Face-to-Face: Arthur Kiong, Managing Director Sales & Marketing, Banyan Tree Group
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1. Banyan Tree is seeing significant development in the Middle East, with four properties scheduled in the UAE and one in Oman. How well known, do you believe, is the Banyan Tree brand in the region, and what efforts are you making to target the growing number of affluent Middle Eastern travellers?
The opening of Banyan Tree Al Areen in Bahrain in 2007 has helped to lay the ground for brand awareness in the Middle East region. We are currently in the midst of preparing for the opening of Banyan Tree Al Wadi in Ras Al Khaimah in the fourth quarter. This property is set to be the first desert resort in the UAE to offer an all-pool villa concept, complete with hydrotherapy spa, golf course, a private beach club, and dedicated nature reserve. Moving ahead, we are confident that the brand will be further enhanced through the upcoming openings of our properties in Abu Dhabi, Morocco, the UAE, and Oman over the coming months.
Understanding the buying behaviour of Middle Eastern travellers will be a key factor in growing this market segment. Partnership marketing as well as product education of our travel trade partners are initiatives we are embarking on. However the delivery of the Banyan Tree experience for our guests and their word-of-mouth is still the most effective marketing strategy.
2. Likewise Banyan Tree is expanding in locations across China. To what extent are you targeting the Chinese domestic market, and how important do you see Chinese tourists (both domestic and international) becoming to Banyan Tree in the coming years?
We are pleased to note that the Chinese market is growing within Banyan Tree global market mix; up from the previous year’s 6% to last year’s 8% comprising Chinese passport holders. Banyan Tree has a significant presence in China, with three resorts – Banyan Tree Ringha and Banyan Tree Lijiang in Yunnan province, and Banyan Tree Sanya in Hainan island. The Banyan Tree Group’s flagship resort in China, Banyan Tree Lijiang recently introduced an additional 34 new suites and villas to cater for greater demand.
China will take the central position in our growth strategy. We now have close to a dozen more Banyan Tree and Angsana properties in the pipeline for China, most notably Banyan Tree Hangzhou, which will open later this year. Out of the top 10 tourist attractions listed by China Travel Service, we will have hotels located close to eight of them. We build our products in harmony with the culturally rich destinations which Chinese and international tourists will enjoy. We seem to have hit a chord in the new, confident Chinese psyche, where there is a greater appreciation of one’s own heritage.
3) Banyan Tree recently launched the XTC Awards for travel consultants. Can you explain a little about this campaign, and in an increasingly online age, do you believe travel consultants still have a significant role to play?
Yes, in this increasingly online age, Banyan Tree believes that Travel Consultants still play a significant role. We wish to recognise our top performing travel agents with all-expenses paid holidays to Banyan Tree’s award-winning resorts including flights. Banyan Tree recently launched the eXtraordinary Travel Consultants (XTC) Awards worldwide in May and over 300 agents in Europe, China and Singapore have since come onboard.
4) With Banyan Tree resorts and spas spreading across the globe, what efforts are being taken to maintain the ‘essence’ of the brand?
We invest in training our associates on a continual basis, and place a great importance on the development of talent from within our company to deliver our brand promise. We have our own Training and Management Academy in Phuket, which developed a comprehensive talent development programme.
All our properties are designed by our in-house architectural team, Architrave Design and Planning, who have been honoured for their work through achievements such as the Gold Key Awards and Design for Asia Awards. In addition, as a socially responsible business, we will always maintain our core value of driving sustainable development as we grow.
5) Amid the current economic uncertainty, with hotels across Asia seeing declining occupancy, what efforts is Banyan Tree taking to drive business, without compromising the brand’s luxury status?
Luxury is not about a display of ostentatious wealth. Luxury is having time. Luxury is about personal wellness. This is in fact the best opportunity to enjoy the luxury of time to discover a new destination and to spend quality time with family and friends.
During this economic uncertainty, we continue to build our brand and the value we provide. We pride ourselves in being consistent in our sales and marketing effort. During difficult times, we must not lose sight of this. We are very excited that our new product in the Maldives is launched under the Angsana brand is gaining a lot of attention. This is a one-of-a kind InOcean Villa at Angsana Velavaru - villas that are perched in the middle of the ocean! Yet another innovative product that we are offering.
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