WITH close to 100 corporate travel buyers hailing from India, Indonesia, Singapore, China and Malaysia, CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 will once again offer unparalleled opportunities for networking and engaging the top procurers and decision makers of business travel solutions.

This year’s event has attracted buying representatives from internationally renowned organisations like Accenture (Indonesia), Apple, Bosch, Flextronics International, Lenovo, and Unilever Industries, as a result of a solid 2-day programme featuring relevant conference topics, coveted expert speakers and a comprehensive array of procurement and networking sessions. Among the line-up of business travel solution providers and sponsors who will be there to network and engage buyers include HRS, Frasers Hospitality, Oakwood Worldwide, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Carey International.

Conference passes that allow unlimited access to all CTW Asia-Pacific educational sessions, as well as most networking events are still on sale.

Email ctwapac@ttgasia.com with promo code CTWAPAC15 to enjoy 15 per cent savings.

There really is no reason for you not to be at CTW Asia-Pacific 2015.

Credit: Starwood Hotels and Resorts

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced the signing of The Kiroro, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Hokkaido, which marks the company’s first foray into Asia-Pacific under the Tribute brand.

Owned by Kiroro Resort Holdings, the hotel is located at the Kiroro Resort in Western Hokkaido, Japan, and is part of a dual signing with the Sheraton Hokkaido Kiroro Resort, both scheduled to open in December 2015.

Located at the base of the ski mountain, The Kiroro offers 282 guest rooms and suites, with recreational facilities such as a gym and swimming pool.

The hotel features four different restaurants and bars ranging from international cuisine offerings to Italian dining at the signature restaurant to casual buffet and a la carte dishes at the café.

For event planners, there is 1,400m² of function space, including a grand ballroom and four smaller meeting rooms.

The Kiroro is located 90 minutes away from New Chitose Airport and a 40-minute ride from Otaru city via a free shuttle bus.

Artist’s impression of the lobby. Credit: Milial Resort Hotels

MILIAL Resort Hotels has revealed that a new property – the Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel – is slated for a June 2016 opening in the Shin-Urayasu area near Tokyo Disney Resort.

The 702-room hotel marks the fourth Disney hotel to operate in Japan alongside the Disney Ambassador Hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta and Tokyo Disneyland Hotel.

According to a statement, the decision was made to develop a new hotel as the existing Disney properties have a high annual occupancy rate of over 90 per cent.

The three billion yen (US$25.1 million) Tokyo Disney Celebration Hotel will be redeveloped from the existing Palm and Fountain Terrace Hotel by Brighton Corporation.

In preparation for the new hotel, the two buildings of the Palm & Fountain Terrace Hotel will close separately; the Fountain Terrace Hotel will close on February 27, 2016 while the Palm Terrace Hotel will close on June 1, 2016.

Credit: Radisson Blu

CREATIVE stimulation is the focus of Radisson Blu’s new Experience Meetings programme, which was rolled out across the brand’s properties in Asia-Pacific this week following its implementation in other regions last year.

Designed to improve the effectiveness of meetings, the programme emphasises innovations in F&B, changes to the spatial environment as well as advancements in meeting technology.

“We want to offer something different and edgy with our Experience Meetings programme, to give meeting planners a bigger bang for their buck,” said Sandy Russell, vice president, commercial operations at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Asia-Pacific.

Experience Meetings feature Brain Box, a break-out room concept which creates a stimulating atmosphere through the use of bright colours and flexible furniture to boost creativity, encourage active participation and enhance delegate interaction.

Flexibility will be a key tenet of Brain Box, according to Russell, allowing for different room set-ups. For example, having discussions while sitting on swings hanging from the ceiling could pave way for easier conflict resolutions. Meeting sizes should also not exceed 50 pax in order to harness the creative room concept effectively, she added.

Another key feature of Experience Meetings is Brain Food, a culinary concept developed in consultation with nutrition experts and chefs to emphasise the use of fresh, locally sourced ingredients while maintaining great taste, low fat content and low added sugar. The result is food that helps delegates experience optimal concentration and minimal fatigue during meetings.

Additionally, Experience Meetings offers free Internet access and automatically purchases carbon credits to offset the estimated carbon footprint of every event.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily during the concept showcase at Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok on September 1, the hotel’s director of catering Chomwan Paoratsamee revealed that the programme has already been put to work by “more adventurous” Thai companies like SCG Paper.

Noting that Thai corporates are still more inclined to request for conventional meeting set-ups, Chomwan added: “We will actively promote Experience Meetings, especially to design companies and the more health-conscious segments.”

However, a more enthusiastic response is expected in India where “customers are open to new concepts”, said Russell who led the showcase to New Delhi two days later.

About 25 per cent of the business in Radisson Blu hotels in India is generated by the MICE segment, and “the country is poised for exponential growth in (this) sector”, she remarked.

Additional reporting from Rohit Kaul

INTERNATIONAL visitor arrivals and expenditure to Australia for the year ending June 2015 have reached new records.

According to the latest International Visitor Survey by Tourism Research Australia, international visitor numbers increased seven per cent to a new high of 6.6 million while spending grew 10 per cent to a record A$33.4 million (US$23.4 million) – the strongest growth since the Sydney Olympic Games in 2001.

Visitor nights also increased by eight per cent to 236 million, with holiday arrivals increasing five per cent to 2.9 million and those visiting friends and relatives up by six per cent to 1.8 million.

Australia’s top five markets by spend this year consists of China, the US, New Zealand, the UK and Japan. The countries that recorded growth were China (up 22 per cent to 864,000), the US (up nine per cent to 544,000) and New Zealand (up three per cent 1.2 million). Visitors from the UK (629,000) and Japan (297,000) remained steady.

Due to the ICC Cricket World Cup hosted in Australia and New Zealand this year, visitor numbers from India rose 20 per cent to 207,000, which moves the country three places up to become Australia’s eighth largest source market. India’s trip spend grew 39 per cent and exceeded A$1 billion for the first time.

Credit: 123rf

A NUMBER of confirmed bookings for premium economy seats on Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 flights may be rescheduled due to delays in seat installations.

According to a statement, affected travel periods are from September 9, 2015 to January 29, 2016.

“We are sorry that there has been a delay in the installation programme for the premium economy class on some of the A380s,” said an SIA spokesperson. “We know that our customers are eagerly anticipating this product and are working to complete the installation works as quickly as possible.”

Travellers affected by the delays will be contacted by SIA officials or travel consultants to provide them with alternative travel arrangements.

Refer to SIA’s website for a full list of affected flights.

Credit: NokScoot

THAI LCC NokScoot has revealed a new route between Bangkok and Taipei starting October 25 with a frequency of four flights a week.

The route will be operated by a Boeing 777-200, which can accommodate up to 415 passengers consisting of 24 seats in business class and 391 in economy.

Flights will leave Don Mueang International Airport every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with return flights from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

The airline is currently offering promotional round-trip fares starting from 3,222 baht (US$90), inclusive of tax and surcharges. The offer is only valid for travellers who book from now until September 8, 2015 with a travel period between October 25, 2015 to March 26, 2016.