In the news: Booking.com’s partnership with Air China, new chief commercial officer for Malaysia Airlines, marketing deal between Canton Fair and Travelport, Wego insight into Lebaran 2015.
Booking.com offers global accommodation options to Air China’s guests with new partnership
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Air China’s guests have access to global accommodations from Booking.com. (Image credit – Vilamoura resort in Portugal: anyaivanova/ iStock)
Booking.com has teamed up Air China to offer the airline’s customers access to over 690,000 online accommodation options world-wide.
The airline’s guests who book accommodation through Booking.com on the airline’s website will earn extra points on the frequent flyer programme – six PhoenixMiles for every 10 yuan.
Oliver Hua, Booking.com’s managing director for Asia Pacific, said Air China “presents the perfect opportunity” for the company to showcase its unique online accommodation offering to the Chinese market and to the airline’s international customers.
“With China’s large and fast-growing outbound travel market that we are servicing through Booking.com, we are happy to combine our strengths with Air China to deliver the best air travel and accommodation services to Chinese and international consumers,” he added.
He Zhi Gang, managing director, marketing department of Air China, explained that the key reason for the airline choosing the online booking platform as its partner was the latter’s global reach.
“With our fleet of 523 passenger aircrafts and freighters operating 332 routes in 161 cities in 33 countries and regions around the globe, we are now able to provide our international customers a broad variety of accommodation options in any city we fly them to. On top of this – the added benefit of earning PhoenixMiles not only in the air, but also at your hotel, makes this a perfect partnership.”
The Booking.com website is available in 42 languages, and has over 690,000 properties in over 80,000 destinations in more than 212 countries worldwide.
A new chief commercial officer for Malaysia Airlines
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Paul Simmons takes on his new role as MAS’ COO on December 1. (Image credit: Flybe)
The newly minted chief executive officer of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Christoph Mueller, continues with his revamp of the top management of the now privatised airline with the latest appointment of a new chief commercial officer (COO).
The new man on board is Paul Simmons, who will take up his new post of COO on December 1. He joined the Malaysian national carrier from Flybe, the British low cost regional carrier based in Exeter, UK, where he holds the same position.
Prior to Flybe Simmons was with easyJet where he was regional general manager, UK (2009-2013), and head of brand marketing, products and distribution (2006-2008). He also held senior commercial positions at Oberoi Hotels Group (EVP – sales & marketing), IHG (global VP InterContinental brand) and a variety of marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, S.C. Johnson, Helene Curtis/Unilever and Kelloggs.
In announcing the appointment Mueller said: “Paul brings with him over 28 years of experience in sales and marketing, with his last 8 years focusing on the airlines industry. In his position he will focus on re-establishing our brand as a leading airline and developing services that will exceed our customers’ requirements and expectations.”
On his appointment Simmons said: “There is clearly a big challenge ahead, but the opportunity for the company is very clear, and equally exciting. I’m looking forward to working with the whole team to make the future vision a reality.”
In May the airline announced the resignation of its director of commercial, Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, which will take effect from August 31.
Other recent senior management staff Mueller appointed to help him guide MAS back to profitability by 2018 included Peter Bellew from Ryanair, who will join MAS as chief operations officer on September 1; Faridah Hashim as head of corporate communications effective July 1; and French national Laurent Recoura, the news head of sales, who took on the role on June 29.
MAS, also for the first time, appointed a chief information officer as part of its move to shore up its technology. Tan Kok Meng, who assumed the position on May 18, is assisting the company “in developing enhanced IT structures and support moving forward.”
Canton Fair leverages on Travelport digital media solutions to promote event
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Canton Fair working with Travelport to promote the event. (Image credit: Canton Fair)
Travelport has sealed a new marketing partnership with the China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as Canton Fair, to help the latter promote the event via promotional messages to targeted travellers sent by travel agents on Travelport’s Travel Commerce Platform.
Canton Fair, the oldest and largest tradeshow in China, is held twice a year in the southern city of Guangzhou since 1957, and is the go-to event for anyone looking to import all manner of products from China.
The marketing partnership utilises a number of Travelport’s digital media solutions, which will enable Canton Fair to effectively promote the biannual event to Travelport’s 67,000 travel agencies globally, specifically targeting business travellers to Hong Kong during the trade show seasons.
Travelport’s digital media solutions are one of the core elements of Travelport’s Beyond Air initiatives, consisting of payments, hospitality and advertising.
Yogyakarta is destination of choice for Indonesians during Lebaran
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Yogyakarta, a rising domestic travel star. (Image credit: ajriya/iStock)
Yogyakarta was the most popular destination among Indonesians during Lebaran, displacing Bandung, which was last year’s top destination, for hotel searches. (Lebaran or Idul Fitri is the popular name for Eid al-Fitr in Indonesia and is one of the major national holiday in the country.)
In revealing insights into Indonesian travel trends for Lebaran 2015, travel search site Wego said more Indonesians are showing greater interest in domestic trips.
Hotels in Yogyakarta rose 78% over 2014, with flight searches to the city escalating by 342%.
Bali took a beating, falling from the number one domestic destination for the past two years to fourth place this year, said Graham Hills, managing director of Wego Indonesia.
Indonesians also looked for higher star properties, while taking advantage of cheaper airfares, he added. “In 2014 more than half of Wego’s Indonesian users sought three-star accommodation, but in 2015 we’ve seen a shift towards higher rated hotels.”
Internationally, Singapore remained the top choice for flights, with some recovery evident for Thailand and China as Bangkok, Hong Kong and Beijing rank in the top five international destinations, having dropped by 20% in 2014.
“International flights also enjoyed higher volumes, the most notable change is Garuda Indonesia stepping up to second place from fifth last year, and Malaysia Airlines disappearing from the top five altogether,” said Hills.
“As online travel agents are a dominant recipient of Wego’s business, such significant escalation in travel planning highlights further opportunities for airlines and hotels to grow their direct business through aggressive digital strategies, to meet market demand at this time and throughout the year.”
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