NATAS fair will be a cultural showcase, says new executive director
NATAS Travel Fair 2015. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — In a bid to draw more visitors to its twice-yearly trade fair, which has been battling intense competition from a rival fair by a breakaway group of agencies, the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) is focusing more on a carnival-like atmosphere that also comes with activities and food.
Pointing out that its competitor Travel Revolution — organised by a group of 24 outbound travel agencies that have since formed the Singapore Outbound Travel Agents Association (SOTAA) — seems more focused on “racking up the sales” for their fair, NATAS’ newly appointed executive director Steven Lek said its fair will offer a fun experience with family and friends.
Held from July 31 to August 2 at Singapore Expo, the NATAS fair will have balloons, games and cultural performances by the Tourism Council of Bhutan and Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism. It will also have an international food trail, with cuisine such as fresh sushi from Japan and dim sum from Hong Kong.
“We feel that showcasing cultural performances and international cuisine should be a part of a travel fair. Numbers and physical size alone do not make a good travel fair. An enjoyable one is one where you get fun and games, you bring people of all ages...for a weekend outing,” said Mr Lek, who added that Travel Revolution’s fair has a different theme and a “business orientation”.
He added that NATAS’ fair is also catering more to smaller agencies.
There will be 83 exhibitors at its fair, one more than the previous edition in March — which had seen a fall from 161 exhibitors. The upcoming fair includes 22 travel agents and eight airlines.
The 22 agents “have worked hard to give special deals so it’s still a fair to shout about”, said Mr Lek, who retired from a senior role in Singapore Airlines in 2003 and joined NATAS on June 15.
In November last year, several big-name agencies announced plans to pull out of NATAS and to hold a rival fair on the same dates as the NATAS fair in March. They included SA Tours, Chan Brothers Travel, Dynasty Travel and CTC Travel, which had participated in the NATAS fair for as long as two decades.
Describing this as a “family dispute” Mr Lek said NATAS is still aiming for long-term reconciliation with the breakaway group as he feels external factors, such as online travel warehouses, pose a greater threat.
SOTAA’s first Travel Revolution fair attracted about 76,000 visitors and overall sales of approximately S$100 million. The second fair, which will be held from Friday to Sunday, will see 37 outbound travel agencies, up from the previous 30. SOTAA expects its three-day fair to draw 80,000 visitors and rack up S$100 million in sales.
