FLIGHT Centre is going full swing with its expansion plans in Singapore, revealing that it hopes to grow from the current three to 10 or 12 physical stores within the city-state in the next five years.

“Typically, we would open at least a store a year, sometimes two a year,” said Suyin Lee, managing director of Flight Centre Travel Group, adding that they are looking at a space at The South Beach, as well as scouting for locations at Holland Village and Jurong East.

Despite being in a digital age, brick and mortar establishments are still a big part of the agency’s awareness and service strategies. “Physical stores take up a fair bit of investment, but it is important for our customers to know that we exist and to have that assurance that they can see someone if they need to,” said Lee.

“OTAs bring new challenges in terms of price competitiveness, but at the end of the day, our customers can still book online for point to point fares on our website, and if they have more complex itineraries or if they want to talk to a real person to ask for advice, we offer that and nothing beats face-to-face interaction.”

Lee explained that a greater push into the leisure market here is also expected as a result of opening more retail outlets.

“When Flight Centre first came to Singapore, it was 100 per cent corporate travel. That was how we entered the market. It was only in 2011 when we opened our first physical store, and now, leisure takes up about 25 per cent of our total travel revenue,” she said.

(From left) Sebastian Ebel, CEO, TUI Germany; Lionel Yeo, CEO, Singapore Tourism Board; Wybcke Meier, CEO, TUI Cruises; Michael Witter, ambassador of Germany in Singapore.

TUI Cruises has made Singapore its seasonal homeport and aims to bring thousands of cruise passengers from German-speaking markets to South-east Asia in the next three years.

A joint venture of TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises, TUI Cruises docked the Mein Schiff 1  (“My Ship” in German) at the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal yesterday, its inaugural voyage in Asia.

It has also entered into a partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and the Changi Airport Group with targets to attract over 90,000 cruise passengers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria to South-east Asia in the next three years, generating an estimated S$50 million (US$35.6 million) in tourism receipts.

For this winter season, Mein Schiff 1 will depart on three separate seven-day routes including ports of call in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, with roughly 2,000 guests aboard. Nearly 40,000 passengers are expected in total, spread across 18 calls.

Itineraries have also been planned for the next few winter seasons. “For the coming years, we have already decided to have Singapore as our homeport,” said Wybcke Meyer, CEO of TUI Cruises.

Unlike other cruise operators here, TUI Cruises is chiefly targeting the fly-cruise German-speaking market, added Meyer. “TUI Cruises is made for the German market. We know what the German customer wants while Royal Caribbean knows what the American customer wants,” she said.

THE successful IT&CM China 2015 has spurred returning and new exhibitors to participate at IT&CM China 2016, with many of these exhibitors establishing a bigger presence at the 2016 edition.

“The Chinese outbound market is one of the fastest growing tourism and MICE markets in the world right now. We are in our early stages of promoting Berlin as a leading worldwide MICE destination to the China market, thus it is imperative to gather market knowledge, keep track with market trends and meet partners from the Chinese industry face-to-face. IT&CM China has proven to be a good platform in achieving these goals last year, so we are looking forward to be in Shanghai again in 2016,” shared Ralf Ostendorf, Director Market Management of Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH.

One of the booths at IT&CM China 2015.

Elaborating why they have loyally supported the event year after year, Melvyn Yap, Regional Director, Asia of Silversea Cruises said, “We have been a supporter of IT&CM China since its inception. We will continue to support this event as the quality of buyers has been improving over the years.”

Zulkefli Hj. Sharif, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) concurred, “MyCEB has continuously supported IT&CM China because it provides Malaysia with an opportunity to reach out to the Chinese buyers. Our participation in the 2016 show enables us to tap into the China, Taiwan and Hong Kong market. Through this year’s participation, we are confident we will be able to showcase the best of Malaysia’s meetings and incentive capabilities.”

MEET Taiwan has pledged its support for the show, with a 30% increase in their pavilion. Lily Su, Director added, “The increase in popularity of Taiwan’s MICE environment resulted in a surge of industry partners interested in participating at IT&CM China. To entice more MICE visitors to Taiwan, several local governments will be providing various incentives for international buyers, and MEET Taiwan will also kick off its latest awards programs at the 2016 show.”

Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau is also establishing a larger presence at the 2016 edition, with a 30% increase in suppliers at their 90sqm pavilion. Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau said, “China has been one of Thailand’s top market sources for MICE travelers. With a rapid growth in China’s economy and meeting industry, Thailand continues to remain as the favorite destination for this market. In addition, our constant participation has reaped excellent results. IT&CM China is a good platform for us to meet with international and leading Chinese players, and to gain more business leads. Moreover, this event is also a platform to present Thailand’s brand communications campaign 2016 “Thailand CONNECT…. Our Heart Your World”, showing Thailand is not only a unique destination at the HEART of ASEAN and an unparalleled business hub at the HEART of  both the emerging Asian region and the global marketplace, but also a thriving hub, where passionate people offer seamless service from the HEART, and with an unforgettable smile.”

Bobby Ong, Vice President, Sales & Marketing of Accor Hospitality commented on their 5^thyear participation, “Our past participation has constantly reaped results where we secured new leads and businesses from the one-to-one appointments we have with the buyers. As we continue to grow our Accor brand, IT&CM China is the platform where we are able to build brand exposure for our new hotels.”

“This is our 3^rd year participating at IT&CM China, which has constantly proved its substance in delivering both quality buyers and exhibitors. Our annual participation has helped strengthened our relationships with buyers, and also raised HNA brand awareness. IT&CM China is an excellent publicity platform that supports our fast growing hospitality brands”, said Xiao Xi, Brand Media Manager.

“IT&CM China is a key trade platform for Minor Hotel Group to showcase our six hotel brands located in major MICE destinations and catch up on the latest business trends. In addition, IT&CM China allows us to connect to key partners and prospect new potential business based out of China and the rest of Asia”, said Tommy Lai, Area Director of Sales & Marketing, China of Minor Hotel Group.

“IT&CM China delivers unparalleled buyer profile including international and leading Chinese players in the MICE industry. This is a good opportunity to promote and increase Chimelong’s brand exposure in the market”, commented a representative from Chimelong Hotel.

Reputed for its track record of 80% Chinese buyers to 20% international buyers ratio, IT&CM China’s strength lies in the organisers’ network and resources to reach valuable segments that both international and domestic exhibitors desire.

Ooi Peng Ee, General Manager of TTG Events commented, “The Chinese market continues to be an important source of meetings and incentive buyers for many of our exhibitors. Our business appointment system, structured one-to-one business meetings, and superb networking sessions have constantly been highly rated by exhibitors as an excellent way to reach out to quality Chinese buyers they want to meet.”

Speaking highly of IT&CM China, first-time exhibitor Gabrielle Angriani, Marketing Manager of Indonesia Convention Exhibition said, “Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) would like to build the a stronger networking relationship with MICE industry in China. We are looking forward to meeting with qualified buyers and establish good working relationships with them.”

New exhibitor Chiang Hui-Ching, Director General of Taitung County Government shares the same excitement, “IT&CM China is the largest and the leading international MICE event in China. It will be a great platform for us to showcase Taitung to the world. The focus of our exhibition is to promote Taitung’s culture and traditions, ecotourism, sports tourism, spas and wellness and MICE business. Our exhibition at IT&CM China provides the opportunity for Taitung to take center stage as a worldwide attraction.”

For more information on IT&CM China, visit www.itcmchina.com

THE Best Western Premier La Grande Hotel will be open in Bandung December 1, the first Best Western-branded property in the city.

Located near the business, retail and entertainment areas, the upscale hotel offers 193 rooms and suites equipped with flat-screen TVs, mini-bars and free Wi-Fi.

Facilities include eight meeting rooms, a business centre, spa, swimming pool and a fully-equipped fitness centre. There is also a restaurant that serves Indonesian, Asian and international cuisine.

Best Western Premier La Grande Hotel will be the 16th Best Western hotel in Indonesia.