New Delhi (VNA) – Vietnam, India, and Indonesia are set for a tourism “bonanza” as their middle classes expand and grow wealthier, India’s Economic Times quoted deputy chief executive officer of hotel group Accor SA Jean-Jacques Morin as saying.
In an interview in Bangkok, he said the three countries stand ready for the substantial tourism growth due to the middle classes’ stable finance and preference to experiences.
“The way people consume has changed. Nowadays, people want services, not necessarily products. They want to have experiences, a trend that has been deeply accelerated by COVID-19.”
With almost 6,000 hotels around the world and more than 45 brands ranging from budget chains like Ibis to the luxury Raffles and Banyan Tree resorts, Accor is aiming to expand its portfolio by 3 - 4% this year, Morin said, adding Asia will likely account for about half those openings.
Southeast Asia and India in particular carry significant growth opportunities, such “big tigers” like Singapore, Thailand, and Japan will continue to perform well, along with upcoming markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Expressing a bullish outlook on India, Morin said in 2023, Air India Ltd and IndiGo placed record-breaking orders for 970 planes to ready for a domestic and international travel boom.
“The middle class is the most critical important driver of this industry. When you become a little bit more wealthy, you want to see the world”, he stressed.
Besides, he predicted that the rise of “Gen Z” tourists — people born around the turn of the millennium — will spark faster growth in boutique, design-driven hotels in coming years. Younger tourists spend significantly more on food and drinks and like to go on so-called bleisure trips, where the line between leisure and business is blurred./.
