News about seriously hot travel industry clients and the latest PR trends by Ken Scott, ScottAsia Communications
Lazy One-Way Plastic: It’s Seriously Time to Bottle It
Outrigger Doubles Down on Single-Use Plastics in Phuket
From 1 July, Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort staff are not permitted to bring single use plastic items such as takeaway drink containers, straws and bags into the resort. “We are committed to eliminating single-use plastics,” says resort manager, Leah Matters. There are no plastic bottles in the resort, which only uses stainless steel straws. All guest rooms and outlets feature glass bottles only. The property uses reverse osmosis to purify and bottle its own water. Guests can also join the resort’s weekly beach clean-ups at 4.30pm on Fridays as part of OZONE (Outrigger’s ZONE), Outrigger’s ambitious global marine conservation programme. Find out about OZONE here.
A Seriously Good Solution for Excessive OTA Hotel Commissions
Bidroom Shaking Up Online Hotel Bookings with Radical and Fairer Alternative
Over 200 attendants of the Hospitality Technology Forum 2019 in Zurich voted the Bidroom hotel booking platform as the Best Startup in the Grown Startups category on 26 June. Bidroom, which has attracted €21 million in investment since 2014, is radical because it is based on a no-commission model. In an age of excessive #OTA commissions and power, Bidroom hotel members don’t have to pay any membership fee until they receive a pre-specified amount of revenue in bookings. On the consumer side, Bidroom members enjoy hotel savings up to 25% cheaper than anywhere else online. And they have choice. Bidroom offers over 120,000 hotels in 128 countries. The Bidroom booking model is explained here.
Saddle Sore – For Seriously Good Causes
What to expect: video highlights from the previous YCC in 2017
Wheels of Fire: Spokes People Do It Again
The YAANA Corporate Challenge (YCC) returns in 2019 with two bike tours: 18-20 October in Northern Vietnam, and 6-8 December at Inle Lake, Myanmar. Participants will experience a great work out, friendship and business networking while raising funds for charity. All proceeds in Vietnam will go to Operation Smile Vietnam & Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. In Myanmar it will be the Bagan Plastic Campaign, the Minzontaung Burmese Star Tortoise Centre, and the Khiri Reach Water Well Project. Both tours cover 125km over two days. Full participation and sponsorship details here.
Seriously, This is How Tourism and Local Heritage Should Work Together
Bid for GS20: the Global Summit for Culture & Heritage Tourism
The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH) was successfully launched last year. The association is now welcoming organisations that want to protect culture and heritage through genuine responsible and ethical tourism practices to become a part of its future. Bids to host the inaugural WTACH Global Summit 2020 (GS20) are now being considered. Applications to host the event must be received on or before Wednesday 31st July. For more information and a copy of the bid proposal document, contact Mr Gerard (Ged) Brown, WTACH Director EMEA. Email: Ged@WTACH.org. From 1 July to 31 December, any organisation supporting WTACH with membership will be acknowledged as a “Founding Member.” This special recognition will remain in place indefinitely upon annual renewal. Join here.
Seriously Useful Green Tips for Resort Managers
Little Green Book: A New Eco Blueprint for Tropical Resort Managers
Florian Hallermann, the General Manager of the Zeavola Resort in Phi Phi Island, southern Thailand, has published a handy guide to making tropical beach resorts environmentally friendly. Zeavola’s Little Green Book is written as a practical manual, cultural primer, and inspirational guide to running beach resort in an age of environmental accountability and cultural sensitivity. Hoteliers can read an in-depth interview on what motivates Hallermann here. The inspirational and practical Zeavola Little Green Book is available as a download for THB140 (US$5) here with all proceeds being reinvested in green projects at the resort.
Maybe the Best PR Podcast – And Not Too Serious
A PR Podcast For Our Times
If you love hearing how the latest social trends, consumer realities and digital upstarts are tearing up the #PR and #comms rule books, I recommend Paul Sutton’s Digital Download Podcast (@ThePaulSutton). Paul is always open minded, engaging, humorous and self-effacing as he crosses swords with warty practitioners with bitter-sweet experience of PR, SEO, media relations, artificial intelligence, the blog v podcast standoff, and much more. Give him a listen fellow flacks.
Seriously Good PR Value
ScottAsia Communications: Value Proposition Are you struggling to create and execute effective external communications and grow your travel brand in B2C and B2B markets? If so, let ScottAsia Communications fix that for you.
Relieve your workload and free up your time as you outsource your PR and communications function to a professional who knows how to distil the essence of your brand, create key messages, write and distribute press releases and newsletters, handle all media relations, set up media interviews with your CEO, vet bloggers, supply information to journalists in a timely fashion, and deal with awkward issues communications.
Relax while the ScottAsia digital producer handles your SEO, website building, digital production and social media needs.
Visit scottasia.net. Email kens@scottasia.net – seriously