Feature Market outlook
shopping and behind-the-scenes coffee
roaster visits.
The growing awareness of Singapore’s
gastronomy scene has cultivated interest
in not just consumption, but also the pro-
duction of local cuisine, observed Angie
Lau, deputy director inbound, A+B Edu
Tours and Travel.
“We bring people inside bakeries and
let them try their hand at making their
own curry puffs. We also go to traditional
coffee roasters and look behind the scenes
at how Singaporean coffee is made at our
coffee shops,” said Lau.
2019 Buzzwords Themed tours, gastron-
omy, local cuisine
THAILAND
by Chadamas Chinmaneevong
With travellers now able to book air tick-
ets, accommodation and activities online,
Thai tour operators will have to work on
differentiating themselves to win quality
clients, in addition to developing online
strategies as well as closer collaboration
with OTAs, trade members opined.
Pornthip Hirunkate, managing director
of Destination Asia Thailand, said amid
booming online travel businesses, travel
agents must create tour programmes that
clients cannot find and buy online.
“We must offer more than visits to
beautiful places and impressive services.
New and interesting experiences are key
because the majority of Thailand’s in-
bound tourists are repeat visitors,” Porn-
thip said.
She added that many agents are work-
ing with business partners in neighbour-
ing countries as travellers want to visit
more than one country.
Besides, Pornthip cautioned operators
not to put all their eggs in one basket.
“Everyone should (work towards) reduc-
ing risks because nobody knows what will
happen in the future”, she said.
For example, many tour companies in
Phuket are out of business after the num-
ber of Chinese arrivals plunged following
the boat accident last July.
2019 Buzzwords Creative tours, online
bookings, diversification
VIETNAM by Marissa Carruthers
Vietnam is expected to attract more long-
haul and luxury travellers as more destina-
tions and products emerge in the country.
Alexander Leven, general manager of
Asian Trails Vietnam, said experienced
tour operators are increasingly shifting
their focus to the country’s far north in
search of unspoilt destinations, as the ma-
jority of secondary destinations are now
overrun by regional tourists.
This is also a trend that Jeff Redl, man-
aging director of Diethelm Travel Viet-
nam, predicts will grow within the West-
ern market.
“Western travellers are looking at
avoiding crowded areas with too many
tourists,” he said. “By developing new ar-
eas with better infrastructure, the country
is able to offer off-the-beaten-track itiner-
aries for curious travellers.”
He noted a shift in demand from the
classic north to south itinerary, with more
visitors spending more time in the north
during the summer months, or combin-
ing south Vietnam with Cambodia in
winter.
Added Redl: “They are understanding
Vietnam should be considered horizon-
tally, not vertically, and needs several visits
(across different) times of the year, and
should be supported by the expertise of
local tour operators.”
Another segment expected to flourish
in 2019 is the luxury market, according
to Pham Ha, CEO of Luxury Travel Vi-
etnam. Contributing factors include the
addition of new boutique cruises, hotels
and tours.
Said Ha: “(There is) a fast-growing
list of modern luxury and spa destina-
tions and recently opened golf courses,
and the launch of sea planes, helicopters,
luxury yacht and river cruise services en-
sure stress-free journeys away from busy
roads.”
Luxury Travel will actively target this
market by launching new cruises, expand-
ing to five languages, opening more sales
offices in target markets and attending
more tradeshows.
2019 Buzzwords Luxury travel, tertiary
destinations, in-depth experiences
Strong interest in Singapore’s local cuisine