07.11.18 News
‘Demand strong’ for Indonesia
Tom Parry
Indonesia (AS1100) is confident demand for the destination will remain strong, despite last month’s tragic plane crash which left 189 people dead.
The black box of Lion Air flight JT610 was retrieved last week by divers in the Java sea after the aircraft went down soon after taking off from Jakarta on its way to Pangkal Pinang on October 29. No
ABU DHABI ATTRACTION Heritage site to reopen into the new year.
Qasr Al Hosn is believed to be the first standing structure in Abu Dhabi dating back to about 1795 and was previously home to the ruling family, the seat of government, the consultative council and the national archives. It has been closed for renovation since 2008.
Qasr Al Hosn will relaunch on December 7 Tom Parry
Visitors can explore the culture of Abu Dhabi (ME200, ME202, ME203) when its historical Qasr Al Hosn landmark reopens next month after a decade.
Considered to be the “oldest and most significant heritage site” in Abu Dhabi city, it will reopen on
December 7 with a week of festivities to celebrate its relaunch. Nabeel Mahmood Al Zarouni – Middle East and Africa regional manager, travel trade and market development department at the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism – said the site was “a must-see for any visitor” during the Christmas period and
The newly renovated premises of the Cultural Foundation next door will host a visual and performing arts programme, alongside the opening of the first Children’s Library of its kind. The Cultural Foundation will reopen in phases, with the December 7 reopening allowing access to the Visual Arts Centre, which will feature exhibition halls and art studios. The two remaining components – a theatre and the Children’s Library – will open in 2019. Al Zarouni said DMCs around the United Arab Emirates would be looking to include visits to the site within their programmes when working with overseas tour operators. He added that global visitors to Abu Dhabi from January to September had reached 3.74 million – up by 4.3% year-on-year with China, India and the UK its top three source markets.
survivors or wreckage from the Boeing 737 have been found. Speaking to TTG@WTM, Nia Niscaya, deputy minister for tourism marketing at the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism, said since arriving for WTM London she had experienced “zero negative feedback” from suppliers and partners in its European source markets over aviation safety concerns. She said the Indonesian government was dealing with the
investigation surrounding the crash of Lion Air (Indonesia’s largest privately run airline), “incredibly seriously” and would take steps to ensure it “never happens again”. “What happened was an awful tragedy and a lot of the facts still remain unclear, so we are working to resolve that… as quickly as we can,” she said.
“We don’t believe there will be a major impact from countries like the UK, mainland Europe and North
America, as visitors from those destinations primarily fly point-to- point and use a lot of Middle Eastern carriers, so we do not anticipate a drop in demand.”
Meanwhile, Niscaya said the island of Lombok, struck in August by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake which killed 460 people, was now 70% open to visitors.
Indonesia, she said, was aiming to reach 20 million global arrivals during 2019 – an ambition spearheaded by a new campaign to push the country as a twin-centre destination combined with stays in Malaysia and Singapore and offer discounted ferry, hotel and airfares to tourists from nearby Asian countries. Turkish Airlines will also introduce a new three-weekly service from Istanbul to Denpasar (Bali) in 2019, which Niscaya said would offer a “fantastic opportunity” for European trade partners to promote Indonesia.
MILLENNIAL FOCUS
Sri Lanka’s new brand
Madeleine Barber
Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (AS200) has announced a new brand strategy named So Sri Lanka, designed to attract millennial travellers and based on the country being “a feeling”, rather than “just a destination”.
The minister of tourism and wildlife, Vasantha Senanayake, said: “So Sri Lanka is an amplifier brand that supports and engages typical millennial travel exploration. “This is important in view of the statistic that in 2020, 50% of travel revenue will be spent by millennials, and Asia is a millennial favourite, so we are committed to making Sri Lanka future-savvy and a vibrantly relevant destination going forward. “The launch of the So Sri Lanka brand is not only exhilarating, it’s the beginning of a new era,” he added. It also signals the first time that the tourism bureau has adopted a digital- first approach to tourism marketing. A video is currently in production to celebrate the Indian Ocean island’s natural beauty, diversity and dramatic landscapes, and is due to launch in early 2019.
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ttgmedia.com/newsletters 07.11.2018
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