TripAdvisor unveils travelers' choice islands.

27th March, 2013

TripAdvisor unveils travelers' choice islands.

Travelers' Choice Islands awards; Top islands worldwide recognized based on opinions of millions of travelers across the globe.

NEWTON, MASS. - TripAdvisor announced the winners of its inaugural Travelers' Choice Islands awards. Based on millions of valuable traveler reviews and opinions on the site, the awards recognize more than 100 islands across the globe, including dedicated lists for Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, the South Pacific, and the U.S. 

"Whether you're looking for idyllic palm-lined islands, or islands that offer a more cultural experience, you'll find inspiration in these lists," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "From the world famous to the hidden gems, what unifies every award winner is the fantastic feedback from travelers across the globe."

Top 10 Islands in the U.S.:

•San Juan Island, Washington

•Kauai, Hawaii

•Marco Island, Florida

•Anna Maria Island, Florida

•Maui, Hawaii

•Sanibel Island, Florida

•Chincoteague Island, Virginia

•Island of Hawaii, Hawaii

•Amelia Island, Florida

•Key West, Florida

Top 10 Islands in the World:

•Ambergris Caye, Belize

•St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

•Bora Bora, French Polynesia

•San Juan Island, Washington

•Santorini, Greece

•Isla Mujeres, Mexico

•Moorea, French Polynesia

•Koh Tao, Thailand

•Easter Island, Chile

•Nosy Be, Madagascar

"We're delighted that San Juan Island is honored as both the top island in the U.S. and as a top four world pick in the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Islands awards," said Deborah Hopkins, executive director for the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau. "We'd like to thank the travelers who have made this win possible, simply by sharing their love of the sparkling waters, abundant wildlife, outdoor recreation and vibrant arts scene that San Juan Island offers on TripAdvisor."

By: Helena Tzioti

Copyright@1999 - 2013, TravelDailyNews www.traveldailynews.com

Malaysians spread wings to new destinations.

25th March, 2013

Malaysians spread wings to new destinations.

Malaysians are taking advantage of new air links to explore a broader range of tourist destinations, a new study of online bookings has shown.

Travel search site Wego looked at the behaviour of 100,000 travellers using the company’s Malaysian site, www.wego.co.my. The results found that Malaysians searched for 2,500 flight destinations in 2012 – 900 more than in 2011. This trend was matched in terms of accommodation searches, with a rise of 400 hotel destinations taking the total to almost 2,000.

And while Wego noted that regional hubs such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Taipei and Singapore are still most popular, Malaysians appear to be developing an appetite for new destinations, driven by the proliferation of new low-cost air routes being launched from Kuala Lumpur.

“Users are constantly finding new routes with AirAsia, Jetstar, Malindo Air and other carriers which soon become popular, especially if they are seen to be affordable,” said Dean Wicks, Wego’s Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s driving a shift away from the traditional selections of Bali and Phuket in favour of destinations like Bandung, a favourite weekend retreat with Jakarta residents, Hat Yai, Macau and Perth.”

Only a quarter of flight searches on www.wego.com.my are domestic, with Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu trending up, according to Wego, along with Penang and Johor Bahru. And Wicks said he expects Malaysians to expand their horizons further in future, as airlines continued to add new routes.

“AirAsia’s push into India with Chennai as the hub, Malaysia Airlines joining oneworld and teaming up with partners Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Qantas will change the mix again, especially on the mid- to long-haul. Istanbul, for example is another destination gaining share of our Malaysian users’ attention,” he said.

Malaysians are also now moving more up-market. A record 16% searched for five-star properties in 2012, up from less 14% in 2011.

By: Mark Elliott

Copyright@www.traveldailymedia.com

First-ever tourism hospitality, technology confab in Nov.

20th March, 2013

First-ever tourism hospitality, technology confab in Nov.

KUCHING: The first-ever conference on travel technology and hospitality automation will be held here in November this year.

Initiated and organised by UCSI Communications Sdn Bhd (UCSI Communications), the Asia Pacific Tourism Hospitality and Technology Conference (Apthat) 2013, will be held on Nov 21 and 22 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK).

Among the objectives of the conference are to prepare the travel and tourism industrialists to be resilient in the competitive market that is technology driven as well as to introduce them to the latest gadgets. The conference also aims at identifying opportunities that are propelled by innovations.

“This is a home-grown made in Sarawak Malaysian conference. In this conference, we are going more into innovation and technology. We feel that these two topics are very important in today’s travel trends because technology has evolved to be part of the tourism and hospitality industry,” said UCSI Communications managing director Gracie Geikie at a press conference yesterday.

The conference will include workshops, master classes, buyer-seller sessions, hotel inspections and exhibitions. Six papers will be presented. “It will be a different style of conference as there will be a lot of fun. The conference will touch on several areas especially on Professional Conference Organiser (PCO). We also have a section on association matters where we feel that there is a need to educate the audience about association and be part of an association.

“We have exhibitor booths and a very small version of buyer-seller session where delegates can meet with the members of the industries. As for master classes, we will be covering the Blue Ocean Strategy and the role of PCO,” she explained.

Gracie said the director-general of Tourism Malaysia Dato Mirza Mohammad Tayed had consented to deliver the keynote address while a letter of invitation had been sent out to the Tourism Minister who will be the guest-of-honour. Among the confirmed speakers are Prof Dr Ross Dowling and Selina Power from Australia, Dr Madahmohan Roa, E M Najeeb, both from India and Rohizam Md Yusoff from Malaysia.

Apart from gathering the industry experts and players from within the Asia Pacific region, UCSI Communications also hopes the event could further enhance the state’s effort in making Sarawak a MICE (meeting, incentive, conference and exhibitions) destination.

UCSI Communications is hoping to attract some 300 participants. Early bird special discount for the delegate fee is ongoing until April 30 and the price per delegate from May 1 onwards will be RM1,380 (US$460). Corporate discount is also available whereby corporate delegates will just have to pay the price of five delegates for six delegates. The delegate fee is inclusive of two days of conference, two pre-selected workshops and two buyer- seller sessions (first come, first served basis), four tea breaks, two luncheons, two pre-dinner networking cocktail receptions and a closing dinner party.

Registered delegates who intend to attend the master class will have to pay RM180 per person and each class is limited to 80 people, on a first come, first served basis.

There will also be exhibition booths available for tours, travel related, travel accessories, hoteliers at RM1,700 (US$590) per booth for two full days. The booth includes 3m x 3m shell scheme, a table, two chairs, a dustbin, a socket/plug point and fascia. Each booth is entitled to a conference delegate pass with full entitlement.

Online registration is possible at www.ticketxpress.com.my or call the booking hotline at +6(0)1112677388 or +6(0)82577911. For further information, visit www.apthat.com or www.ucsicommunications.com. Hilton Kuching is the official hotel while Planet Borneo Tours & Travel Services Sdn Bhd is the official tour operator of the conference.

By: Jonathan Chia reporters@theborneopost.com

Copyright@2010-2013 BorneoPost Online        

5,000 tour packages on offer at Virtual Travel Fair from Wed.

11th March, 2013

5,000 tour packages on offer at Virtual Travel Fair from Wed.

PETALING JAYA: Creative Advances Technology Sdn Bhd aims to rake in some RM15 million in travel packages enquiries through its Smart Online Travel Assistance's (SOTA) fifth Virtual Travel Fair.

"With the growing maturity of online travel in Malaysia, we believe we will see an even stronger response for this year's virtual travel fair, especially with a bigger variety of travel packages and value-for-money deals offering greater incentives for savvy buyers," said Creative Advances Technology chief executive officer Rohizam Md Yusof.

According to Rohizam, the last Virtual Travel Fair held in September 2012 saw a record-breaking 70,000 online visitors, or about 2,600 online visitors daily. "We expect more than 130,000 online visitors to participate in the upcoming Virtual Travel Fair," he told Business Times on the sidelines of its media appreciation luncheon on Friday.

The fifth Virtual Travel Fair is schedule to kick-off from Wednesday and ends on March 29. Themed "Great Deals, More Choices", it offers 5,000 travel packages and room deals from 150,000 hotels.

Rohizam said bargains include three-day/two-night packages to Universal Studios Singapore and Johor Legoland and seven-day/six-night packages to South Korea and Jeju Island, as well as umrah packages to Saudi Arabia.

"On top of that, travellers who spend a minimum of RM100 will stand a chance to win a a three-day/two-night package to Macau that includes accommodation and flight tickets worth RM7,000 for a contest held throughout the fair," he said.

There are value deals for trips to Beijing, Guilin, Phnom Penh, Bali, Makkah, Madinah, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, among many other exciting travel packages.

SOTA is an online travel platform that caters to both travel providers and travellers.

By: Cheryl Yvonne Achu

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Tour operators to be educated on social media.

Date: 6 March 2013

Tour operators to be educated on social media.

KUALA LUMPUR: Social media will be part of the Tourism Ministry's education programme for tour operators and travel guides.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said social media must be included to ensure the travel industry is up to date with current trends.

“When they apply for a licence to operate, they need to undergo a two-day compulsory training course while those who want to renew their licences have to attend a one-day continuous education course.

“So, the social media aspect will be included in both these courses as it is important in improving the services and products provided to tourists,” she said after launching the two-day 2nd Malaysia International Tourism Bloggers Conference and Awards 2013 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday.

Dr Ng pointed out that the ministry had come out strong in utilising social media in its promotional activities with the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia's Facebook page receiving 1,365,925 likes.

By WONG PEK MEI pekmei@thestar.com.my

Copyright © 1995-2012 Star Publications (M) Bhd

Travel (Face)bookings.

Date: 25 February 2013

Travel (Face)bookings.

MALAYSIA - While browsing through the Facebook pages of family and friends, you may feel a sudden urge to experience the places they have visited ... and soon, you find yourself engrossed in travel blogs. Worst, you book tickets! But know this: you are not alone.

In the recent Text100's Digital Index: Travel And Tourism study by Redshift Research, 46 per cent of Malaysian respondents - compared to a global average of 26 per cent - regard Facebook as important to help inspire and reaffirm travel decisions. The same percentage of Malaysians would also share travel content that their family and friends might enjoy seeing. The likelihood of Malaysians valuing eco-tourism locations is high as well - much more than the rest of the world.

The survey polled 4,600 respondents in 13 countries, and was carried out last October through online interviews.

Although a substantial number of Malaysians would prefer travel blogs to fine-tune travel decisions, the reliance on social media is much stronger than the other 12 countries surveyed. "As customers are increasingly short of time to carry out exhaustive research, we suspect recommendations from friends or from those within a specific circle may become a more important part of the online travel landscape," said Robert Rosenstein, chief executive office of Agoda.com.

The importance placed on peer experience and digital reviews has surpassed that of traditional travel agents. A solid 78 per cent of Malaysians are enthused by family and friends, and are inclined to trust travel columns and websites with holidaymaker reviews over professional travel guides.

While on vacation, 89 per cent of Asia-Pacific travellers - of which 75 per cent are from Malaysia - use travel apps on their smartphones or tablets primarily for information about local attractions and finding their way around. And 80 per cent of Malaysians would be connected to social media if free WiFi is available.

And this "always connected" tendency stretches across the region as travellers from Asia-Pacific are the most enthusiastic about social media - according to the survey, they are the most attached to their mobile devices in the world.

As a whole, 72 per cent Asia-Pacific travellers used social media to inspire at least one element on their itinerary of recent travels, compared to 51 per cent globally. "The presence of the mobile device is quietly but dramatically changing how we behave when we travel," said Anne Costello, Text100 Asia-Pacific's regional director. "As a result, these technology-savvy travellers feel the travel industry needs to do more to keep up with their fast-growing reliance on the mobile device and social media as part of the overall experience," she said.

  

By Karyn Anne, The Star

Copyright © 2013 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Twin Towers top TripAdvisor list.

Date: 15 February 2013

Twin Towers top TripAdvisor list.

TRIPADVISOR, the world's largest travel site, yesterday revealed the highly rated attractions in Malaysia that travellers around the world were talking about the most last year. In a statement, TripAdvisor said the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur topped the list.

"These towers are really stunning, especially at night when they are lit up. They are so big that it was hard to get them both in a single picture," said a TripAdvisor traveller.

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), which came in at number two, has, as one TripAdvisor traveller said, anything and everything you need, from coffee places to shops, restaurants and bars.

At number three is the Langkawi Cable Car, Kedah. "You can feast your eyes on the breathtaking greenery along the way and we had a beautiful view of the sunset, too," said a traveller.

TripAdvisor said the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, at number four, was described by a traveller as an add-on after visiting the National Orchid Garden. "We spent three hours there watching the various birds soar through the huge canopy area. I would recommend this to anyone even marginally interested in birds," the traveller added.

TripAdvisor said the top 10 picks in Malaysia's most talked about attractions last year, from premier shopping malls to historical museums and tropical conservation parks, were ranked according to the number of reviews received on TripAdvisor.com based on global Internet protocol addresses between Jan 1 and Dec 31, last year.

TripAdvisor, which started in March 2011 in Malaysia, is the world's largest travel website and operates in 30 countries worldwide, including China. It features 1,443 hotels, 1,235 bed and breakfast inns, 143 vacation rentals, 3,024 restaurants and 941 things-to-do, including a collaboration with Malaysia's leading organisations like Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Maxis and Tourism Malaysia. - Bernama

Copyright @ 2011 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Malaysia as a preferred tour destination.

Date: 12 February 2013

Malaysia as a preferred tour destination.

Tourism Malaysia in association with Malaysia Airlines organised a promotional programme ‘Sales Mission to India’ in conjunction with South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE 2013) from January 7 to 18. The programme was organised in Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi.

Business sessions (buyers and sellers meet) were being held in all the four cities which acted as a platform for the Indian travel agents to meet the Malaysian hoteliers, tour operators and tourism boards. Presentations were made by selected Malaysian industry players on new products.

Zulkifly Md. Said, Director of South Asia, West Asia and Africa Division, was leading the Malaysian delegation consisting of 17 tour agents, 21 hotel operators, six product owners, three State governments and Tourism Malaysia officials, to promote Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination.

He said “We are here to provide support to our partners in the Tourism Malaysia offices in Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi. We look forward to working even more closely with our partners here to increase the number of visitors from India to Malaysia. For 2013, we are targeting 7,80,000 tourists from India to Malaysia while our overall tourism targets are to achieve 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion (approx. USD55 billion) in tourist receipts by the year 2020.”

This promotional effort was expected to increase the numbers significantly, through heralding a greater awareness of Malaysia as an ideal holiday destination, as well as fostering greater co-operation between tour operators and members of the tourism fraternity.

Tourism Malaysia India’s successful foray into social media on Facebook, Twitter and blogs was supported by its strong offline presence. Contests such as ‘Live Your Dream Malaysia Contest’, ‘Showcase Malaysia Dream Deals campaign’, and ‘Choose Your Dream Destination (Facebook)’, were organised and prizes were distributed. Out of exciting entries, Shashikala Kataria won the grand prize, wherein she wants to ‘explore the chance to go scuba diving and experience the underwater world in Malaysia’.

Copyright @ 2013 The Hindu

Singapore is favourite destination of Malaysians.

Date: 29 January 2013

Singapore is favourite destination of Malaysians.

MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE - Malaysian travellers prefer destinations that don't require a long-haul flight. Singapore's high exchange rate and rigid rules may cause us to pause, but apparently, it has done little to stop us zooming over the causeway in droves.

Based on internal data gathered from January to November 2012, Tripadvisor, one of the world's largest travel sites, has revealed the local and international destinations that Malaysian travellers looked up the most as the destinations for their next holiday, and The Lion City topped the list.

Eight other Asian destinations also made it to the list, showing Malaysian travellers to prefer flights within the six-hour duration. The second and third most viewed international destination belongs to Bangkok and Hong Kong respectively.

Thailand took the most spots with Bangkok, Krabi Town (#4) and Patong (#10). Only London (#9) made the cut for long-haul destinations.

Meanwhile, on the home front, Kuala Lumpur - city with the highest concentration of shopping malls and recreation facilities - has ranked tops within Malaysia.

This should come as no surprise, given that a majority of Malaysians travel domestically to visit friends and relatives, followed by shopping, vacation and entertainment and recreation, according to the Domestic Tourism Survey 2011 by the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

The other most-searched local destinations are, in a descending order, Malacca, Genting Highlands, Kota Kinabalu and Georgetown.

By Louisa Lim, The Star/Asia News Network

Copyright @ 2013 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.

ASEAN takes second online stab with new travel site.

Date: 21 January 2013

ASEAN takes second online stab with new travel site.

THE highest powers in ASEAN's tourism bodies will debut a new website today to promote intra-ASEAN travel and tour packages, which some say overlaps with a website launched by the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) in 2010.  The brainchild of the region’s tourism ministers, Aseantourism.travel features a commercial component that contains 130 South-east Asian tourism products that have been endorsed by regional leaders.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism secretary-general, Ong Hong Peng, who was also the NTO head for Malaysia and chairman of the Product Development Working Group at the 37th Meeting of ASEAN NTOs on January 18, said the next step of the project would see the creation of tour packages combining two or more ASEAN countries and promotion on the new site. The website also provides information related to the region’s tourism industry such as policies, facts and figures, and marketing initiatives.

Sansern Ngaorungsi, deputy governor Asia and South Pacific Market at Tourism Authority of Thailand and chairman of the Marketing Working Group, said Aseantourism.travel, developed at a cost of US$20,000, allows member countries to log in and update content.

However, some travel trade players regard the new website as a duplicate of ASEANTA’s online portal, SoutheastAsia.org, first promoted at ITB Berlin in 2010. A source close to the SoutheastAsia.org project said the new website would “confuse the public who will not know which is the latest”. The source added: “There are more than 2,000 tour packages on SoutheastAsia.org, while the new website has only 130 (products). (The former) must be promoted further. ASEANTA may lack funds for promotion, so ASEAN NTOs should come in and allocate a budget for support.”

ASEANTA board member, Oudet Souvannavong, admitted that SoutheastAsia.org was not up-to-date as there was a “lack of (manpower) capacity”. He said ASEANTA might consider heeding suggestions from some members to privatise the website. That said, Oudet does not see the new site as competition. He said: “From a business standpoint, the more portals, the better.”

By S Puvaneswary, reporting from ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013, Vientiane

Copyright @ TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd © 2013

Amadeus rolls out app for mid-office system.

Date: 15 January 2013

Amadeus rolls out app for mid-office system.

Bangkok - AMADEUS has launched the Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile, an extension of the Amadeus Travel Office Manager (ATOM) mid-office system, providing travel consultants with on-the-go access to booking data, pricing and management reports.

With the new app, travel consultants will be able to check task queues created in ATOM and take action on due or overdue tasks, access supplier and customer contact details, send emails and messages, and get an overview of the daily booking sales and payment reports from their mobile devices.

Bruno des Fontaines, vice president, customer solutions group at Amadeus Asia Pacific, said: “Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile enables efficiency and continuity of services wherever the travel consultants are. People are now used to working anytime, anywhere and on any device, and travel agencies need to ensure that their consultants can access information securely from systems such as Amadeus Travel Office Manager.

“We are proud to be the first travel technology company to release an application for mid-office systems and will be adding more functionalities in time to come.”

Amadeus Travel Office Manager Mobile is available to ATOM customers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore and Thailand. It can be downloaded for free on the Amadeus website or from Apple App Store.

Copyright @ TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd © 2013

Less than six hours, please.

Date: 30 December 2012

Less than six hours, please.

MALAYSIA - Which city do Malaysians most searched for on the Internet?

Is it London, the best city for shopping in the world? Milan, the city of fashion? Paris, the city of food and arts? Or New York, often described as the cultural capital of the world?

The answer is ...none of the above.

According to a survey by Trip Advisor, the world's largest travel site, Malaysians often go to its site to find out more about its neighbour across the causeway. That's right, Singapore.

"Singapore tops the list of 10 destinations that are most searched by Malaysians on Trip Advisor. Besides Singapore, eight other Asian destinations made it to the list," said Cindy Tan, Trip Advisor vice-president of display and advertising sales, Asia Pacific.

However, she added that the survey did not specify what travellers were looking for in their search.

The results showed that Malaysians do not enjoy long-haul flights but instead have a preference for journeys which take less than six hours. Coming in second is Bangkok, followed by Hong Kong, Krabi Town, Kuta, Seoul, Bandung, Taipei, London, and finally, Patong.

"It also shows that London as their only favourite European city," said Tan.

As far as local towns and cities are concerned, Kuala Lumpur tops the list. Tan explained that locals travel domestically, based on their seasonal needs (for public holidays and festive seasons). The majority travel to visit friends and relatives, followed by shopping, vacation and entertainment and recreation facilities, as well as other forms of new urban-centric attractions.

The other nine most viewed local destinations are Malacca, Genting Highlands, Kota Kinabalu, George Town, Batu Ferringhi, Johor Baru, Port Dickson, Kuching and Kuantan. The ranking of destinations represents the number of sessions based on Malaysian IP addresses on TripAdvisor.com between Jan 1 and Nov 30.

By Shuib Taib, New Straits Times

Copyright © 2012 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

KL the most searched city on TripAdvisor.

Date: 11 December 2012

KL the most searched city on TripAdvisor.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - Kuala Lumpur is the most searched city on travel website, TripAdvisor, as it has the highest concentration of shopping malls and recreation facilities as well as other forms of new urban-centric attractions compared with other states in Malaysia. It has been ranked as the No. 1 most viewed local destination by Malaysians on the website, followed by Melaka, Pahang (Genting Highlands), Sabah (Kota Kinabalu) and Penang (George Town and Batu Ferringhi).

TripAdvisor enables travellers to plan their trips well as it offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices, planning and seamless links to booking tools.

"As for the top 10 most searched global destinations by Malaysians, Singapore was ranked first on the list," Vice President of Display Advertising Sales for TripAdvisor, Asia Pacific, Cindy Tan said at a media briefing here today.

She said Malaysia's southern neighbour became the number one hit due to the entertainment and events that are happening in that country, such as casinos and Formula 1.

Besides Singapore, Thailand (Bangkok), China (Hong Kong) and Indonesia (Kuta) were also listed in the global destinations by the locals, clearly indicating Malaysian travellers' preference for flights within six hours. Among the top ten destinations, only London made the cut for long-haul destination.

TripAdvisor, which started in March 2011 in Malaysia, is the world's largest travel website and operates in 30 countries worldwide, including China. It features 1,443 hotels, 1,235 bed and breakfast inns, 143 vacation rentals, 3,024 restaurants and 941 things-to-do, with a collaboration with the Malaysia's leading organisations like Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Maxis and Tourism Malaysia.

Copyright © 2012 MCIL Multimedia Sdn Bhd