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New sales leader at Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC & Kimpton George Hotel

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Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC and Kimpton George Hotel announced the hire of Katherine Saad-Loman as director of sales and marketing for both boutique hotels in Washington, DC. Saad-Loman brings a strong resort, catering, and luxury hotel background to the position, as well as nearly 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

In her new role, Saad-Loman will drive all sales and marketing activities for Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco Washington DC and Hotel George. Saad-Loman’s day to day as director of sales and marketing for the two hotels will be spent with an emphasis on working with key corporate accounts while also leading the hotels’ expert sales, catering, and events staff. Under her guidance, the team will continue to create ridiculously personalized meetings, weddings, and creative event experiences, offering seasonally-inspired food and beverage in partnership with the hotels’ talented restaurant teams. Saad-Loman will also spearhead strategy for all sales segments and oversee the approach toward revenue, digital marketing, advertising and public relations efforts for the hotels.

Saad-Loman joins Kimpton with varied and impressive experience. She began her career at Hilton Singer Island Ocean Front Resort where she increased catering sales 350% across her three year term. After learning the ropes of a conference hotel, Saad-Loman gained experience as a director of food and beverage at Imperial Lake Golf and Country Club in Mulberry, Florida. She then cut her teeth in a number sales and operations roles throughout central Florida and Baltimore before joining the team at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort as a senior sales and catering manager. She continued to advance her career at top hotels in the Florida market before returning to the Mid-Atlantic as a director of sales and marketing at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites in Delaware. Prior to joining the team at Kimpton, she was task force director of sales and marketing with Crestline Hotels & Resorts in Fairfax, Virginia.

A world traveler and graduate of Catham College in Pittsburgh, Saad-Loman has called the greater DC area home for the past seven months. Outside of work, she can be found planning her next trip, finding places to use her fluent French and recommends everyone live abroad at least once in their lives. Saad-Loman is a member of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) with a passion for mentoring those looking to hone their sales and leadership skills, and she also volunteers, teaching financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to first graders through Junior Achievement of Greater Washington in her spare time. Saad-Loman brings a stylish sense of leadership and a wide range of sales and marketing experience to both Hotel George and Hotel Monaco Washington DC.

Travel News | eTurboNews

SBC Travel Group announces new Chief Digital Officer

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SBC Travel Group, a technology company, has officially appointed Chief Digital Officer Anthoney Jayasekera. He steps into this role with more than 18 years of experience within the hospitality sector, having worked in digital marketing and online distribution for several leading global brands including Minor Hotels, Crown Melbourne and Aitken Spence Hotels where he was in charge of driving digital strategies.

“SBC Travel excites me as they have a passion for embracing new technology and building solutions for travel,” Mr. Jayasekera says. “Being with hospitality and travel for the last 18 years, I’ve been able to see the paradigm shift from traditional to digital platforms.  It’s exciting to see the transformation from then to now. However, there’s still more opportunity to improve and disrupt current processes so they can be secure, faster, novel, and cost-effective with the use of new advancements in technology.”

In his new role with SBC Travel Group, Mr. Jayasekera will direct the overall digital strategy for all business units within SBC Travel, manage the website and social presence and manage all digital marketing initiatives.

For more information on SBC Travel, please visit sbctravel.io.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Italian Exhibition Group returns to China to promote international tourism

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Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) is returning to China to promote international tourism business. The appointment is at the Shanghai World Travel Fair (SWTF), one of the major tourism industry expos of Eastern China, the 16th edition of which is being held from 18th to 21st April.

Over 750 exhibitors from 53 countries and regions of the world are awaited at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

SWTF, co-organized by Europe Asia Global Link Exhibitions (EAGLE) – joint venture created by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) and VNU Exhibitions Asia – and Shanghai International Convention & Exhibition Corp. Ltd (on behalf of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism), offers the sector’s trade members a unique business platform and, for the general public, an all-round insight on tourism products, all in the largest tourism region of the Chinese market, Eastern China (China is the world’s largest outbound tourism market, with 149.72 million outbound journeys and a 14.7% increase in 2018).

With over 15,000 trade members expected and a public of 50,000 visitors, the 2019 edition of SWTF will host a busy calendar of appointments and new features. Visitors will explore tourist destinations from all over the world, including Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Cuba, Gabon, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. SWTF will highlight the entire tourism chain, starting with tourist offices, travel agencies and tour operators, OTA, hotel, airlines, theme parks and resorts, as well as travel services and insurance companies.

On a professional level, SWTF reconfirms its role as a great opportunity for matching to all effects. Over 3,000 B2B appointments with selected buyers from all over Eastern China will take part in the events and the panel scheduled on the latest trends in outbound tourism, organized in cooperation with China Travel Agent. Regarding this, an exclusive B2B area has been realized, which will be accessible to the sector’s trade members exclusively via a face detection system, in order to ensure the quality of the meetings with international suppliers.

Emerging destinations, digital marketing, developments on visa policies and MICE, are just some of the issues that will be covered in the panels by the sector’s opinion leaders, ready to share their successful case histories with the public. Plus, among the speakers, there will also be representatives of the top management of companies such as Ctrip, Tuniu, Uzai, Spring Tour and Tongshen Group, as well as the directors of the Tourism offices of New Zealand, Switzerland and Serbia with branches in Shanghai.

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Maldives Tourism: Changes needed say local travel industry leaders

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The Corporate Maldives blog recently published an interesting analysis on how tourism leaders in the Indian Ocean Island Republic think.

The information sheds some light on what tourism professionals think, do and what issued they have in running the largest industry in the country during politically difficult times.

Tourism is the largest industry in the Maldives making the biggest contribution to the GDP of the country. In order to further understand the views of those who are not from the country on Maldives, our team conducted a research through social media. Our research showed that many people thought of Maldives as an intense and expensive destination that only the rich can afford. Due to this, we had a sit-down with Mr. Ibrahim Inad, former Director of Sales at Velaa Private Island Island to discuss ways to change the mindset of such people and to market Maldives in the most effective ways possible. Below listed are the 5 key components he believes are required to be changed in order to properly promote our destination.

1. Finding a new concept in destination marketing

Maldives resorts are mainly made to fit into the concept of one Resort in one Island. Every resort markets itself as a seclusive getaway to get away from the hustle and bustle of the busy world. Mr. Inad believes that it is more than about time that this concept changes and we get introduced to newer concepts. He acknowledged the CROSSROADS project as it is a multi-island resort development project. He requested other companies to find inspiration from the CROSSROADS project and bring about a change in the concept of Maldivian resort tourism.

CROSSROADS project which spans 9 islands and boasts 1,300 rooms and a retail space of over 11,000 sq m

2. Recognize demand level to know how to supply

With each passing year, more and more resorts are being opened, hence increasing the competition within the industry. However, how many of us actually took the time to think about whether or not we actually needed all these new resorts or not? According to Mr. Inad, with regards to the amount of tourists that visit Maldives on a yearly basis, we do not exactly need to open newer resorts every year without being able to have proper occupancy rates in the existing ones. He added that we should first let the demand grow to a point where we are unable to host anymore tourists, and that’s when newer resorts should join the market.

Angsana Velavaru

3. Know your competitors

When looking to promote the tourism industry of Maldives, we also need to consider that we have competitors who offer similar services in similar environments. Mr. Inad explained that it is wisest to keep an eye on our competitors to learn about their moves in order to come up with better strategies in marketing Maldives.

Sugar Beach, Sun Resort in Mauritius

4. Promote celebrations for special occasions

Mr. Inad shared that while working in Velaa, he found that many chose to visit Maldives for occasions such as their birthdays, Christmas, Easter, New Year and more. It is not a secret that so many resorts host exciting and marvelous celebrations for the previously mentioned occasions. This could be used as a point in our marketing strategy and in creating a position for ourselves in the market. Once we are able to develop ourselves as such a destination, we will be able to make ourselves a name in this cut-throat competition the industry puts forward.

Christmas tree at Kuredu Island Maldives Resort

5. Make use of digital marketing

While conducting the social media research, one thing we were able to gather was how people of our competing countries, used any opportunity to promote the cheap services available at their countries. They made sure to prove to convince people that their country was worth visiting. According to Mr. Inad, this sort of digital marketing is one aspect we really need to work on. If we, as individuals, promoted all sorts of tourism in the Maldives, it would reach a greater audience and hence, aid in bringing in more tourists to the country.

A phone displaying social media apps which can be used in digital marketing

So many more things need to change in order for our country to keep developing. We need to do proper marketing and show the world that we have the luxury to offer for all classes rather than just the high-end population of the world. We should make them feel like they do not need to have a luxury branded things in order to access the beauty Maldives has to offer. Once the correct message has been delivered, even more tourists will keep visiting the country and we shall keep improving more and more. Maybe one day will be able to become a destination able to compete with the biggest markets in the world.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Tourism Linkages Speed Networking event yields over $630 million in contracts for local entrepreneurs

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett yesterday revealed that his Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Speed Networking event has resulted in local Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) negotiating contracts valued at over $630 million, over the past three years.

Speaking at this year’s staging of the Speed Networking event in Montego Bay, the Minister said, “I am pleased to share that Speed Networking 2016 resulted in contracts valued at some $181 million; while the 2017 event saw suppliers benefitting from over $200 million in contracts; and in 2018, the value of these contracts grew to over $250 million. That is over $630 million in contacts for local SMTEs from just three one-day linkages events.”

He also noted that among the top beneficiaries of the event, were Boss Furniture and Tortuga Rum Cakes.

Boss Furniture won a contract valued at $30 million to provide bedding and furnishings to Montego Bay’s new S Hotel while another $10 million in contracts with that property is in the pipeline.

In addition, Boss Furniture CEO Omar Azan is also in negotiation with the Sandals and Hendrickson Groups to supply their properties with locally made bedding and furniture. Tortuga Rum Cakes also negotiated a $500,000 contract with Half Moon Hotel, from their participation in the event.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, (right) converses with (from left) Princess Hotels and Resorts’ Rafael Millán, President of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA), Metry Seaga, and Director of the Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald-Riley at the fifth staging of the Tourism Linkages Speed Networking event.
Princess Hotels and Resorts, ranked eighth in the Spanish market has 19 hotels. They will construct 2000 new rooms in Hanover, to the tune of some USD500Million. The business-to-business initiative took place on March 20, 2019 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

“This event is a tremendous help to local manufacturers, farmers and service providers. In creating these linkages, it helps us to grow our business, provide jobs for our people, provide revenue for the government, and in the end grow our economies. Two years ago, I attended the event and got a big order from a hotelier and it can be like that for any supplier,” said Mr Azan.

The Minister noted that the event is a key initiative designed to offer support to SMTEs and helps to strengthen the linkages between tourism and other sectors of the economy, and in so doing, increases the economic impact of the sector.

“The strategy must be to increase the capacity to supply the demands that tourism consumption patterns require and find creative ways of building entrepreneurship among our local stakeholders to fill these requirements. In this way, we will retain more of the revenue generated by tourism in the local economy and stop leakages,” he said.

The Tourism Linkages Speed Networking event took place on March 20 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. It is a core initiative of the Tourism Linkages Network in close collaboration with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Jamaica Manufacturers’ Exporters’ Association (JMEA), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC).

The event format features fifteen minute pre-scheduled meeting appointments between Managing Directors, General Managers or CEOs of local supplier companies of products and services with Owners or Managers of properties, restaurants, attractions and other tourism entities throughout the course of one day.

Additional representatives from core areas within the hotel’s operation such as Purchasing, Food and Beverage and Maintenance who are in a position to make purchasing decisions also attend.

For this year’s staging organizers targeted suppliers from areas such as: Digital marketing, Content capture services, Maintenance providers and Entertainment. Other suppliers included areas such as furniture, fresh produce, craft, chemicals and cleaning products, cosmetics and spa products, training, electrical services and construction.

“Last year we had 56 supplier companies and 33 tourism entities in attendance. This year we have 110 supplier companies and 57 tourism entities, proof that this event is gaining traction because participants are seeing results,” said the Minister.

Travel News | eTurboNews

The Seychelles Tourism Board to host the first Digital Marketing Fair in Seychelles

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Digital Marketing team once again brings in its ‘avant-garde’ touch to the industry as  it instigates the first ever Digital Fair for tourism Stakeholders.

The fair, which will be held on Tuesday March 26, 2019 at Eden Blue on Mahé and Thursday March 28, 2019 at Pirogue Restaurant & Bar on Praslin targets at creating a platform for local service providers to interact with their clients.

The first digital marketing fair will be an opportunity given to all to meet various exhibitors in a central location to discuss about the available digital services and experience new digital trends available on the local market.

The fair will also provide the local tourism trade representatives attending with the opportunity to meet the STB digital marketing experts for further interaction regarding how to maximise on digital resources to enhance their business growth opportunities.

The exhibitors include representatives from Intelvision, Hoffman Business Consultancy, Com & Click, CTF Consultancy, Kokonet, Maven, Hotel Link Solutions, VCS Group, K-Radio, Vision 360, Rockit, Multimedia Seychelles, Airtel, Sales & Marketing Seychelles Pty Ltd.

Speaking of the importance of the fair, STB Digital Marketing Director Chris Matombe mentions the necessity to facilitate interaction between stakeholders and digital service providers.

“The aim of this digital fair is for us to have a stronger collective digital presence. Through our interaction with various small partners in the industry, we have noted that there is a lack of communication between the local tourism trade and the digital service providers. Our objective as an organisation is to bridge the gap and open doors for our stakeholders to increase their online presence,” Said Mr. Matombe.

STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin Francis mentioned her satisfaction to see the fair being concretised; she commended the team for their efforts and expressed her desire to see more exhibitors join the project in the future.

“Our aim as the STB is to continuously raise the standards when it comes to the quality of service we provide. The fair is a perfect opportunity for all our partners to find a way to better their services. It adds to our marketing value as a destination and creates more visibility for their products and services and Seychelles as a whole,” said Mrs. Francis.

The digital marketing fair will be opened from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on Mahé and Praslin, the public is invited to visit the various stands to see the various products and services on display.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Prevent Money

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Preventmoney.com – discounts, deals, Offers and coupons. There will be a period when most online stores will probably be faced with the decision of whether to offer discounts, when to offer discounts and how much the discounts ought to be worth.

Offering reduced prices for internet store can be quite a powerful weapon with your conversion arsenal drive an automobile customer loyalty. But, used haphazardly, that you can do significant injury to your brand or, worse, become unprofitable.

In this article, we’ll review a number of the positives and negatives of offering deals on your web shop, examine many of the most popular ways for you to use discounts to drive customer loyalty and conversions and, naturally, how you can most effectively utilize them.

What’s customer loyalty?

Customer loyalty is when customers pick your brand over another brand, according to a previous interaction they’ve had along with you. Customers are loyal to brands because of consistent, positive customer experiences with high-quality customer service and products. Some brands likewise have customer loyalty programs, which incentivize and reward repeat shoppers.

Centering on customer loyalty is helpful to most trusted online stores. One report by Stitch Labs found out that return customers spend an average of 120% more throughout annually.

While customer loyalty could possibly be measured by looking at metrics including amount of purchases, purchase frequency, customer lifetime value, etc., true loyal customers are emotionally that come with your brand in some manner. Your most loyal customers ended up being the biggest advocates for the brand, thus driving customer acquisition.

One method to drive customer loyalty (and customer acquisition) is by discounts, deals and offers.
The cons and pros of internet store offers

Before we jump into different ways you can effectively use offers to increase customer acquisition and loyalty, let’s first look at some of the pros and cons:

• Easy and quick to apply natively in Prevent Money or using apps.
• Easy to follow with Prevent Money Discounts Report.
• Increased customer loyalty.
• Increased customer acquisition.
• Increased conversions.
• Quickly move stock.
• Meet sales goals.

Cons of Prevent Money Store Offers

• Decreased margins and profitability.
• Possible brand damage.

If you train visitors to wait for offers, • Decreased conversions outside of sale periods.

• Tendency to operate a vehicle non-loyal (price-driven) shoppers.
• Tendency to scale back average order size.
• Attract customers outside your marketplace.

That are coupons, offers and discounts befitting for?

Online store offers can be an effective tool for not only customer acquisition, but also for customer loyalty, as mentioned previously. However, it’s important to consider your overall brand strategy before you begin offering discounts.

You may want to consider sticking to customer loyalty-type offers as opposed to weekly sales if you want to position yourself as a higher-end brand or if you have slimmer margins. If you have healthy margins, deep discounting and daily or weekly sales might be better for hitting your goals, on the other hand.

Ultimately, you should determine that offers and which type(s) of offers are befitting for your brand. Building a web business will usually involve a lot of experimentation to understand is best suited. A great way would be to choose a goal for each offer and campaign, start small, and appraise the results.
Varieties of coupons, offers and discounts

There are many varieties of discounts and offers you’ve at your disposal. Let’s examine probably the most common:

• Percentage-based discount

• Dollar value discount
• Free shipping
• Free gift

Preventmoney.com

Percentage-based discount: A very common approach to offer discounts is through percentage-based discounts. This will include small incentive percentages like 5% or 10% off, larger discounts to really drive sales like 20% and 25%, or significant percentages like 50% to liquidate merchandise that’s old or isn’t moving. You may also easily apply these discounts to multiplecollections and products, and locations in Prevent Money.

Dollar value discount: Dollar value-based offers can be positioned as being a credit. If they don’t use it, this makes people feel like they’re wasting money. Redemption of dollar-based offers vs. percentage-based offers can be as up to 170% greater, Entrepreneur reports. Pair one of these simple with a minimum purchase to raise its impact.

An easy trick to make note of when deciding from the percentage or fixed amount discount for the specific method is the rule of 100. If your item is less than $100.00, use a percentage discount; if higher, use a fixed amount discount. This is the psychological trigger that can result in the highest perceived value to your customers.

Free freight: Shipping cost is one primary reason for shopping cart solution abandonment. Offering free postage is a superb strategy to mitigate this while increasing conversions.

Use free postage discounts together with a minimum purchase requirement to improve your average order value. You may also limit this discount type to particular groups and countries of clients (such as customer loyalty program members), and get away from cutting into your margins by excluding shipping rates more than a certain quantity.

Item: A free of charge gift in a purchase package can be a easy way to provide additional value to customer. If used strategically, it can also be used to increase average order size and/or to get rid of product that isn’t moving.

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