SITE top incentive award welcomes applications

June 27, 2016

APPLICATIONS are now open for the 2016 Crystal Awards programme by SITE, which aims to recognise exceptional incentive travel events.

The Awards is open to companies and organisations worldwide that are involved in the sales, planning, marketing and/or operations of incentive travel events, and they need not be a SITE member.

Events held between May 1 2015 and April 30 2016 are eligible.

Entries will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges in areas including return on investment, creativity, mechanics, sustainability, cost management and overcoming implementation challenges.

The following categories are available for entry:
• Distinctive Destination: Best Destination-Based Incentive Travel Program
• Excellence in Incentive Travel: North America
• Excellence in Incentive Travel: Latin America & Caribbean
• Excellence in Incentive Travel: Europe
• Excellence in Incentive Travel: Asia Pacific
• Excellence in Incentive Travel: Africa/Middle East
• Best Business Solutions: Most Effective Incentive Marketing Campaign
• Responsible Experiences: Most Impactful Effort Toward Corporate Social Responsibility as Part of an Incentive Travel Program or Most Environmentally Sustainable Incentive Program

To submit an application, fill out the online application form (https://app.reviewr.com/s1/site/crystalawards).

Applicants will be notified about their status in August and winners will be announced at the Crystal Awards Ceremony, sponsored by IMEX Group, during the SITE Global Conference, November 5-7 in Panama.

After visa pact, Myanmar agents form more Singapore packages

By Sid Dhartha

June 27, 2016

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Groups of tourists pose before the Marina Bay skyline in Singapore

OUTBOUND tour operators in Myanmar are planning to add more Singapore packages in anticipation of increased traffic to the city-state after visa exemption is established between the two nations earlier this month.

The 30-day visa-free travel agreement will take effect from December 1.

Lynn Zaw Wai Mang, managing director of Unique Asia Ticketing and Tour said more people from Myanmar are heading to Singapore for their vacations and numbers are expected to soar when visa exemption kicks in. “I estimate visitation to Singapore will grow about 40 per cent from now,” he said.

Sai Khan Hlaing, founder of Air Tour Myanmar, also estimates a similar growth trajectory. He said: “There is no doubt that more Myanmarese will be travelling to Singapore and I’m sure the number will increase by more than 40 per cent.”

According to Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Myanmar Airways International (MAI), plans are also in place to raise the number of flights to Singapore from Yangon and Mandalay. Current airlines flying the Yangon-Singapore route include SIA, SilkAir, Jetstar, MAI, Myanmar National Airlines and AirAsia.

Singapore is the most recent ASEAN country to establish an open visa relationship with Myanmar. Meanwhile, Malaysia is the only remaining South-east Asian nation without an open visa pact with Myanmar.

Deal Travel agent licence suspended indefinitely

By TTG Asia

June 27, 2016

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THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has suspended the travel agent licence of Deal Travel, effective since June 4 till further notice.

STB stated that the decision was made because Deal Travel had failed to submit documents to verify its compliance with minimum financial requirements as mandated under Singapore’s Travel Agents Regulations. The tourism board had also received complaints from the agency’s business partners regarding payments owed by Deal Travel.

While the company is no longer allowed to accept new bookings, it is still required to fulfil existing contractual obligations to its current customers.

STB encourages affected consumers to contact Deal Travel directly for any enquiries, and in the event appropriate service is not rendered, should approach their personal insurance providers for help.

SIA plane catches fire after making emergency landing

By TTG Asia

June 27, 2016

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Right wing of SQ368 on fire after emergency landing. Photo: Lee Bee Yee

A SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) flight enroute to Milan from Singapore this morning caught fire after being forced to make an emergency return to Changi Airport. All passengers are unharmed.

According to a statement by SIA, flight SQ368 took off at around 02.05am but had to turn back after pilots detected an engine warning. The Boeing 777-300ER safely landed at about 06.50am but its right wing went ablaze shortly after with all 222 passengers and 19 crew still onboard.

Airport emergency services were activated and put out the flames caused by a fuel leak. Passengers then disembarked via stairs with no one injured. SIA said that passengers will be transferred to another aircraft which is expected to depart for Milan on the same day.

“Singapore Airlines will be co-operating fully with the authorities in their investigations,” SIA added.

Grab and Lyft integrate their ride-sharing platforms

By TTG Asia

June 24, 2016

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PRIVATE car hire companies Grab and Lyft have joined forces to integrate each other’s platforms into their own, granting users access to a combined pool of taxi and private car hires without having to download both apps.

Grab is strong in the South-east Asian market, having operations in 30 cities spread across six countries, while Lyft is popular and available in over 200 US cities.

The advantage of the two-way integration is that it enables international travellers access to local on-demand rides using the app they are accustomed to and the payment option they already have set up, whether by Paypal or credit card.

This offering is part of a larger deal made public in December 2015 where companies Grab, Lyft, Didi Chuxing and Ola will jointly embark in a four-way integration, granting travellers from South-east Asia, the US, China and India easy access to sharing economy car hire services in each other’s markets.

According to a joint statement by Grab and Lyft, the eventual partnership with Didi Chuxing and Ola will allow them to serve almost 50 per cent of the world’s population in totality.

New hotel openings: June 20 to 24, 2016

By TTG Asia

June 24, 2016

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The latest hotel openings and announcements made this week

Pan Pacific Hanoi
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) is set to debut the Pan Pacific brand in Vietnam in Q4 this year with the opening of Pan Pacific Hanoi. The property, currently operated as Sofitel Plaza Hanoi, will be rebranded from October 1 after refurbishments to the lobby, lobby bar, all-day dining restaurant and meeting space. The hotel boasts 273 guestrooms and 56 serviced suites, and is located by the city’s centrally-located West Lake. A Pan Pacific Yangon is also slated to open in 2017.

Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts will be opening its fourth hotel in Hong Kong on Kowloon’s vibrant waterfront with a 545-key Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong, scheduled for a December launch. The 16-storey property features harbour views for over 60 per cent of its guestrooms. Five F&B options will be available, as well as MICE facilities including a 1,756m2 Grand Ballroom that seats 1,030 pax banquet style and 17 meeting spaces that can accommodate between 30 to 660 people. Other facilities include outdoor areas, a swimming pool, fitness centre and retail options. Bookings open in September.

Artotel Sanur, Bali
Homegrown brand Artotel Indonesia has opened its third property, the 89-room Artotel Sanur, Bali, located a 25 minutes drive away from Ngurah Rai International Airport. Akin to other Artotel properties, this latest development features design elements by local artists. Amenities include an all-day dining restaurant and bar, a meeting space that caters up to 100 pax, a rooftop pool and bar, and its signature Artspace gallery.

Ramada Incheon
Wyndham Hotel Group has opened Ramada Incheon in South Korea, located a 30-minute drive from Incheon International Airport, through a franchise agreement with hotel owner Sorae Hotel AMC. Of its 245 rooms, five feature traditional Korean-style accommodations and another five are children-themed suites. Facilities at the hotel include an all-day buffet restaurant, sky lounge and bar, fitness centre, VIP lounge, rooftop spa and whirlpool hot tubs as well as a grand ballroom. Wyndham had also recently opened the 116-room Days Hotel Dongtan.

Nida Rooms turns to Via.com to broaden distribution

By TTG Asia

June 24, 2016

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ONLINE hotel reseller Nida Rooms has partnered with OTA and wholesale platform Via.com in a bid to widen its distribution capabilities.

Before joining the 90,000 resellers in the Via.com network, Nida had been selling mainly through its website and mobile apps.

Nida had also recently launched in the Philippines with a 200-hotel inventory, and travel agents and customers alike can access those properties onVia.com.

Commenting on Nida’s growing inventory, its CEO, Kaneswaran Avili, said: “In a short span of eight months, we have secured over 3,500 hotel partners located strategically throughout Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.”

He added: “We will be continuously expanding our reach in Asia with immediate plans to penetrate markets like Vietnam.”

Nida Rooms has over 3,500 hotel partners with over 800 hotels in Malaysia, over 1,500 in Thailand, over 1,000 in Indonesia, and recently over 200 in the Philippines.

ASEAN charts ecotourism roadmap with Pakse Declaration

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

June 24, 2016

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ASEAN tourism ministers and top executives linking hands at the opening ceremony of AEF 2016

THE first-ever ASEAN Ecotourism Forum (AEF), currently held in Laos’ Pakse from June 21-25, has brought together tourism ministers and senior executives from the 10 ASEAN member countries plus China, Japan and South Korea to discuss regional cooperation regarding sustainable tourism development.

Speaking during the forum’s opening on Tuesday, Bosengkham Vongdara, minister of information, culture and tourism of Laos, said that it was “appropriate and timely for ASEAN to closely join hands in realising the new ASEAN Vision 2025 and ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025”.

Lim Hong Lim, deputy secretary general of ASEAN, believes that the ASEAN 2025 roadmap – which places a greater emphasis on human capital development and inclusive growth in the next phase following the advent of AEC last year – will also “have a bearing on ecotourism development” in the region.

One clear manifestation of the AEF is the adoption of the Pakse Declaration on ASEAN Roadmap for Strategic Development of Ecotourism Clusters and Tourism Corridors, which will be submitted to the head of states for adoption during the 28^th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane in September, as one of the key deliverables under Laos’ ASEAN chairmanship this year.

The Pakse Declaration is conceived to “set the foundation for a regional coordinated roadmap to strategically identify, plan and develop a trans-regional network of ecotourism sites linked to major intra-ASEAN transportation routes”, Bosengkham remarked.

The development of these ecotourism clusters and tourism corridors seeks to facilitate cross-border travel as well as travel into rural areas and nature reserves; unlock economic opportunities along overland and waterways; create employment opportunities; revitalise idle natural resources; and transform impoverished areas, announced the ASEAN tourism ministers and head of delegates in a joint media statement.

As well, the importance of connectivity and partnerships for the development of the regional ecotourism landscape was underscored throughout the AEF, with the trade urging private-sector players like AirAsia to link up secondary destinations like Pakse and government to further relax visa requirements for international visitors to ASEAN.

The three-day forum also includes the Green Tourism Exhibition, which features more than 80 display booths, as well as technical tours to attractions like Vat Phou and the 4000 Islands Wetland Area in southern Laos.

BBTF to go beyond being an inbound tradeshow

By Mimi Hudoyo

June 24, 2016

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Arief Yahya being escorted around BBTF at the opening yesterday

INBOUND travel mart Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) will be transforming into an international travel show next year.

The plan is for the show’s fourth edition in 2017 to no longer just be a platform for Indonesian travel players to sell products to international buyers, but also to allow sellers from overseas to market their products in Indonesia.

“We will initially invite sellers from neighbouring ASEAN countries (before expanding to other regions),” said I Ketut Ardana, chairman of BBTF 2016.

Indonesia’s minister of tourism Arief Yahya had previously requested for BBTF toexpand into an international event.

Speaking to the media at the opening of BBTF yesterday, Arief said: “With 80 per cent of buyers at this event being international buyers, we can say that BBTF is (already) an international show. Moving forward, the best choice for Indonesia is to grow BBTF to be bigger or even the biggest event in the world by making it an international marketplace where international sellers are invited to participate.”

Based on the estimated business values from ITB Berlin 2016 and BBTF 2016, which are around US$500 million each, Arief said growing BBTF will be more beneficial for Indonesia.

“At BBTF we are the organiser, the show owner, while at ITB Berlin we are just a participant.
The event is organised in Indonesia, which means that those international participants are visitors to the country. They get the chance to see, experience and spend their money in the country,” he explained.

“Transactions between buyers and sellers will happen anyway, and it is better that these deals are taking place here in Indonesia.”

BBTF 2016, which takes place from June 22-26, attracted 222 buyers from 30 countries and 154 sellers from Bali and 20 provinces beyond the island destination.

Network aims to set global ecotourism standards for Asia

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

June 24, 2016

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Masaru Takayama, founder of Japan Ecolodge Association

THE absence of an authoritative body to represent the voices of ecotourism and sustainable tourism players in Asia was what drove Masaru Takayama, founder of Japan Ecolodge Association and responsible tour outfit Spirit of Japan, to spearhead the formation of the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN) last year.

“We want to create new synergy and networking opportunities for AEN stakeholders,” said Takayama, who chairs AEN. “We seek to provide and educate them with modern learning tools, training opportunities and marketing influence, and emphasise the importance of embracing global standards.”

Located in Bangkok under the care of Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (a government agency under the Office of the Prime Minister), the network also boasts satellite offices in India, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia.

Moving forward, certification will be a key focus for AEN, Takayama informed. The year-old network has entered into a partnership with Global Sustainable Tourism Council and set up as an internal committee to look at setting up global ecotourism standards for Asia within the next year.

Explaining the need for AEN to create its own certification standards, Takayama remarked: “There are a lot of (sustainable tourism) standards but they are usually developed by the EU or the US. We want standards for Asia by Asians.”

Besides seeking to influence the supply chain and improve industry standards through training programmes, B2B marketing and tradeshow participation will also form major objectives of AEN in developing stronger relationships.

Since its launch in June 2015, AEN now comprises 20 experts from 17 countries, with members hailing from the academia, NGOs, ecolodges and resorts, tour operators, and lodging and guiding associations.

“We are still looking for representatives in Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Central Asia and the Pacific Islands,” Takayama added.

SITE top incentive award welcomes applications

After visa pact, Myanmar agents form more Singapore packages

Deal Travel agent licence suspended indefinitely

SIA plane catches fire after making emergency landing

Grab and Lyft integrate their ride-sharing platforms

New hotel openings: June 20 to 24, 2016

Nida Rooms turns to Via.com to broaden distribution

ASEAN charts ecotourism roadmap with Pakse Declaration

BBTF to go beyond being an inbound tradeshow

Network aims to set global ecotourism standards for Asia

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