VIDEOS are a growing catalyst for travel purchases with viewers looking to connect with creators and travel brands, said MyTravelResearch.com, who has released a guide on how to latch on to video as a vehicle for marketing.

According to Google statistics based on the US market and released in August, two out of three US consumers now watch online travel videos when considering taking a trip.

Other statistics related to travel videos have skyrocketed – views of travel-related content on YouTube are up 118 per cent year-on-year; and travel video watching has increased 97 per cent on smartphones and 205 per cent on tablets.

Meanwhile 88 per cent of YouTube travel searches focus on destinations, attractions, points of interest, and general travel ideas in that order.

Google also found that 67 per cent of travel-related views are for brand or professionally released videos, while 71 per cent of travel-related searches on YouTube are for destinations.

Furthermore, video-watching is not a one-off affair, and most want to stay in the loop by subscribing to YouTube channels.

Most popular travel videos are those featuring authentic, real-life stories, and almost 50 per cent of travel subscriptions are to video blogs that feature personal travel experiences.

Bronwyn White, co-founder of MyTravelResearch.com, commented: “If an image is worth a thousand words, a good video is worth tens of thousands of dollars…As video becomes a bigger part of the traveler’s path to purchase, the tourism industry needs to embrace video with a passion.”

Successful tourism entities are embracing video to tell stories. “Show your secrets. Make videos with professionals – or start off doing it yourself by making videos using images from your smartphone,” she urged.

White dispenses advice on how to improve your marketing through videos here.

Destinations that have started down this path include the Japan’s Discover the Spirit of Japan campaign launched in March 2013, and as highlighted by White in her presentation, a video by the Devonport City Council.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uHTBKnk9ic

HOSPITALITY investments rose to a five-year record high in 2013 for the Asia-Pacific region, according to global real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield. While China, Singapore and Japan led the charge, emerging markets will have a bigger role to play in the near future.

Cushman & Wakefield reported that hotel investments grew 30 per cent from 2012 for a total of US$12.8 billion.

China accounted for the largest share of total investment volume at 20.5 per cent or US$2.636 billion. Singapore took second place at US$2.63 billion, followed by Japan with US$2.61 billion, and Australia with US$2.27 billion.

Investment last year was spread over a wider range of countries including emerging and non-core markets such as Cambodia, Macau and the Maldives.

Akshay Kulkarni, regional director, hospitality services for South Asia and South-east Asia, Cushman & Wakefield, said: “Hospitality investment volume in 2013 more than doubled since 2008 and can be attributed to the excess liquidity, the low borrowing costs, and the region’s favourable tourism growth and outlook.”

Investment volumes for 1H2014 totalled US$5.2 billion, a 9.5 per cent year-on-year increase, though full-year figures are expected to come in at US$9-10.5 billion.

Asia-Pacific’s strongest hotel markets Japan, China, Singapore and Australia are still the most traded and make up 68.8 per cent of investment volume, but emerging markets like the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia have seen more action as compared to the same period last year.

China has seen investments of more than US$1.5 billion in 1H2014, but the Cushman & Wakefield report expects this to taper in the second half of the year.

On the other hand, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka stand to gain with major transactions to be closed. Myanmar and Cambodia have witnessed renewed interest in their hotel markets and “could become viable investment destinations”, said Kulkarni.

Kulkarni explained: “We expect the balance of 2014 to equal or come close last year’s level in terms of transactional activity. Japan has already seen significant investment volume and will undoubtedly improve further and lead the pack, due to strong corporate demand and greater investor optimism arising from (Japanese prime minister Shinzo) Abe’s economic reforms. Lower hotel transaction volume is expected for Singapore this year compared to last year, at least in the organised institutional side. However with the change in norms on the shophouses, those that have approved hotel licences will see high guest demand.”

SEVERAL longhaul markets have displayed more interest in visiting the Land of Smiles over the last one year despite the country’s political challenges, according to TripAdvisor.

In a study of site data for the period between June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2014,  TripAdvisor found that Brazil has shown the most interest in booking accommodation with Thai properties, growing 22 per cent year-on-year.

In second place comes the US with a strong showing of 17 per cent, followed by Egypt with 10 per cent, Ukraine and Canada with seven per cent, Russia with six per cent, Germany and Denmark with three per cent, and the Netherlands with two per cent.

This is despite the military coup and martial law established in Thailand in May (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 23, 2014) that shook tourism arrivals for the country, especially the MICE sector (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 9, 2014).

Grant Colquhoun, senior director of account management, APAC, TripAdvisor, said: “It’s encouraging to see a significant increase in traveller interest from longhaul, emerging markets like Brazil, alongside more established markets in North America, confirming Thailand’s appeal as a much-loved and desired destination for international travellers.”

Within Thailand, Phuket was the most searched destination. Bangkok came in second, Surat Thani third, Krabi fourth and Chonburi fifth. According to the same TripAdvisor study, the list is rounded up by Chiang Mai, Phang Nga, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Trat and Satun.

THE limited representation of international hotel brands in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap provides a significant opportunity for hotel operators looking to expand in South-east Asia, according to JLL’s Cambodia Hotel Market Update for July 2014.

The hotel supply pipeline for Cambodia includes four hotels with 1,705 rooms to come online by end-2015. Most properties to debut in future are located within the upscale and luxury segments, leaving ample room in the branded economy to midscale segment.

Cambodian capital Phnom Penh is witnessing strong year-on-year growth in terms of arrivals, boasting 16.7 per cent growth in 2013 or 0.8 million visitors. Year-to-date statistics for April 2014 have shown a 10.9 per cent increase over the same period in 2013.

However, the city only has three international brands delivering 745 rooms, while the midscale/economy segment is populated by unbranded boutique and independent hotels that offer between 20 and 40 rooms on average.

Growth in ADR for the luxury segment slowed by four per cent to US$138 in 2013 due to political tensions, as did hotel occupancies that tumbled 35 per cent last year. Similarly, RevPAR fell 15 per cent in 2013.

However, JLL anticipates that occupancy will bounce back in 2014 as demand for accommodation grows with a modest increase in ADR soon because of a strong supply pipeline.

More visitors from China, planned infrastructure improvement initiatives and promotion of the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap circuit will also boost demand for hotels in Phnom Penh in future.

Meanwhile, Siem Reap is the country’s top international tourist destination. It welcomed 1.2 million visitors in 2014, a 17.5 per cent increase over 2012 while year-to-date figures for April 2014 have posted growth of 15.4 per cent over the same period in 2013.

The city has 188 hotels, 205 guesthouses and 19 resorts but only a handful of international brands, namely Sofitel, Le Méridien, Raffles, Anantara, La Residence (Orient Express), Park Hyatt, Amansara and Best Western.

Occupancies have hovered around 60 per cent from 2011 to 2014, while the luxury segment has seen a seven per cent increase to US$150 in ADR during the same period. JLL predicts growth in overall hotel performance due to the increase in the number of tourist arrivals outpacing additions to hotel inventory.

Cambodia’s top three source markets last year were Vietnam, China and South Korea.

ASIAN travellers are finding Australia and farther destinations of Hawaii and New Zealand most enticing this year, according to the Asian Outbound Traveller Survey 2013 conducted by online survey company AIP.

Respondents from 11 out of the 12 Asian countries surveyed chose Australia as one of the most attractive, followed by Hawaii (nine) and New Zealand (six).

Interestingly, although Singapore topped as the most visited destination among Asian outbound travellers in 2013, followed closely by Australia and Hong Kong, respondents indicated the Lion City as the least attractive this year.

Other findings include:

• Average nights of stay, with India recording the highest at 9.7 and Japan, the lowest at 4.8

• Type of recent trip, with India, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea indicating full packages

• Hotel category of recent trip, with more Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong respondents indicating stays at four- and five-star accommodation, while those from Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines preferred three-star and budget categories

The survey was conducted in January with 12,000 participants, involving 1,000 from each of the 12 Asian territories in the study – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. Results were analysed by WisdomAsia.

INDIA made a strong showing in the second Travellers’ Choice Attractions Awards ranking of the best Asian landmarks, taking up four of the top 10 positions.

The Taj Mahal in Agra came in first to prove that love conquers all, with the Golden Temple – Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar taking sixth place, followed by Meherangarh Fort in Jodhpur and the Amber Fort and Palace in Jaipur at seventh and ninth places respectively.

Siem Reap, Cambodia put up the strongest fight with a second and third placing for the iconic Angkor Wat and Bayon Temple respectively.

Myanmar came in fourth for Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda. Fifth was Beijing’s Great Wall at Mutianyu, Bangkok’s Temple of the Recling Buddha weighed in at eighth, and Taktsang Monastery or Tiger’s Nest in Paro, Bhutan rounded up the top 10.

Peru’s Machu Picchu took the title for top world landmark, followed by Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and then the Taj Mahal. Spain’s Great Cathedral and Mosque was fourth, St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican took fifth, after which came Angkor Wat and Bayon Temple.

St Petersburg’s Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, Pennsylvania’s Gettysburg National Military Park and Croatia’s Ancient City Walls complete the list.

In a separate category, Singapore Botanic Gardens was named the top park in Asia. The Gardens, which has submitted an appeal for UNESCO World Heritage site status, beat other parks including Japan’s Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Beijing’s Beihai Park and Thailand’s Lumpini Park.

A total of 929 winners were identified in TripAdvisor’s second Travellers’ Choice Attractions Awards, based on the millions of reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers and determined using an algorithm measuring reviews gathered over a 12-month period.

ASIAN travellers are committing greater amounts of money to travel in the coming year with plans to increase expenditure by seven per cent from US$4,331 last year to US$4,633 this year.

Meanwhile, average travel spend for Asians has been measured at US$4,300 for 2013.

Globally, average planned expenditure remains higher than Asia at US$6,136 for this year, up from US$5,955 in 2013, but the percentage growth in planned expenditure stands only at three per cent.

This is according to TripAdvisor’s third instalment of its biannual TripBarometer study, surveying the travel habits and choices of more than 61,000 travellers and hoteliers internationally. Some 5,657 consumer and 1,142 business respondents from Asia are represented.

The survey was conducted by research firm Ipsos.

Other notable findings include that Asian travellers currently intend to make more domestic than international trips, with 93 per cent of respondents saying they would travel locally this year against the 74 per cent who want to go overseas.

When travelling, some 94 per cent of Asian travellers continue to use their smartphones. Reflecting this, Asian hoteliers (82 per cent) are ahead in offering mobile services to travellers compared to their global counterparts (76 per cent).

The US is the top dream destination for Asians who want to travel overseas followed by Italy and Australia. However, currency fluctuations have a bigger influence on Asian travellers (51 per cent) than international travellers (44 per cent).

THE Asian Century is well underway with a decade of sustained growth lying ahead for Asia’s travel industry, according to a new major industry study by Oxford Economics and commissioned by Amadeus.

Macro trends driving industry growth over the next decade predicts that international travel will rise by at least 5.4 per cent annually for the next 10 years, outstripping global GDP growth.

Asia-Pacific travel will skyrocket within the next decade, with visitor flows for Asia reaching an average annual growth rate of 15.1 per cent. This is close to double the figures for the period 2002 to 2012.

Asian travel expenditure will also leave top spender Europe in the dust by 2023. Growing at 18 per cent per year, Asian outbound travel spend will reach US$752.8 billion to make up 40 per cent of global spend.

Meanwhile, Asia will drive 55 per cent of global business travel growth in the next 10 years. North-east Asia alone will contribute 42 per cent of this, while South-east Asia makes up the remaining 13 per cent.

Emerging economies are also set to spearhead air travel growth, said the study. Countries such as India, Indonesia and Russia will overtake the OECD bloc as the biggest sources of global air traffic.

China’s prominence cannot be ignored either, with the country to drive as much as 20 per cent of global outbound travel and already touted to overtake the US as the world’s largest travel market by end 2014.

The pool of potential outbound travellers will more than double by 2013 and China is on track to become the world’s largest domestic travel market by 2017 as its GDP, employment level and consumer spending shoots up.

Still, other emerging markets like Russia, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey will also register more than five per cent annual travel growth in the next 10 years.

“The findings underscore what most of us already intuitively know – that we have now truly arrived in the Asian Century. No matter where we look, Asian travellers have and will continue to change the landscape of travel, and businesses must adapt to them or risk falling behind,” said Angel Gallego, president, Amadeus Asia Pacific.