ASIA. Total board-on board-off bookings on the Abacus system during October were down 12 percentage points on the same period in 2003 due to the observance of the Fast of Ramadan in pre-dominantly Muslim markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Brunei.
Leisure and business travel bookings are traditionally lower during Ramadan, which fell between 13 October and 13 November. In 2003, total bookings dropped 17 percentage points during the Ramadan month. The five per cent difference is consistent with the steady growth in year-on-year bookings during the third and fourth quarters of 2004.
The impact of Ramadan was most significant in Malaysia and Indonesia. FIT bookings in Indonesia were -30% lower year-on-year, while Malaysia bookings dropped -21%. Brunei bookings were down -13%, while Pakistan saw the greatest percentage drop of -36%.
Elsewhere in Asia, FIT bookings continued to show steady or strong growth. China, the region’s growth engine, logged a +2% year-on-year increase in FIT bookings for October while the other key growth driver, India, saw an increase of +40%. Taiwan, one of the largest markets in terms of booking numbers, saw a +7% growth, while smaller markets such as Sri Lanka (+29%), Bangladesh (+33%) and Vietnam (+10%) continued to show their strength.
“As in previous years, travel bookings are expected to rebound strongly through December and January in the build-up to the Chinese New Year holiday period in February,” said Don Birch, President and CEO of Abacus International. “This will cap an incredible year for travel growth in Asia-Pacific, and set the scene for a strong start to 2005. These figures are being supported by additional capacity being implemented by the region’s airlines.”
E-Ticketing hits record high
E-ticketing continues to be popular for travellers and travel agents throughout Asia, with Abacus recording the highest number of e-ticket bookings since it was introduced.
A record number of 283,000 e-ticket bookings were made by 18 e-ticket-enabled carriers on Abacus in October this year, a +113% increase on e-tickets sold in the same month the previous year. This record-high number of e-tickets reinforces Abacus’ commitment to continue helping the airlines reduce operational costs. Singapore led the sales of e-tickets in October, followed by Taiwan and Hong Kong.
About Abacus International
Singapore-based Abacus International is Asia Pacific’s leading travel facilitator with more than 10,000 agency locations in 22 markets.
Abacus International’s partners include All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Dragonair, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir and Singapore Airlines. Abacus is also partially owned by Sabre, the US-based leader in the electronic distribution of travel and travel related services.
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