Online Booking and Marketing, Smarter Corporate Travel Practices Drive Growth
What didn't kill Asia's travel agents made them stronger-so says the newly released Abacus Asia Travel Sentiment Survey, which found that 92% of agents believe that adjustments they adopted during the economic downturn put them in better shape for 2010.
The 200 agents polled listed their most effective new practices as: selling ancillary products such as hotels and travel insurance, offering promotional packages and deals, and investing more in online channels and technology. More than two thirds of agents that lack an online presence said they intend to create one, which is a good idea if they want to be where their customers are-Abacus predicts the Asian online travel market will grow over 20% in 2010.
Abacus' report surmises that the Asian travel market has had a strong recovery in 2010, with China leading the way. "Asia's huge potential for growth and its relatively younger travel industry mean that travel players in this region are strategically well-placed to capitalize on the new realm of opportunities as the economy steps into a recovery phase," Abacus International president and CEO Robert Bailey says in the report.
Budget airlines, online booking, innovative tech solutions, corporate travel, and mobile-all these topics and more will be in play when leading Asian travel executives join a roundtable entitled "Asia--The Emerging Online Travel Market" on Day 1 of the China Travel Distribution Summit 2010 in Beijing this September 15-16, hosted by China Travel Daily in partnership with PhoCusWright.
