Exhibitors who attended IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific enthused about their positive experiences garnered at this year’s show.

A total of 297 leading destinations, CVBs and corporate brands from around the world including Berlin, Dubai, Jeju, India, Macau, Philippines, Switzerland participated in the 2015 edition, an increase of 14% from the 2014 edition.

Tourism Promotions Board Philippines was thrilled with their participation this year. “The organisers have been spot on with the buyer base and we were very happy with the number of buyers and meetings we had. This year had been exceptionally good for our Philippine sellers because they’ve been sought after by many of the buyers.”

First-time exhibitor Anja Loetscher, Director of Geneva Convention Bureau shared, “This is our first visit to IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific. The Asian region is an important market for us as we notice strong interest in Geneva from incentive buyers. Participating at IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific helps to expand awareness of our destination to more buyers.”

Yegi Kim, Coordinator of Gyeongju CVB who participated at IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific for the first time said, “As a brand-new convention bureau in Korea, attending IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific is an opportunity to introduce ourselves to buyers from around the world. This has been a well-organised event, with high quality buyers in attendance.”

Corporate exhibitors were also in high spirits, having experienced a successful event.

First-time corporate exhibitor Anake Boonjourn, Assistant Sales Manager of Novotel Phuket Resort said, “The PSA system and Buyers profile gave us an insight into the buyers we were going to meet, and it helped in facilitating productive discussions. As a new exhibitor, the exhibition showcase was also a great opportunity for brand exposure.

New exhibitor Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa also gave thumbs up to the exhibition showcase. Sales Manager, Erwan Chandra said, “We have the opportunity to showcase our product, generate more brand awareness, and build new networking and partnerships with the buyers. This was a great show!”

Radisson Blu Cebu that has returned year after year as they reaped results from their continuous participation. “The show helps us to market the Philippine destinations to buyers. We value the MICE potential business we receive each time we attend the show.”

The 2016 early bird promotion ends by 31 Dec 2015. Log on to the website www.itcma.com and find out how to participate at the event OR find out more from the organiser, itcma@ttasia.com

THE owning company of Plantation Bay Resort & Spa has brought the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) to court over the latter’s alleged subjective and unnecessary star rating for tourist accommodations, which had downgraded the Cebu resort’s rating from five to four star.

Emmanuel Gonzalez, Plantation Bay’s founder and managing director, told TTG Asia e-Daily that there were two issues at the heart of the case: should there be a star rating system when most countries have junked it and should a government agency implement such a programme for the private sector?

Describing the star rating system as a flawed one, Gonzalez said the DoT “got incompetent bureaucrats with no understanding of hotels at all to draw up a childish and impossibly complicated checklist, which can be likened to an attempt to evaluate a Picasso by square inch of canvas, and tally up the scores to come to an overall grade for the painting”.

The DoT’s National Accommodation Standards replaces the old system with a one- to five-star rating, based on a point system that rates the quality and condition of a property’s facilities and services. The old system used to classify hotels as economy, standard, first class and deluxe and resorts as A, AA and AAA.

The Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) had earlier asked the DoT to concentrate on the physical aspects and leave out the rating of the service and guest experience as they can be “very subjective”, said board member Jose Mari del Rosario.

Bill Barnett, managing director, C9 Hotelworks hospitality consultancy, said: “Most global destinations are throwing away the star rating. It is irrelevant. A luxury boutique hotel can drop to a four-star rating by the rule of the DoT star rating.”

After a meeting with PHOA officials, tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. wrote PHOA president Arthur Lopez on October 9 saying that he is open to suggestions on improving the rating system. He has also agreed to form a committee “to refine the existing standards, taking into consideration the geographical location and other factors that require the application of different criteria”.

HYATT Regency’s largest marketing campaign, which celebrates how the brand’s properties help guests fully utilise their time away from home, has been extended across Asia-Pacific.

Make the Most of Being Away campaign, which is said to go against the assumption that guests are always looking for a home away from home while travelling, has been adapted for markets in this region and “represents a significant investment in China, Japan, US, UK and India”, said Carina Chorengel, senior vice president of Brands and Commercial Strategy Asia Pacific, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.

“We recognise that English is not always our guests’ first language, so we’ve taken the essence of the global campaign and modified it, to transcend regional borders. We’ll be focusing on helping guests stay connected and be re-energised by introducing some in-hotel events which will be led by our colleagues at Hyatt Regency hotels across the region,” Chorengel elaborated.

“We want to encourage our guests to make new connections as well as stay connected with friends and family, and help them make the most of this time in their lives through sharing their experience with us. One of the ways we’re helping our guests connect is through sharing their experience through social media and art,” she added.

As such, guests in Asia will be invited to participate in 3D art installations at Hyatt Regency Tokyo, Hyatt Regency Suzhou, Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin, Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa and Hyatt Regency Perth. They are also encouraged to connect with family and friends, hotel associates and other guests through the experience.

Working with advertising agent Pereira & O’Dell on the global marketing campaign, Hyatt Regency will produce social, digital, out of home and print media, a surprise and delight programme, in-hotel activations as well as conference take-overs.

TO achieve a stronger footing in the growing Asian cruise market, Celebrity Cruises is expanding its collection of short sailings in the region come 2016 and 2017 to give Asian travellers a taste of what the company can offer in Alaska and Europe where the majority of its deployment is.

A number of themed cruises will be conducted during Asian festive periods such as Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival and extended holiday seasons like the Japanese Golden Week in end-April and the Chinese Golden Week in October.

However, Kelvin Tan, commercial director, Asia Pacific of Celebrity Cruises, is quick to point out that the company “is not becoming an Asian cruise line”.

“Although Celebrity Cruises has been attracting a growing number of affluent Asians to cruise in Alaska, Europe and Caribbean, we realise that the brand is not as familiar among Asians as other cruise brands with ships homeported in this region. To remedy this, we are offering short cruises as a sampler for Asian travellers who’ve not cruised with us,” Tan explained, adding that the ships will feature the same style of entertainment, quality of cuisine and standard of service as those serving the longer cruises farther afield.

Also joining the itinerary in 2016 and 2017 are a seven-night Greece and Italy sailing out of Istanbul, departing June 18 and July 16 next year on the Celebrity Equinox, and several Middle Eastern cruises out of Abu Dhabi on the Celebrity Constellation, calling at Dubai, New Mangalore, Goa and Mumbai (India), and Khasab (Oman). A nine-night programme will depart on December 10, 2016 and January 2, 2017, while A 12-night version will set sail on November 28, 2016. A 14-night option will be available on December 19, 2016.

Tan remarked: “We are pioneers of these programmes. We are the first to offer an Italy and Greece cruise that will be homeported in Istanbul – cruises to this region typically starts out in Italy. We are also the first and only cruise line to homeport in Abu Dhabi. The Middle East cruises are also our first.”

NEW activities will feature in this year’s A Journey Through Time, Asia’s premier watch and jewellery showcase held in Kuala Lumpur, to capture the interest of young collectors locally and abroad.

Highlights include an exclusive Omega watch exhibition, talks on how to build and start a watch collection which will appeal to new collectors, and seminars on the art of fine watchmaking and investment.

A Journey Through Time, organised by Starhill Gallery in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, is one of the events marketed by Tourism Malaysia and it draws high income tourists to the country. It will be held from November 20 to 27.

Inbound specialists told TTG Asia e-Daily that they are looking forward to the event to boost interest from their wealthy clientele.

Adam Kamal, general manager of Olympik Holidays, said: “We plan to use this event as part of our strategy to promote inbound luxury packages. A Journey Through Time has evolved to become a much awaited event for watch aficionados in Asia.”

Kamal, who is also the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association deputy president ll, said the association distributes information on the event to its members to be used as a tool to further promote Malaysia as a destination.

Luxury Tours Malaysia senior manager, Arokia Das, added that “with the ringgit being so low now, this is an ideal opportunity to pick up good deals” at the showcase.

A Journey Through Time is featured in Luxury Tours Malaysia’s high-end itineraries in the Malaysian capital.

KEMPINSKI Hotels has filed criminal charges against its former president and CEO, Swiss-born Reto Wittwer, for alleged fraud and professional misconduct.

Filed in Switzerland, Wittwer was alleged to have channelled funds out of the company “with fraudulent intent and avoiding all internal controls”, including during periods when Kempinski was attempting to make budget cuts and drastic savings on labour costs.

Alejandro Bernabé, CEO of Kempinski, said: “Kempinski, and everyone associated with the company, have been badly let down by someone in whom we placed our full trust. The high responsibilities of executive office and the fundamental values on which Kempinski has carefully built its business have, we believe, been deliberately flouted in the pursuit of personal greed and unlawful gain. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.”

The group said that the decision to take legal action followed a full internal investigation conducted by a third party. “As soon as the company became aware of the suspected fraud, Kempinski conducted a thorough review of its internal controls,” the company said. “A number of changes in terms of internal audit and compliance have been made.

“Kempinski has entire confidence in the Swiss criminal authorities with whom the complaint has been filed, and will fully support the authorities as the criminal complaint follows its due course.”

Kempinski announced on October 30, 2014 that Wittwer had retired after 19 years in the role. In that announcement, it gave a glowing account of Wittwer: “When he joined Kempinski Hotels in 1995 as president & CEO, Wittwer was clear in his vision to grow Kempinski’s portfolio internationally and build the brand. In the nearly 20 years since he was appointed, Wittwer has succeeded in turning around the fortunes of the group, by focusing its offering on luxury hotel management services, and realising an ambitious yet highly selective expansion strategy, growing the portfolio from 21 hotels to the 73 under operation today, with a further 35 under construction or final development. He credits the success of this strategy to the group’s shareholders, who have focused on long-term growth and returns. Today, Kempinski has a truly international portfolio, having entered many markets as pioneers, and recorded the group’s best financial performance in 2012 and exceeded this again in 2013.”

Michael D Selby, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kempinski, had said: “It’s nearly two decades since the shareholders of Kempinski asked Mr Wittwer to make a long-term commitment and help make our joint vision a reality. He’s steered the group through challenges, which other competitors have failed, and Kempinski has weathered the economic crisis thanks to our business model of pure management agreements for hotels in Kempinski’s portfolio. Mr Wittwer really has been part of making Kempinski Hotels the successful company and respected brand it is today. The Supervisory Board of Kempinski AG thanks Mr Wittwer for having dedicated so much of his career to the group, we hope he will stay close in his new role as president emeritus, despite going into a very well deserved retirement.”

However, it has now emerged that Wittwer was asked to leave the company “with immediate effect” after initial suspicions of professional misconduct came to light.

Wittwer could not be reached for comment.

Wittwer was no stranger to Asia, working in the region in his early career days. In 1976, he was director of F&B of The Mandarin Singapore. Two years later he moved to the Peninsula Group in Hong Kong as resident manager. In March 1979 he joined Hyatt International in the capacity of general manager and worked in Canada, Mexico and Indonesia.

Since 2004, a majority stake in Kempinski has been owned by the Thailand Crown Property Bureau. Today, the company is largely a hotel management business, although it continues to own the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich, while holding lease contracts on Hotel Adlon in Berlin, Palais Hansen in Vienna and the Grand Hotel des Bains in St Moritz.

Kempinski currently operates 78 hotels in 33 countries During the last 12 months, Kempinski has opened seven hotels in Myanmar, China, Qatar, Germany, Egypt and Ghana, with a further five expected to open during 2016.

DESPITE earlier resistance from tourism operators, the Maldivian authorities have begun implementing a new Green Tax at US$6 per tourist bed from November 1.

The Green Tax, imposed through an amendment to the Maldives Tourism Act, is payable by tourists who stay in resorts, hotels and tourist vessels. Maldivians and resident permit holders who stay in such properties are exempted, clarified the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority.

Guesthouses are exempted too.

Earlier in January, tourism minister Ahmed Adheeb said the new tax is aimed at protecting the Maldives’ fragile environment. “Revenue generated from the tax will go into managing the waste from local resorts and other islands,” he told local media.

Tourism operators, who declined to be named, have in the past complained of an over-tax regime since 2014. An airport exit tax of US$25 per person came into effect in July last year. While the Maldives discontinued a US$8 tax per bed per night in November last year, Goods and Services Tax rose from eight to 12 per cent that same month.

In related news, official data has shown a rising demand for mid- and lower-end rooms in the high-end destination. Resort occupancy fell by 3.5 per cent in September 2015 while guesthouse occupancy had risen by 7.2 per cent.

Mohamed Ali, vice president of the Association of Travel Agents, said while arrivals are on track this year, many visitors are opting for new mid- and low-end accommodation like guesthouses.

MELIÁ Hotels International is moving into the Thai market after signing an agreement with one of the kingdom’s leading real estate developers, TCC Land Asset World, a move it hopes will lead to 3,000 to 5,000 rooms in the medium term.

The Spanish chain currently has 40 per cent of its upcoming projects in Asia.

The initial accord with TCC Land Asset World, part of the TCC Group, will cover three hotels in a first phase.

“This will represent a new push for expansion in the region,” said a Meliá spokesperson.

Both entities are existing business partners, having launched their first property in the Vietnamese capital, the Meliá Hanoi.

Their new venture in Thailand will begin with Sol Beach House on Koh Samui. A conversion of the existing Imperial Boat Koh Samui, the property is due to reopen within two years with 209 rooms including 33 boat suites which were originally rice barges.

The sites and sizes of the other two hotels are yet to be decided but one will be a luxury lifestyle hotel under the ME label in Bangkok and the other an upmarket, all-inclusive Paradisus brand in a beach location.

Leading Thai destinations such as Phuket and Pattaya have also been earmarked for expansion, while more hotels will likely emerge in Bangkok and Koh Samui.

Gabriel Escarrer, vice president and CEO of Meliá, said: “We have always gone for an expansion accompanied by leading local partners. Entering a destination of such extraordinary potential as Thailand hand in hand with TCC Land Asset World fulfils all our expectations.

“The incorporation of our first hotels in Thailand – a star destination for markets such as Germany, Russia and Eastern Europe – is a transcendental step in the expansion of our holiday brands.”