said Fazley. ing with travellers and being able to meet manager, HRG China “China is set to become the largest cor- “I also relish the opportunity for con- their needs would give him immense job porate travel market in the world, and the stant growth.” satisfaction. Yates Fei first joined HRG in 2005, assum- average Chinese business traveller has em- Viluxur Holidays’ current strengths lie Cheng then spent a year in ground ing his present role as general manager in braced technology and the use of online in China and other emerging markets in operations at the Macau International October 2013 responsible for developing booking tools or travel apps.” niche luxury segments such as wellness Airport and three years in sales at Macau and executing HRG’s overall business On what motivates him in his job, the and photography travel, carefully identi- Fisherman’s Wharf, further beefing up strategy in China. avid traveller replied: “My main objective fied by Fazley after a thorough analysis. his portfolio by handling MICE and in- Apart from playing a key role in win- is to deliver proven value to our clients. The ambitious entrepreneur wants to bound operations at EGL Tours and busi- ning a number of lucrative accounts for Once we deliver the savings, turn around focus on creating theme-based experi- ness development at the Westin Resort HRG, Fei successfully migrated more than perceptions and help the clients to achieve ences for discerning clients seeking mean- Macau before joining the seven-year-old 60 per cent of HRG China’s clients onto a better compliance, I feel very rewarded.” ingful travel. Meg-Star International Tours earlier this card platform as well as implemented the – Caroline Boey “During our routine brainstorming year. company’s online strategy for a number of sessions, great suggestions include tweak- “Meg-Star used to focus on selling large multinational accounts. ing responsible tourism experiences to hotels and air tickets, but saw the oppor- “When HRG first entered the China enhance the satisfaction of the traveller,” tunity to establish a MICE & inbound market a decade ago, the concept of a Laos | Markus Neur, 36, owner, he said. department (in 2014),” Cheng said, add- TMC managing the travel needs of or- Tiger Trail Activities like coral adoption, whale ing that there are only about 10 DMCs in ganisations based here was a fairly new shark and manta ray protection, and local Macau. concept,” said Fei. Born in Germany, 36-year-old Markus charitable missions will be implemented Having cut his teeth organising Junior “HRG had to work hard to change Neur found his calling on the other side of as innovative segments for Viluxur’s des- Chamber International Macao events, mindsets, deliver tangible results and win the world in Laos. tinations. Wong jumped at the chance to join Meg- new business by educating new clients Neur joined Tiger Trail in 2005, taking Recognising travellers’ increasing will- Star’s newly launched department and on the concept of travel management via over the Luang Prabang-based tour oper- ingness to pay a premium for specially incorporate new ideas into teambuilding programmes that projected clear dollar ator in 2008 as owner. The company now designed trips, Fazley elaborated: “We activities. values.” employs 56 full-time staff members in can tap a few associations with certain “For example, we have added the ele- HRG was the first foreign-owned travel Luang Prabang and six staff in a franchise interest and invite their members on a ment of a food treasure hunt in a Portu- company to establish the corporate travel office in Thailand’s Chiang Mai. special tour. The idea is to incorporate guese cooking class. The teams are given market in China through a majority share Since its beginnings in 2000, the com- their hobbies into their holidays.” – Feizal the recipe and have to go around Macau joint venture with Jin Jiang International pany has always offered socially respon- Samath to find the ingredients; in the process in 2004. sible and adventurous travel, developing learn more about the places they visit,” he The company has also grown from just its own Fair Trek brand to support local said. 20 employees to over 280 based in the tourism initiatives. Macau | Lawrence Cheng, 34, “Each programme is tailormade,” key locations of Beijing, Guangzhou and Neur saw great potential in the adven- Cheng continued. “The sales conference Shanghai, according to Fei. ture travel sector, implementing a ‘We are manager-MICE & inbound, for a telecommunications company of He added: “During the last 10 years we Laos’ ethos to hire predominantly Lao- Meg-Star International Tours 250 international attendees was based on have seen significant changes within the tians and a small number of expats who the Amazing Race (reality show). But it corporate travel industry including the know the destination. He is still excited When he first enrolled in Macau’s Insti- included the challenge of finding a piece introduction of dynamic online booking today by the prospects of discovering re- tute for Tourism Studies, Lawrence Cheng of puzzle at the various checkpoints (in tools and the widespread use of mobile mote landscapes in Laos and witnessing was not certain if he would pursue a career order) to create the company’s logo at the apps; payment methods moving from in- ongoing development in its towns. in the tourism industry. finish line.” – Caroline Boey voice to credit card platform; and a shift of From an agency offering short adven-

aug 40th p07 under40-v2RH-redgc-FINAl.indd 67 22/7/14 2:53 pm 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 68 Under 40

years also paralleled the development of tourism in the country. Reth is now the operations director and owner of Apsara Tours, which was established by his par- ents in 1991. Apsara Tours was the first inbound My main objective is to deliver proven operator to launch in Cambodia after the country opened its doors to foreign value to our clients. Once we deliver the tourists following the dissolution of the Khmer Rouge party. The elder Reths saw savings...and help clients achieve better great potential as few travellers at that time knew what Cambodia could offer and even fewer knew about the business compliance, I feel very rewarded. of travel. Now a full-fledged travel company with Yates Fei 50 full-time staff, Apsara Tours remains General manager, HRG China committed to a ‘can do’ attitude that has defined the company since day one. A new website due for launch in mid-2014 will feature an integrated booking engine and enhanced user ex- ture tours and multi-day excursions, Tiger “Great focus is also placed on regular ger Trail’s online video projects. – David perience with the ability for clients to Trail now primarily operates as a DMC engagement through Facebook, our ha- Andrews rate products, write testimonials and handling full country services for tour bitual blogs, newsletters and after-sales share videos and photos. Social media operators worldwide. While still assisting customer care to (travel consultants) and channels like Facebook, Instagram and walk-in backpackers looking for a home- individuals.” Twitter are used to promote new products stay, the majority of clients are expats liv- Brand awareness among hotels, sup- Cambodia | Nick Reth, 26, and steer traffic to the company website. ing in Indochina, and markets from the pliers and visitors in the local region is operations director and This year, Apsara Travel is developing Americas and Australia. being strengthened through a free Luang owner, Apsara Tours more products and appointing more sales “Present marketing activities are heav- Prabang mini-guide, with the first edition representatives in Europe, North America, ily aimed at social media, including what published last year and the second due in For 26-year-old Nick Reth, the travel India and China, the latter of which is a is perhaps the largest picture database October. Suppliers can also advertise their industry is all he has ever known. Born new market it is aiming to grow. – David of Laos on Flickr,” Neur commented. products by adding their branding to Ti- and raised in Cambodia, his growing up Andrews TTG_Asia_40th_anniversary_July2014.ai 1 21/7/14 5:53 pm

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

aug 40th p07 under40-v2RH-redgc-FINAl.indd 68 22/7/14 2:53 pm 15-17 OCTOBER 2014 INTERCONTINENTAL HONG KONG

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Patrons Marriott International, Inc. Media Sponsors InterContinental Hotels Group Mayer Brown JSM Asian Hotel + Catering Times Jones Lang LaSalle MGM Hakkasan Hospitality GlobalHotelNetwork.com Milbank Hotel Analyst Jumeirah Group Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Hotel News Now Langham Hospitality Group Paul Hastings LLP Hotelier Indonesia pentahotels Premier Inn HOTELS Magazine Proskauer Sleeper Magazine Platinum Sponsors QUO ST Media Group International Accor Asia Pacific Ryan Lawyers TTG Asia Ashford Scottish Development International Baker & McKenzie Shangri-La International Hotel Supporters Canyon Equity LLC Management Ltd. HAMA Asia Pacific Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Starwood Hotels & Resorts International Finance CBRE Hotels Worldwide, Inc. Corporation Choice Hotels International The Brand Company International Society of FSC Architects The Indian Hotels Company Limited Hospitality Consultants Hilton Worldwide The Oberoi Group International Tourism Partnership Hyatt International Asia Pacific Tourism Australia Pacific Asia Travel Association Limited WATG / Wimberly Interiors KPMG Wyndham Worldwide Patrons, Sponsors, and Supporters as of 8 July 2014

Hosts: www.HICAPconference.com 08.08.2014 TTG Asia 70 Finale

WHAT CAN WE DO EDITORIAL Karen Yue Group Editor [email protected] Gracia Chiang Deputy Group Editor [email protected] TO MAKE TOURISM Hannah Koh Assistant Editor, TTG Asia Online [email protected] Paige Lee Pei Qi Assistant Editor, Singapore [email protected] Xinyi Liang-Pholsena Assistant Editor, Thailand/Indochina [email protected] A BETTER INDUSTRY? Kathy Neo Copy Editor [email protected] S Puvaneswary Editor, Malaysia/Brunei A cross-section of industry leaders tells Gracia Chiang how [email protected] Mimi Hudoyo Editor, Indonesia [email protected] Sim Kok Chwee Correspondent-at-large [email protected] Greg Lowe Correspondent, Thailand [email protected] Marianne Carandang, Rosa Ocampo Correspondents, The Philippines [email protected], [email protected] Prudence Lui Correspondent, Hong Kong [email protected] Caroline Boey Senior Correspondent, China & Special Projects [email protected] Shekhar Niyogi Chief Correspondent, India [email protected] Rohit Kaul Correspondent, New Delhi [email protected] Feizal Samath Correspondent, Sri Lanka/Maldives [email protected] Tan Kok Yong, Redmond Sia, Goh Meng Yong Creative Designers Lina Tan Editorial Assistant SALES & MARKETING Michael Chow Group Publisher CC ZHUANG RAYMOND N BICKSON HIROMI TAGAWA [email protected] COFOUNDER AND CEO MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHAIRMAN Shirley Tan Senior Business Manager [email protected] QUNAR.COM CEO, TAJ HOTELS, RESORTS AND JTB CORP Karen Cheung Senior Business Manager PALACES [email protected] As an industry, tourism as a The travel industry needs to Jonathan Yap Business Manager whole is still lagging behind Ease of travel is extremely [email protected] ensure that there are ‘perfect Cheryl Tan Corporate Marketing Manager in technology adoption. It important for seamless travel moments always’ so that [email protected] Stephanie Toh Marketing Executive needs to be more aggressive between countries. It’s really each moment is perfect for [email protected] Cheryl Lim Advertisement Administration Manager in adopting technology – a global business. Today what tourists. From the beginning [email protected] Carol Cheng Assistant Manager Administration and Marketing everything from mobile to happens in Africa or South to the end of the trip, so many [email protected]

infrastructure. This industry America has an effect on people and moments are PUBLISHING SERVICES needs a total renovation. somebody in Hong Kong. involved. If one person doesn’t Tony Yeo Division Manager Haze Loh Senior Creative Designer Economies are so intertwined. put in the effort, everything Lynn Lim Web Executive Visas are a hindrance, and the crumbles. We need to serve Carol Wong Senior Circulation Executive government should not look at TTG ASIA MEDIA with impeccable service. Darren Ng Managing Director tourists as an easy target for tax. [email protected] Raini Hamdi Senior Editor [email protected]

OFFICES SINGAPORE 1 Science Park Road #04-07 The Capricorn, Singapore Science Park II, Singapore 117528 Tel: (65) 6395-7575 Fax: (65) 6536-0896 [email protected]; www.ttgasia.com HONG KONG Unit 2011, 20/F Harbour Center, 25 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2237-7174 Fax:(852)2237-7227

TTG Asia is a product by TTG Travel Trade Publishing, a business group of TTG Asia Media. It is mailed free on written request to readers who meet predetermined criteria. Paid subscriptions are available to those who do not meet the criteria. Annual airmail subscriptions are US$180 to Asia and US$199 elsewhere. Cover price US$5. GERALD LAWLESS CLEMENT KWOK MICHEL TARIDE MICA (P) 145/10/2012 • PPS 619/02/2013(022926) JUMEIRAH GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR AND GROUP PRESIDENT Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd PRESIDENT AND CEO CEO, THE HONGKONG AND HERTZ INTERNATIONAL 16 Tuas Avenue 5, Singapore 639340 There’s a huge sense of SHANGHAI HOTELS Our challenge is to keep it truly responsibility within the Sustainable tourism is...about a people business. Invest in Travel Hall of Fame Since 2002, TTG Asia Media has honoured luminaries that have won the prestigious industry that we have to do the relationship that travellers technology and use it as a key TTG Travel Award for at least 10 consecutive times for the same have with companies that are award title in the Travel Hall of Fame. the right thing. From shark’s fin enabler to integrate all parts of At present, these exceptional organisations soup to understanding how to taking sustainability seriously in travel, but keep this as a people and their years of induction are: • Singapore Airlines (2002) look after the beautiful place everything that they do. Some business – people who want to • Singapore Changi Airport (2002) people think that sustainable • Hertz Asia Pacific (2005) you have. If you have a lovely serve, who love their customers • Royal Cliff Hotels Group (2006) coral reef you don’t want to tourism is going into a forest and their fellow colleagues. I • Star Cruises (2008) • Abacus International (2009) overcrowd it. You don’t want somewhere and staying in very think this will make the world a • SilkAir (2010) basic accommodation, or that • Lotte Tour (2011) to ruin the product that you’re better place*. • Hong Kong International Airport (2013) actually protecting and using it’s a certain type of tourism • Raffles Hotel Singapore (2013) experience. To me, it all starts *Responding to a panel question at WTTC TTG Asia Media is pleased to announce to promote (your product). Global Summit 2014 on what would make that it is setting up a virtual TTG Travel Hall of with the way that companies Fame, which will enable us to showcase the this an even better industry accolades, artefacts and memorabilia of the behave themselves. region’s most exceptional travel organisations in a far more effective way and to a global All photos from WTTC except Hiromi Tagawa audience.

p70 40tude-Finalerh(ky)my2gcmy.indd 70 22/7/14 2:53 pm AWARD-WINNING JOURNEYS TO OVER  DESTINATIONS

WELCOME TO OUR EXPANDING GLOBAL NETWORK

Explore the world onboard one of the world’s youngest fleets. Be pampered with our signature award-wining service. Enjoy an extraordinary selection of fine dining cuisine created by ’ celebrity chefs, including world-renowned Nobu Matsuhisa. It’s time you take this –-star journey. qatarairways.com World’s –-star airline. C e n t ra l E xp re ssw ay (

CTE)

Scotts Road Road Scotts Scotts Bideford Road Bideford Paragon Shopping The and Medical Knights- Tangs Orchard Lucky Plaza Centrepoint Centre bridge Robinsons

ad Orchard Road Orchard Ro Mandarin Gallery 313 @ Wisma Takashimaya ION Somerset Orchard Shopping Orchard Centre MRT Somerset MRT Somerset Road Cathay Cineleisure Orchard Boulevard Orchard Orchard Link Orchard

Exeter Road

0 250 500 750 m

TTG Asia_260x380mm_upgrade_en.indd 1 21/7/14 5:01 PM