Accor is to make its debut in the backpacker market,
initially with three backpacker 'hostels' in Auckland, Rotorua and
Wellington, and with a number of other sites under consideration in the
rest of New Zealand and Australia.
Accor will be the first major hotel group to enter the backpacker market
and will do so with the aim of providing contemporary backpacker-style
accommodation but with more consistent and reliable operations. Accor will
enter the market with product that meets the four main criteria of
backpacker travellers - prime locations, good-value prices, and high
levels of safety and cleanliness.
A new brand name will be launched soon for the backpacker's initiative,
which will be rolled out over the next twelve months with a combination of
new developments and management takeovers.
All Accor backpacker hostels will be staffed by specialists in the area,
with a 24 hours a day/7 days a week operation designed specifically for
the needs of contemporary backpackers.
The first backpacker hostel signed is in Auckland and is being developed
out of a heritage building located on Fort Street in the heart of the
city's backpacker and entertainment strip. The 435-beds hostel will
comprise 40 en suite bedrooms and 355 beds in share-rooms of mainly four
to six beds. The hostel will also include a bar and café area with regular
entertainment and activities, self-cooking facilities, and a travel
centre, which will provide internet and job search facilities, as well as
assistance for visa applications, banking, CVs, and other clerical
services.
The second hostel signed is in Wellington in Cambridge Terrace, off
Courtney Place, in the heart of the the city's most popular restaurant,
entertainment and backpacker district. The 298-beds hostel will be
developed out of heritage-listed 1930s art deco building, the King George
Building, and will be the city's newest and best fitted-out backpackers
hostel.
A third hostel is being finalised in Rotorua, which is a popular location
on the backpackers trail in New Zealand. Final discussions are taking
place, but the hostel is already operating as backpacker's accommodation
and is regarded as the city's best located hostel, with the widest range
of facilities and activities for its guests.
Other key destinations in New Zealand for Accor's backpacker chain include
Christchurch and Queenstown. Following the roll-out of the New Zealand
network, Accor will look to establish a similarly extensive network of
hostels in Australia, with Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, the
Whitsundays, Adelaide, Darwin, Broome and Perth amongst the targeted
locations.
Latest surveys show that in both Australia and New Zealand, the backpacker
sector is the fastest growing of the tourism market. Between 1993 - 1999
the number of backpackers visiting Australia grew at a rate of 14.5% p.a.
(Jones Lang Lasalle). In the twelve months to June 2000, 423,400
backpackers visited Australia, generating 29 million nights or 26% of
total international visitor nights. In New Zealand, the sector grew at an
annual rate of over 11% for the year to March 2002, and the market
represents a total of 3.6 million room nights annually.
Commenting on the launch of the backpacker initiative, Accor Managing
Director for Australia/New Zealand, Michael Issenberg, said that the
backpacker sector had not only proved itself to be the most resilient in
the market, but also the sector with the greatest potential for future
growth and diversification.
"The backpacker travel experience is a very different one from that of the
traditional tourist, who books an all-inclusive holiday package and stays
in hotels," he said. "And all the evidence suggests that more and more
travellers - irrespective of their financial status and even age - are
choosing to travel this way because of the lifestyle aspects of the
experience.
"Our aim is not to change the backpacker experience, but rather to make it
better and more reliable.
"Until now, most backpacker accommodation demand has been channeled into
unbranded, low quality backpacker motels and hostels due to the lack of
quality branded accommodation, but Accor is set to change that with a
globally branded and professionally managed operation that will attract
even more travellers to the sector.
"Our first two hostels in Auckland and Wellington are typical of the
product we are planning to offer. Both have great character, in the best
locations, and will have the best facilities and service in their
respective markets.
"New Zealand and Australia have been chosen as the global test-ground for
the concept because they have the most sophisticated backpacker market in
the world. Accor is already the largest accommodation group in the region
and we will be able to utilise some of our systems for marketing and
reservations, while employing experienced backpacker operators to manage
the various hostels.
"The backpacker segment is a logical progression for Accor, as we already
are the leaders in providing accommodation for the economy and budget
sectors, and recently we entered the youth market with the first-ever
Contiki Resort in Australia."
Mr Issenberg said that the principal markets for the backpacker hostels
will be UK, Europe, America and the domestic region, but growth was also
anticipated from Japan and the rest of Asia. |
