G HOTEL Penang has appointed hospitality veteran Michael Hanratty as general manager.
Originally from Australia, Hanratty has more than 20 years of experience in international hotel operations, with stints in Hong Kong, Thailand, Dubai, Brunei, Indonesia and Australia. He has worked at properties such as The Fairmont Dubai, InterContinental Bangkok and Conrad International and Treasury Casino Brisbane.
SEVERAL Malaysian MICE players will intensify their marketing reach in China this year, following an encouraging growth in business from the market in 2012.
Observations of improved MICE business from China correspond with Malaysia’s 24.6 per cent rise in Chinese tourist arrivals from 2011 to 2012.
Fu Kei Cheong, general manager of Reliance Conventions & Events, said the company saw a 50 per cent growth in incentives from China last year, as companies and sales staff had been able to meet their targets.
Fu believes that the year ahead looks good, adding that the company’s participation in roadshows organised by the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau to Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai last September had yielded good business leads. Six incentive groups from Guangzhou have been confirmed and are slated to take place this year and the next.
To further business growth out of China, Reliance Conventions & Events will continue to make sales calls through its joint venture office in Shanghai.
Columbia Leisure assistant sales director, Alex Chee, said the company saw a 20 per cent increase in incentives and meetings last year, mostly from Shanghai and Beijing. He anticipates a doubling of business this year, based on strong enquiries and the fact that the company is intensifying its efforts to market in China.
Resorts World Genting, which recorded eight to 10 per cent year-on-year growth in Chinese MICE business last year, is expecting a similar upward trend in 2013. Supporting this projection will be a series of efforts to target high-end MICE planners in China, as well as continued partnerships with major local tour operators who are strong in the Chinese MICE market.
According to Andrew Leong, Resorts World Genting sales & marketing manager, the Chinese MICE market makes up 25 to 30 per cent of the company’s total business.
THE Japanese city of Yokohama will host several major meetings, conventions and exhibitions from across various industries this year, according to the Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB).
In a press statement, YCVB noted that the destination’s calendar of events included the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development from June 1-3. To be held for the second time in Yokohama, the event is expected to draw 3,000 attendees.
Other key conference wins for the year include the 2013 IDF World Dairy Summit, the 18th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology, the 6th International Conference on Fog, Fog Collection and Dew, the 28th International Congress of Chemotherapy and Infection, the 12th International Wheat Genetics Symposium, and the 12th Annual World Congress of the Human Proteome Organisation – the latter being a first win for a Japanese city.
A YCVB spokesperson noted that Yokohama “is also hugely popular with national meetings and exhibitions (and) the city can expect a massive turn out of local visitors”.
For instance, the Japan International Boat Show and the Camera and Photo Imaging Show are expected to welcome 60,000 and 50,000 visitors respectively, while the three-day 77th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society next month will see 10,000 delegates in attendance.
The spokesperson told TTGmice e-Weekly: “One of Yokohama’s strengths is our ability to cater to (large) numbers of attendees, and we are highly successful in this aspect because of various factors including our dual airport accessibility, our flagship venue PACIFICO Yokohama and our facility package in this (accessible) port city.”
WHILE economic challenges are expected to retain the familiar sense of uncertainty among Asian meeting and incentive players, many have stepped into 2013 with greater confidence compared to a year ago.
Echoing the sentiments of most event specialists in this region, Pacific World’s regional director, Singapore and Malaysia, Selina Grocott, said: “2013 is likely to remain challenging with the uncertain global economic outlook (but) we remain optimistic as Asia-Pacific is set to continue to lead in global tourism.”
Jere Tala, director consulting APAC, Advito, said: “In 2012, most companies in Asia-Pacific had continued their spend on meetings and incentives because the region was still seeing business growth. We saw a lot of intra-Asia movements and fewer long-haul trips. This year, companies in the region will continue to spend on meetings and incentives, and again, this region will be self-sufficient.”
However, Asian event experts told TTGmice e-Weekly that familiar obstacles to business growth remained. For instance, profit margins will continue to be impacted by tight budgets and clients’ focus on returns on investment.
E T Quah, owner of Feature Tour Malaysia, noted that clients would not be “splashing out” on meetings and incentives, although a slight “upward shift in budgets for gala dinners and meals” for incentives was expected.
“It will be a pressing year for industry players to continue to balance clients’ increased demand for quality and expectations of value. Strong partnership with vendors, attention to details and creative planning have been some of our focus to ensure the success of an event,” said Grocott.
Tight lead times will also continue to be an issue, with some MICE players saying that bookings will come in only a month in advance.
Koushik Goswami, general manager-outbound, Travelcorp India, said: “Lead times will continue to be nerve-wreckingly short, and there will be last minute changes.”
– Find out how other segments of MICE are expected to unfold this year in Running Strong, TTGmice February/March issue
HILTON Worldwide has opened its second mid-priced Hilton Garden Inn brand hotel in India with the launch of the 201-room Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square.
Operated by Hilton Worldwide and owned by the Baani Group, the hotel sits near prime corporate, commercial and residential districts, and is a 10-minute drive from the DLF Cyber City central business hub.
Business travellers staying at the hotel will enjoy the brand’s signature offerings such as complimentary Internet access, 24-hour complimentary business centre facilities, complimentary remote printing service from the guestroom to the business centre and the 24-hour Pavilion Pantry convenience mart.
Other facilities in the hotel include four meeting rooms and various dining establishments.
“With the launch of this property, Hilton Worldwide now operates seven hotels in Delhi NCR and a total of 12 hotels in the country with a presence in Mumbai, Chennai, Shillim, Vadodara and Goa,” said Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.
“We continue to grow our India portfolio through a multi-brand, multi-partner and high-growth strategy. While we are exploring opportunities across all segments, for which we are well positioned with the six brands we are developing in the country, we are placing significant emphasis on the expansion of our mid-market and focused-service brands, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton, to accommodate the exponentially growing demand for mid-priced hotel rooms in the country”.
THE 125-room Best Western Premier Khaolak Southsea has opened in southern Thailand.
Equipped with luxurious trimmings expected in a five-star property, the new resort boasts a classic design, public areas with natural lighting, an outdoor swimming pool and two restaurants.
There are also event facilities and a 24-hour business centre.
“We are delighted to expand our footprint to yet another fantastic Thai destination,” said Glenn de Souza, Best Western International’s vice president International Operations – Asia & the Middle East.
“The stunning shores of Khao Lak’s Andaman Coast offer some of Asia’s most beautiful beaches, and with a vast array of leisure facilities close-by, including world-class diving sites in the Similan and Surin Islands, this exciting destination has something to offer everyone.”
The Best Western Premier Khaolak Southsea is the hotel company’s 16th property in Thailand, and the fourth to carry the top-of-the-tier brand in the Kingdom.
THE Indian High Commission has rejected an appeal by the Malaysian Indian Tour and Travel Association (MITTA) against the new 30-day maximum stay ruling for Malaysian tourists to India (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 3, 2013).
MITTA sent the appeal to the Indian High Commission on January 17 on the grounds that the ruling was unfair as it was only implemented for Malaysians and not for other nationalities.
However, Indian deputy high commissioner, Aseem R Mahajan, had deemed the ruling as reciprocal as Indian nationals visiting Malaysia on a tourist visa with one-year multiple entry also could not stay for more than 30 days at a time, revealed MITTA president K Thangavelu.
Sree Thar, tour organiser of Ganesh Travel Agencies, said: ““The 30-day ruling is very short. It should be at least 45 days – that would be just nice. With this ruling, we have no choice but to shorten our All India Tour programme, which combines leisure holiday with visits to temples in the north and south of India and is originally 33 days long.
“The ruling will affect Malaysians with relatives in India as some will want to extend their stay and visit their relatives after the tour. To get around the 30-day ruling, they have the option of visiting a neighbouring country for a night or more and then returning to India but they are unlikely to exercise this option as it involves additional airfare and accommodation costs.”
Also affected by this 30-day maximum stay ruling are those of Indian origin in Malaysia with spouse and children in India.
Thangavelu said MITTA was encouraging Malaysians with family members living in India to apply for an entry visa so they can stay continuously in India for up to six months. The entry visa costs RM314 (US$102), almost double the multiple-entry tourist visa at RM162.
CHANGI Airport Group (CAG) will invest S$1.3 billion (US$1 billion) to develop a new terminal and enhance airfield capacity at Singapore’s airport.
Construction of the new Terminal 4 (T4) will begin this year and is expected to be ready in 2017. To be built on the old Budget Terminal site, T4 will be a two-storey building with a height of 25m and a gross floor area of about 160,000m2. With a planned capacity of 16 million passenger movements a year, the new terminal will raise Changi Airport’s handling capacity to 82 million a year.
Designed with the flexibility to meet the operational needs of both regional full service and LCCs, T4 will primarily handle narrow-body aircraft. Aerobridges will be available at the boarding gates, while the airside transfer of passengers and baggage between T4 and the other terminals will also be provided for. The look, feel and ambience of T4 will be comparable to T1 and T2.
T4 will also feature initiatives that increase productivity of resources and improve efficiency of processes. Departure and arrival immigration control as well as pre-boarding security screening will be centralised, baggage sortation will be fully automated while more kiosks will be provided for self check-in, self bag-tagging and self bag-drops.
Meanwhile, additional parking stands as well as supporting airfield infrastructure, security requirements, specialised airport systems, ancillary buildings, and road and drainage works will be constructed.
A 38-hectare land plot south of T3, housing the airport nursery as well as a reservoir, will be converted into an aircraft parking area to house 17 narrow-body and nine wide-body aircraft stands. When completed, the total number of parking stands at Changi Airport will be increased by 24 per cent to more than 180.
THAILAND-based Minor Hotel Group (MHG) has acquired two Life Resorts in Vietnam for US$16 million, strengthening its position in the country’s hospitality sector.
The 96-key Life Heritage Resort Hoi An will become Anantara Hoi An Resort, while the 63-key Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon will be rebranded as Avani Quy Nhon Resort & Spa later this year.
William E Heinecke, chairman and CEO of Minor International, said: “Vietnam is a fascinating country with a rich culture and diverse landscape, and has seen exceptional growth and economic development in recent years.
“These two properties are a great fit for Minor’s hotel portfolio and we are convinced of their continued success and of the country’s bright prospects in the coming years.”
MHG first entered into Vietnam in 1998 through a joint venture in Harbour View Hotel, Hai Phong, followed by the launch of Anantara Mui Ne Resort & Spa in 2011. The group currently has 85 properties in operation across 12 countries.
MYANMAR Airways International (MAI) will launch daily flights between Mandalay and Bangkok using 180-seat Airbus A320 from March 31, marking its second international service from Mandalay after Gaya in north-east India.
The flight will depart Bangkok at 06.30 and arrive at Mandalay International Airport at 07.55. The return flight will depart Mandalay at 08.35 and arrive in Bangkok at 11.00.
“This Mandalay-Bangkok route will be our second international direct flight from Mandalay. We also have plans to fly to Singapore from Mandalay but only after launching this Bangkok route,” said Aye Mra Tha, a MAI spokesperson, adding that demand for flights to and from Mandalay is “really high”.
Until recently, the only international flights to Mandalay were from southern China. In October 2012, Thai AirAsia introduced four weekly services to Mandalay from Bangkok (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 15, 2012) and on January 11 the service was upgraded to daily.
Bangkok Airways will operate four weekly flights to Mandalay from September (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 7, 2013), while Thai Airways International (THAI) is considering servicing the Mandalay route through its regional carrier, THAI Smile.
Meanwhile, new low-cost carrier Golden Myanmar Airlines also has plans to launch flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong from Mandalay.
