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Travel Marketplace KKDay Debuts in Malaysia to Dominate the $5Mn Tourism Industry

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Taiwanese travel e-commerce platform, KKDay, has announced it is expanding its footprint to Malaysia. With the launch of platform, CEO Ming Chen wants to dominate the $5 million travel and tourism industry of the nation.

The company, strategically, planned the move into the country seeing a “growing population, wanderlust for travel among Malaysians, and a thriving economy”. KKday CEO Ming Chen, in a statement, says,

KKday, since its launch in 2014, has expanded to Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and now, Malaysia. It mainly focuses on Asian destinations but has extended to Europe and America. It claims to have provided travellers with over 6,000 travel experiences from 53 countries and 170 cities all over the world.

The company envisions to becoming the most preferred tours and activities platform for DIY travellers in the country. CEO Ming Chen, commenting on the same, says,

Ultimately we wish to become the number 1 choice of tours and activities for Malaysian DIY travellers when they travel abroad.

He further opines that Islamic tourism will play a key role in the expansion as they will be developing  sightseeing tours and unique customer experiences exclusively tailored to the needs of Muslim travellers. He believes that Malaysia exhibits a unique tourism portfolio as multicultural and ethic market of both Chinese and Muslim tourists houses the ideal environment for the them to grow.

KKDay, however, had officially launched its platform in Malaysia on April 19th with its #flywithpama campaign to Taiwan. The campaign will award a three-member family trip of 5-day, 4-night stay in Taiwan. It had debuted in Singapore in the similar manner with a campaign named #taiwantrippin.

Recently, the startup had raised $7 million in Series A+ funding led by Monk Hill Ventures and Taiwanese VC firm AppWorks. The round also saw participation of Mindworks Ventures, Cathay Ventures and Substances Capital.

Originally published on www. thetechportal.com

Increased GCC Visitor Numbers Swell ATM 2017

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This year’s Arabian Travel Market witnessed a 10 per cent increase in visitors from the GCC and a 7 per cent increase in international visitors to the event, which was held in Dubai World Trade Centre from April 24-27.

For the second year in succession, visitor numbers smashed through the 28,000 mark – the show saw a 71 per cent increase in visitors over the last five years.

Simon Press, senior exhibition director, ATM, said: “The continued growth of ATM is testament to the strength of the travel and tourism industry in the Middle East. The event has also built on its quality year on year and the professionalism of exhibitors and stands not only increases the brand value of their own organisation, but also that of Arabian Travel Market.

“Exhibition stand contracts signed during ATM 2017 for next year are up 38 per cent year-on-year, with exhibitors keen to reserve their space for what promises to be a record-breaking event in 2018 as ATM celebrates its 25th anniversary.”

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, ATM has grown to become the largest event of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world. The 2017 edition, on the theme of experiential travel sponsored by La Perle, boasted an additional hall, with 466 main stand holders representing 87 countries and over 100 new exhibitors making their debut. The number of countries represented at ATM 2017, taken from all attendees, totaled 157.

The show got off to an inspiring start, with an informative discussion on the legacy of Expo 2020. Now just under three years away, it was revealed that plans for the site after the world showcase concludes will see 80 per cent of the plot re-developed with all Expo’s assets and transport infrastructure re-purposed for future use by a range of tenants and major private sector firms.

Commenting on the overall session, Press said: “The seminar also explored the importance of Dubai’s sustainable tourism initiatives, the expansion of the emirate’s airports’ capacity and the engagement of global audiences through partnerships with celebrities and social media influencers.”

The UNWTO & ATM Ministerial Forum, which was attended by more than 20 Government Ministers and global leaders, concluded that the main priorities for the region’s tourism industry include human resources development, public/private sector cooperation, connectivity, technology and sustainability.

“Despite all external shocks, the Middle East and North Africa tell one of tourism’s biggest success stories. A story that brings an immense opportunity to make tourism a pillar of economic diversification, job creation and sustainable development in this region” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

“This meeting provided an opportunity to identify the priorities of tourism policy for the MENA destinations, strengthen regional cooperation and public-private partnerships that prepare the region to welcome the 195 million international tourist arrivals – almost triple the present volume of 72 million – forecasted by UNWTO for 2030,” he added.

New this year, the inaugural Halal Travel Summit, was one of many seminar sessions on the Global Stage, which welcomed leading Muslim travel industry experts including Rafi-uddin Shikoh, CEO of DinarStandard and Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO of Salam Standard & Tripfez, in a discussion about halal destination strategies and how to sell halal travel.

Muslim travel is a key sector for economic development and job creation throughout the world, generating $139 billion in GDP and creating 4.5 million jobs worldwide. And the travel and tourism industry throughout the Middle East is perfectly placed to capitalise according to panellists.

Fadhlillah said: “The US and the EU represent 44 per cent of the global Muslim travel market, netting nearly $64 billion of inbound expenditure during 2015.

“The Asian and Middle Eastern countries attracted more than a third (37%) of the global expenditure total, and these regions are expected to see the most robust tourism growth in the coming years.”

The one-day summit featured three interactive seminar sessions covering the big picture, halal destination strategies and how to sell halal travel. It was agreed there was a strong need to create a halal tourism industry body involving both Muslims and non-Muslims. Also, in the Middle East, there is a need to develop formal halal destination strategies with public and private sector involvement and buy-in, following in the footsteps of Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan.

Zulkifly Md Said, director general, Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia, said: “Islamic tourism is not something that has to be forced upon. However, if you feel that you want to expand your business to the Muslim traveller, then you must understand the adjustments you need to make to capture their presence.”

Another of the highlights from the Global Stage was the hot topic of aviation. Despite the concerns from Gulf carriers regarding the electronic devices ban on US-bound flights, it is indicative of the confidence of regional airlines who all presented a strong presence at the show.

Jaan Albrecht, the newly appointed CEO of Saudi Arabian Airlines Group (Saudia), said: “The first three months have been a steep learning curve. Saudi Arabia is a country of more than 30 million proud nationals and residents, with a lot of background, history and a huge domestic travel market, fuelled by also having the largest population of young people of any country in the world. It’s a fascinating market.”

Other popular features included the Wellness and Spa Lounge, Travel Agents’ Academy, Buyers’ Club and the Bloggers’ Speed Networking events.

Press added: “What we have done is followed the market trends in the region and also listened closely to what our exhibitors want. The show is designed with content in mind and I think this year we were able to fully explore our theme of experiential travel, while also covering the hot topics in the industry.

“This would not have been possible without the partnerships we have created and continue to create.”

The ATM Best Stand Awards also returned, with some delighted winners including Etihad Airways, Amadeus, Kerzner International Resorts, Al Rais Tours and Holidays and Jetclass.

Responsible tourism, which played a huge part in the show and continues to be at the forefront of the industry, has appropriately been named the theme for 2018. – TradeArabia News Service

Originally published on www.tradearabia.com

Philippines Sees 15-20% Rise in Qatari Tourists

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The Philippines is expecting a 15 to 20 percent increase in the number of Qatari visitors this year while setting a target of seven to eight million international visitors for 2017, an official from the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) has said.

“For this year, we are targeting a low of seven million and a high of eight million foreign visitors across all markets. From Qatar, since it is regarded as an opportunity market, we hope that we can grow between 15 to 20 percent,” Philippine Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon, Jr. told this daily recently.

Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of Philippine Department of Tourism’s B2B Networking and Fashion Show on Sunday, Bengzon said around 5,000 Qataris visited the Philippines last year.

“In 2016, we had about 5,000 Qatari visitors to the country. They go to the Philippines basically for shopping, look for unique beach holiday experience, and there’s a certain segment that is also into medical tourism,” he said.

Bengzon stressed that more important than tourist arrivals is the revenue generated from the tourists and it is where Qatar as an important source market comes in. “Qatari tourists generally spend two to three times as much as the average tourist to the Philippines, so even if you’re talking 5,000 Qatari visitors just for now, when you look at the revenue that we get, it is quite substantial,” he noted.

To lure more Qatari tourists, he said, “The strategy is basically to create a higher level of awareness among Qataris and to impress upon them that the Philippines is the next big holiday destination in Asia.”

There are plans to launch new tourism products in the future, among which is to roll out a medical tourism programme and a dedicated programme tailored for ladies in Qatar and other GCC countries as well as introduce new destinations, he revealed.

On Halal tourism, he said “It’s a continuous effort and the good news is that there are more five-star hotels now in Metro Manila that are Halal-friendly. We have a few hotels in the Bay area and in Makati and a few restaurants that are also able to offer Halal food. We have an increasing number of Halal-friendly establishments even outside Manila like in Cebu and Boracay.”

The Philippines witnessed around six million foreign visitors last year, an increase of 10.5 percent compared to 2015.

“Last year, we generated about six million foreign visitors and that represents a growth rate of about 10.5 percent, which is higher than the global average of about 4.5 percent and even higher than the Asian average of about 6.5 percent. It clearly shows that tourism in the Philippines is growing at a faster rate,” he said.

Bengzon was in Doha leading a delegation comprising Philippine-based hotels and resorts, travel operators and tourism entities aimed at bolstering the Philippines’ outbound tourism from Qatar.

Originally published on www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Muslim-Friendly Tourism: Qatar Ranked Sixth in OIC Countries

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Global Muslim Travel Index 2017 shows Qatar is one of top 10 Muslim-friendly tourist destinations among 48 OIC member countries included in the survey.
The report released by Mastercard-CrescentRating has ranked as many as 130 destinations including 48 OIC destinations and 82 non-OIC destinations.
Qatar secured 70.5 scores in the criteria set to choose Muslim friendly tourist destinations having various considerations like visa requirements; Muslim traveler needs awareness; family-friendly destination; dining options & Halal assurance; access to prayer places and many more.
Qatar stands at number 6 among 48 OIC countries for its Muslim friendly tourism facilities.
Other countries in this list include Malaysia 82.5 (score), the UAE 76.9, Indonesia 72.6, Turkey 72.4, Saudi Arabia 71.4, Qatar 70.5, Morocco 68.1, Oman 67.9 and Bahrain 67.9.
The top 10 Muslim-friendly tourist destinations in non-OIC countries category are Singapore 67.3, Thailand 61.8, the UK 60.0, South Africa 53.6, Hong Kong 53.2, Japan 52.8, Taiwan 52.4, France 52.1, Spain 48.8 and the US 48.6.
CrescentRating uses insights, industry intelligence, lifestyle, behavior and research on the needs of the Muslim traveler to deliver authoritative guidance on all aspects of Halal travel to organizations across the globe.
Founded in 2008, CrescentRating services “are used by every tier of the tourism industry, from government bodies and tourism agencies to hospitality service providers, to better serve the needs of the Muslim traveller”.
The report further points out that in 2016, it was estimated that there were 121 million Muslim international travelers. “This is projected to grow to 156 million by 2020, where the travel expenditure by Muslim travelers is expected to reach $220bn. It is also projected that total Muslim travel expenditure will reach $300bn by 2026,” the report says.
GMTI 2017 looks at four key strategic areas – Access, Communications, Environment and Services – which have been further divided into 11 sub-criteria. This highlights the aspects that a destinations needs to look at to improve in order to become a more Muslim friendly travel destination.
In “Access” area, there are two sub-criteria; air connectivity and visa requirements. In “Communications” area, come sub-criteria including Muslim traveler needs awareness & outreach and ease of communication. For “Environment”, sub-criteria are family-friendly destination, Muslim traveler and general safety and Muslim visitor arrivals. In the last area of “Services”, sub-criteria include dining options & Halal assurance, access to prayer places, airport facilities and accommodation options.
The report also sheds light on “Mega Trends in Muslim Consumer Market”, saying that the Halal food industry continues to be one of the key drivers in the Muslim consumer market.
The report further reveals that the demand for Halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics continues to grow, with more products being created to serve the unique health and wellness lifestyle needs of Muslims.

Originally published on www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Certification Becomes A Prohibitive Issue for Halal Tourism in Indonesia

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Jakarta: – Based on the study by the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Tourist Index (GMTI) 2017 officially released in Jakarta, Indonesia ranks third in the Muslim tourism market sector (halal tourism) for a number of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and non-OIC destinations.

Indonesia’s position is up one rank from the previous year. The leader of the halal tourism market for this year (ranks first and second) is still held by Malaysia and United Arab Emirates.

Associated with the released results, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that one of the main obstacles to attract Muslim tourists to the country is halal certification issue. According to Arief, there are still several places to eat that do not have halal certification.

“Halal certification issue becomes one weakness [hindrance] of Muslim tourists visiting Indonesia, especially for those who want to enjoy halal tourism. Although they need a halal certification. This obviously becomes home works for us to continue to socialize it,” said Arief in GMTI 2017, at the Pullman Hotel, Jakarta, Wednesday (05/03/2017).

Not only about certification, the weakness of halal tourism in the country is also caused by the lack of promotion. “Simply put, I use the 4P formula. We have a good product, we have a good Price, but we are not good at Promotion sector. We are not good at promoting, including halal tourism, in fact Tourism Ministry has set 10 halal destinations,” said Arief.

For halal tourism, Arief said the ministry is currently developing it in three priority provinces namely West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), West Sumatra and Aceh.

“Of the three developing provinces, the one with best capital and whose results are visible is NTB, Lombok. The growth is 50 percent and the total occupant is 80 percent there. So it’s now a prime destination for halal tourism,” added Arief.

Originally published on www.en.netralnews.com

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