The start of the year has been a bit of a rollercoaster for Stuba but bookings are now rolling in, says visiting Stuba and Go Global’s sales manager for APAC Rebecca Day, as she details what’s trending in this market.
Speaking with Travel Today, Day says the Middle East war impacted sales in Mar and Apr, but that in May bookings are rising again. Overall, she says sales are up around 35% in created bookings year-on-year.
Shorter destinations are popular for Kiwis, with Day reporting increased demand for Australia and the Pacific, though bookings for Europe are also coming in. “I would say definitely closer to home is where we are seeing the strength so far this year,” she adds.
India, too, is trending, and Day says there’s a lot of bookings to some of the higher Middle East countries like Kazakstan, and a lot of movie-inspired travel. “We’re always going to be getting the traditional city stays and beach stays, especially from the Kiwis going to Samoa and Fiji and Bali and places like that, but there is a real interest in some of the adventurous travel too.”
. . . AI Tools
As to what’s next for Stuba, Day says agents will slowly start to see new functionality stuba.com from its parent company Yanolja Group.
This includes using Artificial Intelligence to consolidate reviews, so agents know what past guests rated most about a property, which will help narrow down property searches, including bringing trending properties to the top based on what agents locally are booking. More AI-powered advancements will also emerge built around agent feedback.
While there is plenty of focus on tech and AI, the human touch remains important, says Day, who adds that agents will continue to see Stuba at roadshows and events.
“We love seeing agents,” says Day. “There is change going on in the world, and we just want to make sure we’re here and we can do whatever we can to help and support those agents at all times.”
Stuba has a Christchurch-based team and two Kiwi bdms and Day says there are plans to expand the team.
“That human touch is something really important to us as a company,” she says.
“We really do care about who they are and what they’re doing, and we care about the industry, and that’s why we’re going to stick around.”
