Pandemic pushes travellers to the edge – of nature
Is sustainable travel just a fad? A trendy travel choice that will fade faster than a politician’s promise?
It depends on who you ask.
A Trip.com survey found 21.3% of Europe-based respondents indicated that people opt for sustainable travel because “it is trendy”. The proportion of Asian travellers who took a similar view was much smaller, at 7.1%.
Trip.com’s inaugural Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022 compiled responses across 11 markets in Asia and Europe. It found that the impact of travel has topped the list of reasons why travellers are increasingly drawn to sustainable travel.
Sustainable travel – both in theory and practice – has moved from the back of travellers’ minds to the forefront of the decision-making process, with more than 68% of respondents in Singapore and 90% of respondents in Thailand acknowledging its importance.
One of the key findings of the report: the pandemic is a key driver of a stronger collective desire to travel sustainably resulting from shifts in consumer mindset and behaviour.
Over half of respondents in both Singapore (63%) and Thailand (78.5%) named COVID-19 as a catalyst for their increased appetite to choose sustainable options.
Travel restrictions enhanced their appreciation for nature and spurred demand for travelling closer to home.
Destination evaluation is the aim of new partnership
You’re keen to know more about visitors to your destination. Where are they coming from? Who is sending them there? How are they getting there?
A partnership between Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) and ForwardKeys offers a new tool designed for destination marketing organisations (DMOs), tourism bureaus and convention and visitor bureaus.
Destination Gateway, available in the US, combines ARC’s ticketing data with ForwardKeys’ travel search interest, airline schedule and capacity data to provide a comprehensive view of travel to a specified destination.
The product allows users to gain insights into travel to their destination and similar destinations to better inform decisions and marketing strategies.
The data is presented in visuals that can be exported for presentations and further analysis.
Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC, said of Destination Gateway, “Nowhere else can destination marketers find the depth of air travel data, travel interest and insight into the travel agencies that can drive travellers to their destination.”
Users can customise their Destination Gateway reports across four modules to provide insights that grow a destination:
- Performance – How well a destination is attracting travellers.
- Recovery – Comparing today’s travel levels with pre-COVID-19 levels.
- Connectivity – Data designed to help with negotiations with airlines.
- Agencies – Insight into which agencies sell travel to a particular destination.
Token offering: Sentosa marks its Jubilee with a bit of fun
The jury may be out on the real value of NFTs but that has not stopped their spread.
Now Singapore’s entertainment island, Sentosa, has jumped onboard with the launch of Discovery Neverending NFTs by Sentosa, part of the island’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
The Discovery Neverending non-fungible tokens (NFTs) feature artworks from 15 Singapore-based digital artists – including illustrators, graphic designers, muralists and multi-disciplinary artists.
Each NFT is a unique digital collectible artwork inspired by the island’s distinctive elements and brought to life in a variety of styles. Members of the public can register their interest to receive one of 1,972 NFTs – a symbolic number to represent the year Sentosa was established.
Slots will be released in batches and on a first come, first served basis, and all NFTs will be distributed randomly to winners on 17 October.
The NFTs will be exclusive to Sentosa Islander members, which is free for sign up. Members will then need to create an account and be verified on social platform Discord as well as have a digital wallet ready on Phantom.
US DoT wants airlines to fess up on their fees
The Travel Technology Association, representing brands including Expedia, Kayak, Skyscanner, Booking.com, Skyscanner, Travelport and Amadeus, is backing a move by the US Department of Transportation that will require airlines and travel search sites to be more upfront with their fees.
The proposal is intended to add transparency to the process of searching for and booking travel and would affect US air carriers, foreign air carriers and third parties such as online travel agencies and metasearch sites that display fares for flights to, from and within the United States.
“Consumers, specifically ones that travel only once or twice a year, often are not aware of what products and services are included with their airline tickets. Airline models differ from airline to airline where some do not charge extra for bags or seats while others do, and prices can range significantly,” says Stewart Alvarez, interim president and CEO of the association.
“Additionally, seats can be available at the time the airline ticket is purchased by the consumer and a few days or weeks later may not be, making it difficult for a family travelling to sit together.”
The rules would require that upfront, the first time an airfare is displayed, any fees for a traveller to sit with their child, for changing or cancelling a flight and for checked or carry-on baggage must also be shown. The fees would be required to be displayed as passenger-specific or itinerary-specific based on the consumer’s choice.
In the first two quarters of this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, US airlines collected more than US$3.2 billion in baggage fees.
For group travel, Troupe keeps everyone in the loop
Every tried booking an airfare and hotel accommodation for your large family, or a group of friends and found that not everyone was on the same page?
Cue Troupe, an app being released by JetBlue that allows everyone planning a group gathering to have a single hub for all the planning details. The app allows the various members of a travel group to suggest, vote, and comment on dates, destinations and activities, allowing each member of the party to be able to weigh in on the planning process.
Members can add different destinations, activities, hotel choices, videos, all stored in one location for everyone to see. Members can also vote on different trip options, allowing the group to come to a consensus without one person having to call or message members to reach a conclusion.
“Anyone who has organised a vacation with a group of friends or family knows that getting everyone to agree on details can take the fun out of travel planning,” said Andres Barry, president of JetBlue Travel Products.
Eight TikTokers set for Citadines challenge
Lodging business Ascott is giving TikTokers a good reason to start influencing. Eight will be selected for a global TikTok campaign, the #Infin8Citadines Global TikTokers’ Challenge ,that will reward the winner with a 24-night stay at Citadines properties across eight different cities.
TikTok influencers from Australia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, the UAE and Vietnam will be hosted at participating Citadines properties for a day in the cities they each represent.
Their task? Create weekly-themed content to compete for the grand prize.
The challenge will also offer weekly giveaways to TikTok fans, with more than two million points for Ascott’s loyalty programme – Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) available for the redemption.
Lodging business Ascott is giving TikTokers a good reason to start influencing.
The campaign, which marks Citadines’ For the Love of Cities brand refresh, will feature prominently on Ascott’s newly activated TikTok channel (@discoverasr).
TikTok followers who comment on and like the #Infin8Citadines content produced by the eight influencers over three weeks, can win 80,000 ASR points to redeem complimentary stays (nine winners per week).
To qualify for the weekly giveaways, followers will need to be an ASR member, follow Ascott’s TikTok account (@discoverasr), comment and like any of the influencers’ videos reposted on the @discoverasr channel.
The grand prize winner will be selected based on the highest level of engagement achieved with their content and the most sign-ups for the ASR loyalty programme across the campaign period.
