Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 24 | ITB ASIA OFFICIAL DAILIES news highlights ''How should I sell my travel programme, and expand my customer base?" This is a question that travel agents constantly have to mull over in the course of business. Travelseed thinks it has found the answer. Making its debut in October, the B2B platform connects travel agencies directly with potential customers in an ecosystem, which Spectacular they may be, the famed Northern Lights are not the only photo-worthy subjects in Finland according to Jaana Keranen, sales manager of Wild Taiga. In Wild Taiga, a region in SEEDS OF CHANGE planning manager Parijat Karmakar (or Paul) has termed as "forest". Travel agencies ('seeders') can register on the website without charge and upload tour programmes ('seeds'),which will be viewed by travellers ('seeders') who will select and pay for the itinerary in which they are interested. With the completion of each tour, Travelseed earns a sales their way around. "Our tours offer safe encounters with wild animals and unique possibilities to observe brown bears, wolves and wolverines at night. What's more, you get easy access to the best photography sites," said Keranen. Established in 2004, 'Wild Taiga' is the eponymous marketing label for the 60 companies who belong to Idän Taiga Travel Trade Association. Together, they operate specialised tours that offer a glimpse into Finland's landscapes and wildlife. Programme highlights include spending a night in a hide – it comes with photography holes on all sides and offers ample space for resting – to capture rare snapshots of nocturnal predatory animals, taking lessons from local professional nature photographers, and experiencing a traditional Finnish smoke sauna typically found along the shores of Finnish lakes. Travelseed makes an October debut. commission of three percent – low compared to other platforms, says Karmakar. While it may sound like your usual bookings and reservations platform, he assures that it is different. Citing payment policies as a constant hassle and problem for travel agencies, he explained, "Other platforms take a long time to disburse payments. At Travelseed, we release payment within 15 days after the tours are completed. In addition, we pay regularly on 15th and 30th of every month. This policy helps to motivate travel agencies to provide quality service for us and our travellers." Their approach has been well- received. According to Karmakar, Travelseed has already received positive replies from travel agencies globally, including those from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Australia, and Japan in Asia, as well as Egypt, Bolivia, the U.K. and Romania. Believing in travellers satisfaction, Rplay has also launched a complementing mobile app "Travel Buddy", which offers real-time messaging, allowing travellers to contact Travelseed or local travel agencies in the event of emergencies. By Lee Xin Hui The most photogenic subjects reside in the wild in Taiga. COME TO THE WILD SIDE EXPLORING UNCHARTED WATERS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY BY MARK LEAN E co-friendly cruising in the Arctic and Antarctic is expected to become a reality in 2018 with Hurtigruten's new expedition ships equipped with hybrid propulsion technology. Expected to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 20%, these 530-passenger expedition cruise ships will set sail in July 2018 and July 2019 for the Astronomy Voyage, which includes a full tour of the Norwegian coast and 34 ports. This new technology is developed by Rolls Royce and Bellona – a non-profit organisation that works to address climate challenges. Hurtigruten will offer the world's first expedition ships with such technology. "The future of shipping is, without a doubt, silent and emission free. We will use our new expeditionary ships as ground breakers for this new technology and show the world that hybrid propulsion on large ships is possible today," said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. "Picture sailing into a fjord silently without any form of emissions," added Skjeldam. The company also operates voyages to diverse destinations such as the Chilean fjords, as well as the Amazon rainforest. Twenty-three expedition voyages have been added this year, heading to over 200 ports of call in 18 countries. "We want to offer our guests unique and meaningful experiences regardless of the water temperature. People no longer want to spend their vacations being passive spectators; the many unique excursions and lecture gives guests genuinely close encounters with the nature and culture of the destinations," said Skjeldam. northeast Finland, you'll find that the most photogenic subjects reside in the wild – though it takes a lot of patience to capture a good shot – and the best way to see them is on a guided tour with locals who know Wild Taiga has already received multiple tourists from the region including China, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. It is offering an abbreviated StopOver version of its product at ITB Asia this year to attract partners like tour operators, travel agencies and photography associations. By Lee Xin Hui

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