US-BASED Choice Hotels International has named Aviareps its general sales agent in Asia with immediate effect.
Specifically, Aviareps will manage Choice’s presence in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
The tourism, aviation and hospitality representation company is thus responsible for sales, marketing, PR, voucher issuance and ticketing activities on behalf of Choice Hotels in those markets.
AN UPDATED tourism campaign promising greater private-sector input and budget for tradeshow participation and advertising has drawn flak from trade players that TTG Asia e-Daily spoke to.
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) last Monday announced the appointment of a new board of directors with equal representation from the government and the private sector.
Organisations focusing on the same markets would be grouped into clusters for promotion efforts, confirmed Mahen Kariyawasam, president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tourist Operators, who said this happened at an SLTPB meeting.
The NTO has also earmarked Sri Lankan Rs1.2 billion (US$9 million) for trade fairs and events, while chairman Rohantha Athukorala said the bureau plans to appoint an advertising, PR and research agencies to better promote the country.
But the trade is disappointed. Chaminda Dias, managing director at DMC Luxe Asia, said that while there were a few changes, the tourism campaign remains essentially the same. “We’ll have to wait and see how it evolves to make a judgement call, he said.
The owner of a small hotel, who declined to be named, pointed out that small-scale hotels, guesthouses or shops are not represented on the new SLTPB board of directors even though they contribute heavily to tourism.
Meanwhile Dharma Dharmapala, CEO at the sports and adventure specialist Lanka Sportreizen, criticised Sri Lanka’s decision to discontinue the operation of Sri Lankan Tourism offices in the UK, Germany and France eight years ago.
“We need these specialised offices to properly market Sri Lanka as a destination,” he said, also highlighting the board’s promotion in the Russian market. “While China was showing results, Russia was not and we were spending too much money there.”
Besides, other more fundamental issues have also not been resolved. MHA Raheem, president of the Tourism Association of Arugam Bay, said it had been over a month since senior bureau officials promised to resolve land ownership issues there and clean up the beaches.
“We are still waiting for solutions,” he said.
TOKYO Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (TCVB) Business Events Team has launched a new guidebook aimed at corporate clients and event planners that introduces the Japanese capital’s attractions for meetings & incentives.
The Tokyo Corporate Meetings & Incentive Travel Booklet features traditional activities like a Noh drama workshop, sumo stable visit and sushi-making, as well as wellness options like meditation and even ninja training.
Taiko drumming and competitive cooking are spotlighted as top teambuilding ideas and planners looking for party venues can consider rooftop banquet rooms or cruiseliners as mentioned in the booklet.
Sample itineraries and special offers by TCVB are also included.
The booklet is available here or contact the Business Events Team at businessevents[at]tcvb.or.jp for your free printed copy.
OVATION of the Seas will become the fifth Royal Caribbean International ship to homeport in Greater China this April.
Royal Caribbean’s third Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas, is currently under construction but will homeport in Tianjin for its inaugural season.
Its maiden sailings include a 52-night Global Odyssey from Southampton in the UK to Tianjin, open for sale from today.
The voyage can be broken up into five separate itineraries: a seven-night sailing from Southampton to Barcelona; a 16-night cruise from Barcelona to Dubai via the Suez Canal; a 14-night journey through Asia, departing Dubai and arriving in Singapore; a short, three-night Malaysia cruise round-trip from Singapore; and another Asian exploration linking Singapore to Tianjin over 12 nights.
Speaking at yesterday’s Beijing press conference, Royal Caribbean president and CEO, Michael Bayley, said that cruising is growing in popularity among Chinese consumers.
“We are furthering our commitment by bringing two of the world’s newest and most advanced Quantum-class cruise ships to the region,” he said, referring to Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas.
The latter will be stationed in Shanghai alongside Mariner of the Seas, while Voyager of the Seas will sail from Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. On the other hand, Legend of the Seas will operate a number of itineraries out of Tianjin before heading to homeport Xiamen for the rest of the season.
CONGRESS Rental Singapore (CRS) introduced a ‘revolutionary’ conference system with multi-tasking capabilities last month.
Called the Bosch DCN Multimedia Conference System the sleek tablet-size gadget provides audio, video and multimedia content, Internet access, participant touch-screen capabilities, superior audio quality, and IP based on OMNEO architecture.
The system is recommended for U-shape or hollow-square meeting configurations, but can also be used by head-table attendees to view video presentations without having to turn around.
Customer categories CRS is recommending the new system for include government agencies, corporate, and associations meetings. Jeremy Ducklin, managing director, said the product was used at meetings in the banking and finance sector in Singapore and Tokyo this year.
He added that CRS is the only company that carries the Bosch DCN for rental in the region but it is exploring the possibility of launching the system in Malaysia.
THE Health Inspector Union of Sarawak Health Department (HIUS) is organising the International Environmental Health Conference in Kuching this October.
This inaugural conference, themed Threats To Health: Uncovering Issues, Challenges and Prevention for a Healthier Environment, Safer World, is expected to attract more than 1,000 delegates, both local and international, said Sabri Sahari, president of HIUS.
The two-day conference starts on October 27 and will be held at Pullman Kuching. It will include plenary sessions and symposiums only for delegates, as well as exhibitions and CSR activities that will be open to the public.
Plenary and symposium sessions will include topics on environmental health management and enforcement, critical issues pertaining to global health, pollution, climate change, trans-boundary and non-communicable diseases, genetically modified food and organisms, world environmental problems as well as best practices in occupational safety and health, among others.
Meanwhile, exhibitions will be held at both Pullman Kuching Hotel and the adjoining Hills Shopping Mall.
CSR activities will include free health checks and screenings.
THE organisers of the annual SingaPlural, the anchor event of Singapore Design Week, are on a hunt for a new home next year, as this year’s venue – 99 Beach Road, the former Beach Road Police Station – will go on sale next month.
Organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) since 2012 and held in conjuction with International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show, The Décor Show and Hospitality 360°, SingaPlural was hosted at multiple venues across Singapore in previous editions. This year, however, main programmes were held in a single location.
Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly in an interview, chairman of SingaPlural 2015 and vice president of SFIC, Mark Yong, explained that having key activities in a single venue allowed for a better concentration of visitor traffic, closer interaction between exhibitors and visitors, and a longer stay by attendees.
Attendance figures were unavailable at press time.
The former Beach Road Police Station, which sat vacant for more than two years, was chosen as it provided a “raw canvas” of a backdrop for the design installations.
“The venue is very important, as sometimes we need it to be there before content can flow in,” Yong said, adding that while Singapore has many convention venues, and hotels and malls with event spaces, these are “too glossy” and will take away the “flavour of the installations”.
“Singapore is land-scarce and it is very hard to find the right space. In fact, we looked at 15 locations before setting our hearts on 99 Beach Road this year. We will speak with the Singapore Land Authority and other parties for venue ideas. It could be an old school, or perhaps the Gilman Barracks,” said Yong.
IN WHAT is a step backwards in South Africa’s campaign for more Indian tourists, South African Airways (SAA) is shutting down its thrice-weekly Mumbai-Johannesburg direct service.
The airline’s country head, Sajid Khan, said this is part of SAA’s ongoing network optimisation exercise and a critical aspect of its long-term turnaround strategy.
TTG Asia e-Daily understands that the cessation stems from losses made on the route.
Tour operators selling the destination are understandably displeased by the development and Subhash Motwani, director of Mumbai-based Namaste Tourism, expects the cancellation of direct flights “may have an adverse affect on business”.
“Also, as it increases travel time to Johannesburg, people may opt for European destinations,” Motwani added.
Meanwhile, other challenges to South African travel exist. “We are specialised in selling luxury products, and getting visas for our clients still remains a challenge, in some cases it even takes more than 15 days,” stated Ramesh Godia, CEO of Varun Worldwide Vacations.
However, SAA will codeshare on 12 flights with Etihad and Jet Airways to connect Indian passengers from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Trivandrum to Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi.
South Africa is courting traffic from India and has engaged South African former cricketer Jhonty Rhodes as brand ambassador. It held a briefing for media yesterday and a four-city roadshow last year.
HUA HIN’S inability to fill hotel rooms during the week and an expanding serviced apartments sector are weakening the destination’s ability to become a more sustainable year-round market, new research shows.
Year-on-year occupancy declined four percentage points to 68 per cent last year, according to C9 Hotelworks’ Hua Hin 2014 Hotel Market Update.
Even though the average daily rate increased to US$160, RevPAR declined 1.4 per cent to US$80, compared to the previous year.
The reliance on the domestic weekend market – accounting for 72 per cent of visitors in 2014 – is one of the market’s key limiting factors which recent improvements in infrastructure and attractions have failed to overcome, said Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks.
“A resoundingly strong domestic segment is continuing to spur upward rate growth, which is a trend most evident at upscale beachfront hotels,” he said. “But the inability to fill rooms during the week poses questions over whether an anticipated shift in long-term maturity is possible.”
Hua Hin currently has 9,157 rooms in registered properties with a further 691 keys in the pipeline between now and 2018, though research predicts the expanding condominium and serviced apartments sector will continue to erode performance at traditional hotels.
Barnett said to TTG Asia e-Daily: “The substantial build-up of resort condominiums in Hua Hua and Cha Am will undoubtedly hit midscale hotels the most, in terms of competition by non-traditional hotel supply.”
Recent developments in Hua Hin include the opening of Vana Nava Water Park, which will be expanded to include a 300-room Holiday Inn hotel and a residential unit, while 2016 will see the launch of BluPort Resort Mall.
These private-sector investments will increase Hua Hin’s allure, but other competing Thai destinations also pose a challenge. Barnett added: “Clearly, in the two-horse race between Hua Hin and Pattaya to capture Bangkok’s leisure market the latter holds a wildcard in terms of direct access.”
THE first bricks in building an umbrella body of national societies of association executives in Asia-Pacific have been laid, signifying a breakthrough in efforts to advance the sector and a huge boost to the MICE industry in the region.
The charter was signed yesterday on the sidelines of the American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) inaugural Asia-Pacific conference in Hong Kong, by heads of the Philippine Council for the Advancement of Association Executives (PCAAE), the Korean Society of Association Executives (KSAE), the Associations Forum Australia and the Australasian Society of Association Executives – the only four national societies of association executives currently in the region. ASAE and association leaders from Europe, India and Singapore were also at the meeting.
The move is historic, as its aim is to eventually form an Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organisations and then a global federation, which could in turn see the materialisation of other big dreams as a world congress of association executives.
More urgently, however, it represents a platform where Asia-Pacific association leaders and executives can exchange knowledge and know-how to build efficient and sustainable associations.
The charter was initiated by Octavio Peralta, secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific based in the Philippines, who spearheaded the formation of the PCAAE in November 2013.
Aside from the job being unrecognised as a profession in the region, another huge issue facing Asian associations relates to proper governance and management.
John Peacock, general manager of Associations Forum which has been providing consultancy to Asian associations, said associations in Asia need to seek more professional advice on issues such as governance, incorporation, constitution, management, strategic planning and the like.
In India, 99 per cent of associations do not have a CEO, according to Ajay Kakar, who founded the BITEIN Dental Portal which now has a multi-tier membership fee structure, and who is the president-elect of the International Academy of Periodontology. Kakar said he was talking to ASAE to create a chapter in India.
Association leaders in Malaysia and Singapore also told TTG Asia e-Daily that they wished they had such a society.
Peralta hoped the Hong Kong charter would spawn the birth of more such societies, which would advance the cause for the Asia-Pacific federation.
Greta Kotler, chief global development officer of ASAE, said the leaders could now connect online to further the cause and meet face-to-face a year from now at the second ASAE Great Ideas! Asia-Pacific Conference in Hong Kong next year.
– Full analysis in TTGmice May and TTGAssociations July
