The Mekong Tourism Forum will be held in Quang Nam, Vietnam

The Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 will be held in person from October 12-13 at Hoiana Resort & Golf in Vietnam’s Quang Nam province.

It will be the first in-person gathering of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) destinations since 2019, with the theme Rebuild Tourism, Rebound with Resilience, and will include public and private-sector tourism leaders and experts.

“With a lot of rebuilding and catching up to do, the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 aims to drive real action and create a more resilient, inclusive, sustainable and successful tourism industry,” said Nguyen Trung Khanh, chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Tourism recovery, digital transformation, supply chain localization, social enterprise business models, and best practices for a resilient travel sector rebound, including the use of new technologies and megatrends affecting tourism recovery, will be discussed.

Panel discussions will focus on social enterprises, connecting sustainable tourism suppliers and buyers, and maximizing green tourism opportunities.

Speakers will include representatives from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Asian Development Bank, Destination Mekong, Agoda, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, OAG, YAANA Ventures, EXO Travel, Travelife, and the ASEAN Tourism Association, among others.

On October 11 and 14, complimentary transfers to Da Nang International Airport, which is 40 minutes from the conference venue, will be provided.

On October 13, there will also be post-event delegate tours in the Quang Nam area.

 

Source : ttgasia

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Low-Cost Carriers are Seeing Increased Business

Low-cost carriers (LCC) airlines in Southeast Asia are regaining traction after experiencing a drop in passenger numbers as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The recovery of the LCCs will almost certainly have an impact on the business strategies of many Japanese and Japanese-affiliated companies that place a premium on the Southeast Asian markets.

The tourism industry is vital to the economies of Southeast Asia. Following the relaxation of coronavirus-related entry restrictions, many regional LCCs announced a significant increase in flight services.

New airlines are also entering the market. Super Air Jet launched a number of routes in Indonesia last year, including one connecting Jakarta and Bali Island. The company’s goal is to attract young people, known as the “millennial generation,” to local resorts. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, plans are in the works to launch a new low-cost carrier (LCC) in the near future.

Strategy Shift because of Low-Cost Carriers

Many major airlines in Southeast Asia are government-affiliated, which has hampered their business efficiency. Low-Cost Carriers began offering lower airfares in the 2000s, buoyed by the region’s economic growth.

Many LCCs have increased their presence in areas where flying is an essential mode of transportation. During the pandemic, Southeast Asia, like other regions around the world, saw a sharp drop in passenger numbers, resulting in disastrous business results. One LCC, a joint venture between Thailand and Singapore, was forced to liquidate.

Several LCCs have revised their respective business strategies. AirAsia, a pioneering Malaysian LCC, changed the name of its holding company to Capital A in January. The holding company is now focusing much of its efforts on digital service fields such as ride-hailing and food delivery.

In related news, Vietjet Air of Vietnam has expanded its cargo flight service, and Nok Air of Thailand has improved its services across the board to differentiate itself from competitors.

Tough Competition 

Singapore’s Scoot and the Philippines’ Cebu Pacific Air have introduced larger planes and increased flights on their mid- and long-distance routes. Such moves are likely to have an impact on the business strategies of Japanese competitors.

ANA Holdings will launch a new subsidiary airline, Air Japan Co., in the second half of the next fiscal year, offering higher-level services than ANA group firm Peach Aviation Ltd. Both subsidiary airlines are interested in serving Southeast Asia.

Zipair Tokyo, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines Co., operates flights between Narita Airport and Thailand, as well as Singapore.

 

 

source : asianewsnetwork

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Increasing the Expense of Traveling to South East Asia

New government policies are aimed at increasing the expense of traveler spending as tourism in South East Asia begins to recover following long Covid-19 border closures.

Aligning hotel rooms and airline seats with designer handbags may be overkill, but the current debate in South East Asia is about how to increase revenue from tourism. Essentially, how to find new ways for travelers to pay more.

The Struggle of Increasing the Expense for High-Quality Tourism

Following the devastating two-year economic impact of closed borders, South East Asian governments are putting tourism at the forefront of their recovery plans. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines wants tourism to be a “major pillar” of the national economy, and Indonesia is developing new policies to improve “tourism resilience.”

These goals are directing the discussion toward “quality tourism.”

Political leaders offer various interpretations. These include high-quality tourism (Indonesia), high-yield tourists (Malaysia), high-end tourists (Cambodia), and high-value, low-impact tourism (Thailand). The goal is the same: to increase average visitor spending.

As a result of this ongoing effort to monetize inbound tourism, the overall cost of travel in South East Asia will rise. This will have an impact on both international and domestic tourists.

Increasing the Expense of Taxing Tourists in Thailand and Beyond 

In Thailand, two distinctive policies are being discussed to bolster tourism revenues.

In January, Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism & Sports announced it will collect a THB300 (around $NZD13) Tourism Tax from all non-Thai arrivals to the country. Although a start date is unconfirmed, the tax should enter into force in 2022. The government says the fees will be used for a new national fund to provide medical treatment for foreign tourists, which was a widely acknowledged financial burden for Thailand before the pandemic.

Malaysia implemented a per-night hotel tax of RM10 (approximately $NZD3.50) for foreign visitors in September 2017. In addition, a ‘city tax’ is levied on hotel guests in places like Penang and Melaka. The hotel tax was a contentious issue. Malaysia’s hotel industry lobbied against collecting the fee from guests on behalf of Customs and Excise. As a result, implementation was repeatedly postponed.

In July 2019, New Zealand began collecting a $NZD35 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, two years later. This is part of a broader national discussion about the future of tourism and environmental protection. The tax revenue is used to fund projects that restore natural landscapes and species while also improving environmental resilience.

Tourism fees can also take on subtle forms. In July, Indonesia raised the passenger service charge at 19 airports across the country. The new fees differ for international and domestic flights, but they will raise the cost of airline tickets.

Increasing the Expense Borobudur Entrance Fee Hike

Tourism professionals criticized the fee for foreign visitors as being excessive and potentially prohibitive. Most backpackers would be excluded.

The proposal also raised concerns that visiting a prized site of national cultural heritage would be out of reach for Indonesian tourists. According to the government, a UNESCO study recommends limiting visitors to 1,200 per day at Borobudur, and the fees will help maintain the magnificent ruins, which are showing visible signs of over-tourism.

Komodo Island Pricing

Travelers can reach Labuan Bajo, the gateway to Komodo National Park, after a three-and-a-half-hour flight east from Yogyakarta (the closest city to Borobudur). Tourists flocked here before the pandemic to see the Komodo Dragons, the world’s largest lizard species, in their natural habitat.

Developers pushed ahead, and Indonesia wants to limit the number of visitors to Komodo Island. The mechanism it chose is to increase the expense from IDR150,000 (approximately $NZD16) to IDR3.75 million (approximately $NZD400).

Local communities claim they were not consulted and are concerned that increasing the expense will discourage visitors from visiting Komodo Island and harm small businesses such as hotels and restaurants. To emphasize their point, tourism workers began a one-month strike in early August.

The standoff was quickly resolved. Local governments agreed to keep the previous IDR150,000 entry fee until the end of 2022.

 

Source :  Asiamediacentre

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International Tourism in Asia Pacific is Slowly Recovering

Asia Pacific was expected to be one of the first to recover in 2021, the combination of disparate national responses to COVID-19, long border closures and other restrictions, and the imposition of burdensome travel requirements has resulted in a near halt in international tourism in the region.

China, Japan, and South Korea, the region’s three largest outbound travel markets, have been among the slowest to recover.

At the same time, some main inbound tourism markets in Europe, North America, and Oceania continue to suffer from diminished travel from their historical source markets.

Under its’medium’ scenario, the Pacific Asia Travel Association predicts that foreign visitor arrivals in the Asia Pacific  will only rebound to 25% to 48% of pre-pandemic levels by 2022. Even under the more optimistic’mild’ scenario, full recovery is not expected until 2024.

Despite the bad news, there are some signs of hope for Asia Pacific tourism. Border closures and most travel restrictions have been gradually relaxed through 2022, and most countries have transitioned from containment methods to living with the coronavirus now that it is endemic.

International capacity to/from the Asia Pacific has nearly doubled in the first eight months of 2022, albeit remaining significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels. The region’s airlines handled 9 million overseas passengers in June-2022, more than in the first three months of the year combined.

China Plays Major Role

Despite the good news, the region travel and tourism business is clearly shaped by China. Despite Travel restrictions for both Chinese people and foreign visitors are also being relaxed, China remains one of the world’s most closed locations.

Since June 2022, the country has eliminated the requirement for an antigen test 12 hours before departure and cut quarantine lengths in half: visitors entering the country must isolate for seven days, with an additional three-day medical monitoring period.

New Trend in Asia Pacific Tourism

As the region reopens to foreign travel, it is apparent that the epidemic has altered the way tourism in Asia Pacific will be consumed. With health and safety worries lingering, consumers are displaying a new preference for solo and small group travel, as well as increased need for privacy and a preference for ‘green’ rural/coastal/wilderness travel over urban destinations.

Source : centreforaviation

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The Recovery of European Tourism Has Been Underway

According to the most recent edition of the European Tourism Trends & Prospects quarterly study, recovery is in full motion as we approach the peak summer season in 2022, with consumers’ savings from the epidemic projected to support travel demand.

According to The European Travel Commission (ETC), Europe will regain 70% of pre-Covid travel demand this year. ETC President Luis Arajo stated, “Covid-19 limitations have been lifted, and people are keen to make up for two years of missed travel chances.” We are seeing a more faster recovery than travel companies in Europe had anticipated, and employee shortages may prove to be an impediment to a full recovery. Bringing back talent and making employment in the industry more appealing are the main priorities for European tourism recovery in the next months.

Given the stronger-than-expected European Tourism rebound in demand in 2022, the persistent labor supply lag is causing staff shortages across the European tourism and tourist sector. As a result, many European destinations may struggle to meet this summer’s strong demand. Therefore Sky Concierge Network would like to fill the  gap, especially in concierge service.

Although there are serious workforce shortages in the hospitality industry, the aviation sector is currently grabbing headlines. During the pandemic, over 190,000 European aviation workers were laid off. Despite airline and airport recruitment initiatives, the sector is unlikely to be able to respond during the high summer season.

Source : traveldailymedia

 

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