Northstar

4 | www.travelweekly-asia.com 4 | www.travelweekly-asia.com INDUSTRY VOICES CREDIT: THE ST. REGIS SINGAPORE Greg Kitchen's career in the travel industry started in the mid-1990s in Melbourne, Australia, before moving to Queensland to take on senior roles in Tourism Queensland and AOT. He joined Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) in 2007 and held senior leadership roles in product contracting and development. Since 2015, he is managing director of the destination management companies purchased by FCTG, now known as Discova. 15 12 CONTENTS 3 TALKING POINT Adopt great ideas now 5 WHAT'S ON Rejuvenation of relics 14 CRUISE Hip and trendy at sea 17 DESTINATION: LAKE TOBA Great potential for Indonesian crater 18 BEST OF GLOBAL WRAP The best of the news across Asia Pacific What the new Discova means for travel partners This July saw the merger of two regional destination management companies, Buffalo Tours in Asia and Olympus Tours in the Americas, into a single DMC – Discova. The alliance will be completed by end of October 2019. With a focus on the B2B market, Discova's core business is geared toward our trade partners. We are happy to be known as "the travel people who work globally, live locally and go the extra mile to extend your reach". Before the merger, Buffalo and Olympus began operations in 1994 in Vietnam and Mexico respectively. Both businesses were founded on common values: Being part of a family, pride on their local expertise, and a commitment to customer service. Responsible tourism is Discova's cornerstone. Committing to the local community There are lots to gain for multiple partners from this merger. As more than 95% of our people are locals, we will develop them and expand the Discova guide school across our business globally. Locally led product development and local in- destination account management for our key partner accounts will form the foundation of our model. We'll continue to work alongside trade partners like you to develop customer-focused product offerings, mutually profitable commercial agreements and our usual high standard of customer service. The partnership between our regional sales team and our local account management ensures ease of doing business for current trade partners, a smooth on-boarding process for new accounts, and provides opportunities for in-destination customer interaction and feedback. We'll operate programmes under our B2B partners' brands and are flexible in providing full branded solutions for tour operators. 6 core product offerings In the coming years, Discova will focus on six core product offerings: FITs for singles, couples and groups; tailored round-trip itineraries; group series set departures; MICE; educational travel; and in- destination customer support. Discova-owned and operated products in our key destinations remain fundamental to our business and allow us to tailor unique product offerings for our partners. This helps us control consistency of offerings and service levels. Our core day touring product ranges will be available to travellers through preferred tour operators and select OTAs. Our partner product strategy balances price, value and quality. Bringing value to travel partners Advancements in technology platforms, and adding additional value to our partners are now possible with a single global DMC that may not have been possible as individual businesses. This includes a single operational platform – operational in Q2 2020 – with both set and dynamic packaging capabilities as well as immediate confirmation of FIT bookings, therefore allowing API connections to key group series operators, and either API connections or access to the Discova B2B booking website for our trade partners. We have a goal of operating in 50 countries by 2023; the merger of Buffalo Tours and Olympus Tours into Discova is the first step into a future for which we are well positioned to work for the success of our partners, our people and our destinations. Above: An art piece titled Floating to Sukhavati by Li Chen. Left: The picturesque Doubtful Sound in New Zealand. Below: Swimming with whale sharks at Raja Ampat. 8

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