Northstar

30 NOVEMBER 2017 CONFERENCE 1 DECEMBER 2017 SHIP INSPECTION Sponsorship contact: Whey Whey Ng l Regional Sales Director | whey.ng@ntmllc.com | +65 6801 0460 It's not how to sell, but what to sell T H E F U T U R E O F SOUTHEAST ASIA CRUISE TOURISM DISCOUNT CODE FOR TRAVEL AGENTS Email us with your full name, company name, designation and country to twa.admin@ntmllc.com PLATINUM SPONSORS ORGANISED BY GOLD SPONSORS C M Y CM MY CY CMY K CruiseWorld Asia-ITB ASIA one third w marks.pdf 1 10/17/2017 9:41:46 AM Making a Difference w w w.travelweekly-asia.com 26 October 2017 PUBLISHED BY NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD ISSN 2382-6061 MCI (P) 013/07/2017 PPS 1849/09/2014 (025581) O F F I C I A L D A I L I E S 2 Worth US$100b, Muslim millennials represent key growth sector for tourism MORE YOUNG MUSLIMS TRAVEL INDEPENDENTLY CONTINUED ON PAGE 4. C an religion and the Internet coexist? For millions of millennial Muslims, the answer is unambiguous. Access to digital sources not only enhances their belief system; it also inspires their next travel destination. With approximately 1 billion Muslims under the age of 30 - representing 60 percent of the population in Muslim-majority countries – the US$100-billion Muslim millennial travel (MMT) segment is ripe for the picking. A new MasterCard- CrescentRating Muslim millennial travel report launched at ITB Asia 2017 yesterday showed that of the 121 million Muslim international visitors in 2016, over 72 million Muslim travelers were classed as millennials or Gen Z. Previously dominated by large groups of families funneled through travel agents, the Muslim travel market will soon see MMTs overtake families as the fastest growing By Danielle Yong segment, said Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating and HalalTrip. The majority (72%) are opting for free and independent travel. Only 5% of MMTs polled for the report were looking to book fully packaged tours. "[In the past], Muslim-based travel agents were relying on group travel for their business. The next generation of Muslims are not going to these agents," Bahardeen said. Independent travellers Like most young people, MMTs spend a significant amount of time online researching and booking trips. The cost of flights and MEKONG AT THE MOVIES BY IAN JARRETT M ekong Tourism took conference delegates to the movies at ITB Asia when it launched its Mekong Moments campaign with a Mekong Mini Movie Festival. Mekong Moments will allow businesses in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) to develop their own campaign by encouraging consumers, staff, and stakeholders to share their Mekong Moments in videos on social media platforms with the hashtags #MekongMoments and #Minis. The content will be aggregated into the Mekong Moments website (https://www.MekongMoments. com) to inspire people to research and travel to the GMS, a region that comprises China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It also aims to increase awareness of the Mekong River and its surrounds as an experiential travel destination. "Our goal is to build capacity for the travel industry in the GMS. Mekong Moments enables people who are passionate about the region to share their experiences via visual content to inspire others," says Jens Thraenhart, executive director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office. The Mekong Moments networking reception takes place at the Laos Booth (D30) on Thursday, October 26 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. NOT JUST ARTIFICIAL, BUT AUGMENTED BY DANIELLE YONG A t the ITB Asia 2017 opening keynote, speakers addressed the future of the travel industry by describing how artificial intelligence (AI) is enhancing personalisation and human intelligence rather than replace it. Mitchell Young, IBM's ASEAN general manager, said that AI is CONTINUED ON PAGE 4. Faizal Bahardeen (right), CEO, CrescentRating and HalalTrip.

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