6.3.2019 TTG Show Daily ITB Berlin 15
OUTBOUND
Abdul Rahman Mohamed, general
manager, Mayflower Holidays, Malaysia
Phu Quoc has seen a spike in demand
since AirAsia commenced new services
from Kuala Lumpur on November 2. The
destination has unspoilt beaches, and
makes a great weekend getaway for Ma-
laysian travellers.
Amol Punni, managing director, Welcome
Travels, Australia
Kerala. Although the destination suffered
severe flooding in 2018, wellness tour-
ism and beach destinations will bounce
back and there will be a surge in tourist
footfalls. Not only does it have a number
of world- renowned Ayurveda and yoga
resorts, Kerala’s natural beauty is un-
matched. The Malabar Coast is adorned
with palm-lined beaches, canal network,
lush lands, house boats and wildlife sanc-
tuaries.
Mike Hain, group sales, Corporate Inter-
national Travel & Tours, Philippines
Lapland. It’s the buzzword for Filipinos
who’ve been there, done that and want to
experience unique winter activities such as
visiting Santa Claus’ home near the Arctic
Circle, seeing the Northern Lights, staying
in an igloo, and husky-sled, snowmobile
and reindeer sleigh rides. Lapland can be
combined with other Nordic countries and
Tallinn in Estonia is just a ferry ride away.
Wong Yew Hoong, EU Holidays Singapore
There has been an increase in travellers
signing up for tour packages to Uzbeki-
stan as compared to five years ago, herald-
ing the trend of travel to exotic and unique
destinations in 2019. This is also evident
in more than 100 travellers booking tick-
ets for EU Holidays’ mass-chartered flight
to Uzbekistan in December 2018.
Johnny So, general manager, Sunflower
Travel Service, Hong Kong
Eastern Europe like Russia. Numbers have
been going up over the last few years as
many travellers have been to Western and
Southern Europe. Hotels and coaches
were in shortage earlier, but post-World
Cup Russia has seen more resources add-
ed, lowering costs and make the destina-
tion more affordable.
Andy Wu, managing director, Gray Line
Tours Macau
Japan will continue to be the hottest des-
tination owing to its culture and food.
As FITs occupy a larger ratio of visitors, I
foresee the traffic will venture beyond the
key cities. With the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-
Macau Bridge now operational, there will
be more options for Macanese to fly to Ja-
pan via Hong Kong International Airport.
Bui Nhan, director, Ecosea Travel,
Vietnam
For 2019, I expect more Vietnamese will
visit European countries, with Paris, Italy
and Sweden the most popular destina-
tions. New destinations are emerging.
South Africa is one country that will start
to see more Vietnamese travellers because
it is new and exciting.
Surawat Akaraworamat, managing
director, KTK Tour Enterprise, Thailand
An emerging outbound market of Thai-
land is Taiwan. Travellers need not ap-
ply for visas and it takes only about four
hours to fly there with many airline
choices available. The values of Taiwanese
and Thai currencies are close. It is clean,
well regulated, with convenient transport
facilities. Taiwanese people are friendly
and their food is compatible with Thais’
tastes.
Sinan Thourn, CEO and founder, B2B
Cambodia
Interest in Tokyo and Taipei will contin-
ue to grow as popular destinations with
Cambodians in 2019. These cities are still
seen as new destinations and with direct
flights to both, they are quick and easy
for tourists to spend a few days for some
sightseeing and shopping.
Shun Tsuzawa, supervisor of outbound
marketing and strategy division, JTB
Hawaii. For many Japanese, Hawaii is still
paradise and our largest customer seg-
ment is families, followed by couples on
their honeymoons.
Winter in Lapland, Finland