Market analyst Euromonitor International has stated that the Asia-Pacific region could lose out on the lucrative East European tourist trade if it does not take action soon. The outbound traffic originating from East Europe could get diverted to places in the Middle East and Latin America. The number of tourists emanating from East Europe grew to 96 million in 2006, which is a 30% increase over the 1999 figures. The growth in the number of tourists from Eastern Europe is accompanied by an increase in the amount of spending by tourists from this region. Outbound expenditure by tourists from the Eastern European nations has grown a staggering 90% in the period from 1999 and 2006.
If Asian countries are to succeed in attracting tourists from Eastern Europe, they need to overcome issues related to language and price sensitivity of east Europeans as compared to tourists from Western Europe and North America. The way out is to train hotel and travel-related staff in East European languages, print brochures in those languages, and develop more mid-tier travel packages and mid-range accommodation options. This is where places like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia score over places like Singapore and Hong Kong. Read more