KL Tourism Association is 50

Sabbaruddin (left) receiving the golden recognition award from Ahmad Phesal Talib as Shamsul looks on.

Kuala Lumpur Tourism Association recently held its golden jubilee dinner. Its 50th anniversary celebration was attended by Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib, KLTA president Datuk Shamsul Falak Abdul Kadir, industry stakeholders and players, and representatives of NGOs in tourism.

Incorporated on Feb 16, 1963, KLTA is the first tourism association registered in the country. Over the past five decades, KLTA has played a major role in contributing towards the development of the country’s tourism industry, particularly in Kuala Lumpur. As an NGO, it has worked in partnership with the ministries, city council and public and private sectors. KLTA has more than 200 members comprising companies and organisations related to the industry.
In his speech, Shamsul applauded the efforts of all concerned in making Kuala Lumpur one of the most visited cities in the world.

“We have seen Kuala Lumpur transform itself from just a municipality in the 1960s to an international city today. With the mix of heritage and modern architecture, the city has an attractive landscape to attract both local and foreign tourists,” he said.

  As the main getaway to Malaysia (which registered 25.03 million tourist arrivals with total receipts of RM60.6 billion last year), Kuala Lumpur itself hosted a substantial percentage of these visitors. It is now a major tourism city destination and is the seventh most visited city and the fourth best shopping destination in the world.

The celebrations began with a video presentation by Tourism Malaysia followed by entertainment provided by Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, David Gomez and Atilia Haron.

The highlight of the evening was the recognition awards presentation. Special recognition awards were given to entrepreneurs who have transformed the tourism landscape of Kuala Lumpur and greater KL through mega tourism development projects. Golden recognition awards were given to industry pioneers who played major roles in contributing towards the development of tourism.

The recipients of the Golden recognition awards were Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, YTL group managing director Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh Sock Ping, Country Heights Holdings founder Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, former Tourism Minister Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik, former Malaysia Airlines chief executive officer Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye, Low Yat Group group executive chairman Tan Sri Low Yow Chuan, former Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Abdullah Jonid and Royal Selangor founder and adviser Yong Poh Shin.

-nst online.

Turkish Airlines continues to expand its network

25.04.2013

Europe’s best airline*, Turkish Airlines, added Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia to its growing network...

Already having the world's 4th largest flight network and flying to 222 flight destinations in 99 countries, Turkish Airlines continues to grow by adding flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Beginning from today, roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur are operated 3 times per week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur starting from 539 Euros (including taxes and fees).

Flights between the two cities will be increased to 4 times weekly with the addition of a Wednesday flight beginning June 17th.

Scheduled flight times are as follows;

Flight No	Days	Departure		Arrival
TK060	Monday, Thursday, Saturday	Istanbul	01:15	Kuala Lumpur	16:50
TK061	Monday, Thursday, Saturday	Kuala Lumpur	23:15	Istanbul	05:35

All times are in LMT.
* Skytrax rating

-Turkish Airlines, Inc.
http://www.turkishairlines.com/

Asia-Pacific travellers plan to spend more this year

A gloomy economic climate notwithstanding, 38 per cent of travellers foresee higher travel-related expenditure this year, says a global study by CNN on travel and tourism patterns of consumers.

In comparison, 17 per cent said they would tighten purse strings, found CNN Consumer Connect – Travel and Tourism 2013, which drew responses from 3,106 individuals from more than 70 countries worldwide. Survey participants reported spending an average of US$3,000 per holiday and making three leisure trips a year.

The report also found that 54 per cent of respondents from Asia-Pacific intend to travel within their home region, compared to the remaining 46 per cent who place visiting other regions at the top of their wishlist. On a global scale, 51 per cent of travellers have specific Asia-Pacific destinations they plan to visit within the next 12 months. Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong are among the top travel choices within Asia-Pacific.

Meanwhile, 54 per cent are contemplating visiting new and emerging destinations and 58 per cent of respondents have booked entire holidays online.

And when it comes to choosing a destination, 65 per cent of Asia-Pacific travellers regard price as a key factor, followed by safety with 64 per cent and reputation with 57 per cent.

Duncan Morris, vice president of research, Turner International Asia Pacific, said: “These results are great news for the travel and tourism industry…At a time where money in the household is perceived to be tighter, spending on holidays is still obviously a priority.”

-TTG Asia.

“HM MOUNTAIN BIKE GRAND PRIX 2013” ~ CC1M Tambah Kemeriahan Aktiviti Berbasikal Di Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 APRIL 2013: Tourism Malaysia telah bekerjasama dengan Harian Metro untuk menganjurkan program “Mountain Bike Grand Prix 2013” ~ CC1M bagi merancakkan aktiviti berbasikal di Malaysia sekaligus meningkatkan promosi pelancongan berbasikal di Malaysia.

 

Objektif program ini bukan sahaja untuk membentuk ‘trend’ sukan “mountain bike” di kalangan rakyat Malaysia tetapi juga mempromosikan sukan tersebut sebagai sebahagian daripada inisiatif pelancongan sukan berbasikal.

 

Timbalan Ketua Pengarah (Perancangan) Tourism Malaysia, YBhg Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin dalam ucapannya berkata bahawa Tourism Malaysia amat gembira kerana adanya media seperti Harian Metro yang menunjukkan komitmen tinggi untuk sama-sama membantu merancakkan aktiviti pelancongan berbasikal.

 

“Selain itu, kami merasakan penganjuran program ini adalah bertepatan pada waktunya kerana 2013 merupakan tahun kempen promosi Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014 dan kerjasama ini dapat memberi ruang kepada kami untuk menguar-nguarkankan kepada pembaca Harian Metro mengenai kempen tersebut.

 

“Apatah lagi saya difahamkan bahawa capaian untuk akhbar Harian Metro adalah lebih daripada empat juta rakyat Malaysia dan pastinya ini adalah medium terbaik untuk kami mempromosikan pelancongan domestik amnya dan pelancongan berbasikal khasnya,” sambung beliau lagi.

 

“Harian Metro Mountain Bike Grand Prix 2013” ~ CC1M akan dianjurkan di lima buah lokasi terpilih seperti Presint 15, Putrajaya (1-2 Jun), Pulau Duyung Besar, Kuala Terenggu (23-24 Ogos), Legoland, Nusajaya (28-29 September), Kellie’s Castle, Perak (26-27 Oktober) dan Selangor.

 

LATAR BELAKANG PELANCONGAN BERBASIKAL DI MALAYSIA

 

Pakej pelancongan berbasikal telah diperkenalkan di Malaysia oleh Kementerian Pelancongan dan Tourism Malaysia pada penghujung tahun 2011 di Putrajaya. Sejak itu, terdapat peningkatan yang ketara dalam aktiviti berbasikal berkonsepkan santai dan pelancongan di seluruh negara. Setakat ini, sebanyak 176 pakej pelancongan berbasikal telah dibangunkan dengan kerjasama 85 buah agensi pelancongan tempatan.

-Tourism Malaysia.

MAS seeks code-share with British Airways, Latam Airlines

MAS is currently flying double daily on the KL-London route using an A380, translating to about 900 seats daily, while BA flies to Singapore.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is currently working on code-share arrangements with British Airways (BA) and Latam Airlines, while expanding existing arrangements with Qatar Airways and Sri Lankan Air.

MAS, in response to queries from StarBiz, said it was currently seeing a significant number of oneworld Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP) members taking advantage of the MAS route network to redeem FFP miles. “In addition, our Enrich FFP members are also able to redeem their miles for travel on oneworld alliance airlines.

“We are also seeing an increase in interline and code-share traffic as a result of MAS joining oneworld. MAS is currently working on extending its code-sharing with BA, Latam Airlines, Qatar Airways and Sri Lankan Air,'' replied MAS. Those in the know said “there have been several rounds of talks between MAS and BA officials, and any deal could only be hammered out some time in July this year”.

As for Latam Airlines, a source reckoned any arrangement would only happen after the Latin American airlines completed its merger exercise, expected by the middle of this year. Latam Airlines, incidentally, is the result of the merger between LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines in 2012.

MAS has a code-share with Qatar and Sri Lankan Air at the moment, and would be seeking to extend it on new routes. For now, it rides on Qatar for the KL-Doha connectivity, while Qatar rides on MAS' network domestically and to some regional points in Asia. As for Sri Lankan Air, MAS carries its traffic to Australia from Kuala Lumpur.

MAS is currently flying double daily on the KL-London route using an A380, translating to about 900 seats daily, while BA flies to Singapore.

BA had a decade-old code-share with Qantas but cut it after the Australian carrier found a new partner in Emirates some months ago. Qantas used to carry BA's traffic from Singapore to Australian points. Due to this, BA turned to Cathay Pacific for its traffic into Australia via Hong Kong.

But experts feel that a better option for BA would be to have a link from either Malaysia or Singapore for the Australian connectivity. Hence, it would make sense to have a code-share with MAS.

This week, even Air France chairman/chief executive officer Alexandre de Juniac met up with MAS chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof to explore code-share possibilities for the KL-Paris route and beyond. Air France has returned to ply the KL-Paris route after 20 years with a thrice-weekly flight on a B777 while MAS flies daily using an A380.

A code-share agreement or code-share, is where two or more airlines share the same flight to save cost. Under a code-share arrangement, airlines can sell the seats as they are operating the route. Such arrangements allow greater access to cities through a partners' network without having to offer extra flights.

MAS has several code-share partners, but it is also a member of oneworld, which gives it access to new markets and routes. oneworld members include MAS, Qantas, BA, American Airlines, Cathay airberlin, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Royal Jordanian and S7 Airlines, and around 20 affiliates, including Austria's NIKI, American Eagle and Dragonair.

Recently, MAS entered into a code-share with US-carrier American Airlines for 136 weekly connection options between Kuala Lumpur and the US cities of Chicago, Dallas, New York, Miami and Raleigh via any one of its three European stations, namely, London, Paris and Frankfurt.

-thestar online.

Harian Metro Mountain Bike Grand Prix CC1M 2013

Harian Metro dengan kerjasama Tourism Malaysia akan menganjurkan Mountain Bike (MTB) Jamboree dan XCO Race membabitkan lima lokasi di seluruh negara bermula di Putrajaya, Terengganu, Perak dan Johor.


Program ini dianjurkan bagi menyemarakkan lagi aktiviti berbasikal di negara ini selain menghimpunkan peminat aktiviti berbasikal, menggalakkan gaya hidup sihat serta mempromosikan destinasi pelancongan menarik di seluruh negara.

Bagi menjayakannya, pihak kami menyediakan pelbagai hadiah menarik termasuk cabutan bertuah serta wang tunai (bernilai RM220,000), goodies, medal finisher, Klinik Berbasikal (Percuma), pemeriksaan kesihatan, insurans dan lain-lain.

Maklumat lanjut hubungi
telefon/whatapps : 019-3245808/019-6434049
web: http://mtbgp.hmetro.com.my/MTBGP -Harian Metro.

Tough eco-challenge ahead in Tioman as no water will be supplied for first 8km

Gruelling race: Participants tackling the course at the fifth Sultan Ahmad Shah International Eco-Challenge at Pulau Tioman in 2012.


Participants will have to endure a 8km-stretch without water supply at the sixth Sultan Ahmad Shah International Eco-Challenge at Pulau Tioman on May 11.

They will be rewarded for their perseverance, with the chance to soak up the scenic landscape in their attempt to complete the 30km course.

Event director Lt Kol Datuk Thong Kok Sing said they have mapped out another challenging new trail to liven up the event billed as one of the toughest adventure races in the South-East Asia region.

“We have raised the bar again in designing a tougher course this year. We explored new areas to create another fresh breathtaking experience for the participants. It is going to be a great adventure for them to view the stunning sights in the primary jungle on the island. It is aimed at spreading and creating awareness on preserving nature which remains an important part of the event,” he added.

On the eve of the challenge, the organisers will hold a pre-race briefing at SRK Tekek. For the race starting from Dataran Tiong, the adventure-seekers will be passing the Bukit Parang Panjang at 508m above sea level.

Other significant natural features along the route are a big stone table and a huge tree, as wide as an arm’s length. In creating more excitement, participants also stand to win an extra 10 mystery gifts by locating the 10 markers numbered from one to 10 along the route.

Last year, 185 participants took part, and this time the organisers are expecting up to 250. “It is impossible to aim for a substantial increase in the participation rate because of the limited accommodation on the island. We need to cater to the influx of visitors over the duration of the event. We are setting up an additional 100 tents at the Marine Park for the event,” said Thong. The two-night stay will cost RM50 for each of the twin-sharing tent.

Besides the top woman performer claiming the Iron Lady award, the men and women will be featuring in the local and international categories. Entry fee is RM50 for each Malaysian while registration is RM100 for each foreign entry. Entry closes on April 30.

For details, visit www.eco-challenge.com.my or call 013-323 1283 (Nizam).
-thestar online.

‘Malaysia’ will be prominent in EPL

Tan Sri Vincent Tan with the Cardiff City jersey during the press conference yesterday. Pic by Yusof Mat Isa

Tan Sri Vincent Tan celebrated the promotion of Cardiff City to the English Premier League by announcing that the word "Malaysia" will be retained in the club's jersey for the new season.

The billionaire owner of Cardiff, however, made it clear that he and the team manager, Malky Mackay, will not be hiring Malaysian players due to a Fifa ruling but said young players from Malaysia could be recruited for attachment with the Welsh club.

"We will maintain the word 'Malaysia' in our jersey to show to the world that I am patriotic. There will be no changes when we play in the EPL next season," said Tan in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

"I have done this to promote Malaysia on the global stage and I hope the Malaysian government, through the Ministry of Tourism, will join in as sponsor.

"However, we will not be able to hire Malaysian footballers because of a Fifa ruling where Malaysia must be in the world top 70 for the players to be eligible to play in the EPL."

Tan said Cardiff will spend up to STG25 million (RM116 million) on new talent but he would not be seeking superstars. "We can't afford players with superstar status for the time being," he said.

"We will need to invest in strengthening the playing squad and to spend wisely. Our aim will be to bring in quality players who will add to the strengths we already have in the team and I trust Mackay fully to make the best judgement on how we achieve this goal."

Cardiff City's remarkable accomplishment in earning promotion to the Premier League was capped by their success in winning the Championship title with an away point at Burnley.

The newly crowned Championship winners have two more matches remaining -- at home against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, when the Championship trophy will be officially presented, followed by the final match away at promotion chasing Hull City on May 4.

"It's a remarkable achievement and I share this joy with the thousands of our fans in South Wales and here in Malaysia," said Tan. "This is my contribution to all Cardiff City supporters on behalf of the Malaysian public. It's a great feeling to be able to take Cardiff City to the top flight once again after a 51-year absence.

"It has been a long and tough journey and I hope our supporters can sit back now and enjoy this success, though in saying that I know that the team will go out and apply themselves fully to try and win both of their remaining games.

"From that point, we need to fully prepare ourselves for the greater challenges ahead in the Premier League," said Tan who also paid tribute to Mackay, saying he was a revelation at the club.

-nst online.

Indian travellers put a shine on Malaysia's summer season

Malaysian inbound operators strong in the Indian inbound market have reported an increase in bookings for summer, the peak travel period for Indians.


Arokia Das, senior manager, Luxury Tours Malaysia, said he has seen a more than 30 per cent year-on-year increase in business. Travellers were mainly from Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmedabad.

“A lot of them are travelling from India via Singapore, where there is better connectivity and cheaper airfares,” he observed. “The travelling crowd is also getting younger. Until a few years ago, travellers were mainly those in their 40s and above, but now we see a lot of Indian travellers in their 30s to 50s.”

Meanwhile, Kuna Seelan Velayutham, managing director of Hibiscus Travel & Tours, said there were more travellers originating from South India. He had also received more requests for Kota Kinabalu this year, mostly from FITs.

Tina Travel & Agencies’ managing director, Adam Kamal, agreed. “We’ve seen a 10 per cent year-on-year increase (in bookings), but it is still too early to tell how this season will fare as many travellers tend to book last minute.”

He said: “There was some concern from our partners on whether there would likely be disturbance during the general election on May 5. We reassured them that based on general elections in the past, it would be peaceful.”
-TTG Asia.

Air France returns to KLIA after 20 years; can this attract Qantas and BA too?

Warm greetings: (from left) Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general (marketing) Chong Yoke Har, French ambassador Martine Dorance, Malaysia Airports senior general manager of operation services Datuk Azmi Murad, De Juniac, the Netherlands ambassador Paul Bekkers and French Civil Aviation Agency general manager Patrick Gandil at the event to mark he arrival of Air France in Malaysia.


SEPANG: After a 20-year absence, Air France has returned to KL International Airport (KLIA) and now that it is here, it wants to explore areas of cooperation with Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

Its arrival yesterday could also trigger other carriers such as British Airways and Qantas to return to KLIA since global carriers are looking at Malaysia as a gateway to tap into the growing air travel market in Asia.

A meeting has been set between Air France chairman and CEO Alexandre de Juniac and MAS chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof this evening even though both are now rival carriers on the KL-Paris route.

“I will meet the chairman of MAS (this) evening before leaving (for Paris) and we will see if there are areas where we can cooperate with MAS,'' De Juniac said in an interview. He did not elaborate on details but added that code-share/cooperation “is one of the topic of discussions and an obvious topic when two airlines (chiefs) meet.''

He was candid when he said that Air France was back to Malaysia because of “margins and traffic'' given the booming demand for air travel in Asia and Malaysia, “adding that to capture that traffic, some form of cooperation between airlines” (can help reduce cost and at the same time offer a wider network to travellers).

“We can capture a large part of the traffic in Asia in cooperation with Asian (airlines) including MAS and Chinese (carriers). We have to cooperate with them and we will explore the areas in which we can cooperate in. But I am also not in a hurry (though) I am very pragmatic,'' he said.

A code share is a common arrangement between airlines that ply on a similar route but in the case of Air France and MAS, there may be restrictions because both belong to different airline alliances. “The difficulty at this stage is that they (MAS) belong to oneworld and we belong to Skyteam, which are competing alliances, but it is not impossible that we could envisage something,'' he said. It may be possible if MAS asks its other oneworld members and an arrangement could be for a particular route, destination or traffic.

“I give you an example, we have strong cooperation with Japan Airlines and they are a member of oneworld ... so it is case-by-case approach and we have to explore all that,'' he said.

Air France is also part of the Air France-KLM airline group one of Europe's biggest airline group. Its sister airline KLM has been flying to Malaysia for the past few decades and has a code-share arrangement with MAS. Asked if that will continue, he said “that will continue as there are no reasons to terminate that code-share.''

The return of Air France marks a major milestone for Malaysia's aviation industry but it is not the only legacy carrier that has returned. Tomorrow, Turkish Airlines will return after a four-year absence and next week, Philippine Airlines will make a comeback after a decade's absence.

The question now is will the two carriers British Airways (BA) and Qantas that left over a decade ago also return? “The question is no longer about them returning but about how much they are missing out on the growth in Malaysia,'' said an analyst, who added that “sooner or later Qantas and BA will have to make a decision to return to tap the growth here.''

Air France will ply the KL-Paris route three times weekly using a B777, while MAS offers more seats on its A380 with daily flights.

At a press conference earlier, de Juniac said Air France expected to carry 30,000 passengers this year on the KL-Paris route as loads should be about 80% on that route. Last year, a total of 110,000 French tourists visited Malaysia. He said the strong bilateral ties, complemented by the growing economic development, as well as its attractiveness as a tourist destination, is a good proposition for Air France to use KL as a location to increase its presence in South-East Asia.

“The new route would also be synergised by the Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta run, operated by KLM, for travellers from France and Europe,” he added.
-thestar online.

Boutique hotel offers guestroom features

IPOH: Symphony Suites, a new 95-room boutique hotel will be having its pre-opening package from May 1 until July 31.

The newly-opened hotel has a total of 18 standard suites, 68 deluxe suites, eight executive suites and one penthouse. The promotional package is priced between RM210 nett and RM3,000 nett, inclusive of breakfast for two persons.

All its suites are equipped with LED flat screen, Wi-Fi, working table, safe box and mini bar fridge. For deluxe suite, there is an additional living room and two bathrooms.

The executive suite also has a living room, a bathroom, an extra toilet and a kitchen. The most expensive is the penthouse which will have one living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one toilet and one kitchen.

Its general manager Steven Ang said Symphony Suites would be the first in Ipoh to run on the concept of a hotel with guestroom features.

"The pre-opening package will provide customers a chance to experience staying in suites. "Our targeted guests include corporate, stopover travellers, holidaymakers and even family members," he said.

The hotel also offers facilities like coffee house, gym and fitness room, function hall and convenience kiosk. The hotel is located at Lapangan Symphony Business Park here.

-nst online.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Symphony-Suites/121718424659781

International Golfers’ Mettle Put To Test At The 2nd Leg Of WAITGC In Sabah

KOTA KINABALU, 22 April 2013 – The race for a spot in the grand final of the 20th edition of the World Amateur Inter Team Golf Championship (WAITGC) continues in Sabah at two of Kota Kinabalu’s best world-class golf courses – Sabah Golf and Country Club and Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club.

The four-day event, which starts today, sees the participation of 27 teams comprising 104 foreign golfers and four Malaysians. A total of 15 teams are from Australia, five from Hong Kong, four from Singapore, and one team each from New Zealand, Brunei and Malaysia.

Rated as one of the toughest courses in South East Asia, Sabah Golf and Country Club was designed by Robert Muir Graves and opened for play in 1976. This 18-hole layout was remodelled in 2004 by Nelson & Haworth Golf Course Architects.

The 6,335 metres par-72 18-hole golf course has a course rating of 73.3 off the back tees. With hilly terrain, undulating fairways, lakes, hidden sand bunkers and adverse wind conditions, it offers endless challenges to golfers.

From Sabah Golf and Country Club, the participants will move to the 6,197-metre, par 72 Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club for the last two rounds. Designed by Ted Parslow, the course is located about 35km northeast of Kota Kinabalu, nestled in the heart of the Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort. The 18-hole wetlands course is bordered by the Mengkabong and Tambalang rivers with the former mangrove swamp offering a fusion of risks and rewards to delight and test the skills of golfers of all skill levels.

Dalit Bay’s signature hole is its 163-metre, Hole 11. It is a relatively easy par 3 with the South China Sea surrounding the tee. The challenge lies in cutting across the Tambalang river mouth in order to land the ball on a gently contoured green flanked by bunkers. The imposing sight of the majestic Mount Kinabalu in the background crafts a unique marking point for the pin.      

The first  qualifying round of WAITGC 2013 took place in Johor last month. After Sabah, the subsequent four qualifying rounds will take place at eight different golf courses in Penang, Selangor, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya.

WAITGC is played in Strokeplay gross for the gross category and Stableford for the nett and senior category. Since its debut in 1994, WAITGC has emerged as a well-regarded tournament and one of the highly anticipated golfing events in the region.

Organised by Tourism Malaysia, it attracts more than 500 participants every year. The home-grown event not only tests the golfing skills of the participants but also encourages them to discover the many colourful cultures and traditions in Malaysia, as well as the country’s delectable cuisines and fascinating tourist attractions. The participation of international media has also boosted the stature of the event and placed Malaysia on world map.  

The World Amateur Inter Team Golf Championship is managed by the Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia (GCMAM) and sanctioned by the Malaysian Golf Association. For more information, please contact the WAITGC secretariat at 03-5633 2079/5634 2078 or visit www.ewaitgc.com.
-Tourism Malaysia.

Travel consultants ramp up cross-selling

More travel experts are now offering a greater variety of add-on options during hotel bookings in order to attract and retain customers, with airport transfers and sightseeing tours representing the biggest cross-selling opportunities.

According to Amadeus’ second Asia-Pacific hotel distribution survey, travel consultants were also increasingly rolling out assistance for car rentals, concert ticket purchases, dinner reservations and even metro passes. Kartikeya Tripathi, regional director, hotel distribution, Amadeus Asia-Pacific, said: “Travel consultants today need to respond to changing consumer preferences by providing a one-stop service to travellers, particularly given the rising demand for ancillary options when travellers book their hotels.”

The study found that travel consultants now consider ease of booking and commission guarantees as the most important criteria when choosing a channel to make hotel reservations. Results mark a shift in priorities from 2010, when the amount of commission was the foremost concern.

The trade also listed hotel reviews as among the top five must-have features in a hotel booking solution, with findings indicating that some 70 per cent of travellers check user reviews before booking.

Meanwhile, those polled indicate that they have less influence over a traveller’s final choice of hotel, with only 32 per cent noting that customers accepted their hotel recommendations without question. The same figure was 51 per cent in 2010.

Furthermore, 62 per cent of travel consultants said travellers now compare their offers against consumer website prices, up from 48 per cent in 2010. The study suggested that travel consultants could influence travellers’ choice of hotels by offering a better deal and prepaid vouchers. Over 1,047 travel consultants in Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand were surveyed.

-TTG Asia.