Best Western adding 14 properties to Asean portfolio
BEST WESTERN Hotels and Resorts plans to open 14 hotels in Southeast Asia this year to cope with the boom in regional tourism.
Olivier Berrivin, managing director, international operations – Asia, said tourism in Thailand would continue growing this year, thanks particularly to the China market, which has been contributing the largest number of arrivals for a few years.
Airlines are adding more direct flights to major destinations such as Pattaya in the East and Krabi in the South.
The group also sees a bright future for Southeast Asia as a whole, especially in Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and newly opened-up Myanmar, he said.
“We have had a regional head office in Bangkok for 15 years to oversee the entire region. We realise that Thailand [has been able to] come through all that difficulty, and also some |crises.
“The sector has always recovered quickly, and has remained healthy,” he added.
Of the new 14 hotels, the group will manage five properties and the other nine will be operated under franchise contracts.
The new hotels will comprise a total of 2,800-3,000 rooms, under multi-brands.
“For Thailand, we will double our number of rooms from 2,000 to 4,000 this year via the adding of five or six new hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya and Hat Yai.
The group currently operates nine hotels in major tourist destinations,” he said.
The group already has a presence in all 10 Asean markets, with 65 properties under multi-branded names such as Best Western Premier, Glo, Best Western Plus, Vib and Executive Residency.
In 2014, tourist arrivals in Asean reached 105 million, a 42.4-per-cent increase from 73.8 million in 2010.
Some 49 million of those visitors came from within Asean itself.
By 2025, the contribution of Asean tourism could potentially increase from 12 per cent to 15 per cent of the regional grouping’s combined gross domestic product, with tourism employment rising from 3.7 per cent to 7 per cent of the regional total, the managing director said.
It is predicted that the per capita spending by international tourists in Asean could increase from US$877 to $1,500 (Bt31,150 to Bt53,275) during the period, as the average length of stay goes up from 6.3 nights to eight nights, he added.
Moreover, Asean nations recently announced their mission to become a quality destination by 2025, Berrivin said, adding that tourists will be able to enjoy unique products and experience Asean ways, while operators will be committed to responsible, sustainable, inclusive and balanced tourism development.
