Tourism sector needs ‘more links, direct flights, lower landing fees’

RATHER than keep tourism efforts within each nation, members of the Asian Council of Tourism hope to convince stakeholders that they need to establish other links to boost tourism.

During the group’s breakout session at the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) conference last week in the Radisson Blu Hotel, session chairman George Abraham said the industry needs to study the possibility of linking with other countries to get a spillover effect.

He cited as an example his own country Singapore, which takes advantage of its proximity to Malaysia and Indonesia to offer more experiences to tourists.

Stewart Forbes, executive director of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, hopes the CACCI will help encourage the operation of low-cost carriers (LCCs) and take up market access issues with government.

He noted that on his flight from Malaysia to Cebu, the flight was not full and he worries that if it continues to be as empty as it was, the airline might eventually cancel the route.

He hopes CACCI can lobby for lower landing fees for LCCs and other measures to encourage more routes linking smaller destinations.

Sergei Solokhnenko, who represented the Philippine Pelagos Tours and Travel, which caters only to Russian tourists, said the lack of direct flights can be frustrating for Russian tourists. Most of them barely speak English and in coming to the Philippines, they have to change flights at airports in Hong Kong or Korea, sometimes waiting for as long as 10 hours.

He believes more Russian tourists would come if they have direct flights.

For speaker Robert Lim Joseph, chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) in the Philippines, the Aquino government has done well for tourism by making it a priority and getting the Department of Public Works and Highways to support it by shelling out P10 to P20 billion in infrastructure projects.

Though the budget allocation for tourism is still small, he pointed out that it has increased to P2.5 billion, allowing them P500 million for promotion and advertising.

Joseph admitted this amount is “peanuts” compared to what other countries shell out for advertising and promotions, but said they are carefully planning where to place advertisements and attending global tourism conferences to promote the country.

Even without direct flights from Europe to the country, there has still been an increase in tourists from Europe and the Middle East, he reported.

Joseph also cited efforts to promote the Philippines as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) destination, and a health and wellness destination, saying the country now has hospitals with the equipment to treat different conditions and these are accredited by international insurance providers.

Original post @ http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2013/03/21/tourism-sector-needs-more-links-direct-flights-lower-landing-fees-273979

Kenya climbs in world tourism ranking

An increase in Government spend and a strong focus on environmental sustainability have seen tourism industry rise to the eighth position in sub-Saharan Africa, an indication that the sector is back on the pre-2008 growth curve.

This is according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, Travel and Tourism Competitiveness 2013, which ranks 140 tourism destinations along industry and regulatory benchmarks that are considered to affect a competitive tourism sector.

In this year’s report, published under the theme “Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth and Job Creation,” Kenya climbed up seven slots in the worldwide index from 103 in 2011 to position 96.

According to the report, Kenya’s impressive performance has been as a result of efforts by various stakeholders like the Government, marketing agencies and tour operators to promote the country as a favourable tourist destination both abroad and locally.

“Kenya is ranked 14th for its natural resources, with its three World Heritage natural sites and its rich diversity of fauna,” reads the report in part.

“Tourism is a recognised priority within the country ranked 23rd on this pillar, with high Government spending on the sector and effective destination marketing campaigns.”

In addition to this, efforts by various governmental institutions like the Kenya Tourism Board and the Kenya Wildlife Service to promote domestic tourism seem to be bearing fruit stimulated by a growing middle class that provides a ready market for tourism and travel products.

A strong focus on environmental sustainability results in a rank of 21st position worldwide, which is particularly important for Kenya given the sector’s dependence on the natural environment.

In addition to this, the country is considered to have a favourable tourism infrastructure that makes it stand out as a preferred tourist destination among sub-Saharan African countries.

Kenya is placed sixth regionally in terms of available hotel rooms, an indication that the heavy investment in the hotel industry across the country over the past four years is starting to yield results.

The report findings come at a time when Kenya seeks to position itself strategically as a regional centre for tourism, banking on its heritage and leisure resources.

This high ranking is despite a struggle by tour operators to shake the ghosts of the 2007/2008 post-election violence that led to the worst year for the country’s tourism industry.

The image of the country as a tourism destination suffered greatly following skirmishes in several parts of the country that led to various countries in Europe and North America issuing travel bans advising their citizens to avoid travel to Kenya.

Drop in numbers

Tourist arrivals dipped by almost 40 per cent, while revenues plunged by more than 54 per cent in the first quarter of 2008 to stand at Sh8.08 billion, down from Sh17.8 billion in 2007.

The next two years saw the Government and tourism stakeholders embark on a charm offensive to convince source markets in Europe and America that Kenya remains an ideal destination in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The period that followed the 2007 elections was one of the hardest that we have ever been through as an industry,” reckons Mr James Karanja, managing director of African Savannah Tours, a local touring agency based in Nairobi.

“We had to let go a sizable number of our drivers and support staff because there were no tourists coming in and without the money it was difficult to pay salaries regularly and the situation was the same in most tour companies and hotels.”

Original post @ http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000079385&pageNo=2&story_title=Kenya-Kenya-climbs-in-world-tourism-ranking