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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Tourists from SE Asia set to grow, says Deloitte Access Economics


TOURISM from Indonesia and Malaysia is expected to rapidly rise by 2015, while the number Australians holidaying overseas is showing signs of easing, a survey has found.
Deloitte Access Economics corporate finance director Lachlan Smirl said a cashed-up middle class in emerging economies throughout Asia is likely to have a flow-on-effect for the Australian tourism industry.
"Proximity is a major driver of travel patterns and Australia's proximity to Indonesia, coupled with the fact that it is well serviced by low cost carriers, is a key driver of the growth in inbound visitation from Indonesia," Mr Smirl said.
"Income growth is also an important driver of travel and on that front the outlook for Indonesia is also strong, with projected growth in real GDP (gross domestic product) of between 6 and 7 per cent over the next three years."
Visitor arrivals from India, China, and Indonesia are forecast to grow by about 7 per cent over the next three years, while Malaysians arrivals are expected to grow by 4.3 per cent.
The Deloitte's Tourism and Hotel Outlook for the third quarter of 2012 found that there was a spike in domestic trips in the March quarter, and that hotel room occupancy continued to trend at all-time highs.
"There is an increasing awareness that a number of capital cities are at breaking point and that, given current commercial conditions do not favour investment in hotel accommodation, measures will need to be taken to encourage and facilitate hotel investment," Mr Smirl said.
Finding an available hotel room on weeknights on the East Coast is likely to remain difficult, with occupancy rates expected to increase to 88 per cent in Sydney and to 84.6 per cent for Melbourne in 2015.
Perth continues to have the highest room occupancy in Australia largely as a result of the resource boom, trending at 86.2 per cent last quarter.
Tropical North Queensland is slowly recovering from the after effects of cyclones and flooding during a tumultuous 2011, but room occupancy rates are yet to reach their historical highs.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Experience Asia through Reliable Asia Travel Package | Thailand Travel Guide

Experience Asia through Reliable Asia Travel Package | Thailand Travel Guide
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Tourism Australia tips Asian visitors to double by 2020 but more hospitality staff needed | Perth Now

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Asia Pacific airlines boosted by robust demand for leisure travel in July | TheMoodieReport.com


Asia Pacific airlines boosted by robust demand for leisure travel in July

Published: 29/08/12
Source: ©The Moodie Report
By Melody Ng, Asia Bureau Chief
ASIA PACIFIC. Asia Pacific airlines carried 18.5 million international passengers in July, +4.9% more than in the same month last year, boosted by robust leisure travel demand. These are preliminary traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). 

Measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger traffic grew by +3.2%, reflecting stronger growth on shorter regional routes. Offered seat capacity increased by +3.5%, resulting in an average international passenger load factor of 80.6% for the month, a marginal decline of 0.3 percentage points. 

Commenting on the results, AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said: “Asia Pacific airlines registered an impressive +8.1% increase in the number of international passengers carried during the first seven months of the year, with air travel demand holding up well despite signs of a general slowdown in global economic activity. However, international air cargo demand fell by -4.4% during the same period, reflecting continued weakness in key export markets. 

“Airlines still face a very challenging operating environment, given the adverse impact of high oil prices and the uncertain global economic outlook,” Herdman concluded. 
Click on the above to view the enlarged image (then hover over graphs with your cursor and click for full detail)

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Culinary Delights Onboard Eastern & Oriental Express Enhance This Unique Cultural Experience - Rail News - etravelblackboardasia.com

Culinary Delights Onboard Eastern & Oriental Express Enhance This Unique Cultural Experience - Rail News - etravelblackboardasia.com
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Thailand scores high in Asia travel poll | Bangkok Post: news


Thai tourism destinations, airlines, airports, hotels and spa resorts scored high marks in the Best in Travel 2012 Poll announced by the popular website Smart Travel Asia 2012. 

Altogether, a total of 61 Thai tourism industry products were listed in the poll rankings, some in the top ten and others in the top 25.
The list was led by Phuket, which was ranked the second-best holiday destination in Asia. Bangkok ranked 4th best city for business and fifth in the top ten holiday destinations in Asia. Ko Samui ranked the 10th best holiday destination in Asia.

Thai Airways International, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Samui Airport also fared well. An analysis of the poll results also indicated that the award-winning products were located nationwide, including Hua Hin and Chiang Rai. 

Commented TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “We are proud to see so many of our destinations and products scoring highly in these rankings.
"It clearly shows that the determined effort made by our entire industry to upgrade quality is paying off and getting global recognition.” 

Announcing the awards, Smart Travel Asia’s Editor-Publisher Vijay Verghese said, “This year (2012) marks the eighth year of our online poll to discern travel preferences among our affluent frequent traveller readers who take over 16 air trips a year. 

“The focus of the Best in Travel Poll is to determine which travel brands are sought after and why. The three-month exercise from May to July each year offers insights for our own editorial direction and generates useful comparative research data for hotels and airlines.” 

Mr. Verghese said that one interesting finding this year is that affluent travellers by and large first seek trusted brand evaluations online (rather than price), but often fail to find this due to the blizzard of booking engines and sales sites that tend to dominate search results. “Readers clearly state that they will first evaluate a brand before booking it,” he said. 

“Another point to emerge is that while affluent travellers make travel decisions online, they do not commonly book online. They go offline to talk to a human being in order to ask questions and personalise the purchase.
"Business travellers in particular are averse to online bookings as travel circumstances change rapidly and unpredictably. They tend to use their own trusted travel agents or will talk to sales persons at a hotel of their choice.
"In other words, tracking ‘conversions’ often fails with this elite audience.” 

Approximately 70 percent of the voters were based in Asia (largely Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and the Middle East), 15 percent in UK/Europe and 15 percent in USA and North America.
They recorded an average of 16.22 air trips (up from 15.75) over the past 12 months and earned US$162,134 in household income (up modestly from US$156,716 in 2011). 

There was no charge for nomination or any hidden fee. Readers were free to vote for any of thousands of travel products in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. 

Here is a listing of all the Thai destinations and products that won awards:
Top 10 Holiday Destinations (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
2
Phuket
2
3
Bangkok
10
10
Ko Samui
9
Top 10 Cities for Business (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
4
Bangkok
10
Top 10 Airlines (worldwide)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
4
Thai Airways International
4
Top 10 Airlines, Business Class (worldwide)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
6
Thai Airways International
6
Top 10 Airlines, Cabin Service (worldwide)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
3
Thai Airways International
2
6
BangkokAirways
7
Top 10 Budget Airlines (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
10
Nok Air
9
Top 10 Airports (worldwide)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
6
SuvarnabhumiAirport
5
10
SamuiAirport
9
Top 25 Business Hotels (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
8
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok
9
14
SheratonGrande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
12
15
InterContinental Bangkok
19
16
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
17
19
ConradBangkok
14
23
Centara Grand at CentralWorld, Bangkok
19
25
DusitThaniBangkok
25
25
JWMarriottHotel Bangkok
23
Top 25 Conference Hotels (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
10
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok
13
11
InterContinental Bangkok
15
14
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
16
16
SheratonGrande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
14
17
AngsanaLaguna Phuket
-
22
ConradBangkok
15
24
Centara Grand At CentralWorld, Bangkok
20
25
DusitThaniBangkok
22
25
JWMarriott PhuketResort & Spa
 
25
Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok
25
Top 25 Spa Hotels & Resorts (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
4
Banyan Tree Phuket
5
5
Amanpuri, Phuket
4
8
Six Senses Samui – A Sala Property
9
10
The Peninsula, Bangkok
11
11
JWMarriott PhuketResort & Spa
9
11
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
15
12
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai
16
12
CentaraGrand BeachResort & Villas Hua Hin
13
13
Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
23
18
CentaraGrand BeachResort Samui
16
18
Chiva-Som, Hua Hin
20
20
AntaraHuaHin Resort & Spa
22
21
AngsanaLaguna Phuket
-
22
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
25
24
CentaraGrand BeachResort & Villas Krabi
23
24
Plaza Athenee Bangkok
25
25
AleentaPhuket– Phang Nga Resort & Spa
25
25
ConradBangkok
19
Top 25 Leisure Hotels & Resorts (Asia)
2012 Rank
 
2011 Rank
4
AmanpuriPhuket
4
7
Twinpalms Phuket Resort
8
12
Banyan Tree Phuket
17
13
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
24
13
SalaPhuketResort & Spa
25
13
The Chedi Chiang Mai
16
14
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai
18
15
CentaraGrand BeachResort Samui
16
17
CentaraGrand BeachResort & Villas Hua Hin
12
19
JWMarriott PhuketResort & Spa
18
24
Indigo Pearl, Phuket
-
25
Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai
23
25
CentaraGrand Mirage BeachResort Pattaya
21
25
The Library, Ko Samui
20
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