News 06.11.13 GREEN AGENDA
Ecotourism set to grow in the Philippines
THE PHILIPPINE Department of Tourism is planning to capitalise on the growth in eco-tourism by promoting itself as a responsible destination. “Increasingly tourists want the earth to appear in the way the earth should appear with pristine beaches, virgin rainforest and wildlife that is protected,” said secretary of tourism Ramon Jimenez Jr. “As a subset of that there is a demand for
more extreme adventure tourism such as trekking up volcanoes, rough mountain biking and close encounters with sea creatures,” he continued. “Diving is set to be the bicycling of the
future – all young children will have to learn it,” he quipped. And the country takes its responsibility
towards protecting these environments very seriously, he said. “If you look at United Nations records
you’ll see that the Philippines is second only to the US as the most aware when it comes to preserving our environments,” Jimenez Jr claimed. And there is a lot of effort going into
promoting the diversity on offer. “We want to kick up awareness for specific destinations rather than just the Philippines as a destination,” he said. “Our marketing will be destination- specific as people plan multi-dimensional experiences, whether it’s adventure, cultural exploration or social tourism. “We are also up and coming in the
surfing world – we are now on the circuit. Currently our main markets for surfing are Filipinos, Australians and Americans, but we hope to expand this with surf- specific packages. “
But despite this optimism, spurred on by a 12% increase in arrivals year-on-year and an 18% increase in revenue, Jimenez Jr is not resting on his laurels. “Domestically we will have a stronger
focus on improving product looking at pricing and ensuring that we can justify certain premiums as the tourists of tomorrow will insist on a greater quality of product. “We will have a sharper focus on the
more lucrative market – those who stay longer. So Europe comes very much within our sights. “With the inaugural Philippine Airlines
London-Manila flight landing in London Heathrow this week and making five weekly trips between the West and the Philippines we hope this will encourage more Europeans to fly to Manila.”
12 06.11.2013
Jamaica rolls out rebrand at WTM
April Hutchinson
JAMAICA WILL welcome its first flights with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner when Thomson takes the aircraft from the UK to Montego Bay on its inaugural flights tomorrow. The tourist board also picked WTM as the
platform to launch its first big new image change for a decade on Monday evening. Wykeham McNeill, Jamaica’s minister for tourism and entertainment, said: “Our profile has risen incredibly in the past few years internationally and people were telling us that visiting the island was an experience and a feeling, so we that’s what this new campaign encapsulates. It will really get the excitement going again and we have had a strong response here.” McNeill launched the new brand identity,
“Jamaica – Get All Right” at the show, replacing the previous slogan, “Once you go, you know”. The slogan Get All Right has already been making its way round the world in the form of a yacht of the same name sailing in the Clipper Round The World race. The new advertising campaign will run
across digital, TV and print platforms, and a new website and social media campaign will also follow shortly.
The minister said tourism to the island had faced a few challenges early in the year, but had bounced back for summer and forward into 2014.
AIRLIFT BOOST Hong Kong sees capacity returning
HONG KONG hopes increased air capacity and a new range of cultural tours can help turn around its fortunes in the UK market. While global arrivals between January and September this year topped 40 million – up 14% on the same period last year – numbers from the UK have declined 3.7% on 2012, to 371,700. Dawn Page, director for UK and Northern
Europe at the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said much of the decline was due to a dramatic decrease in airlift. Air New Zealand, Qantas and Hong Kong Airlines have all cut services. “The good news is capacity is returning. British Airways has put an Airbus A380 to the route, which adds 680 seats each week; Cathay Pacific has upped its services to 35 a week; and Virgin Atlantic has now gone daily,” she explained. “That should put us back in a much better position. Without the fall in air capacity we would have held our own.” To capitalise on its strong repeat business HKTB has extended its choice of Explore Hong Kong tours which are now being offered to UK tour operators. The tours have been developed with local
Joe Sutcliffe, Wendy Wu Tours; Dawn Page, Hong Kong Tourist Board; and Maxwell Lau, Wing Chun Kung Fu
ground handlers. HKTB has also revamped its PartnerNet trade portal.
He said it had most likely been buoyed by
Jamaica’s success at the London Olympics and hoped the Commonwealth Games in 2014 – set to take place in Glasgow – would attract more sporting attention if Jamaica’s successful sporting run continued. Jamaica is also
looking to new markets, he said, with increased capacity launching from Moscow to Montego Bay this week; two new flights from Stockholm; and more capacity from Munich. Air Canada’s new rouge airline picked Kingston as one of its first routes to launch in July. This is in
addition to the new
Dreamliner flights launching this week, which will bring 291 passengers per flight. Elizabeth Fox, regional director for the Jamaica Tourist Board in UK and Northern Europe, added about the campaign: “Jamaica is more than just a holiday destination, it’s a
feeling, it’s an experience. You go to Paris for romance, Las Vegas to get wild, and you go to Jamaica to Get All Right.”
The minister also highlighted significant hotel investment on the island, including a Thomson Sensatori opening in December, Hyatt’s new all- inclusive Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall – formerly the Ritz
Carlton Golf Resort & Spa – opening in early 2014, the just- opened rebranded Royalton White Sands
in Trelawny and a
Rui Palace soon to open in Montego Bay.
ARRIVAL FIGURES
Turkey visitor total up by 10%
TURKEY IS reporting a 10% increase in the total number of visitors to 28.4 million in nine months to September, compared with the same period last year. For 2012, Turkey received 35.7 million
visitors and plans to boost its number of arrivals to 50 million by 2023. At WTM, Turkey is highlighting its principal tourist destinations, including many of its 383 Blue Flag beaches.
Come and visit us at the TTG Media stand (EM1670).
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