At Shanghai Disneyland, Disney stories will come to life at the tallest, largest and most interactive castle at any Disney theme park. It will offer immersive attractions, dining, shopping and spectacular entertainment, and will be the first castle in a Disney theme park that represents all the Disney princesses. (PRNewsFoto/The Walt Disney Company)
SHANGHAI Disney Resort is set to open its doors to guests come June 16. Sited in the Pudong District of Shanghai, this opening will mark Disney’s first destination resort in mainland China.
On opening day, Shanghai Disney Resort will feature six themed lands namely Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland, all centered around the Enchanted Storybook Castle, poised to be the largest and tallest castle of all Disney theme parks.
Outside the theme park, guests can also shop and dine at Disneytown, located adjacent to the entrance, or take a leisurely stroll at the 40-hectare Wishing Star Park.
Accommodation is also available at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel, both located nearby.
“When it opens in June, Shanghai Disney resort will be a one-of-a-kind, world-class destination that is authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese,” said Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company.
THE Philippines hopes to court more Muslim travellers by having at least 50 establishments in Manila, Cebu, Boracay and Davao to become halal-compliant by April 2016.
Assistant tourism secretary Art Boncato said that the Philippines Department of Tourism (DoT) will incentivise companies by paying for the basic cost of halal certification, while also using its resources for promotions via trade missions, advertising and publicity campaigns.
The DoT is currently working with a halal certifier accredited by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos. It is also liaising with Singapore-based CrescentRating, which ranks countries according to how Muslim-friendly they are. The DoT hopes to improve the Philippines’ current ranking on the 47th position from a list of 100 nations.
As well, Boncato wants the country’s Muslim-friendly establishments to be included in a Muslim travel guide being produced by CrescentRating.
Muslim travellers from the Middle East and ASEAN are fast increasing in number, yet there are only a handful of halal-certified venues in the Philippines, added Boncato.
BOMBS and gunfire rang out in central Jakarta today as militants suspected to be affiliated with Islamic State (IS) attacked the Indonesian capital, leaving at least six dead, some reports indicate.
Local media reports that the first explosion went off at 10.50 outside a Starbucks located at the Skyline building adjacent to Sarinah department store on Jalan M.H. Thamrin. Another blast went off at a police post located on the street junction.
The area is frequented by tourists and local office workers alike. A UN building, embassies and the central bank also reside nearby.
Helicopters, armored vehicles and police snipers, among hundreds of other security personnel, were deployed.
Credit: TMC Polda Metro Jaya
Gunfights between the assailants and police also took place and authorities have sealed off the surroundings, leaving Jakarta’s usually crowded streets eerily empty. Police and bomb squads were seen earlier entering the Skyline building to flush out the attackers.
“We have previously received a threat from IS that Indonesia will be the spotlight,” said police spokesman Anton Charliyan according to Reuters.
Further media reports indicate police have taken down all of the attackers and that one of the dead was a Canadian national and another a police officer.
Clarence Tan, senior vice president development AMEA, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
THE number of Asian professionals who head development for international chains in their own region can be counted on one hand.
Clarence Tan has no development background and is the first Asian to be appointed senior vice president development AMEA at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), replacing Paul Logan who retired January 1 after 25 years at the role.
In this Newsmaker interview, Tan tells Raini Hamdi why Asians are rising to the top of their professions in the region, how IHG grooms leaders horizontally, and challenges and opportunities for expansion in the region in the coming months.
Clarence Tan, senior vice president development AMEA, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
You joined IHG Asia-Pacific in 2004 as head of finance. Why does it make sense that you’re its head of development AMEA today? A lot of it is due to us looking to connect the dots for hotel owners and investors. Today, why someone like me makes sense is because there are lots of cross-regional flows of capital – China to Singapore, India to somewhere else, and so on. Cross-referrals from IHG China, for instance, have been tremendous for IHG AMEA; we now have Chinese investing in Africa, or Hong Kong developers investing outside China.
Having been in China, Japan, South-east Asia, having the ability to speak Mandarin and Chinese dialects, and having the cultural sensitivity and operational know-how in the different countries in the region, I could connect those dots better.
How did you journey from finance to development? I joined IHG in January 2004 as CFO Asia-Pacific, at the time including Greater China (now an autonomous region). Since 2009, I started supporting Jan (Smits, CEO AMEA) in Singapore in operations while remaining head of finance. In 2011, I was relocated to Tokyo to head up the second phase of the joint venture IHG bought into in 2007. In 2013, I was relocated to Bangkok to set up our South-east Asia resorts plan and launch the Holiday Inn Express.
In Tokyo, just after I arrived, the tsunami hit; in Bangkok, it was the red/yellow shirts riots and the floods. So I became somewhat of an ‘expert’ at crisis-handling. My time in both places up to 2014 were spent more on recovering the business, then Paul (Logan) made the call to retire and I was earmarked for the role.
Why? I think a lot of it had to do with how I interacted with the regional and global team, operations members and owners. I’ve always been operational and commercial in my approach. They (Smits and Logan) felt confident I could converse with owners, GMs and our corporate functions globally, besides having the financial acumen. With my experience, I’m able to say, yes, I’ve been there, I’ve held owners’ hands, GMs’ hands and I know what exactly you’re talking about and offer solutions.
That’s important especially in emerging markets. The whole thing about development is building relationships and trust. So I may not look or ‘smell’ like a developer, but I’ve the DNA to be one, plus I’m inheriting a very strong team that Paul has built. So a huge part of my job is to ensure the team gets good directions, coaching, leadership to achieve our ambitions.
So was 2014 to 2015 ‘training’ and handover from Paul to you? Actually it is a long, planned transition, the idea being for me to take bite sized portions of the regions (north Asia/South-east Asia) and gain more confidence, learn new skills, manage challenges, etc.
Then since mid 2014, Paul started coaching me strategically, things like when an opportunity is real, when not to get excited – he’s my fall back and I grew more confident. It’s like learning to drive, you have the instructor next to you at first.
For a company like ours, whenever we lose a senior leader like Tony South (Logan’s predecessor) or Paul, it’s comforting to have someone from within to step into those shoes and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the region.
I would have loved to spend more time in operations but in a company like ours, mobility, moving internal resources is important.
What was the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt since then? The power of listening – to not give immediate feedback. That’s a challenge because in finance or operations, if an owner said, I’ve got this issue, the finance or operations guy will say, this is how you solve it, it’s quite direct.
In development, it’s quite different because often the owners do not even know the real issue of what they are trying to address. So you need to allow the owner to share his thoughts and you need to listen first. Especially the new relationships where partners are ‘shopping’ before deciding who to go with. They are judging your opinions, answers, whether you’re the best brand fit, etc – you can’t just cut the conversation short. On top of it, you need to be culturally sensitive and aware. How I engage a Middle East owner will be different from the Indian or Thai owner – the three powerhouses of AMEA are all different.
AMEA is a huge area. Which countries specifically are expected to be the star areas for you? In terms of emerging markets, India and Indonesia are exciting. In India, we have 23 hotels in operation and a pipeline of 47 hotels, mostly Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express to open in the next five years. That’s net growth over seven years, as we exited properties that didn’t represent us well when their contracts expired.
We’ve also been successful in conversions, and our other brands are getting recognised. Recently, for instance, we introduced Crowne Plaza into Chennai (the property was formerly under Starwood Hotels & Resorts) and opened an Inter-Continental in Chennai.
Indonesia too remains big for us because of the growing middle class. Our portfolio is small – 16 hotels in operation – but we have 27 in the pipeline to open in the next five years.
But Indonesia has a lot of homegrowns that focus on mid-range and budget.
Yes, the Tauzia’s, Santika’s Panorama’s – hundreds of brands can be good for consumers. But our strength is delivering a consistent brand experience that people know what to expect of. They know that the experience in Bali is not different from that in Bandung, save of course for the local nuances, food, scent, etc.
What about the Middle East, especially with new tensions in the region? There are pockets of skirmishes. Saudi Arabia is both opportunity and risk. We’re still anchoring ourselves there with the biggest Holiday Inn in the world in Mecca.
Dubai will always be important as it connects key cities within a matter of eight hours. We introduced our second InterContinental there, InterContinental Dubai Marina, which is also the latest expression of the brand. Clients today have their own version of luxury, different from their parents’ generation, so our brand needs to evolve.
The market in Dubai traditionally is upper class and luxury but we feel it is opening up, thereby giving us a room to grow our midscale, select service and boutique brands. We have already three Hotel Indigos in the pipeline, to open this year and next year. The days of just pure luxury for Dubai are slowing down.
Speaking of boutique brands, will you be introducing Kimpton to AMEA? With the acquisition of Kimpton, IHG is the largest player of boutique hotels in the world, with 126 properties in operation (62 Kimpton hotels at the point of acquisition last year, two Even hotels and the rest Indigo hotels) and a pipeline of 200 hotels. We spent the last nine months understanding the DNA of Kimpton. It’s a strong design-led hotel with great F&B offerings.
Doesn’t that cut into Indigo? No. From a rate perspective, Kimpton is above Crowne Plaza and closer to InterContinental.
We want to grow it selectively. It’s very precious – in Jan’s words, it’d be like marrying his daughter off. The brand is predominantly in the US so we need to find the right partner to take it outside the US and set the right tone for it. We’re looking at key cities only – the likes of Singapore, Tokyo, Jakarta – and resort locations. I’m confident we will sign one or two this year.
But overall all we’re seeing are bad news everywhere.
The climate is indeed tough. But we live in a cyclical industry and we’ve learnt to absorb crises, currency or financial or whatever. There is also always a counter-balance, one country may be a bit more of a challenge, another turns to be less. In stressful times, reliable brands look more appealing than when the market is hot and booming; it’s easier to convince owners to do conversions.
ONLINE marketing initiatives and sales promotions for the 576-room Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila in Bonifacio Global City that had begun long before its scheduled opening on March 1 this year, have led to strong expressions of interest from local and overseas MICE planners.
In an interview with TTGmice e-Weekly, the hotel’s general manager, John Rice, said hard hat tours for interested parties and available rate structure and meeting packages have allowed the hotel to “submit our offers and negotiate for high potential leads”.
While the Shangri-La brand needed little introduction, Rice’s team made an awareness campaign their “first order of business”. It touted its extensive conference and meeting spaces – 21 in total and said to be the city’s largest collection – among other selling points, drawing the attention of event planners.
The Grand Ballroom, measuring 1,800m², and other function rooms are inspired by a jewelry box and outfitted with Lasvit chandeliers that resemble a necklace and wall panels that look like brooches.
Rice expects “good demand particularly from within the Bonifacio Global City accounts, as there is a very limited supply of meeting venues and (five-star) hotel rooms in the area”, with the brand and facility size drawing mostly “corporate and social milestone events”.
“We will also be the venue of choice for our exciting and creative meeting packages and services, courtesy of the on-trend facilities this comprehensive complex will have the flexibility to offer,” he added.
Shangri-La at the Fort intends to leverage its close proximity to Kerry Sports Manila, a 8,000m² sports complex across levels five and six within the same mixed-use development, to court sports events and corporate programmes that desire some action.
“Sports is popular locally, particularly basketball and badminton which Kerry Sports Manila will have the facility to host through The Arena, an NBA-grade indoor basketball court which can be converted into a badminton court. Our multiple training zones and the Adventure Zone may also be the venue for teambuilding exercises, family-bonding activities and themed breaks,” said Rice.
Meanwhile, Rice hopes that the country’s successful hosting of the 2015 APEC meetings in Manila will “put us back on the map of new MICE destinations”.
SINGAPORE Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) has enhanced its Inspire Great China 2.0 events assistance scheme with three new partners – Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Leisure Group and Singapore Turf Club – in a bid to drive stronger MICE traffic from Greater China.
The programme has three tiers – basic, value and premium – and aims to promote Singapore’s unique attractions by packaging curated itineraries that appeal to visitors from the region. Applicants may apply before the end of 2016 and travel to Singapore before March 31, 2017.
Director of SECB, Low See Peng, said: “M&I groups are accorded VIP treatment with complimentary exclusive one-of-a-kind experiences. It’s an upgraded version with tailor-made offers from our new partners.”
For instance, the premier tier – available to groups with more than 400 pax staying at least two nights in Singapore – will see partners like the Singapore Turf Club offering a complimentary light buffet, free-flow soft drinks, a guided tour to the parade ring, a workshop on “how to pick the winner”, and admission to the racecourse.
Low said the programme will introduce distinctive events and experiences in Singapore to fend off keen competition.
“We’ll keep fine-tuning and see which ones are popular,” he added.
Gardens by the Bay’s assistant director of events venue sales, Aloysius Tang, said: “We have zero incentives from Hong Kong so there is definitely room to grow.”
Last December, SECB led a delegation of 15 suppliers to Hong Kong and met with some 50 key MICE agents.
A SERIES of intimate interviews with personalities from around the globe, produced by Saxton Speakers Bureau, will be a highlight at AIME this year.
The Saxton Up Close and Personal sessions, held over six sessions on February 23 and 24, will provide attendees with in-depth knowledge and first-hand accounts of international business, the meaning of courage, entrepreneurship and technology, connectivity in the world, small business innovation and the high performance team.
Nanette Moulton, director of Saxton Speakers Bureau, said the line-up of speakers was thoughtfully curated to deliver an engaging programme.
“Set to inspire and delight, these sessions are a unique way for the business events community to get up close and personal with renowned international speakers on topics that really matter.
“We are delighted to showcase the talents of Richard Gerver, who is coming from the UK. His transformative approach to leading change and innovation will offer unique insights for the business events community.
“Plus, Australia’s embodiment of inspiration, Turia Pitt, will share her incredible story of drive, determination and persistence after receiving burns to 65% of her body in 2011 and recovering from more than 200 operations. Her ‘never give up’ motto will inspire change in every visitor,” said Moulton.
Ian Wainwright, event director – AIME, Reed Travel Exhibitions, expressed delight in partnering with Saxton to deliver these stories as part of the annual tradeshow’s AIME Knowledge Program.
“The AIME Knowledge Program centres on seven key themes, including Inspiration from Outside; Saxton speakers come from outside the business events industry and will share challenges, motivations and successes from a variety of personal and professional scenarios,” said Wainwright.
He added that the Saxton Up Close and Personal sessions provide “a great opportunity for those in the business events industry who regularly seek new and inspiring talents for events of all shapes and sizes”.
AIME 2016 wil be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
PENANG State Government has appointed Ashwin Gunasekeran as CEO to set up and head its Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), a non-profit organisation aimed at developing and growing the Malaysian city’s MICE industry.
PCEB’s primary roles will be to assist and facilitate MICE stakeholders and community at large in its marketing initiatives, and to provide services that enhance the quality of the MICE client’s experience in Penang.
The bureau will be Penang’s focal point for coordinating all MICE activities, where it will also serve as the chief liaison to all levels of government departments for support. It will also work closely with the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau to bid for MICE events in Penang.
Mint Leong, managing director of Sunflower Holidays, said: “Setting up a state convention and exhibition bureau is a step in the right direction. It will provide more exposure to Penang as a MICE destination and indirectly, this will make it easier for us to promote Penang and to have events there.”
Prior to his new role, Ashwin was the assistant vice president of group sales and marketing with Themed Attractions, Resorts & Hotels. Being a Penangite, he knows the destination well and had served as the marketing manager at Penang Tourism Action Council for seven years, from 2003.
IN LIGHT of recent worldwide events, Hotel Reservation Service’s Todd Arthur urges companies to place more emphasis on business traveller security as part of the business’ duty of care.
Back in 2015, reports of terrorist threats and attacks dominated global headlines. Back in August, Bangkok experienced its worst ever bombing and then in November, terrorists struck multiple locations across Paris, triggering the US government to issue a worldwide travel warning. In both of these attacks, victims came from all over the world – locals, expats, tourists and business travellers. As the year ended, several capital cities were on high alert. Beijing was under partial lockdown and Austrian authorities stepped up security across Vienna.
The UK Foreign Office currently ranks 30 countries as having a high risk of terrorism. These include popular business travel destinations including Australia, Indonesia, India and several countries in Western Europe. However, this high-risk environment has not weakened demand for business travel. The Global Business Travel Association forecasts an 11 per cent increase in business travel between 2015-2016, with business travel in India and China projected to grow at double digit rates.
Individuals inherently face increased risk when abroad – whether it is simply not speaking the same language, or being unfamiliar with the location, customs, or laws. Though terrorism tends to be top of mind, results from a 2015 survey by YouGov revealed that the top risks to business travellers were road traffic accidents, crime and data theft.
Unsurprisingly, natural disasters also present an imminent threat of major travel disruption, particularly in Asia. According to the UN, a person living in Asia-Pacific is twice as likely to be affected by a natural disaster compared to a person in Africa, almost six times as likely as compared to someone from Latin America, and 30 times more likely to suffer from a disaster as compared to someone in North America or Europe.
Regardless of the risk scenario, companies should have in place robust travel risk management policies that enable them to provide urgent assistance in a crisis. At the forefront of any business’ effective travel risk mitigation strategy, is a recognised legal duty of care to employees inclusive of clear procedures to respond rapidly in a risky situation. A company’s failure to provide an employee with the necessary assistance – be it emergency medical care, a timely evacuation, or even providing a regular flow of information – could create legal liability and reputational damage, ultimately impacting profits.
Fortunately, there are sufficient tools to help companies manage travel risk. Apart from allowing a company to assess trips in accordance with its risk appetite, these tools provide an instant snapshot of every executive travelling to a certain city, all of their onward movements via real-time traveller tracking using GPS, the hotels they reside in and specialist crisis services such as medical care or evacuation. By implementing these tools, leading businesses can demonstrate they take their duty of care seriously, and differentiate themselves from others.
Previously, a majority of established hotels in Asia were not found in designated corporate travel booking systems, which explained why employees arranged their travels independently. This gave rise to situations where businesses were unable to effectively track which flights its employees were taking, or which hotels they had chosen to stay in.
Ensuring employees book through designated booking channels allows for an accurate picture of their location, and having on hand data that can be pushed to the company’s emergency medical provider – which can eventually be used to rearrange transport alternatives for employees if flights are cancelled or airports closed.
The frequency of catastrophic events in recent years provides clear impetus for business leaders to be proactive about protecting their employees. Without adequate travel risk policies, employers are unable to fulfil their duty of care in time of crisis and only risk damaging consequences for their employees.
– Todd Arthur is the managing director, Asia-Pacific of Hotel Reservation Service. HRS is a global hotel solutions provider with more than 40,000 corporate customers worldwide. His core responsibilities include setting the business direction, driving organic growth with new and existing customers across APAC markets, establishing strategic partnerships, and talent development. www.hrs.com
DIETHELM Travel Group has recently appointed Karen Davidson as sales director – UK, US and Scandinavia.
Davidson is based in London and will be managing sales efforts across the three regions and maintaining client relationships in her new role.
Prior to the appointment, Davidson was Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts’ director of business development for 16 years where she oversaw leisure marketing within the UK and Ireland.
Credit: TMC Polda Metro Jaya
Todd Arthur is the managing director, Asia-Pacific of Hotel Reservation Service. HRS is a global hotel solutions provider with more than 40,000 corporate customers worldwide. His core responsibilities include setting the business direction, driving organic growth with new and existing customers across APAC markets, establishing strategic partnerships, and talent development. 
