Sunway Hotels doubles down on Indian travellers in marketing push

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Sunway Hotels and Resorts has tied up with India-based travel consultancy Enhance Hospitality to capitalise on the outbound Indian travellers to Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam - especially corporate travellers in the specialised meetings and incentive segments. Enhance Hospitality provides sales and marketing representation services to global hotels, tourism companies and trade bureaus for the India market.

The partnership reinforces the hospitality group's long term commitment in developing and growing confidence in the India outbound market. Enhance Hospitality will be responsible for developing and managing its key accounts in India, and expanding the market through the generation of sales leads and bookings in the leisure, corporate and MICE segments for Sunway's 11 hotels and resorts in Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

In a statement to A+M, Sunway's spokesperson said roadshows will be organised around India to provide local travel and industry partners one-on-one meetings and facilitates immediate business prospects.

India's outbound market is growing at about 10% annually into Malaysia and it has regional sales offices in Singapore and Dubai, as well as general sales agents in Tokyo to grow Sunway Hotels presence in the markets it operates in.

Meanwhile, during the first seven months of 2019, Vietnam saw a 20% increase in Indian travellers compared to the same period last year. The spokesperson said that with the recent launches of direct flights from India to Vietnam, particularly Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, this provides a great opportunity for Sunway Hotels and Resorts to capture the market.

Additionally, the spokesperson said that the flow of tourists between Cambodia and India "has increased remarkably" in the last few years. The Indians visit Cambodia to experience local weddings or as part of pilgrimages. "With the strategic location of Sunway Hotel Phnom Penh, we believe there are bigger growth opportunities from India," she added.

According to the press release, some of the hotels that are popular among Indian travellers include Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa, Sunway Pyramid Hotel, Sunway Clio Hotel, Sunway Putra Hotel Kuala Lumpur, and The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat in Ipoh.

Andre Scholl, CEO of Sunway Hotels and Resorts, said it looks forward to enable its business opportunities, allowing the hospitality group to expand its brand name and network into the targeted segments.

"India continues to be a prime market for us and our hotels are committed in developing greater synergies and long-term strategic partnerships in the country," Scholl added. He explained that the partnership is also timely as Indian outbound travellers continue to accelerate demand for new experiences, and its hotels in recent months have successfully completed numerous product and service upgrades.

Founder and CEO of Enhance Hospitality Gaurav Arora said Sunway Hotels and Resorts has already successfully created a reputable brand name and it is honored to be adding the group into its global portfolio. "Our strategic partnership identifies and enables vital opportunities to grow its footprint in the India travel market and to achieve longer term success in attracting Indian outbound travelers to its unique and diverse properties," Arora said.

Meanwhile, Sunway Group, the parent company of Sunway Hotels and Resorts, highlighted the importance of diversity among the different races in Malaysia in its latest Deepavali video, which features an interracial couple. In the video, a Chinese girl has a crush on an Indian boy and was thrilled to be invited to his house for a Deepavali celebration. The video currently runs on Facebook and YouTube.

In a statement to A+M, Sunway Group's spokesperson said her efforts displays what it means to be a true Malaysian and to uphold values like inclusiveness and unity. "When we take the time to appreciate other cultures, we tend to discover that we are more alike than different," he added. The spokesperson added that plenty of research was required for the video as it was essential to get the minute details right and ensure that cultural aspects were portrayed in an accurate and respectful manner. Many heads came together to make this video project a success. "Our hope is to inspire our viewers to embrace and appreciate other cultures as well. After all, this is the true meaning of being Malaysians," he said.

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