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The Indonesian archipelago gives visitors fascinating diverse culture, outstanding natural beauty, and the warmest, most hospitable people on earth. www.indonesia.travel indonesia.travel @indtravel indonesiatravel Borobudur Temple, Central Java Explore Further Visit Indonesia Booth at 9 -13 March 2016, Messe Berlin HALL 26A, Stand 122, 123 HALL 26C, Stand 303 www.indonesia.travel indonesia.travel @indtravel indonesiatravel ITB Berlin, Germany March 11, 2016 DER streamlines post-Kuoni buy DER to expand own DMC network, new JV with Buffalo Tours creates Go Vacation Vietnam By Raini Hamdi brands DERTOUR, Meier’s Weltreisen the negative press. It’s not. It’s a different HAVING bought the entire Kuoni Euro- and ADAC, and Cologne office (ITS and Kuoni but how do we tell him that? We’re pean tour operating business, DER Tour- Jahn Reisen). All these brands, includ- not going to be putting stickers on the istik Group is streamlining processes in a ing Kuoni, will eventually be on one IT Kuoni brand saying this now belongs to way that won’t affect the customer-facing infrastructure. Corporate-wise, Herzog’s DER,” said Herzog. side but will have trade implications on namecard already carries all the brands, He expects the issue to be resolved once issues such as contracting and ground- including Kuoni, and “it is possible over Kuoni is privatised. handling. time the name (DER) will change but the Asked why Kuoni was a good buy, he Already, Asian Trails has lost the Kuoni brands will remain; customer-facing ac- said: “It has great brands, great market Switzerland, Scandinavia and the UK ac- tivities remain exactly as they are”, he said. position, an existing customer base, very counts to Go Vacation Thailand and In- “It’s the behind-the-scenes aspects like professional people and it is not over- donesia, the DMC owned by DER. Asian data-entering, IT, brochure production, priced.” Trails continues to handle Kuoni clients etc, that we are harmonising, areas that Meanwhile, Asian Trails’ CEO Laurent from the three source markets in areas customers don’t see. We have bought the Kuenzle said the company was prepared where Go Vacation is not represented, rights to the Kuoni brand for 50 years. that the Kuoni accounts would go to Go Herzog: harmonising many things over the next such as Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar 12 months In the UK and Switzerland the brand is Vacation, saying this was “the logical con- and Laos. strong, why should we change it?,” said clusion” since DER owns the DMC. But with more volume – the acquisition ventures with other companies or found- Herzog. On impact to the business, he said makes DER a leading pan-European travel ing new companies. It announced yes- Asked about the impact of Kuoni Asian Trails was not dependent on any company with some 7.7 million custom- terday a joint venture with Buffalo Tours Group’s sale to EQT, Herzog admitted it one source, handling more than 350,000 ers from source markets like Germany, to create Go Vacation Vietnam. The new was “frustrating”. passengers a year from around the world. Switzerland, Austria, Great Britain, Scan- partnership will welcome its first guests “There’s so much negative press cov- “This also opens a new opportunity dinavia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia from November 1. erage surrounding the Kuoni Group in for us to work with other partners which and Hungary – DER is looking to expand “The DMC is an important part of the Switzerland and customers do not always couldn’t work with us due to our associa- its DMC footprint in countries it operates value chain. Whenever we have the size, it understand that Kuoni Reisen is not part tion with Kuoni, which they deeemed a in that are using third-party DMCs, said makes sense to be in control of the quality of Kuoni Group anymore. Right now, competitor,” he added. DER Touristik CEO Central Europe Rene and value creation,” said Herzog. because of the negative news, a customer But he admitted on the emotional level, Herzog in an interview with the Daily. DER at the same time is streamlin- passes a Kuoni agency in Switzerland and it was sad to lose the accounts. “Some of This could be via Go Vacation, joint ing its Frankfurt office which handles thinks it’s going bankrupt because of all them were our launch customers,” he said. Asia to do well due to safe image, say operators By Raini Hamdi Philippines are at the same level as last year. GERMAN tour operators interviewed “Sri Lanka contracts in euro, whereas the said Asia would do well this year, citing its Thai baht’s link to the US dollar has caused safe image overall as one of the reasons for a 15 per cent increase in rates due to the this assessment. strengthening of the US dollar against the Safety has become the major influencer euro,” Rotter pointed out. But he said sup- in German consumers’ travel pliers in Thailand had been co- decision-making process after operative in not raising rates. the recent terror attacks, ongoing Marco Polo Reisen’s manag- conflicts and the refugee crisis ing director Holger Baldus also that are affecting travel to des- said there were no major price tinations such as Egypt, Turkey, increases in traditional destina- Tunisia and Greece, according to tions in Asia like Thailand, but tour operators. what was more attractive to Ger- Brisk selling taking place in Hall 25 and 26 where Asia is “These are difficult days and Rotter: big portfo- mans was not pricing but that it’s a huge problem to sell the Af- lio a blessing Asia was seen as safe. “The red high prices that’s a lot of guests. Again, it’s the question, ‘Is it safe to go?’ all the time. rican part of the Mediterranean, and yellow shirts, Er- not about pricing. Japan is seen Clients are now very aware of (hazards) be said DER Touristik Frankfurt managing awan bombing, etc, are all but as safe,” said Baldus. it a virus or terror. This is especially so for director, Matthias Rotter. forgotten now. People are travel- He added: “Asia is looking families than couples. So the travel agent “Fortunately DERTOUR and Meier’s ling to where they feel it is safe. good...In the end, Germans will has quite a lot of influence in helping cli- have a big portfolio of destinations and Price comes second,” he said. continue to travel. Our economy ents decide where to go. If they say Bali is we’re able to compensate for a loss in one For Marco Polo Reisen, Indo- is doing well. It’s a question of safe, it can influence the clients to go,” said with a gain in another.,” he said. china, India and China are “back where and business is being re- Lauff. Rotter expects longhaul business to re- on track” after a decline of 12 per divided according to safety per- Bali, Thailand and Vietnam are all do- main steady with a light increase to Asia cent, nine per cent and 26 per ceptions.” ing well for Thomas Cook. The Maldives and a larger one to South Africa due to cent respectively last year. But Lauff: safety-aware Thomas Cook Touristik prod- however is down, with Lauff saying there pent-up demand after the Ebola crisis a the real star is Japan, which rose German consumers uct manager Asia, Arabia and is a shift from the Maldives, which con- few years ago. In Asia, Sri Lanka is doing a whopping 73 per cent last year. Indian Ocean, Jens-Jochen Lauff, tracts in US dollar, to Mauritius, which “extremely well” for DER, as is Japan – “We expect a bit more growth this year, agreed: “The clients are never more con- contracts in euro. On top of that, he said, again due to pent-up demand following after last year’s substantial one. That’s cerned about safety and security than Maldives’ high-end hotels were over-pric- the Fukushima tragedy. Thailand and the more than 1,000 guests to Japan. For its now. The reservations people are getting ing themselves. 11.3.2016 TTG Show Daily ITB Berlin 2 News ASEAN plans for the big 50 TTG Travel Trade Publishing is a business group of TTG Asia Media EDITORIAL SE Asia’s NTOs set into motion the wheels of a regional destination campaign Karen Yue Group Editor Xinyi Liang-Pholsena Deputy Editor, By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena and TTG Asia & TTG India Paige Lee Pei Qi Dannon Har Assistant Editor, TTG Asia Online AS the Association of South-east Paige Lee Pei Qi Assistant Editor, Asian Nations (ASEAN) gears up Singapore to commemorate its 50th anniver- Rachel AJ Lee, Yixin Ng Sub Editors S Puvaneswary Editor, Malaysia/Brunei sary in 2017, top tourism officials Mimi Hudoyo Editor, Indonesia have come together to lay the Eugene Tang Photographer groundwork for a new campaign Redmond Sia, Goh Meng Yong and build up the momentum to Creative Designers promote the region as a single Lina Tan Editorial Assistant tourism destination.