World News | forimmediaterelease.net

... press releases & Breaking World News

Seychelles Tourism Board and its partners meet premium Tour Operators in China

by

The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) organized the first-ever joint high-end sales call in China from the May 6-14, 2019.

The delegation headed by STB representative on the Chinese soil, Jean-Luc Lai Lam comprised of local partners including representatives from Four Seasons Seychelles, Four Seasons Desroches Island, Maia Luxury Resort and Banyan Tree Seychelles.


eTN Chatroom for Readers (join us)

The group visited high-end travel agents in China such as bespoke travel agencies, premium tour operators and OTA in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai. 

Commenting about this exclusive meeting initiative on the Chinese market, Mr. Jean-Luc Lai-Lam, Regional Director of Seychelles Tourism Board stated that the sales call provided a platform in China for Seychelles trade partners to interact with high-end travel agents and tour operators.

He further mentioned that the meeting between the Chinese operators and the representatives from Seychelles was an opportunity to introduce and strengthen the unique selling points of the destination and luxury properties in the Seychelles for the more affluent trade partners in China.

GOT NEWS? click here

possible to reach millions worldwide
Google News, Bing News, Yahoo News, 200+ publications

 “Our high-end sales call is a key element of our promotional program in China – providing our tourism partners from Seychelles with a platform to influence and educate the Chinese travel trade on all that the island of Seychelles has to offer and more importantly, to encourage them to bring more Chinese travelers to our islands.  This has already proved beneficial to the destination, with more high-end bookings coming in through the different agents that were present,” said Mr. Lai Lam.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel   www.seychelles.travel

ILTM: Three consumer archetypes driving wellness and luxury travel in Asia

by

At the forefront of luxury travel trends, International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia Pacific opened in Singapore. To mark the occasion, ILTM released its latest research identifying three consumer archetypes that travel brands should be on the lookout for to capitalize on the escalating wellness and luxury travel sector. According to the latest Global Wellness Institute (GWI) report, wellness tourism is one of the fastest-growing segments in the wellness economy today and Asia Pacific is now the fastest growing market, catapulting its future value to US$252 billion.

Commissioned by ILTM, the report is produced by CatchOn, a Finn Partners company and is available online at view.iltm.com. The study is the result of 50 one-on-one interviews with travelers, luxury tour operators, spa consultants, travel journalists, wellness destination resorts and hospitality brands based in Asia Pacific. The report identifies three consumer archetypes who will be driving the future of wellness tourism in Asia: Female Travelers, Affluent New Agers and Chinese Millennial Millionaires.

Cathy Feliciano-Chon, Managing Partner of CatchOn, presented the research in a keynote speech at the ILTM Asia Pacific Opening Forum. The overwhelming statistics reflect the growing wellness industry in the region: China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia all clocked 20+% annual gains last year and the market will essentially double from 2017–2022.

As Ms. Feliciano-Chon explained: “Asian traditions and healing philosophies – from yoga, Ayurveda to traditional Chinese medicine’s concept of balance and energy – have influenced virtually every aspect of the wellness industry for several decades. Review any spa menu or retreat package in the world and you will inevitably find Asia’s influence. International travel brands, wherever they are in the world, should take this opportunity and be part of this dynamic region’s outbound travel.”

Wellness has become a dominant consumer value and lifestyle driver, profoundly changing behavior, choices and spending decisions. Wellness trips now represent 6.5% of all tourism trips taken worldwide, growing a massive 15.3% annually to reach 830 million trips each year. In the midst of this explosive growth, Asia-Pacific now ranks second – at 258 million wellness trips annually – just behind Europe, according to GWI.

The research dives deeper into the GWI’s assessment of wellness tourism by recognizing two types of wellness travelers: Primary and Secondary. GWI defines primary wellness travelers as those who see wellness as the main purpose for their trip and choosing a destination. The second group see wellness as an add-on to the reason for their trip – but both can be the same person taking different types of trips at different times. For every primary wellness trip taken in Asia, there are 13 more secondary wellness trips.

Key Highlights:

Female Travelers:

• Women’s spending power is surging: From 2013-2023, the global incomes of women will grow from US$13 trillion to US$18 trillion.

• Female travelers present the highest customer lifetime value because they engage in wellness travel the longest.

• It’s the guru that matters the most. Retreats are built around the cult of fitness and yoga celebrity instructors and life coaches.

• Women are putting solo trips on their bucket list. Solo, but in the company of others.

• Wellness for women has gone beyond yoga and detoxes into hormonal imbalance and cellular aging.

• There’s been a boom in women’s-only walking clubs in Australia and tours like Walk Japan as well as self-imposed hiking trail challenges.

Affluent New Agers

• A high concentration of wealth in Asia, combined with longer life expectancies, have made aging aspirational. Asians have the means to pursue wellness in earlier stages of life.

• These luxury travelers want to achieve and maintain quality of – not only life – but lifestyle.

• Affluent New Agers are still value conscious and are more demanding in ensuring they get the very best for their money.

• New Agers are spending upwards of US$200k per trip.

• Demand has driven some tour operators to create special packages that combine physical activity with luxury experiences.

• Rising acceptance for LGBTQ+ in Asia creates potential for brands to capture this segment.

• Affluent New Agers are drivers for medical tourism.

Chinese Millennial Millionaires

• China’s middle classes are growing exponentially, producing more millionaires and billionaires.

• Wellness is the new status symbol among the 400-million Chinese millennials

• Health-conscious behaviors once associated with older generations are now embraced by millennials.

• Wellness trends include:

o Adventure, sports, educational courses
o Weekend anti-stress getaways
o Hidden all-inclusive resort locations
o Retreats for spiritual pursuit
o Action-packed itineraries
o Off-the-beaten track destinations, local immersions

Alison Gilmore, Portfolio Director ILTM & Lifestyle Portfolios, speaking about how this growth sector is being integrated across the ILTM portfolio said: “We take the subject of health and wellness very seriously, and we announced at the end of last year that it would be an ongoing theme within each of our events, whether it’s a specialist area devoted to hands on treatments, advice as well as practical advice and trends research. All our guests at every ILTM will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in how this business can increase theirs wherever they are in the world, as well as take time out themselves to enjoy a bit of pampering.”

eTN is a media partner for ILTM.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Nina Gardiner | (44) 7770 306689 | nina.gardiner@spotlightcoms.com , Lucy Clifton | (44) 7973 464273 | lucy.clifton@spotlightcoms.com

Compass Edge wins 2019 CTW Chinese Tourists Welcoming Award in Innovation Category

by

Since 2004, the CTW Chinese Tourist Welcome Award has been organised by COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute. Evaluated by an international jury of experts including Ctrip, the award is recognised inside and outside China as the most important quality sign for the international Chinese outbound market. Compass Edge was presented with the award during ITB China on May 16th, 2019 in Shanghai, for providing innovative products for the growing Chinese Outbound Tourism market. Other awards recipients include Viking Cruises, Dubai Duty Free, Manchester Airport, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, etc.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chinese tourists made 149.72 million outbound trips in 2018, up 14.7 percent over the previous year, more than half of these trips were outside Greater China regions. Chinese tourists will venture off the beaten path to visit new destinations. A recent report by China Luxury Advisors and Coresight Research saw a surge in independent travelers from 20.7% in 2017 to 26.8% in 2018. This trend will continue in 2019 and beyond.

Compass Edge was founded in 2008, originally just as a reseller of best-of-the-breed hotel online solutions. In 2014, Ms. Anita Chan was appointed CEO of Compass Edge. Recognising Chinese Outbound Tourism especially Free Independent Travel (FIT) is an important uprising trend yet China online market is so complex and fundamentally different from the West, Anita led the company to launch its own Go China Online Branding Solution in 2015 to help overseas hotels to establish a China-Visible strategy. In March 2018, Anita co-founded LN Hotel Alliance with Ling Nan Hospitality, China Southern Airline and GZL Travel Services, a first-of-its-kind Chinese centric loyalty program with 46Million+ loyalty members. Later in 2018, in addition to the digital agency business, Anita transformed Compass Edge to be a technology provider, developing B2B2C WeChat Mini Program solving pain points for both Chinese travelers and overseas tourism and hospitality partners. Compass Edge has successfully implemented over 120 China-Ready strategic projects.

COTRI congratulates Compass Edge for the Silver Award Innovation of the CTW Chinese Tourist Welcome Award 2019. “The award reflects the fact that Compass Edge has for a long time supported hotel companies around the world with innovative services to create satisfied customers and a healthy margin”, says Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt FRGS FRAS, founder and director of COTRI.

According to Anita, “while most overseas hospitality and tourism companies want a piece of Chinese outbound business, the China market is fundamentally different. It requires deep dive expertise, time and huge money resources to start. Before, it is always a “big boy game” and it is hard for smaller companies to have the same playing field. This pushes me to come up with creative and cost-effective programs like Go China branding solution and WeChat Mini Program to help smaller companies to have the chance to be in game for the China FIT market.” “All these efforts have paid off with the recipient of this CTW Silver Innovation Award,” Anita concluded.

About Compass Edge

Compass Edge is a company offering online solutions to independent hotels. It is a niche service provider offering cost-effective branding solutions for overseas hotels to establish an online presence for the booming Chinese FIT market. Its latest WeChat Mini Program offers solution to solve Chinese travelers pain points and capturing ancillary revenue for hospitality and tourism companies.

GCC hospitality must appeal to ‘free independent travelers’ to unlock China’s tourist market

by

The GCC must deliver unique and tech-enabled experiences designed for free independent travelers (FITs) if it is to grow its market share among China’s outbound tourists, according to experts speaking at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019.

The overall number of outbound tourists from China is projected to hit 224 million by 2022, according to research conducted by Colliers. United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) figures show that the GCC is on course to attract 2.9 million of these visitors.

Panellists speaking at the Arabia China Tourism Forum, which took place on the Global Stage at ATM 2019, explored how Gulf states can boost Chinese visitation further and cater to younger travellers arriving from the Far East.

Moderator Dr Adam Wu, CEO of CBN Travel & MICE and World Travel Online, said: “The trend is moving away from group travel to FITs. Approximately 51 per cent of Chinese travellers [come from this segment]. They are travelling in smaller groups but it’s also the age groups that are changing.”

Unique experiences represent a key component when it comes to convincing younger Chinese travellers to visit the GCC. In addition to comfortable accommodation and accessible amenities, panellists noted that China’s FITs are looking for attractions that are not available in other markets.

Terry von Bibra, GM Europe, Alibaba Group, said: “Smaller groups [of Chinese travellers] are going to new places to discover and have unique experiences – special experiences that they can share with friends on social media, which is very important.

“You cannot underestimate the importance of the ideas of discovery and uniqueness. In my job, I see this across all aspects of trade with China. [Customers] want to understand why things are unique and special. The more you can help them understand this, the better job you are doing.”

In addition to unique experiences, Xiuhuan Gao, Head of Asian Market – Overseas Promotions Department, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), said that small, personal touches are also helping the GCC’s hospitality sector to boost arrivals from China, such as Chinese condiments and in-room snacks.

Gulf countries are already taking steps to strengthen ties with China and appeal to the country’s international tourist base. Chinese passport holders can obtain 30-day visas on arrival in Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, and the launch of Saudi Arabia’s tourist visa is expected to lead to further increases.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), meanwhile, has partnered with China’s Tencent to promote the emirate as a preferred destination, and to bring the company’s WeChat and WeChat Pay platforms to the UAE. Panellists agreed that GCC hotels must also do more to facilitate a seamless visitor experience.

Rami Moukarzel, Vice President of Development and Acquisitions – Middle East and North Africa, Louvre Hotels Group, said: “We are seeing an influx of Chinese travellers across all segments. As a hotel industry, we need to be ready for the influx that is coming.”

Moukarzel told attendees that in addition to establishing market-specific booking platforms and social media channels, China-owned Louvre Hotels Group has also partnered with relevant mobile payment systems to ensure that Chinese travellers enjoy a seamless experience when visiting its Middle East properties.

According to figures released by the UNWTO, Chinese visitors are the highest spending overseas travellers on the planet, shelling out USD 258 billion in 2017. Attracting more of these individuals would benefit national economies across the GCC.

As Gulf destinations account for approximately one per cent of China’s outbound tourist market at present, the panel agreed that there remains significant room for growth – as long as the hospitality professionals create China-specific offerings and content that appeal to the country’s shifting market demographics.

Designed to enable travel, tourism and hospitality professionals to explore potential opportunities, the Arabia China Tourism Forum is one of several events that will be hosted on ATM 2019’s Global Stage this week. Other topics to be placed under the microscope include the Saudi Arabian market, halal tourism and industry innovations.

Running until Wednesday, 1 May, ATM 2019 will see more than 2,500 exhibitors showcase their products and services to visitors at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). Viewed by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) tourism sector, last year’s edition of ATM welcomed 39,000 people, representing the largest exhibition in the history of the show.

MEDIA CONTACT: NATHALIE VISELE, Director, Shamal Communications, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525, E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com , Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Russian Aeroflot remains China’s ‘Favorite International Airline’

by

Russia’s Aeroflot has been once again named the Favorite International Airline in China. The award was given to Aeroflot for the third consecutive year at the Flyer Award Ceremony 2019. The award ceremony was held today in Shanghai, the economic capital of China.

The awards are supported by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Winners are selected by the jury and by votes from frequent flyers and travelers.

The awards recognize outstanding participants in China’s dynamically developing tourism market. Previous winners include leading global airlines, including carriers that hold Skytrax 5-Star Airline status.

Aeroflot retained the title of Favorite International Airline at the competitive Flyer Awards due to its key competitive advantages: high service quality and flexible fare policy.

“The recognition of Aeroflot as the Favorite International Airline in China is confirmation of the effectiveness of our strategic efforts in China,” Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said. “We offer our customers a wide route network and one of the youngest fleets in the world. Millions of Chinese passengers choose our airline for affordable ticket prices, convenient transit via our hub airport Sheremetyevo and high-quality service. Further development of service on Europe-Asia transit routes – one of the most competitive aviation markets globally – is one of Aeroflot’s key goals, along with the active expansion of the domestic route network.”

Aeroflot’s convenient routes encompass four key locations in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Aeroflot continuously adds new services oriented at the Chinese market. Earlier Aeroflot signed a partnership agreement with Alipay, China’s most popular payment system.

Aeroflot’s official website has a Chinese-language interface. Passengers receive menus in Chinese, and the in-flight entertainment system is available in Chinese. Onboard announcements are made in Chinese and the menu offers a special Asian set.

Aeroflot consistently enjoys wide recognition and popularity among consumers in the Chinese market. In January, Aeroflot was named Best China – Europe Transit Airline at the 2019 Stars Awards in China.

Travel News | eTurboNews