Key takeaways from The TravMedia Summit Asia 2026 on purpose-led travel, food as a destination, loyalty that earns its keep, and why calm leadership matters when conditions turn uncertain.
Hilton Quang Hanh Onsen Resort. Credit: Hilton
Travel in Asia is moving into a more expensive and more selective phase. Rising fuel costs and broader pricing pressures have made trips harder to price and sell, even as demand remains resilient. People are still traveling, but they are more deliberate about what they book, what they pay for, and what they expect in return.
Across four sessions on traveler behavior, food and beverage, loyalty, and crisis communications at The TravMedia Summit Asia 2026 in Singapore on October 19, one theme kept surfacing: demand remains, but travelers, diners, and members are asking more questions before they commit.
A room on its own is harder to sell than it used to be. A loyalty scheme on its own is less persuasive. A restaurant without a real sense of place is easier to bypass. And when conditions turn uncertain, polished messaging without useful information loses value quickly.
What has changed is not the willingness to spend, but what that spend needs to justify.
For hotel owners, commercial leaders, and destination marketers, that matters because it changes where value is created and defended: in understanding why the guest is coming, making the offer legible before booking, building dining venues locals and visitors would choose on their own, recognizing guests in ways that reduce friction, and communicating with facts when circumstances change fast.
Below are four sessions worth paying attention to, and what they suggest for anyone responsible for filling rooms, defending rate, building loyalty, or protecting brand trust when the market turns less forgiving.
1. A reason for the trip now shapes the booking
Nick Wayland, CEO and Founder of TravMedia, opened the summit by saying, "Southeast Asian travelers are no longer just booking beds for the night. They're looking for valuable benefits across access and experience."
Tejveer Singh Bedi, Vice President of Commercial, Accommodation at Traveloka, described a market that remains active, but one in which travelers are more selective about what feels worth paying for.
Left: Nick Wayland, CEO and Founder of TravMedia; Right: Tejveer Singh Bedi, Vice President of Commercial, Accommodation at Traveloka. Photos by TravMedia
“People really haven’t stopped traveling,” he said. “But they are choosing more carefully.”
That caution is easy enough to understand. Fuel costs have pushed up the price of the entire journey, yet demand has held up. In Singapore, occupancy remains strong at 91.3% year on year, while average room rate has climbed by 1.7%. (July 2026 vs July 2025). Demand is there. It is simply under more scrutiny.
“The purpose actually organizes the choices,” Bedi said, explaining that the reason for the travel dictates the choices and the entire journey.
Traveloka's Southeast Asia Q3 2026 data pointed to a clear regional pattern. Faith and heritage defined the quarter, not as a passing itinerary theme, but as the primary reason people booked.
Accommodation bookings from Indonesia to Mecca in Saudi Arabia rose by more 50% year-on-year, with Jeddah and Madinah also gaining ground as umrah (minor Islamic pilgrimage) travel picked up. From Malaysia, interest in Borobudur in Indonesia—along with related growth in Magelang and Yogyakarta on Java—pointed to the continued appeal of religious and historical itineraries within the region. From Vietnam, bookings to Luang Prabang in Laos more than doubled from a smaller base. The destination is a UNESCO-listed former royal capital where Buddhist temples and historic streets give the trip its shape and purpose.
The same quarter also showed other intentional travel patterns. In Indonesia, domestic momentum centered on road-accessible destinations such as Wonosobo and Magelang in Central Java, suggesting demand for cooler highland and temple-linked breaks closer to home. In Singapore, bookings to Melbourne more than tripled year on year: a cool-weather city break offering a different seasonal rhythm from the tropics.
In Thailand, Chongqing topped the international list once new direct flights made travel easier. In Vietnam, Hangzhou, China, climbed quickly after airlines added direct routes from the country earlier that year.
What these numbers pointed to was not simply that people were still traveling. They showed what was pulling them toward specific routes: faith, heritage, a different season, or a new direct flight.
From Tejveer Singh Bedi’s presentation. Photos by Rhea Vitto Tabora
Value has to be visible before the booking
"As an industry, we need to make sure that the value matches up," Bedi said.
Travelers are not refusing premium pricing. They are refusing premiums they cannot justify. A family paying more for a room wants to know what that higher rate buys them. More space? Better bedding? A guaranteed interconnecting room setup? Breakfast that actually makes the day easier? A reliable transfer after a late event?
That is where hotels still make avoidable mistakes. These details are often buried, inconsistent across channels, or not explained clearly enough to trust the rate.
Make room size, bed setup, connecting-room policy, and family inclusions easy to find.
Package the stay with things that solve real trip needs, whether that is transfers, access, or dining.
Fit the occasion. Match the offer to the reason for travel, whether that is a pilgrimage, a family break, or an event trip.
Protect the essentials: transparent total price, dependable quality, and a clear location advantage.
Test and compare the brand promise on the booking page with what guests say in reviews. Close any mismatch.
If your hotel is still marketing rooms while the guest is buying a reason to travel, you are asking the customer to do too much of the work.
2. Food is now part of the destination choice
The summit’s food panel moved the discussion beyond the familiar claim that food and beverage is “important” and pressed on more useful questions: What kind of hotel dining matters now? Who is it for? And what operating model make it viable?
Moderated by Tony Chisholm, Global SVP Food, Beverage & Entertainment for Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery and Emblems, the session brought together Fontaine Cheng, Regional Dining Editor of Tatler Asia; Nicola Lee, Academy Chair Southeast Asia (South) of The 50 Best Restaurants Asia; and Petr Raba, Vice President Food & Beverage APAC of Marriott International.
Wayland opened with a statistic from Hilton’s 2025 trends research: nearly one in five travelers sometimes travel solely for culinary experiences.
Raba, who oversees about 1,500 restaurants and bars across Marriott’s Asia Pacific portfolio, shared two additional figures worth noting. Based on research they conducted two years ago among high-net-worth travelers across six markets, 88% choose destinations to experience new cuisines, and 81% choose destinations based on award-winning restaurants and bars. He also said that more than 95% of Marriott hotels are seeing increased demand for local signature dishes.
For hotels, this changes the role of the restaurant. In some cases, it no longer just supports hotel operations and guest service. It becomes part of why a guest chooses the destination in the first place.
Travelers want food that tells them where they are
For years, many hotel restaurants in Asia were designed to appeal broadly. The result was a polished sameness: well-executed menus that were easy to market but rarely rooted in place.
That approach is becoming less compelling and less commercially viable. Travelers increasingly want regional dishes, local stories, and restaurants with enough identity to stand on their own beyond the hotel lobby.
Nicola Lee spoke about a shift in markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where "a lot of younger chefs trained abroad and are returning home, putting on the table their version of their childhood memories of family dishes—but elevated—bringing forward the experience they've gained from international restaurants and their international exposure."
Chengdu and Xiamen were highlighted as destinations with strong regional and ancestral food cultures. The Philippines came up repeatedly as a market with growing momentum in both restaurants and bars.
Raba described a Marriott competition across 14 hotels in the Philippines where local chefs created regional versions of pork adobo (pork braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and spices). It sounds simple, but it does several things at once: it celebrates local variation, gives internal culinary talent a platform, and creates a narrative guests can remember.
The speakers reminded hotels not to turn “local” into a lazy marketing adjective. If you talk about culinary roots, provenance, community, or local sourcing, the operation has to back it up. Guests can tell the difference between a restaurant with a real point of view and one that has simply added a few regional references to an otherwise generic concept. This is where credibility matters. If the food story is true, it strengthens the brand. If it is decorative, it dates very quickly.
From the panel’s presentation. Photos by Rhea Vitto Tabora
The restaurant has to work for locals, not just guests
The panel also addressed the influence of social media and AI-driven discovery. TikTok, Instagram, and AI search are now major channels for restaurant discovery. This creates pressure to design for visual impact. However, the speakers cautioned against confusing visibility with loyalty.
A dish or room designed for the camera can generate initial traffic, but it does not necessarily drive repeat business. A better benchmark is whether local diners return when they are not staying upstairs.
That is why Raba argued that hotel restaurants should be treated as independent restaurants that happen to be located inside a hotel. They need their own identity, their own audience, and a reason for city residents to choose them without a hotel room attached.
He suggested aiming for 80% local diners and 20% in-house guests.
That is more than a branding decision. It changes how the concept is built, marketed, and measured. A restaurant designed primarily to serve in-house guests depends on occupancy. A restaurant that becomes part of local dining helps build occupancy. This strategy increases covers, strengthens the hotel’s place in the location, and gives travelers one more reason to choose the property.
The discussion also covered solo dining. As solo travel grows, menu designs, seating layouts, and service styles need to adapt. A table for one should not feel like an inconvenience or an afterthought.
The broader lesson from this session was that a restaurant on property does not automatically give the hotel a competitive advantage. It becomes an edge only when the concept has a clear identity, local relevance, and the consistency to stand on its own without in-house guests filling the room.
3. Loyalty is being rebuilt around value, ease, and recognition
Wayland opened the session by saying that loyalty used to mean points and a free night. Today, he said, travelers want recognition, experiences, and a reason to come back. They are also more willing to switch if they do not get it.
The panel brought together three different models: Accor Plus as a paid subscription, YOTEL as a brand integrating into Hilton Honors, and Travel + Leisure Co. from the vacation ownership side.
Points still matter. But the discussion made clear that points no longer explain the whole relationship.
'Winning the Modern Traveler: How Loyalty Is Being Redefined' panel. From left: moderator Aaron Wong, Founder of The MileLion; panelists Emilie Couton, CEO of Accor Plus; Olivia Donnan, Senior Vice President, Brand, Culture & Growth at YOTEL; and Tony Gothard, VP, Commercial Partnerships & International Marketing at Travel + Leisure Co. Photos by TravMedia
Points may get attention, but the stay still has to work
Olivia Donnan, Senior Vice President, Brand, Culture & Growth of YOTEL, described loyalty through three parts: points, product, and people. Points get a brand into consideration. Product helps the guest decide whether the stay suits them. People shape the lasting impression of the stay.
That feels closer to how guests actually experience loyalty than the old CRM-led view of the category. The program may live in an app or a member dashboard, but guests notice whether the stay is useful, whether the benefits are relevant, and whether the brand recognizes them when they return.
Donnan was careful not to dismiss points. When YOTEL retired its instant-reward model, some members wrote in asking what would happen to their points, even though the program had never offered points. That reaction says a lot about how deeply points still shape expectations.
Paid travel loyalty membership has to prove its value quickly
For Accor Plus, the challenge is more immediate because members pay upfront.
“They want to see the value delivered right away,” said Emilie Couton, CEO of Accor Plus.
During the session, she emphasized immediate, tangible value. She gave a simple example: a member paid A$369 for membership, spent A$2,000 on a trip to Japan, and saved A$550. The math was straightforward. The member did not need the brand to explain why it was worth joining.
Couton said extensive research in October 2026 involving 7,078 consumers across 11 markets informed its revamped paid loyalty program. The most useful finding was that stay benefits and price together accounted for 62% of what drove membership choice.
That helps explain why members are not necessarily asking for more benefits. They are asking for benefits that are easier to understand and use.
Joining and renewing are not driven by the same things
One of the more useful distinctions from the Accor Plus material is the gap between what gets someone to join and what makes them renew.
A member may join for stay savings or complimentary nights. But once they begin using the program, other things start to matter more: how smoothly the benefits work, how often the brand communicates, whether the offer still feels relevant, and whether membership feels like part of a wider relationship rather than a one-off transaction.
According to Accor Plus, the top five factors influencing renewal were:
Cost to renew — 23%
Frequency of communications — 12%
Seamless application of the discount — 10%
Feeling part of the community — 9%
Easy to understand which hotels are part of the program — 7%
Recognition still does a lot of the work
Other panelists emphasized that loyalty now depends heavily on recognition and ease of use.
At YOTEL, Donnan said the brand had to carefully consider what benefits made sense for its guest profile as it integrated into Hilton Honors. Rather than defaulting to free breakfast as a standard elite perk, YOTEL introduced a “My Way” benefit, allowing members to choose between bonus points and F&B credit.
That makes sense for a guest profile that is often short-stay, time-aware, and digitally fluent. Many guests check in at kiosks. In that environment, recognition has to work digitally and in person. If the system fails to identify the guest properly, surface the right benefit, or acknowledge their status, one of the key moments when loyalty becomes visible is lost.
Travel + Leisure Co. offered a different example. Tony Gothard described how a general manager at Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay recognized that male Saudi guests could not use the spa because it employed only female therapists. The hotel hired male therapists so those guests could use the facility in line with their cultural and religious practices.
That is a reminder that recognition is not only about tier or transaction history. It can also mean understanding who the guest is and removing a barrier that would otherwise go unaddressed.
4. Calm is a commercial advantage in a crisis
Phillipa Harrison, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, shared valuable insights on crisis communication. She has led destination marketing through three major crises: Australia’s bushfires, the COVID border closures, and the more recent regional conflict affecting the Gulf.
Phillipa Harrison, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority
She opened with the launch of Tourism Australia’s Matesong in late 2019, a major campaign to attract travelers from the United Kingdom which landed just as bushfire imagery began flooding global screens. Pulling the campaign, she said, was the easy part. Anything else would have been tone deaf. The harder problem was the gap between what was happening on the ground and what the world believed was happening.
A crisis, Harrison highlighted, runs on two narratives at once. One is operational reality: what is closed, what is open, where the disruption is, what still works. The other is confidence: what people saw, what they think they know, and whether they would put their family on a plane.
Those two narratives do not move at the same speed.
Crisis communication experts call the gap the “second catastrophe,” citing the crisis communication framework by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Arlt (tourism researcher and Founder of Meaningful Tourism) and Sven Klawunder (journalist, tourism media expert, and CEO of Flying Media).
It is what happens when a localized event becomes a generalized perception that lingers long after the operational facts change. Bushfires in parts of Australia become the idea that all of Australia is burning. Regional conflict becomes the idea that the whole Middle East is unsafe. Airports reopen. Hotels operate. Guests do not return at the same pace because confidence has not recovered.
That gap is where much of the commercial damage sits.
Harrison’s response was not to talk about optimism or resilience in abstract terms. She offered a 10-part playbook, much of it learned the hard way.
The 10 rules
1. Pause the marketing, not the relationship.
When Matesong became impossible to continue, Tourism Australia pulled the campaign. But it did not disappear from view. The agency stayed close to partners and changed the conversation. During COVID, it redirected its Aussie Specialist trainers to virtual engagement with travel agents, reaching 80,000 in one year instead of the usual 32,000. In Ras Al Khaimah, Harrison said the team paused, delayed, or reduced around 100 co-marketing agreements rather than simply canceling them. The point was to preserve the relationship so recovery had something to build on.
2. Assume the world will see it before you can explain it.
In earlier crises, global audiences first saw events through evening news bulletins. Now they see them through livestreams, social posts, and videos of uneven quality, some of which are false. By the time an official statement is drafted, the perception may already be set.
3. The first six hours set the tone for the next six months.
Harrison referred to what crisis specialists call “The First Six.” In those early hours, the destination is still establishing facts while travelers, trade partners, and media are already drawing conclusions. Waiting for perfect clarity before speaking creates its own risk. The response has to be prepared in advance: who speaks, who gets updated first, and what can be said with confidence in real time.
4. You cannot communicate enough.
One of Harrison’s early lessons came during the bushfires, when a board member told her that the industry had no idea what Tourism Australia was doing, even though the team was working flat out behind the scenes. The issue was not effort. It was visibility. By the time COVID arrived, the organization was sending daily summaries of regulatory changes and running weekly webinars. For hotels and destinations, this is a reminder that silence is rarely interpreted kindly.
5. You are not the source of truth. You are the source of trust.
In a crisis, governments, emergency services, health agencies, and other authorities own the primary facts. A destination’s role is different. It has to gather, verify, translate, and share the information its stakeholders need.
6. Give facts, not slogans.
Harrison said she avoids blanket claims about safety because they promise too much. When asked whether travelers should return to Ras Al Khaimah, she answered with numbers and lived experience: domestic demand had doubled in some months, the first half of the year saw 47% growth, and some source markets were recovering faster than others. That is a more credible form of reassurance than language that sounds polished but vague.
7. Put the number that hurts next to the number that helps.
One of her sharpest lines was that if you share only the good numbers, you lose credibility. Record domestic arrivals matter. So does the fact that other parts of the business may still be sharply down. A more balanced account is generally more credible with readers, the media, and trade partners.
8. Approach recovery as a market-by-market process, not a launch date.
Not every market comes back on the same timeline. Some understand the geography, context, or nuance better than others. Some are simply more risk-sensitive. Harrison said nearby, better-informed markets often recover first, while others may take much longer. Recovery, in other words, rarely happens in a single moment.
9. Fish where the fish are.
In each crisis she has managed, Harrison said, the domestic market helped hold the line. In Australia, domestic travel carried the sector through border closures. In Ras Al Khaimah, it helped support the destination when international demand fell. When one source market disappears, redirect your effort wherever demand still exists.
10. People-first decisions, every single time.
“It’s really important that you look after your people because calm really only works if the whole organization is calm,” Harrison said. A team worried about its job, left in the dark, or absorbing distressed conversations without support cannot project steadiness to guests, partners, or the media. She described putting staff through accidental counselor training because of the emotional weight of the calls and conversations they were handling.
The TravMedia Summit Asia 2026 covered more than these four sessions, but they were enough to bring one commercial reality into focus.
Travelers are still spending. They are simply less willing to spend without a clear reason.
For hotels, that extends well beyond distribution strategy. If guests are buying a reason, not just a room, the offer has to stand out more clearly on its own terms: a trip purpose that feels distinct, food and beverage that deepens the sense of place, a loyalty proposition that is easy to use, and communication that remains truthful and dependable when conditions become less certain.
