Singaporeans enjoy easy travel

SINGAPORE, 1 September 2017: Singaporeans have the most powerful passports and enjoy the highest level of mobility as far as visa-free entry is concerned.

Singapore and Germany share the top rank both with a visa-free score of 158 according to Passport Index 2017 ranking.

No surprises. Singapore was top of the ranking last year too,  along with Germany and ahead of Sweden and South Korea that shared second place with a 157 visa-free score. Read more

Myanmar registers more agents

YANGON, 22 February 2017: Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism reports there are now 400 registered outbound tour operators in the country.

Global New Light of Myanmar reported the ministry has been approving outbound tour licenses to operators since its initiation in late 2015.

Travel agents are still a popular booking channel for Myanmar residents, although direct bookings through the internet are steadily increasing. Read more

Vietnamese catch the travel bug

HANOI, 18 January 2017: Vietnam Tourism Association estimates around 6.5 million Vietnamese travelled overseas, last year, an increase of 15% from 2015 and spent around USD7 to USD8 billion.

Local media quoted the association vice chairman, Vu The Binh, saying the association based its estimate on data from tourism authorities in popular destinations that attract Vietnamese tourists such as Thailand, Singapore, China, South Korea and Japan.

“Outbound travel is on the rise, leading to a large pickup in spend…the outbound travel segment is now a strong source of income for many travel agents.” Read more

Mastercard tracks outbound travel

BANGKOK, 17 January 2017: Thailand’s outbound travel market will generate 9.1 million trips, annually, over the next five years, according to Mastercard’s latest report, Future of Outbound Travel in Asia Pacific 2016 to 2021.

According to the report, Thailand is among Asia Pacific’s emerging markets that will see a significant growth in outbound travel, but the report shows that it far from being a star performer and lags behind its neighbours.

Thailand’s outbound travel market seriously under performs when compared with neighbours, Singapore and Malaysia, that have smaller populations, but more trips. Read more

GNTB steps up ASEAN sales

FRANKFURT, 13 December 2016: German National Tourist Board will increase its marketing activities in Southeast Asia focusing on the key markets of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

This is the first time the national tourist office has identified the four markets for a focused sales campaign.

In the past, promotions in Southeast Asia were led by state agencies such as Munich’s tourist office and private company, or corporations such as airlines and Deutsche Bahn, the German rail system. Read more

JNTO opens office in Hanoi

HANOI, 24 November 2016: Japan National Tourism Organisation will open its first Vietnamese representation office  in Hanoi following approval by Japan’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Local media reported the JNTO office will provide information on Japan for Vietnamese travellers and support Vietnamese travel companies that are selling trips to Japan.

It will be responsible for marketing and sales campaigns to attract more Vietnamese to visit Japan. Read more

Brexit will slow outbound travel

GENEVA, 27 June 2016: IATA’s Preliminary estimates suggest that UK air passengers could drop by 3% to 5% by 2020, driven by the expected downturn in economic activity and the fall in the sterling exchange rate.

The International Air Transport Association released preliminary analysis of the financial and economic impact of the Brexit decision on the air transport industry over the weekend.

“The Brexit vote has triggered much uncertainty—financial and otherwise. As leaders in the UK and the EU work to establish a new framework for their relationship, one certainty to guide them is the need and desire of people on both sides of that relationship to travel and trade. Read more

Bank think-tank says more Thais travel

BANGKOK, 9 May 2016:Kasikorn Research Centre estimates 7.4 million Thais will travel overseas this year representing a 6% increase over 2015.

Most of the trips will be to destinations in Asia according to the bank’s think-tank.

The Thai outbound travel market will continue to expand, this year, due to a positive economic outlook since the beginning of the year, the bank reported. Read more

Thais flock to Asian destinations

BANGKOK, 18 January 2016: Thai Travel Agents Association estimates Thailand’s outbound travel market will increase by 5% to 7%, this year, up from an estimated of 6.8 million trips last year.

TTAA president, Suparerk Soorangura, said neighbouring countries and ASEAN were now the top destinations for Thais particularly Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.

“On average about 5 million make leisure trips to destinations in Asia specifically in ASEAN, while 1.5 million travel outside Asia …the introduction of the ASEAN Economic Community will help encourage intra-tourism this year…Indonesia will be the next travel destination to increase its share of Thai visitors.” Read more