NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT
Clia Asia River Cruise Forum: Clia UK hosted its river cruise and destination forum in Asia for the first time last week. Jane Archer reports from Ho Chi Minh City
From left: Marco Rosa, Pandaw; John Fair, CroisiEurope; and Stuart Perl, AmaWaterways
Pandaw vows to stand by Myanmar despite sales dip
Pandaw will not give up on Myanmar despite seeing a big fall in sales as a result of the Rohingya refugee crisis in the northwest of the country.
The line’s Marco Rosa admitted business from the UK and US had been affected by the political crisis. “Sales are down but we will
not pull out,” said the sales and marketing vice-president. “We support the local people, not the government. We will not abandon them.” Pandaw has nine river ships
in Myanmar, operating on the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers, and the Irrawaddy Delta, as well as a ship that sails the Mergui Archipelago in the Andaman Sea. All river cruise lines have seen
sales for Myanmar fall over the past few months, in stark contrast to a few years ago when the military dictatorship ended, Aung San Suu Kyi became de facto ruler and demand rocketed. At that point, river companies including Avalon Waterways, APT, Scenic and Sanctuary Retreats piled in with new vessels.
“[Myanmar sales] have picked up this year but are still about 24% down on last year”
Speaking at Clia UK’s river
cruise and destination forum in Ho Chi Minh City, Rosa said demand for Myanmar had gone up and down in the past 20 years so he was confident it would revive. “October to December last year
were slow,” he said. “It has picked up this year but it is still about
24% down on last year from the UK. There is no point starting any big marketing campaigns yet.” Meanwhile, AmaWaterways
reported that increased demand for more-exotic river cruises had helped more than double sales for the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam in the past 18 months. Managing director Stuart Perl said it is now AmaWaterways’ third- ranked destination in the UK, behind the Rhine and Danube. He added: “It attracts clients who have done Europe and want something more adventurous but wouldn’t consider coming to these countries alone.”
Delegates at a cookery workshop with Luke Nguyen at his Vietnam House restaurant
AGENTS’ VIEWS
Phil Nuttall, RiverCruising.
co.uk “The speakers were fabulous. I never realised how well this
region is located for pre and post-cruise, not just in south- east Asia but the Philippines and Australia as well.”
Simon and Eli Parzuchowski, Not Just Travel “The forum has been mind- blowing. The speakers have
helped us learn about cruising in Asia. It will be an easy sell.”
‘We’ll be back’: Harmer tips Asia return for Clia forum in 2020
Clia UK has promised to hold another river cruise and destination forum in Asia in 2020. The debut event was staged at the Méridien
Hotel in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City last week. Following the conference, agents joined one of
six river cruise vessels for a three or four-night cruise from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh in Cambodia or vice versa.
Membership senior vice-president Andy Harmer said: “People used to want fly-and-flop holidays; now they want to explore places, to sight-do rather than sight-see. They want to try different things. “It means our job is now about connecting
people to experiences, so we need that knowledge. The only way we can effectively sell Asia is by showcasing Asia. We will be back.”
14
travelweekly.co.uk 19 April 2018
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
