Craig Francis Interview with Hotelier Indonesia Magazine

Hotelier Indonesia Magazine

September 2013

www.hotelier-indonesia.com

Having spent a significant number of years in sport and technology, it’s a pleasure to have an opportunity to interview someone whose experience in both golf and business far exceeds mine.   

Through the years, Craig Francis has been a successful amateur golfer on the

international circuit as well as an owner and director of several multinational businesses.   One of his newer ventures ties the two together, as Founder and Director of Quasar Group International. 

Recently incorporated in Singapore, the firm has been developing golf, spa and leisure management systems by tying together his colorful experiences in sport and business.  The direction Quasar has taken surely has gained interest and momentum.  In this interview, I’m gaining a bit of background in golf and business to see how it all comes together.

[HI]  You have quite an extensive background in golf.   Going back to your school days, what are some of your sporting achievements?

[CF]  I had the privilege of being coached by one of the top golf professionals of the day, Bob Toski.  The regular exposure to golf at such a high level, as well as the advanced tips he provided allowed me to become an accomplished amateur golfer.  My handicap at age 15 was 0, with my lowest USGA handicap reaching +2.

As a student at Le Rosey, the Swiss International boarding school, I was Champion of Swiss independent schools in various sports including the 100 meters, long jump, discus and others.  Golf and sports have had a long history in our family.

Craig Francis
Leading the European Open

[HI]  After school, you frequently played in amateur tournaments around the world.   What are some of the highlights?

[CF]  In 1971 I was the top amateur golfer in both the Swiss Open and the Agfa Open.  In the following years I won the Luxembourg International Amateur Championship (3 times), Swiss International Amateur Championship (3 times), and the Italian International Amateur Championship .   In 1982 I won the Swiss Omiron tournament which also included professionals.

[HI]  With these top finishes, there must have been some course records along the way?

[CF]  In competitions, I set amateur course records that include:  

   66  Sunningdale Golf Club (UK)
   65  Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre (Switzerland) 
   65  Münchener Golf Club (Germany)
   69  Coral Harbour (Bahamas)
   63  Lyford Cay Club (Bahamas)
   71  Hollingwell Golf Club (UK)

My lowest score outside of tournament play is 61 at the Lyford Cay Club in the Bahamas.

[HI]  You mention sports and your family.  Your father was rather accomplished as well.  What is some of his sport background?

[CF]  My father, Francis Francis played golf for England and won many international amateur events.  One of many golfing achievements, he had finished 1 shot ahead of the infamous Bobby Jones in the 1936 Masters. As an amateur, he twice led or was tied for the lead of the British open after two rounds.  On one occasion he and a fellow amateur played an exhibition match against Ben Hogan and Sam Sneed at their peak and lost in a very close contest: 2 & 1.

His other sporting achievements included: Fencing for England and was the Army Champion. Running the 440 and 880 for England and was also the Army champion. He was considered one of the country’s top athletes.

[HI]  In your years of golf, you have played with quite a quite a few famous golfers.

[CF]  A few I played with include Nick Price, Sam Sneed, Ian Baker-Finch, Seve Ballesteros, Sam Torrance, Al Geiberger and many more.  I also had the good fortune of knowing Sam Sneed, Gene Sarazen, Ken Venturi, Dow Finsterwall and others as good friends of the family.  Our conversations and shared experiences provided a wonderful fount of golf knowledge.  There were also a considerable number of infamous sports figures and Hollywood personalities who played into the mix, on and off the golf course.

[HI]  Bringing this back to business, what experience had you accumulated prior to starting Quasar?

[CF]  Upon completing school at Le Rosey I was involved with our family’s global investments.   In the 1970s – 1980s I ran a successful shipping company in the Caribbean, which we named Caribbean Shipping.   I was also partner in IGI Golf Investments and Cosmos International.

With IGI Golf Investments, we were involved in golf club management, golf course design and international golf travel.   In our club endeavors at IGI, we saw a need to bring in a technology solution capable of addressing the diverse management needs of golf managers around the world.  That is where Cosmos came in, and we were assisting golfers in areas far-apart as Kenya to Japan to Guam, etc.

[HI]  Stepping back to your family’s investments, their success in business seems to match well with their success in sports.  What business background did you grow up with?

[CF]  Though my father comes from the Bostwick family (Standard Oil) through his mother, he honorably fulfilled his duty to country as a pilot during World War II after graduating from the famous Sandhurst Military Academy.

He founded and financed the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company, which is very well known for developing new aircraft.  Martin-Baker also developed the Aircraft Ejection Seat which he tested himself. He also owned and chaired on the board of many international companies.

On a lighter note, my grandfathers were amongst other things, businessmen, authors and fishermen.  The fisherman was known to take trout into New Zealand.

[HI]  It appears your newest venture with Quasar Group brings together your considerable history in golf, clubs and international business.

[CF]  In recent years, we have had a significant number of industry contacts looking for something new terms of club & villa management.   These requests have ranged from a need for enhanced membership systems tied to social media, to multinational management groups needing a similar system in diverse countries, to multi-lingual systems that must appear to be created in each club’s home country.

Many of these incoming system requests originate in China and East Asia.  They’ve seen the strength of western systems developed through many years of golf and club experience.  But at the same time, they’ve seen the same systems that have failed to adapt to their local needs.  

These Asia-based clubs have experienced western systems translated into local languages, only to see it partially successful.   They attribute this to:  a) a system being older technology not capable of full translation due to record incompatibility, b) a system structure that doesn’t provide for multiple languages, and/or c) a firm unwilling to make the investment in enhancing code or adding features to meet the local needs of a club.

[HI]  Aside from these requests from Asia, what else has come into consideration?

[CF]   We have had a significant level of contact from both end users and partners throughout Asia Pacific and into Europe, Africa and the Middle East.   We have seen the difficulties many western golf, club and leisure software developers have when entering Asia.   Because of this, Quasar has based its development in Asia.  Here we have resources experienced in developing multi-lingual, multi-national systems.

We also see that the world’s strongest growth markets for hospitality, golf & leisure are in China and throughout Asia.   Following China are strong markets in Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Myanmar.  We feel we are making the proper moves in development and distribution.

Hotelier Indonesia would like to thank Craig Francis for his time, and for his insight into the hospitality, golf club and leisure technology markets.

For further information: info@quasargroupinternational.com

4th Annual Indonesia E-Tourism Summit - Hotelier Indonesia

The following is my summary of the IETS 2013 tourism summit

Hotelier Indonesia Magazine

Vol 14 - September 2013

Original:  http://www.youblisher.com/p/709866-Hotelier-Indonesia-14th-Edition/

The 4th Annual Indonesia E-Tourism Summit was held earlier this month (5-6 September) at the Ramayana Resort & Spa in Kuta, Bali.  With a lineup of the industry’s leading travel experts from Indonesia and abroad, IETS lived up to it’s billing as a leading conference for hoteliers and travel professionals.   

The gathering allowed a perfect platform for online travel and hospitality

Hotelier Indonesia Magazine
September 2013

managers to meet, network and share the latest on travel and tourism strategies.  The conference was focused on Social Media, Mobile in Travel and Hotel Online Marketing Strategies.  IETS 2013 provided valuable understanding of new trends, key issues and challenges shaping the industry in 2014 and beyond.

The Summit started with a proper focus on Indonesia -- Its Current and Future Tourism Outlook.  Setting the tone of the conference, speakers highlighted the strong growth potential for both Indonesia in particular, and Asia in general.

It was mentioned that though conflicts continue around the world, Asia continues to experience growth in tourism.   On a global basis, US$ 1 billion was spent in international travel during 2012.   2013, with the 2013 numbers expected to rise to US$ 1.8 billion.   One third of that coming to SE Asia.

With the world’s outbound tourism, a significant focus is on SE Asia.   In the region Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia are experiencing the strongest growth in tourism.

In specifically addressing Indonesian numbers, arrivals from America and Europe have flat-lined.   Strongest inbound traffic expected from China where there is a growing affluence.  Sri Lanka has done well in addressing the influx of Chinese tourists.  Indonesia however needs to enhance their marketing and social media efforts to address this growing affluence in China.  

“Brand Bali” and “Brand Indonesia” are competing with Brand Vietnam, Brand Sri Lanka and Brand Myanmar.  There need to be changes in the way hotels and resorts market their properties.  The drive is in digital marketing.  Indonesian hoteliers and travel directors must embrace the change.

Over the past two years, the increase in Bali arrivals as been from domestic tourists.  Bali must improve their social media and overall international marketing to increase inbound tourists from international markets.

There must be increased efforts from Indonesia’s pristine areas, such as Komodo, Flores and Lombok.  This will take a concerted effort between Government - Private Enterprise - Educational Institutions.

Airlines also play a valuable role in building the Indonesian Brand by developing capacity.  The airlines are needed to bring tourists into the country.   Tourism is currently handicapped by limited access by international tourists into the country.

IETS speakers also highlighted that at the turn of the century, Indonesia was projected to be the #1 tourist market around the world.  Due to recession and political climate, the Indonesian market lost its way.    With 27 different cultures and endless beaches on more than 17,000 island, the country has tourism assets that it must capitalize on. 

A frequent highlight during IETS were the presentations by Ms. Indira Abidin, Managing Director from Fortune PR.    Highlighting the Best Practices in Social Media, Ms. Abidin outlined the need for hoteliers and tourism professionals to engage in strong social media efforts. She often tweeted the highlights of the conference with the Twitter hash #IETS2013 

In one of her early tweets, Ms. Abidin highlights a strong point by Tiket.com CFO, Dimas Surya Yaputra by tweeting:  “Release early, release often, don't wait for the market to exist! Lead the change! @dimasphase #IETS2013 - totally agree! A powerful one.”

With Indonesia fourth in the world for using Facebook and Twitter, and Jakarta the top tweeting city in the world, these social media options provide a very strong channel for hoteliers to reach the domestic traveler.    It also demonstrates Indonesia’s ability to embrace the latest technologies to reach beyond their borders.  

Significant messages from a majority of the speakers revolved around engagement.   Engage the customers with interactive social networking.  Engage employees and have them as part of your overall social media plan.   While having employees participate in your social networking, ensure they are clear on what type of comments are forbidden and which are acceptable.  Ensure your employees on your side as brand evangelists.

Several IETS experts had outlined guidelines for hoteliers when they develop their Social Media Strategies.   Specifics were provided on how the industry leverages social media to win during an economic crisis.

In developing any Social Media program, the hotel and tourism group must have a deep understanding of what they’re trying to accomplish.   Specifically questions they’ve posed to hoteliers included:

• Which regions and audiences are most relevant for your brand?
• Where are you willing to invest and why?
• Where would you like your social search revolution to reach? 
• Does Twitter matter?  Does Facebook matter?  Does Weibo matter?

During the process, ensure you monetize the social media effort.  Determine how much time, money and labor you are prepared to invest.  Justify a business case for social initiatives by demonstrating the tangible benefits and ROI.  

Interact on the Internet.   As part of your hotel marketing strategy, keep a presence on social sites such as TripAdvisor, Facebook, Twitter and Weibo. Don’t just set these up and ignore them.  Monitor them frequently and respond to comments, questions, and re-tweets.  Post exclusive social media deals and encourage fans to hit the “share” button.

Hoteliers must stay actively engaged with Social Media to protect against negative feedback that may arise in Facebook, Twitter and TripAdvisor.  Transform potentially damaging negative feedback into a lucrative strategic sales and marketing tool.

Never respond to negative online reviews with more negativity. These posts and replies are in a public arena and last forever.  A sincere apology and an offer will be more likely to win over dissatisfied customers while presenting a professional image to those you hope to have as future customers.

Several of the international experts at IETS highlighted methods to maximize a hotel’s distribution Strategy.  A few of the highlights included:

Developing a strategy that clearly positions your property above the others.  Tell future guests that the experience something is extraordinary and worth paying more for.   With this, the hotel may set their prices a bit higher than the competition in order to bring in guests who are willing to pay more. This strategy can be profitable, but must be used cautiously, as guests will need to understand why they’d pay more to stay at your hotel.

Set pricing on par with the competition, but not necessarily for every rate.  Set one rate comparable to similar properties and another slightly higher. This allows you to stay competitive for a majority of the market, yet doesn’t undercut the your competition.

Along with these pricing considerations was additional input that if the property's price is too low … lower than the competitive set, you will realize a boost in occupancies, but will also see a lower relative RevPar.  The best strategy suggested is to maintain rate integrity and price above the competitive set. Though the property may take a slight reduction in occupancy, it will be more than offset by a higher relative RevPar.

For online bookers, it’s important that there is a recognized Parity of Experience.  Offer Value-Added packages for events that are not available through an OTA.  Though a room-only rate on the hotel’s website likely won’t dip below what was offered through an OTA, the overall value of the package can be much higher than room-only rate.  During a month of promotion, the hotel can see a significant percent year-over-year increase in total visits to its website and a year-over-year increase in reservations through the website.

IETS 2013 was a worthwhile and informative event for the 100+ in attendance. With the growth they’ve experienced in the first four events, we’re looking at 2014 as an event not to miss.

Social Media -- Reaching the Holiday Golfer from China - Lợi Ích Của Mạng Xã Hội Trong Kinh Doanh Golf.

from Vietnam Golf Magazine

www.vietnamgolfmagazine.net

September 2013

Các sân golf tại Việt Nam đã nhận thức được những lợi ích do các mạng xã hội đem lại đối với việc quảng bá. Tuy nhiên, họ vẫn còn chậm chạp trong việc thu hút khách du lịch chơi golf từ thị trường quốc tế. Nếu biết cách, họ có thể tận dụng được tiềm năng từ thị trường Trung Quốc, nơi mà số lượng khách du lịch ra nước ngoài chơi golf đang ngày càng tăng lên.

Các hội chợ thương mại hay các cuộc hội thảo hiện nay luôn tràn ngập những lời khuyên cho việc

Vietnam Golf Magazine
September 2013

mở rộng các cơ hội marketing thông qua các mạng xã hội lớn như Facebook, Twitter và Google. Đây là những công cụ marketing rất hiệu quả tại các nước phương Tây.

Các câu lạc bộ golf đã tạo tài khoản Facebook để liên lạc với hội viên của mình và khách vãng lai, cũng như đưa ra các thông tin khuyến mại của mình. Họ cũng sử dụng Twitter để đưa ra những thông báo ngắn gọn súc tích.

Đây là những phương tiện hữu hiệu nhằm giúp gia tăng nhận thức của xa hội về câu lạc bộ và giúp gia tăng lượng người chơi cũng như doanh thu. Mỗi mạng xã hội này đã trở thành một phần quan trọng trong chiến lược marketing thường xuyên của các câu lạc bộ.

 Tuy nhiên, cần lưu ý một điều quan trọng rằng không phải ở quốc gia nào bạn cũng có thể truy cập được vào các trang mạng xa hội này một cách thoải mái. Ví dụ, ở Trung Quốc, các trang này đều bị chặn. Có thể những người am hiểu về công nghệ thông tin vẫn có thể tìm cách truy cập được vào các trang này nhưng điều đó có thể dẫn đến hậu quả không mong muốn. Do đó, phần lớn mọi người ở đây đều sử dụng một trang mạng xã hội dành riêng cho họ.

Ước tính có đến 597 triệu người tại Trung Quốc đang tham gia vào cá trang mạng xã hội. 10 trang mạng xã hội hàng đầu của quốc gia này có 3,2 tỷ tài khoản cá nhân và số lượng người chia sẽ qua các trang mạng xã hội đã tăng 60% năm 2012.

Một thống kê khác cũng chỉ ra rằng 91% số người sử dụng internet tại Trung Quốc đều có tài khoản mạng xã hội, so với tỷ lệ 67% tại châu Mỹ.

Và không có gì ngạc nhiên khi hầu hết các sân golf ở Trung Quốc đều sử dụng các mạng xã hội một cách tích cực để tiếp cận các golfer. Trung bình, mỗi người sử dụng Internet ở Trung Quốc bỏ ra 46 phút mỗi ngày để vào các trang mạng xã hội. Điều đó có nghĩa các sân golf có nhiều cơ hội để đưa thông điệp của họ đến với những người chơi golf.

Vây, nếu một người Trung Quốc đang lên kế hoạch ra nước ngoài chơi golf, họ sẽ cân nhắc những điểm đến nào? Chắc hẳn họ sẽ chọn một trong những sân golf mà họ đã từng biết đến thông qua mạng xã hội.

Phần lớn những trao đổi trên các trang mạng xã hội này đều viết bằng tiếng Trung và đây chính là điểm mà các nhà làm kinh doanh cần chú ý nếu họ muốn khai thác thị trường rộng lớn này.

Các hãng hàng không và các tập đoàn kinh doanh khách sạn quốc tế đã và đang nhắm đến khách hàng Trung Quốc bằng cách tạo các tài khoản trên trang mạng xã hội Weibo nổi tiếng của Trung Quốc. Đây chính là một kênh hiệu quả để các hãng kinh doanh thế giới hiểu được nhu cầu và sở thích của các golfer tại Trung Quốc, một thị trường không thể bỏ qua.

Chúng ta đã từng chứng kiến nhiều hoạt động kinh doanh quốc tế đã thất bại chỉ vì phương thức kinh doanh của họ không phù hợp với văn hóa và tập quán địa phương. Đối với các sân golf nước ngoài đang nhắm đến người chơi từ Trung Quốc, họ cần tập trung vào các trang mạng xã hội bạn địa của Trung Quốc. Họ cần tìm hiểu và thích ứng với những yêu cầu của Trung Quốc đối với các mạng truyền thông.

Nhận thấy sự tăng trưởng cao của hoạt động du lịch chơi golf, nhất là từ Trung Quốc, Hiệp Hội Các Nhà Tổ Chức Du Lịch Golf Quốc Tế (IAGTO) đã quyết định tổ chức hội nghị thường niên lầ thứ 3 của mình tại Trung Quốc vào năm 2014.

Theo IAGTO, hội nghị “là một bước tiến quan trọng đối với IAGTO bởi nó sẽ đem đến cơ hội giới thiệu về thị trường golf phát triển nhanh nhất khu vực châu Á Thái Bình Dương, đồng thời cũng là cơ hội cho các tổ chức kinh doanh golf thế giới tiếp cận với số lượng khách du lịch chơi golf tiềm năng khổng lồ tại đây.”

Tóm lại, nếu các sân golf tại Việt nam muốn tăng số lượng khách du lịch chơi golf quốc tế đến với họ, việc đơn giản là hãy mở các tài khoản trên trang mạng xã hội Weibo hay các trang mạng xã hội khác của Trung Quốc để tiếp cận với thị trường khách du lịch chơi golf tăng trưởng nhanh nhất thế giới này.

===== English version =====

Having recently returned from an extensive trip through eight countries in Asia, I’d like to share a few thoughts on using Social Media to reach out to holiday golfers in international market.   It was little more than a year ago that we shared comments on the use of Social Media in golf marketing.   I’d like to be a bit more specific in this issue by addressing how there could be changes in the use of Social Media by courses in Vietnam to reach the large and expanding outbound golf tourism market in China.

Trade shows and conferences are filled with advice on expanding marketing opportunities through the use of the “Big Three”, predominantly Facebook, Twitter and Google.  After all, these have been effective marketing channels in the western world.   

Clubs have created Facebook pages to connect with their members and visiting golfers to post golfing updates and list future promotions.   They've used Twitter for shorter, more time sensitive messages, most likely to promote last-minute specials to fill remaining time slots.

These are effective means to increase the public’s awareness of the club, to increase volume and revenue per round.   Each should be a part of the club’s regular marketing mix.

However, its important to note that Facebook & Twitter are banned in China.    As tech-savvy as I may think I am, it took a bit of work for me to “unblock” Facebook and Twitter while traveling within China.   After a bit of research, I found that I could access both through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) based in Europe or North America.

Using this VPN however, came with a fee of $9 per month.  Not a significant price to open and maintain a marketing channel.   The issue here is not what I would spend, but what the typical citizen of China would do in the same circumstance.  Most likely they would use one of the leading Social Media micro-blogs in China.  These are very similar to Facebook and Twitter, but are much more widely used throughout China.

In crunching the numbers:

China's QQ has 712 million users

Tencent Weibo 507 million users

Sina Weibo 500 million users etc.  

It has been estimated that 597 million people active on social media in China.   The country’s top 10 sites have an amazing 3.2 billion individual accounts.  Social sharing increased by 60% in 2012 alone.

Further statistics show that a staggering 91% of China’s online population have a social media account, compared with only 67% in America.  

Most of China’s golf clubs have been extremely active on these China-based social media sites to reach out to their golfers.  Providing a couple as an example:

Mission Hills Golf Club: http://e.weibo.com/missionhills

Nanfang Golf Club:  http://www.weibo.com/nanfanggolf

    the list goes on....

The average online user in China spends 46 minutes in social networking each day.   That’s a lot of time for a club to get their updated message across to interested golfers.   If they’re planning a weekend getaway outside China, which courses will they consider?   Given the opportunity, they’d most likely visit the course(s) they’ve been networked with.

Agreeably, the exchanges on these micro-blogging sites are predominantly in Chinese and written for readers in China.  But that is precisely the market many courses should be addressing.

International airlines and hotel groups have been addressing the Chinese tourists by creating corporate accounts.   A frequent feed comes in from Air France through their account: http://e.weibo.com/airfrancechina      

International Hotel Group (IHG) also maintains a presence at http://e.weibo.com/210104066    These are effective and personal means for international groups to address the needs and concerns of the golfer in China.   Even a hotel 10KM from me here in Bali uses Chinese Social Media to communicate with their recent guests:  W Retreat Bali posts daily on their account:  http://weibo.com/wbaliseminyak

One site I had been following regularly is CTrip, the China’s leading online travel portal.  http://e.weibo.com/ctrip   During my three weeks traveling through Shenzhen, Shanghai, Qingdao and Beijing, I had regularly been into CTrip’s social media site to check on updates, specials, etc.

We've seen too often where business practices fail to meet the cultural and business practices in another market.    For golf courses outside China who are looking to attract golfers from China, they need to focus attention on these China-based social media platforms.  They need to learn and adapt to China’s social media requirements.

Recognizing the significant growth in golf tourism, particularly from China, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO)  is taking the 3rd annual Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) to China in 2014. 

The IAGTO mentions that it “is an incredibly exciting step for IAGTO because in one fell swoop we will be able to showcase the fastest developing golf and tourism destination in the Asia-Pacific region while simultaneously introducing sellers from across the region to the largest-ever gathering of golf travel buyers from the world’s fastest-growing outbound tourism market – China.”

In a nutshell, the single purpose of this article is to emphasize the importance of embracing China-based micro-blogging and social media sites to reach the world’s fastest growing outbound tourism market.