Accor has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Indonesia, aimed at boosting its popularity among Indonesian travellers.
The agreement, penned yesterday with Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy, includes collaborations on tourism promotion and the launch of a new version of the accorhotels.com website in Bahasa Indonesian.
“The tourism industry is one of biggest revenue contributors for Indonesia,” Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism, Mari Elka Pangestu, said during yesterday’s signing ceremony. “We are of reaching our target of eight million foreign tourists in 2012 reflecting a 25% growth in 2013. This means, all related stakeholders such as the government, private sectors and the public at large will surely share the responsibility to achieve this objective.
“I am very pleased with Accor’s initiatives to help promote tourism on the digital forefront. With the increasing internet penetration globally, the tourism industry needs to embrace digital technology to reach more domestic and international travellers,” Ms Pangestu added.
Gerard Guillouet, Accor’s Vice President for Malaysia, Indonesia & Singapore, commented; “We are the largest international operator in terms of size with 50 hotels in operation, and also the company with the largest portfolio of hotel brands in Indonesia covering the entire spectrum of segments, from budget to upscale hotels.
“This new website puts the Accor hotel network in Indonesia and around the world at the finger tips of travellers and is destined to boost market share. Beyond the booking functionality, accorhotels.com is also equipped to serve as a destination guide showcasing the many destinations within the Indonesia archipelago and helps inform travellers to the variety and depth of the tourist proposition in the country.”
Commenting in the new website launch, Jean-Luc Chretien, Accor’s Executive Vice President of Sales Distribution & Loyalty, said; “With more than 100 million internet users and a penetration that will reach 37% in 2015, Indonesia is truly a leading web market in the region. With this rise of internet usage and digital media proliferation, having a website and real-time booking engine in local language not only help to place our brands in front of the customers, it provides a reference point for travel preparation and planning as well. The launch of accorhotels.com in Bahasa is part of Accor’s strategy to develop its presence on the Internet, on mobile phones and social networks in Asia Pacific as well as demonstrating our commitment to and our ambitions here in Indonesia.”
Accorhotels.com in Bahasa has all features of the English version, including real-time availability of hotel rooms, dynamic pricing based on market demand, flexibility in travel planning, comfort level and access to Accor’s global portfolio of hotels.
Accor now offers 16 regional websites sites in 32 markets with an average of 17 million visitors per month.
The latest Indonesian deal follows Accor’s recent tie-up with Garuda Indonesia, which will see the hotel company join forces with Indonesia’s national carrier to offer special rates and promotions to Garuda passengers and staff.