EUROPE AIR TRANSPORT
EUROPE AIR TRANSPORT Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz (left) and Ralf Teckentrup, CEO Airlines Germany and member of the Board, Thomas Cook (right) OPENING THE GATES TO MALAYSIA Condor opens first direct route from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur Condor airlines is to become the only German airline flying directly to Malaysia, following an agreement with Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism that will create extra capacity of 50,000 seats to the country from winter 2018. The announcement was made in December at a press conference in Frankfurt at the head office of Condor, presided by Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz and Ralf Teckentrup, CEO Airlines Germany and member of the Board, Thomas Cook. From 5 th November 2018, an Airbus A330 will make three flights a week (Sunday, Monday and Thursday) from Frankfurt to KL, putting South East Asia back on the map for the German carrier, and situating KL as a hub, with negotiations under way with local and regional airlines for seamless ongoing connections to various other destinations. “We normally start a new route with two flights a week”, said Teckentrup, adding, “Malaysia is such a strong destination we are starting with three.” With companies such as Etihad, Emirates and Qatar flying non-direct routes to and from Germany, the new route from Condor will renew the spirit of competition, and will assist Tourism Malaysia in reaching its goal of more than doubling the number of German visitors to the country by the year 2020, from the 130,000 recorded in 2016 (down from 140,000 in 2015 due to the withdrawal of Lufthansa from the market, and Malaysia Airlines pulling out of the German market), to 300,000 in 2020. Currently the only direct flights from Europe are with KLM, British Airways and Turkish Airlines, and a recent survey cited by the Minister found that one of the key elements in the purchasing decision of German travellers was whether a direct flight was available to the destination. “This decision couldn’t have come at a better time”, said the Minister. “The Prime Minister recently announced 2020 was to be Visit Malaysia year, and our target is to reach 36 million visitors, up from 26.7 million in 2016.” The Minister added, “We are proud that Condor has considered Malaysia as its next Asian destination and I assure you they have made the right decision. As Malaysia will be the Official Partner Country of ITB 2019, and promotion begins next year, this will be an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of this partnership and open the door to tour operators from all over Europe”
EUROPE INBOUND TRENDS & FIGURES Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #37 2018 Winter Edition 33 TRACKING MULTI- DESTINATION TRAVEL IN EUROPE FROM LONG-HAUL SOURCE MARKETS The ETC has launched a new study into multi-destination travel patterns of travellers from the US, Japan, China and India. Aimed at supporting the work of NTOs across Europe, the survey will deliver comprehensive information on the spatial movements of long-haul tourists in Europe and foster collaboration among European destinations for the promotion of pan-European tourism products. Europe continues to be acknowledged as the world’s number one tourist destination with a record figure of more than 620 million arrivals in 2016. Composed of countries which are each characterised by individual histories, landscapes and cultures, it is supported by highly competitive «ease of travel» thanks to improved air connectivity, low-cost flights and accommodation. A thematic travel approach, which allows tourists to visit different countries in a multi-destination trip, can capitalise on the benefits that Europe has to offer and provide today’s new generation of longhaul travellers with the most effective and rewarding travel experiences. HOW DO POTENTIAL TRAVELLERS FROM CHINA FORESEE THEIR NEXT TRIP TO EUROPE? Europe currently attracts 12% of all Chinese outbound travel. An expanding middle class, improved air connectivity, easier visa procedures and more Chinesefriendly destinations are some of the factors set to support the surge in travel over the next few years. It is important, however, to understand that the Chinese travel market is not only growing, but also maturing and becoming more diverse. The latest issue of the ETC’s Long-Haul Travel Barometer delves into the profile of potential visitors from the Chinese travel market. Available in the research section of www.etc-corporate.org, it reveals how they prioritise different aspects of travel (for example, choice of transportation, travel companion), their destination preferences, experiences sought and barriers to travelling to Europe. NEW STUDY: CHINESE OUTBOUND TRAVEL FLOWS IN EU Under the framework of the 2018 EU- China Tourism Year, ETC has published the study Chinese Outbound Travel Flows in the European Union with the purpose of providing an overview of the current state and future prospects of the Chinese outbound travel market. In addition, an analysis of the opinions of Chinese internet users as expressed in social media, focussing on travel to and within Europe, provides contextual qualitative information on travel themes and tourist behaviours trending in conversations. The aim is to characterise empirically the attitudes and opinions of current and prospective Chinese travellers. ETC believes that such content would particularly strengthen knowledge of the Chinese market by sourcing real travellers’ opinions in a natural and unbiased way. The report is part of Partnerships in European Tourism (PET), an EU initiative aimed at supporting EU tourism businesses and operators wishing to expand their businesses into the Chinese and US markets
