In The News: Klook and JNTO formed partnership to promote new travel concept; RedDoorz expands in Indonesia; more affordable jet flights for business travellers; Air New Zealand joins global EV movement;
DESTINATIONS: Let’s ‘Yurutabi’ – explore Japan off-the-beaten path
New partners – Klook’s Eric Gnock Fah (right) and JNTO Hong Kong’s Hiroshi Yakumaru
Hong Kong-based tour and activity booking platform, Klook, has partnered with the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) to embark on a series of marketing campaigns to promote ‘Yurutabi’, a new travel concept highlighting off-the-beaten-path experiences in Japan.
Targeted at the Hong Kong market, the collaboration kicked off with promotional videos introducing travel inspiration to Hong Kong travellers. The videos featured the famous Hong Kong band ToNick trying all-you-can-drink sake tasting in Tokyo, samurai dress-up and a sushi making class in Osaka.
“We have been launching activities in the more undiscovered areas of Japan, and we will continue to refine our product curation to ensure travellers enjoy quality and diverse experiences,” Candy Chiun, Klook’s country manager for Japan, said.
The company also has a local team in Japan to work closely with local operators to market the new products. Klook has launched over 2,000 Japan activities and brought over one million travellers to the country in less than three years
Hiroshi Yakumaru, executive director of JNTO Hong Kong said the former British colony is one of the “most important markets for Japanese tourism with a huge population of returning travellers annually. He hopes the partnership with Klook will help more Hong Kong visitors explore not only the charm of Japanese cities but also local regions,
Expressing the same sentiment Klook co-founder and president, Eric Gnock Fah, said Japan is one of the top destinations for his company. “We continue to hear strong interest from travellers worldwide wanting to visit Japan to experience local cultures but the biggest barriers are language and lack of booking tools.”
He added the partnership with JNTO and Klook’s Japanese activities providers to promote unique Japanese cultures and tradition help remove some of these barrier by making them easily accessible through Klook platforms.
According to JNTO’s statistics on visitor arrivals in Japan, Hong Kong is ranked fourth globally contributing 7.6% of the total number of overseas visitors. In 2016, Japan received close to 1.84 million visitors from Hong Kong, with 20.7% visiting 10 times or more. Hong Kong is the top-ranked location for repeat visitors to Japan with shopping, eating, beauty services and seasonal appreciation as the main activities.
BUDGET ACCOMMODATION: RedDoorz to expand into nine more cities in Indonesia
RedDoorz has over 500 properties in Indonesia currently (Image credit: RedDoorz)
Singapore-based online budget hotel chain RedDoorz plans to expand into nine more cities in the next 12 months, increasing the number to 16.
The brand currently has a strong presence in Indonesia, operating in seven cities – Bali, Bandung, Bogor, Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Yogyakarta – with over 500 properties and 3,000 rooms for customers to choose from.
The new cities on the expansion list are Aceh, Balikpapan, Batam, Lombok, Makassar, Manado, Medan, Palembang and Solo. The company said US$10 million would be invested in this expansion plan, although it did not reveal details of how the money will be used.
“Our aim is to expand to 16 cities in Indonesia by 2018 targeting young adults who are tech savvy. 90% of our customers book via the RedDoorz app where they can redeem the RedCash (loyalty programme) earned,” Amit Saberwal, founder & CEO of RedDoorz.
The company’s current staff strength in Indonesia is 120. “We plan to double this team over the next 12 months and become profitable in Indonesia by third quarter of 2018,” added Amit.
He revealed that RedDoorz has served over 300,000 customers in Indonesia, with a 65% repeat rate. Its top three performing cities are Bandung, Jakarta and Yogyakarta.
RedDoorz said that a joint study “e-conomy SEA” by Google and Temasek Holdings in May 2016 found that Indonesia ranked top as the world’s fastest-growing internet market – spelling a huge potential for the online travel market. It also predicted that the regional market for online travel including hotels, airlines and rides will increase to close to US$90 billion by 2025, compared to US$21.6 billion in 2015, with Indonesia expected to generate a third of this growth.
Commenting on these data Rishabh Singhi, RedDoorz’s chief operating officer, said: “The Indonesian market has proved to be a great starting point for RedDoorz. We have worked closely with the mid-sized budget hotels, independent properties and guest houses to innovate, collaborate and focus on creating unique experiences to attract guests from within Indonesia and actively reach out to the 250 million tech-savvy consumers. Through our platform, the hotels are able to carve out niches that will sustain sufficient occupancy.”
RedDoorz also operates in India and soon, The Philippines. It has continued investment from prior rounds from International Finance Corporation (private investment arm of World Bank Group), Asia Investment Fund of Sushquehanna International Group and Jungle Ventures. Earlier this year, RedDoorz raised an additional US$1million in venture debt from InnoVen Capital, a venture lending firm owned by Temasek Holdings and United Overseas Bank.
PRIVATE JETS: ASCEND Air makes private jet travel accessible to frequent travellers
ASCEND Air is offering private jet flights by the seat (Image credit: Timurpix/iStock-GettyImages)
ASCEND Air, the private jet club headquartered in Singapore, has launched its main operations with flight service to commence in Q1 2018.
In a statement the club, which is accepting membership, said it is “the first of its kind in Southeast Asia to offer private jet flights by the seat, enabling travellers to fly in the convenience of private flights to major cities across the region.”
Prices are “comparable to commercial travel.”
Club members will receive flight credits every month, which can be used to book seats on private flights through ASCEND Air’s website and mobile apps.
According to the company, prices of the flights are “comparable to commercial travel”. All flights will be on large-sized executive aircrafts with facilities that include luxurious leather seats in a 1-1 configuration, custom designed executive interior with on-board WiFi and VIP service from private jet terminals (FBOs) offering lounge access before and after the flight
At launch, ASCEND Air’s members will be able to select and book seats from multiple private flights daily between the initial launch cities of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. More destinations including Bangkok and Bali to be added in 2018.
“With ASCEND Air’s shared flight services, travellers can now enjoy a private jet experience at a fraction of what it traditionally costs to fly private”, said the company’s co-founder and CEO Christopher Choo.
Depending on the membership a one-way flight between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur could be as low as US$250, he added.
ENVIRONMENT: Air New Zealand joins EV movement to help cut greenhouse emissions
Air New Zealand is now part of the EV100 global movement
To reinforce its intention to shift to electric vehicles Air New Zealand has joined The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, making it the first airline to join the global movement.
The global not-for-profit group works with businesses and governments around the world on initiatives that help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. EV100 is its new global programme, which aims to fast track business uptake of electric vehicles, encouraging organisations to use their buying power and influence to build demand and ultimately help reduce the cost barrier to mainstream use.
Earlier this year Air New Zealand completed the transition of its light vehicle fleet to EVs (electric vehicles).
“Electric transport offers a major solution in cutting millions of tons of greenhouse emissions worldwide. Having led the way in New Zealand it’s exciting to be part of a global initiative committed to making EVs the new normal,” said Lisa Daniell, Air New Zealand’s head of sustainability.
Sandra Roling, head of EV100 commended Air New Zealand for its “commitment to rolling out electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in its own operations, as well as its leadership in motivating other companies to do the same, sets a crucial example for making electro-mobility the new normal.”
The airline also initiated a landmark corporate pledge with Mercury Energy and Westpac New Zealand in 2016, which will see 30 New Zealand companies transition at least 30% of their fleet to EVs by 2019.
• Featured image credit: structuresxx/iStock-Getty Images
