In the news: JAPAC travellers mobile engagement at airports, expansion of services to travel agents through CarTrawler-Abacus partnership, Park Hotels Group’s first hotel in Indonesia.
Study shows JAPAC affluent most engaged on mobile at airports
Singapore travellers most engaged on their mobile phones. (Image credit: berkantdemirbek/iStock)
The JAPAC Traveller Report 2014 released by location intelligence company, AdNear, reveals the affluent in JAPAC (Japan and Asia Pacific) are highly engaged on their mobile phones at the Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Macau and Jakarta airports.
The study analysed traveller and mobile engagement behaviour of more than one million travellers across 12 airports in nine countries in the JAPAC region during April-June 2014.
Shobhit Shukla, vice president, sales and partnerships at AdNear said: “In particular, we found that affluent travellers in Sydney, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur airports were three times more engaged on their mobile phones compared to other travellers such as professionals, homemakers and students.”
The following are some of the interesting trends seen across the airports.
Mobile phone engagement:
Singapore travellers were the most engaged on their mobile phones, spending an average of 97 minutes on the device with homemakers being the most active, being five times more engaged than professionals.
Professionals in Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur were more engaged on their mobile compared to their counterparts in other countries.
Across all airports 1600-1800 hours was the peak engagement time, while Monday was the busiest day.
Seniors aged above 50, as well as those in the 37-50 age bracket had the highest mobile engagement in Bangkok, while youth in Japan aged 16-24 were the most active on mobile.
In Thailand, Indonesia and India where smartphone penetration is lower, users were more likely to use location-based services on their mobiles as compared to the high smartphone penetration countries in JAPAC.
Traveller audience demographic
Australia had the highest proportion of female travellers at 28%, while India the lowest at 17%. In Southeast Asia, Manila saw the highest proportion of female travellers at 27%.
Across all airports the 25-36 age group was the most involved with their mobile phones. Conversely, the 37-50 age group had a lower level of engagement compared to other age groups due to smartphone penetration rates, while the Japanese youth aged 16-24 were most engaged on mobile as compared to other countries.
Singapore travellers are the most well travelled in the region with 69% as repeat travellers travelling three times or more, followed by travellers in Sydney at 51%. India has a high percentage of one-time travellers at 40%
View the full report here.
CarTrawler to power new Abacus travel agent technology
New partners – CarTrawler and Abacus
CarTrawler has teamed up with Abacus International to make available an array of ground transportation and chauffeur-driven services to travel agents at over 20,000 locations within the aggregated booking platform, Abacus ContentPlus, due for release in the first quarter of 2015.
As a launch partner, CarTrawler will gain increased visibility and share of the largest B2B channel in the Asia Pacific region, serving a car rental market estimated by Phocuswright to be worth US$6.8 billion this year and US$8.9 billion by 2016.
The company adds to an existing Abacus car rental portfolio the pre-paid content of over 1,300 car rental suppliers, together with chauffeur-driven services in 30,000 airport and city locations.
For Abacus, CarTrawler consolidates an otherwise highly fragmented ground transportation landscape, making it easier for travel agents to offer the chauffeured options favoured in some Asian markets while broadening the choice for traditional fly-drive in others.
Michael Cunningham, chief commercial officer at CarTrawler, said the collaboration with Abacus would deliver real value to their customers. “The new platform will allow travel agents across Asia Pacific to seamlessly offer the world’s widest choice of ground transportation options to their customers, whilst ensuring that they receive their commissions immediately.”
Martin Symes, Abacus’ chief marketing officer added: “Abacus travel agents will be able to retail CarTrawler options separately or bundle them as fixed or dynamic packages with flights, accommodation, activities, insurances and more. CarTrawler is an ideal B2B2C launch partner for web-based Abacus ContentPlus, adding substantially to the choice of booking options for Abacus’ agents.”
Park Hotel Group enters Indonesia with first resort in Bali
Nusa Dua is where Park Hotel is planting its first flag. (Image credit: BluesandViews/iStock)
Park Hotel Group has inked a management contract with Twenty-One Development, a major property developer in Indonesia, to introduce its first resort in Indonesia – the Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali, which is scheduled to commence operations in the first quarter of 2015.
The hotel is located on a hilltop in the popular precinct of Nusa Dua, providing stunning views of Nusa Dua Beach and Benoa Bay. It is a 10-minute drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport and is within easy access to the beaches of Nusa Dua, Tanjung Benoa, Uluwatu and the entertainment areas of Jimbaran and Kuta.
Nestled on 3.4 hectares of land, Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali has 152 guestrooms and suites with room sizes ranging from 25sqm to 209sqm. The suites are complete with a generous living room, dining area, kitchen, private balcony and pantry.
The resort also has 39 villas comprising of 35 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom units, each with a private swimming pool and a traditional Balinese pavilion set in a lush tropical garden.
Hotel facilities include a rooftop dining restaurant, bar, gymnasium, business centre, and function rooms. Spa treatments are offered in the spa or in the privacy of guests’ villas
Allen Law, Park Hotel Group’s CEO, said: “This partnership is an important milestone for our brand and the group as we expand our presence in Indonesia with our first resort in Bali, a strategic and well-renowned travel destination. With the Indonesian government’s recent pro-tourism initiatives, such as the visa-free access for major source countries, Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali is well-poised to ride on an exciting wave of tourism growth.”
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