6.3.2019 TTG Show Daily ITB Berlin 8
Feature Market outlook
tion to adventure seekers in 2018 as part
of India’s Year of Adventure Tourism is
expected to continue to pay off in 2019.
“India is generally known as a tourist
destination for its rich culture and herit-
age. But we expect adventure tourism to
be an important segment in 2019 with
many state tourism boards apart from
India’s Ministry of Tourism looking to
showcase their products and experiences
in adventure travel,” said Arun Anand,
managing director, Midtown Travels.
“Madhya Pradesh hosted AdventureN-
ext – an international event specialised in
adventure travel in December 2018. It was
the first time that the event took place in
Asia and was attended by about 200 del-
egates including global buyers. We expect
such efforts will reap benefits in 2019.”
2019 Buzzwords LGBT, adventure travel
INDONESIA by Ade Siregar
Bali will continue to be travellers’ best-
loved Indonesian destination in 2019,
according to the country’s inbound tour
operators, although they are increasingly
seeing the old favourite as a springboard
into other parts of the country.
Umberto Cadamuro, COO, inbound
at Pacto, said: “One thing we have earned
from an eventful 2018 (international con-
ferences, sporting events and natural dis-
asters) is that the destination branding is
as strong as ever.”
Abed Frans, chairman of Association
of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agen-
cies (ASITA) East Nusa Tenggara Chapter,
remarked that the popularity of emerging
destinations is growing with Bali as its
hub.
“Nihiwatu, which has been named
the best beach (resort) in the world, and
Komodo Island are two destinations that
(most) interest international travellers,”
said Abed.
Meanwhile in Bali, tour operators ex-
pect China and India to still be high on
the list in terms of arrivals, apart from the
traditional Australia and Europe markets.
Commenting on the Chinese market,
Abed said: “We have to be firm in setting
price. (Many of) these travellers ask for
very low prices.”
Tanto Ruwiyadi, a board member of
the ASITA Bali Chapter, cited the associa-
tion’s data that showed this mass market
came in groups and stayed in Bali for an
average of 5D4N, spending US$2,000-
3,000 per visit.
Meanwhile, travellers from Europe, the
Mobile devices in the
hands of travellers will
be the single greatest
influence impacting
the travel experience.
Umberto Cadamuro
COO, inbound, Pacto
US and Australia “come in small groups or
as FITs, stay an average of 14-21 days and
spend between US$7,500-10,000”, Tanto
said.
With some tourism players expect-
ing Bali to still face issues that come with
mass tourism, agents are pinning hopes
on quality over quantity when it comes to
target segments.
Tanto said: “I can understand that vol-
ume is still needed to boost arrivals to
other parts of the country, but we need to
(start) concentrating on quality tourism
for Bali.
“My dream is that we can apply a regu-
lation like Bhutan, where travellers are
required to spend a minimum of US$500-
600 per day with certain minimum length
of stay. This way the people of Bali can bet-
ter enjoy the benefits of tourism.”
Indonesian inbound agents are also
observing the rise of “3.0 travellers”. Said
Pacto’s Umberto: “Mobile devices in the
hands of travellers will be the single great-
est influence impacting the travel experi-
ence.”
Umberto added that the “do every-
thing” approach is no longer viable in view
of the Internet competition. “Specific ex-
pertise is the answer.”
2019 Buzzwords Bali as springboard for
emerging destinations, balancing growth
versus quality
MALAYSIA by S Puvaneswary
Inbound agents handling regional mar-
kets are seeing increased interest in nature
and soft adventure.
Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager, New
Asia Holiday Tours & Travel, shared: “Five
years ago, we typically served travellers
in their 50s and seniors who enjoyed city
tours and shopping. Now, our clients are
in their 30s and 40s on average, and their
interest is in nature and soft adventure ac-
tivities such as birding, mountain biking,
and farm or orchard visits.”
Travellers from large cities such as
Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo are in-
terested in visiting rustic destinations off
the beaten track and getting closer to the
locals, he added.
In 2019, the agency will promote tours
to Carey Island in Selangor and Kukup
Island in Johor, as well as the east coast
of Peninsular Malaysia to showcase local
craftsmanship such as in the making of
boats and wau kites.
Navaratnaa, seeing great growth po-
tential in the education tourism sector,
will develop short tours in Kuala Lumpur,
Malacca and Johor for the student market
from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
Uzaidi Udanis, managing director, Eyes
Holidays – who observes a growing inter-
est among millennials seeking social me-
dia-worthy destinations and experiences
– intends to scour Instagram and other
social media platforms to see what activi-
ties and destinations are appealing before
considering the viability of incorporating
them into packages.
Among the up-and-coming destina-
tions he has identified are Sky Mirror and
Batu Caves in Selangor, Sipadan Island,
and Seven Wells Waterfall in Langkawi.
He added that popular activities among
millennials from South-east Asia include
white water rafting, ATV riding, deep sea
fishing, snorkelling and diving.
In 2019, Udanis will therefore develop
more homestay products and soft ad-
venture activity-based tours in Selangor,
Perak, Pahang and Terengganu, alongside
tours in the Kuala Lumpur gateway.
Meanwhile, European tourists are plac-
Visitors to Japan are increasingly keen
to venture into the countryside
ing more emphasis on experiential tours
and local interaction, and less on beach
holidays, shared Manfred Kurz, managing
director, Diethelm Travel Malaysia.
He said: “(Rather than sightseeing from
a tour bus), they are more keen to inter-
act with locals and learn about the local
culture. Homestay programmes have
become more popular... We will develop
more of such programmes in 2019 in
both East and West Malaysia, in addition
to walking and cycling tours.”
2019 Buzzwords Soft adventure, local
interaction, social media-worthy experi-
ences
PHILIPPINES by Rosa Ocampo
Beaches will remain the Philippines’ main
attraction in 2019.
El Nido, as well as various beaches in
Cebu and Negros, are expected to con-
tinue holding sway over South Koreans,
Chinese and Americans. More high-end
travellers from Israel are also choosing
beach holidays in the Philippines.
New beach destinations are also being
discovered, including those in the Visayas
and the Bicol region, according to Jojo
Clemente, president of Rajah Tours.
Amiable Intertours owner Bernadette
de Leon foresees that Sumilon, Badian
and Mactan in Cebu would retain their
popularity, especially with Cebu’s new
international airport terminal, as well as
Panglao in Bohol, and Coron and El Nido
in Palawan.
Travel-savvy millennials are fuelling
demand for activities in emerging tour-
ism hotspots. They translate to volume,
have the means to travel in style or on
backpack, and are spirited enough to try
something new.
As well, curious travellers are hungry
for food, drinks and nightlife experiences
in metro Manila including Poblacion in
Makati, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig,
The Commons in Pasig, and other hubs
that have become destinations in them-
selves.
Flip Trip Travels, which operates online
platform Tripkada, is seeing more mil-
lennial clients on the quest for inclusive,
sustainable and new tourism destinations.
They join trips organised by fellow travel-
lers and split the bill, and sometimes par-
ticipate in do-gooding.
Sharp Travel tour operations manager
Benjie Bernal expects more cruise ships to
dock in Philippine ports in 2019.
His agency is the groundhandler for
a growing number of small expedition
ships carrying 150-200 pax, moving from
one port to another, including La Union,
Batanes, Palaui Island, Kalanggaman in
The opportunities will
be in developing multi-
city tours covering Hong
Kong, Macau and western
China using the bridge,
or shorthaul destinations
using the train..
Ronald Wu
Director of sales, Gray Line Tours
Leyte, and Calaguas in Camarines Norte.
Surprisingly for Bernal, there are classic
cruise ships – bigger ones with over 1,000
pax – scheduled to visit the Philippines
next year, with itineraries including Bora-
cay, Manila, Palawan and more.
2019 Buzzwords Beaches, cruises, sus-
tainable tourism
SINGAPORE by Pamela Chow
As Singapore’s Passion Made Possible
campaign launches globally, inbound op-
erators are taking advantage of the inter-
national drive to develop more intimate,
authentic and innovative tours.
Daniel Tan, founder, Let’s Go Tour Sin-
gapore, said: “Passion Made Possible has
given us a lot of exposure and leverage.
We’ve been able to reach operators over-
seas and brand ourselves.
“Given the popularity of our Histori-
cal Singapore tour, we will be expanding
on themed tours. We are curating a tour
that looks at Singapore through the eyes
of an early immigrant – for example, from
China in the 1920s.”
Meanwhile, Singapore’s burgeoning cu-
linary scene is spurring greater creativity
in food-themed tours. In 2019, the coun-
try will become the first Asian host of the
World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, and
will see more conversations on its nomi-
nation for inscription into UNESCO’s
Representative List of the Intangible Cul-
tural Heritage of Humanity.
This has encouraged culinary tour
company Wok ‘n’ Stroll to plan more pro-
grammes and tours with hawkers and res-
taurateurs, while other agencies like Let’s
Go Tour Singapore and A+B Edu Tours
and Travel have been rolling out more in-
depth experiences such as fresh market