News Roundup: A report looking at how online ready national tourism organisations are to meet the requirements of the growing Muslim travel market, Travelport winning the bid for new contract with Webjet, Naumi Hotels acquiring another property in New Zealand, Radisson Hotel Group’s launch of new website and mobile app
Travel: APAC tourism boards are most online ready for Muslim travellers, study reveals
(Image credit: isa ozdere/Getty Images)
The Muslim population is growing worldwide and by 2060 it is estimated there will be 3 billion people globally who identify as Muslims, one in three of the world’s population (statistics from Pew Research Centre), who will boost this segment of the travel market.
The global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) impact from Muslim travel is huge too, estimated to reach US$183 billion by 2020, employing 5.6 million people worldwide according to Salam Standard report, Global Economic Impact of Muslim Tourism and Future Growth Projection: 2017–2020 (read stories here and here).
Destinations worldwide are putting their best foot forward to tap this rapidly growing tourism market by providing accommodation, services and facilities suitable for Muslim travellers. But how ready are their national tourism organisations (NTOs) in providing Muslim friendly resources online to meet traveller’s needs?
In this area Asia Pacific shines, as a recent report by Malaysia-based travel consultancy Pear Anderson shows that eight of the top 10 NTOs with the best Muslim friendly online resources are from the region.
The study analysed the NTOs of the top 50 most visited non-Muslim countries in the world and ranked them based on the quality and availability of information that is specifically relevant to Muslim travellers’ faith-based needs such as halal restaurant, hotel, mosque and prayer room listings.
The 10 that scored the highest are from Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, New Zealand and Australia
“62% of the 50 NTOs examined had no information available online aimed at helping Muslim tourists to travel within their country, missing a potentially valuable segment,” the report stated.
Hannah Pearson, director of Pear Anderson, cited the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) as “doing a wonderful job” at promoting itself online as a Muslim friendly destination, with a dedicated mini site, language guide and write ups of in-destination experiences from Muslim opinion leaders.
“We decided to commission this report to look in-depth at what NTOs worldwide are doing right with regards to what online information they have and the ways in which they provide it to Muslim tourists – and which NTOs are woefully far behind the trend,” explained Pearson.
“Concerns for travelling in a way that harmonises with their Islamic beliefs is one of the primary destination drivers for the Muslim segment,” she added. “If NTOs want to attract Muslim travellers, they need to be more mindful of creating an online strategy to accommodate this, especially during the research phase of trip planning where NTO websites are often used.”
Findings showed that the NTO is the second source of reference by Muslim travellers doing research (14%) after family and friends for recommendations (18%). .
The report also outlines ways in which NTOs can start creating online resources targeting the Muslim travel market, as well as lists the full rankings and points methodology.
• Here’s the full report (PDF)
Partnership: Travelport clinches deal to extend partnership with OTA Webjet
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Travel technology company Travelport announced last week it has won a “competitive bidding process” for a new long-term technology contract with leading Australia and New Zealand’s online travel agency, Webjet.
Under the deal, Melbourne-based Webjet will participate in Travelport IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard initiatives designed to enable the travel industry to change the way air products are retailed to corporations and travellers.
Travelport was the first GDS operator to manage live bookings using NDC standard in October 2018.
By extending its partnership with Travelport, Webjet will also continue to have real-time access to over 400 airlines, thousands of hotel properties and 37,000 car rental locations as well as various technologies on a single platform.
In turn Webjet will deploy Travelport Trip Services, allowing it to use APIs to perform mobile search across the technology company’s content – allowing for faster and more accurate search responses.
Hotels: Naumi Hotels expands footprint in New Zealand with acquisition of second Queenstown property
(Image credit: Central Ridge Boutique Hotel)
Singapore-based private hotel owner and operator Naumi Hotels adds a second property in the popular New Zealand’s destination of Queenstown (South Island) with the purchase Central Ridge Boutique Hotel, coming on the back of its recent acquisition of The Dairy Private Hotel.
No financial terms were revealed in these two recent investments in New Zealand.
“To have not just one, but now two hotels in Queenstown city centre reinforces our commitment to bringing Naumi to tourism hotspots in New Zealand,” commented Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala, CEO of Naumi Hotels, Australia & New Zealand.
Securing the latest deal also increased Naumi’s “brand awareness in the South Island and further bolster the group’s growth in major cities around the world,” he added.
Chris McIntosh, chief operating officer of Naumi Hotels, Australia & New Zealand, said the two hotels in South Island give the group the “competitive advantage” to provide more options to guests.
“One of our foremost priorities is to improve guest satisfaction at our hotels though a range of key initiatives to be introduced over the coming months.”
To align Central Ridge Boutique Hotel with the Naumi brand, its guestrooms and facilities will undergo a phased renovation to complete next year. The hotel remains operational during this period.
With the latest acquisition Naumi Hotels now own and/or manage seven hotels – five in New Zealand (Queenstown, Wellington, Auckland) and one each in Singapore and Australia (Sydney).
Technology: Radisson goes digital with new multi-brand mobile website and app
(Image credit: RadissonHotels.com)
Radisson Hotel Group has unveiled a multi-brand mobile global website, RadissonHotels.com, describing its development as a “core commercial initiative” of its five-year operating plan.
There is also a new app for both Android and iOS devices, which will be available by the end of this month at Google Play and Apple App Store.
The enhanced website allows guests and loyalty members (Radisson Rewards) to search and book more than 1,100 hotels worldwide with “just a few clicks.”
The group’s single-brand websites are now integrated into one platform that showcases its seven brands – Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. Also included is the art’otel brand managed by its partner PPHE Hotel Group.
The website is currently available in English, Arabic, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Swedish. Additional languages will be added progressively.
The app has a ‘click-to-call ‘ feature to get in touch with the central reservation teams, a credit card scanner for convenient booking and a push notification service to alert users of special offers.
The company said the app has been designed to be the “mobile travel companion” for its Radisson Rewards members as they can manage their upcoming stays, book rooms and redeem points.
“The launch of RadissonHotels.com is a key milestone on our journey towards the top,” commented Eric De Neef, Radisson Hotel group executive vice president & global chief commercial officer. “Having one single touchpoint for all our brands will strongly enhance the user experience and drive SEO value.”
• Featured image credit: Best Content Production Group/Getty Images
