I NEWS IEDITORIALRichard
I NEWS IEDITORIALRichard BarnesEditor-in-Chief,ITB Asia NewsITB Community – innovating in uncharted watersAs uncertainty continues to be abugbear in these strange times,creative ideas that bring peopletogether in an effective and efficientmanner are all the more important.To this end, the creation by Messe Berlin(Singapore) of the “ITB Community inAsia” has been very timely. With it, ITBAsia’s organisers made the bold decisionto ensure that the annual show could stillgo on, providing meaningful conversationsthat have always been associated with thephysical events, while fully leveraging thebenefits of a digital platform.ITB Community offers a comprehensiveuser experience, virtual events (includingthe current ITB Asia Virtual) with businessnetworking opportunities, and knowledgeexchange with expansive interactive contentfor community members to leverage on.Being the unique platform of its kind for thetravel trade industry in Asia, ITB Communityalso has a year-long engagement programmefor all travel and tourism stakeholders, free ofcharge for its inception year.The Community leverages ITB Asia’s globaldatabase of travel suppliers and buyers tovirtually continue their conversations andto contribute best practices and content forthe travel trade to navigate the recovery oftourism.As the leading travel and trade show in Asia,ITB Asia thus remains committed to buildinga stronger community to support recoveryand restore confidence in travelITB ASIA NEWS is a CLEVERDIS Publication.65 av. 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Their opinions are entirely their own, andare included with the understanding that they contain, to our knowledge, nomalicious intent. The inclusion of all texts, photographs and other documentssupplied by those included in this publication imply the acceptance by theirauthors of their free publication therein. Documents and photographs will not bereturned. It should be understood that this publication contains forward-lookingstatements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statementsother than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemedforward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions includeassumptions relating to the timing of the recorded date. If any of these risks oruncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, actualresults could differ materially from the expectations outlined in these statements.Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forwardlookingstatements during the period of publication. Photo Credits and Copyright:All Rights Reserved.Today'sby KatrinaLeungHighlightsITB Asia: more than ever,a “not to be missed” eventAs ITB Asia gets under way today, ithas to be said that the level of thoughtleadership is such that, despite being“virtual”, it is definitely a “not to bemissed” event.Today, we kick-off at 9:30am with an exceptionalkeynote from Hermione Joye, Sector Lead, Traveland Vertical Search APAC, Google, on the “Stateof Travel in APAC: Identifying Trends to Preparefor the Road Ahead”. Paired with insightful dataand analysis, Google’s sharing in this session willhighlight emerging trends that travel companiesshould consider to navigate the road ahead.The other remarkable keynote this morning – at9:45am, comes from Angel Llull Mancas, VicePresident & Managing Director, Asia Pacific,Booking.com, who talks about “Innovating in apandemic”. This session highlights how we canstay agile and continue to leverage the powerKatrina LeungManaging Directorof Messe Berlin (Singapore),the organiser of ITB Asiaof innovation in order to respond to the newrealities and customer behaviours that haveemerged during this pandemic.Today sees a whole swathe of C-Suite talks– far too many to mention briefly, but can befound in the programme guide in the followingpages. Some of the names worth mentioninginclude Claudio Bellinzona, Co-Founder &COO, Musement, Allen Law, CEO, Park HotelGroup, Amir Amidi, Managing Partner, Travel &Hospitality, Plug and Play Tech Centre, GloriaSlethaug, CEO, Connexus Travel, Jane Warren,Managing Director, Reed & Mackay TravelSingapore, Bruce Poon Tip, CEO, G Adventures,Alessandro Dassi, Managing Director, OverseasExpansion, Fosun Tourism Group, CEO, ThomasCook China… just to mention a few. It just getsbetter as there's a lot more to come in the nextfew days!2 ITB ASIA NEWS • WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER 2020www.itb-asia-news.com
I NEWS ICONSUMER SURVEY:70% OF AMERICANTRAVELLERS PLAN TOHOLIDAY IN 2021An overwhelming majority of US and Canadiantravellers (99%) are eager to travel again, with 70%stating that they plan to take a holiday in 2021,according to a Travel Leaders Group survey of nearly3,000 frequent travellers.The survey was conducted inSeptember in conjunction withthe World Travel & TourismCouncil. Results indicate that45% of respondents havealready made plans or arestarting to make finite plansfor their next holiday, while54% say they are dreaming ofwhen they can travel again.“These are really strongnumbers. The fact that 99% oftravellers surveyed said theyare planning a trip or lookingforward to the time they cantravel again indicates that asconcerns about COVID-19 areaddressed, leisure travellerswill lead the recovery,” saidJohn Lovell, President of TravelLeaders Group.In the survey, 23% ofrespondents said they plan totravel by the end of 2020, 70%said they will travel in 2021with just 18% saying they willresume traveling in 2022.© 1999 - Calistemon“Consumer uncertaintyabout the risk of exposureor concerns about beingquarantined is a core problem,”said Gloria Guevara, WTTCPresident & CEO. “With rapidtesting to replace quarantinerequirements, enhancedcontact tracing and industrywidestandards by sector thatcan be clearly communicatedto the public, we can helpalleviate many of thoseconcerns.”The willingness of Americansto travel can be seen in theslow, but steady, increase inthe Transportation SecurityAdministration’s (TSA) dailyscreening numbers, which fellbelow 90,000 a day in Apriland are now approaching 1million a day at peak periods.In 2019, TSA daily travelercounts averaged between 2.3and 2.7 million passengers adayBuddhist monk playing checkers with an Americantourist - Zhongdian (now Shangri-La) Yunnan, ChinaSentosa, Singapore’sholiday island, launchesnew experiences andpackagesAttracting some 19 million Singaporeans and touristsannually, Sentosa continues to go from strength to strengthas the region’s most dynamic tourism hub.The 500-hectare resort island ofSentosa is home to more than30 themed attractions, some 120food & beverage outlets, goldensandy beaches, 17 hotels withmore than 4,000 rooms, twopremier 18-hole golf courses, adeep-water yachting marina, lushgreenery and more.As part of the SingapoRediscoverscampaign, a range of newand attractively priced leisurepackages and experiences havebeen rolled out to encourage thelocal residents to visit Sentosa.From Singapoliday staycationpackages to daycation dealsfor those who just wants take abreather and escape to the islandfor a day, these new offeringsfeature itineraries themed aroundIsland Life, Heritage Discovery,Wellness Escape, and NatureAdventure.For example, one of the Island Lifestaycation packages includes aHydroDash, Singapore’s very first floating aqua parkunique tea tailoring experienceand a private three-hour yacht tripto the Southern Islands, amongother experiences. For visitorslooking for a treat, WellnessEscape packages offers bundlessuch as 90min massage at SoSPA by Sofitel and a 4-courseset meal at Quentin’s Bar andrestaurant. Sentosa is also invitingvisitors to indulge in a celebrationon the island, offering romanticSunset and City light packageswhich includes attractions suchas the Singapore Cable Car andThe Royal Albatross.These new and refreshingofferings are part of Sentosa andits Island Partners continuousefforts to entice and grow thedomestic market segmentRead more@ itb-asia-news.comITB ASIA NEWS • WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER 2020 3
