I NEWS IEDITORIALRichard
I NEWS IEDITORIALRichard BarnesEditor-in-Chief,ITB Asia NewsSuccess beyond adversityWelcome to day three of what has been aunique “virtual” event. Over the course ofthese days, buyers and exhibitors from all overthe world have come together to establishhigh-quality networks, conduct business, andshare their knowledge.The organisers can justifiably be proud tohave quickly pivoted to a fully virtual formatthat has enabled them to maintain a positionas the leading travel trade show in the region.Now more than ever it is vital to have thisopportunity for industry leaders around theglobe to come together virtually to shareinsights, knowledge, and experience, to pavethe way for the future of the travel trade.Despite ITB Asia’s brand-new format, thevirtual exhibition line-up has facilitatedbusiness appointments, digital exhibitionbooths, a business matching platform and24/7 chat and call functions for exhibitorsaround the world to engage with key clientsand partners. Being a global stage, the virtualexhibition has featured new destinationsincluding Switzerland, the Kingdom of SaudiArabia, Monaco and Sapporo. Exhibitors fromhospitality and travel groups include MeliáHotels International, Radisson Hotel Groupand Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, to name justa few.As part of ITB Asia’s usual business matchingtypically held on the exhibition floor, this year’sBusiness Matching has been taking place ona dedicated Business Matching portal. It’sall part of an exceptionally successful newrecipe… Hats off to the organisers!ITB ASIA NEWS is a CLEVERDIS Publication.65 av. Jules Cantini - Tour Méditerranée,13006 Marseille, France• Tel: + 33 442 77 46 00• SAS capitalised at €155,750 • VAT FR 95413604471• RCS Marseille 413 604 471 • info@cleverdis.com• www.cleverdis.com.• info@itb-asia-news.com• www.itb-asia-news.com• Publisher: Jean-François Pieri• Project Manager: Bettina Badon• Editor-in-chief: Richard Barnes• Editorial team: Luc Citrinot• Art Director: Hélène Beunat• With the participation of: Benjamin Klene,Huidi Wu>>> To contact them: first name.last name@itb-asia-news.comCover: © World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)© CLEVERDIS 2020 - Registration of Copyright october 2020. Informationpresented in this publication is purely indicative in order to illustrate subjectscontained therein. No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy of data orcontent at time of printing and thus the latter should not be used for professionalor commercial ends. While all efforts have been made as to accuracy andpertinence of content and data contained in this publication, CLEVERDIS may inno case be held responsible for the consequences, whatever their nature maybe, that may result from the interpretation of this data or content, or any eventualerrors therein. Any reproduction of the content of this publication, even partial,by any means whatsoever, is strictly prohibited without the prior autorisation ofthe publisher. Any copy, whether by photography, photography film, magnetictape, disc or other means constitutes a forgery, liable to punishment underFrench law according to the legislation of 11 th March 1957 covering copyright.All brands cited in this publication are registered trade marks and/or belong tocompanies which are their respective proprietors. The publishers and editorialstaff decline all responsibility as to opinions formulated in this publication bythose interviewed or cited therein. 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 KatrinaLeungHighlightsChinaunder the spotlightAs we “enter the final straight” of ITB2020 Virtual, China is under the spotlightin our conference series.This morning at 9:50, we host China’s Session:“How to Revive Homestays After the Pandemic?”presented by Jennifer Li, EVP & Chief BusinessOfficer, Tujia. From aggressive pricing promotionsto engaging customers through latest socialmedia channels, how homestays and alternativeaccommodations in China rethink and restarttheir business might provide useful lessons forthe whole travel industry.After this, China’s Session: “Welcoming touristsback in China and what the world can learn fromChina’s recovery” is presented by Jackey Yu,Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company.The COVID-19 outbreak in China and the rest of theworld has had a dramatic and lingering impact onChinese customers’ behaviours, with implicationsKatrina LeungManaging Directorof Messe Berlin (Singapore),the organiser of ITB Asiafor travel brands in China and globally. Jackey willshare the latest insights from McKinsey’s recenttraveller sentiment survey to illustrate key trendsunder the recovery in China’s travel and tourismsectors, as well as the implications for tourismentities in China and beyond to effectively capturethe demand recovery.At 11:15, Brian Bergey, CEO & Co-Founder, LostPlate Food Tours looks at the Outlook for Tours& Activities in China’s Market. As the first countryto be largely impacted by this year’s pandemic,China has come a full circle in its preparednessand recovery. With a case study of a China-basedtour operator, Lost Plate Food Tours, this sessiondiscusses what areas of businesses in tours andactivities have changed during the pandemic,what has recovered, and the proposed strategiesfor the short- and long-term future.Check out the programme, and take in as muchas you can!2 ITB ASIA NEWS • FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2020www.itb-asia-news.com
I NEWS IThe State of Travelin APAC: identifyingtrends to preparefor the road aheadAngel LlullMancasVice President & ManagingDirector, Asia Pacific,Booking.com© Spectrum PhotographyHermioneJoyeSector Lead, Traveland Vertical Search,GoogleInnovatingin a PandemicPaired with insightful data and analysis, Hermione Joye,Sector Lead, Travel and Vertical Search, Google, shared, inthe first keynote of ITB Asia 2020 Virtual emerging trends thattravel companies should consider to navigate the road ahead.“We just need to be resilient, adapt,persevere, innovate, and test andlearn,” says Joye, adding, “Some ofthe biggest travel success storieshave come out of similar crises,like the economic crisis of 2008when Airbnb was founded.”Joye says the good news is thatdespite the pandemic, there is pentupdemand, with one in two APACconsumers now actually eager totravel - a real shift in attitude fromthe earlier mode of “wait-and-see”to “I want to travel now, despite theborder restrictions”.Leisure travel is, she says, currentlydriving demand, with the numberone motivation being the “familygetaway”. She says that whenGoogle asked travellers what’simportant for them, they saidthat “safety is the new brand andflexibility and price is the newloyalty”.When it comes to bookings, Joyesays Google has witnessed anacceleration towards OTAs: “If welook at a market like China, forexample, we saw a huge increasein the desire to book on OTAsduring COVID-19.”To conclude, Joye notes that it'scritical to monitor trends and be upto date with the current situationwhen it comes to COVID-19and restrictions, and the waygovernments are responding toit. Secondly, she underlines theimportance for stakeholders toimprove their digital presence.Finally, she says stakeholdersneed to communicate extensively,making it clear to the customer“what lengths they are going toand what steps they’re taking toensure safety”Watch the Keynote on replay@ itb-community.comIn his keynote at ITB Asia 2020 Virtual, Angel LlullMancas, Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific,Booking.com looked at “innovating in a pandemic”.He highlighted how theindustry can stay agile andcontinue to leverage thepower of innovation in order torespond to the new realities andcustomer behaviours that haveemerged during this pandemic.Llull Mancas quotes hisorganisation’s recent research,in which it was found that 65%of people were “excited aboutthe possibility of travellingagain”. 61% were even moreappreciative of travel than theywere before the pandemic, and61% said they would not taketravel for granted in the future.Explaining four points in the“new reality”, Llull Mancas saidthe first was “how to instil trustin the minds of travellers”.The second factor is that ofbeing flexible: “We are livingin a context that is extremelyuncertain. A traveller mightplan a trip and may have tochange on the go. They want tohave the peace of mind that ifthey want to cancel, they can.”The third factor is how to adaptand follow the new behavioursof the travellers, as travellerswant to go to lesser populated,and less crowded areas.The fourth is that COVID-19has created a new type ofcustomer. New digital nomadsmay not always want to workfrom home – but from otherlocations, as long as they are“laptop friendly”.He concluded, “At the end ofthe day we have to make surewe install again that trust inthe mindset of the customers,and that we are able to adaptto the new behaviours, the newreality, and the new needs”Watch the Keynote on replay@ itb-community.comITB ASIA NEWS • FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2020 3
