Uniform hotel pricing sought for ASEAN region<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Regional Hotel and Restaurant
\nOperators met here on Saturday to explore the possibility of
\nestablishing uniform pricing for hotels in the region.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
\nHotel and Restaurant Association (AHRA) Feisol Hashim said after
\nthe opening ceremony of the one-day meeting that standard pricing
\nwas vital to prevent the industry from dying out. This, he said,
\nwas owing to unhealthy competition, and to prepare it for
\nglobalization, where competition could be fiercer.<\/p>\n
He said hotels applying out-of-market prices in the region
\nwould eventually kill off the industry.<\/p>\n
Feisol cited hotel prices in Phuket, Thailand, which began at
\nUS$200, and in Bali, Indonesia, which started at less than $60.<\/p>\n
\"How long can they (hotels in Phuket) last? Soon people won't
\nwant to go there because prices are too high,\" Feisol said,
\nadding that lower pricing, on the other hand, would create a
\nnegative image.<\/p>\n
\"$60 is too cheap, people won't believe the product is of high
\nquality,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Feisol said a reasonable price for a room at a five-star hotel
\nwas between $130 and $150.<\/p>\n
He noted that Indonesian hotels had knocked down prices
\nbecause of the need for funds for operational costs and to pay
\nbank interest.<\/p>\n
As a result, five-star hotels reduced their rates to those of
\nthree-star establishments and forced smaller hotels to close
\ndown, Feisol said.<\/p>\n
Bigger hotels would concentrate more on making money instead
\nof its core business of hospitality, he added.<\/p>\n
Feisol said competition should be in terms of services,
\nquality of the product and the quality and standard of human
\nresources, not prices that would eventually destroy the industry.<\/p>\n
The meeting was attended by delegates from Brunei, Malaysia,
\nThailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The AHRA meeting was part of a series of meetings addressing
\nthe problems in the tourism industry. It began on Friday and will
\ncontinue until Sunday.<\/p>\n
The meetings include the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant
\nAssociation (IHRA) national congress, the Universal Federation of
\nTravel Agents Association Asia-Pacific Alliance (UAPA) meeting,
\nthe Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA) and ASEAN
\nairlines' board meeting, AHRA board meeting and ASEAN Travel
\nAssociation (ASEANTA) board meeting.<\/p>\n
At the same location, a tourism expo, Tourism Indonesia Mart &
\nExpo (TIME 2000), will be officially opened by the Minister of
\nCulture and Tourism I Gede Ardika on Monday.<\/p>\n
Chairwoman of the event Meity Robot said on Saturday the
\nnumber of foreign participants had jumped to 124 companies from
\nonly 109 last week, and local sellers to 155 companies from 142.<\/p>\n
\"Seeing the level of commitment shown by foreign buyers, we
\nare optimistic that Indonesian tourism will be much improved in
\nthe future,\" she said in a media conference, adding that the
\nhigher level of foreign tourists entering the country during the
\nlast six months was partly due to the success of the 1999 Travel
\nMart.<\/p>\n
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, visitor
\narrivals between January and July reached 2.8 million compared to
\n4.7 million during all of 1999.<\/p>\n
Meity said she hoped the mart would bring in at least $10
\nmillion worth of contracts for Indonesia, a rise from $8.7
\nmillion in 1999. (10)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/uniform-hotel-pricing-sought-for-asean-region-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}