Philippines lifted by Asian surge in cruising activity

January 22, 2015

THE Philippines is reaping the rewards of a growing interest in sea travel in Asia, especially as more cruise ships are calling at ports in the region.

Wally Cervantes, vice president and general manager of Arpan Air, which represents Royal Caribbean Cruises in the Philippines, commented that cruise operators are bringing more ships to the region and looking for new destinations to call at.

“(The Philippines is) a beneficiary of that upsurge, not only as a destination but also as a source market,” he said, sharing that the company will welcome seven ships this year in comparison with last year’s three.

Scheduled cruises in 2015 will stop in 10 ports including Manila, Boracay and Puerto Princesa, but some cruise lines are considering options in the country’s north.

Next month, the 1,814-pax Celebrity Century will make its maiden call at Manila and Boracay as part of a 14-day Vietnam-Philippines itinerary on a round trip from Singapore, with passengers mainly longhaul fly-cruise travellers from the US and Europe, said Cervantes.

Philippine tourism undersecretary, Benito Bengzon Jr, who spearheads cruise market development, said: “The numbers clearly show that cruise business is growing, and we’d like to take advantage of all the ships coming to South-east Asia.

“Eventually we expect Manila or another port like Cebu to establish itself as a hub for inter-island itineraries, which is one of the Philippines’ distinct advantages.”

The Philippines is tapping the cruise segment with industry and multilateral partnerships last year: a collaboration with Vietnam; the Asia Cruise Fund with Hainan, Hong Kong and Taiwan; and industry workshops and port inspections with the Cruise Lines International Association.

Patina secures inaugural resort in the Maldives

By TTG Asia

January 22, 2015

PATINA Hotels & Resorts and Telos Investment have signed an agreement to operate The Patina, Thanburudhoo Maldives, the first resort under the new brand and the second Patina after The Patina, Capitol Singapore due to open in 2Q.

The new resort, scheduled to be launched in 2017, is located in North Malé Atoll, accessible in 20 minutes by speedboat from Malé International Airport.

With 40 luxury overwater villas and 30 landed villas, the property will be designed by the world-renowned architect Kerry Hill, whose forte is contemporary luxury resort design in tropical Asia.

The Patina, Thanburudhoo Maldives will come with leisure facilities that include a surf centre, dive school, spa, swimming pool, yoga & pilates fitness studio, cooking school, children’s club, a library club lounge with a screening room, and F&B offerings with bars. A semi-outdoor, multi-function area also caters for weddings and bespoke events.

Located south of the island and renowned as one of the countries’ top surfing islands, The Patina, Thanburudhoo Maldives also hopes to attract surfers with its “rides of a lifetime”, a statement said.

Greener, more socially responsible meetings for Banyan Tree

By Prudence Lui

January 22, 2015

BANYAN Tree Hotels and Resorts is pushing for a bigger share of the regional MICE market with a new meetings programme and a dedicated meeting and event website for event planners.

The group will launch its Meet for Good in 1Q, incorporating volunteerism and CSR elements, said David Spooner, vice president for sales and marketing, during a recent trip to Hong Kong.

The programme details have not been finalised but will ride on what Banyan Tree already offers guests currently, including activities such as tree planting and reading to local children.

Banyan Tree also works with EarthCheck to measure how much carbon is generated during meetings and aid clients in holding carbon-free meetings.

Said Spooner: “We observed (a demand for) responsible meetings and the trend of more engagement in CSR, incorporated with experiencing the local flavours of food and entertainment.”

China makes up Banyan Tree’s biggest MICE market in Asia-Pacific, although in terms of the number of booked rooms, incentives form the largest share of traffic at its Indonesia, Thai and Vietnam resorts, he revealed.

Meanwhile the group will continue to boost awareness of Banyan Tree and sister brand Angsana’s MICE capabilities, where the segment accounts for eight to 10 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. “A lot of MICE organisers…think we only do leisure groups and couples. In fact, we do have a demand for small executive retreats, incentives and board meetings.”

Banyan Tree launched a dedicated MICE page this month (www.banyantree.com/en/meetings-events), with one for Angsana to start this quarter.

“Meeting organisers can look for functional information like capacity charts and size of meeting rooms via their mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Moreover, the site also features Destination Dining for meeting organisers who need special and exclusive dining options like al fresco dining on top of a mountain,” explained Spooner.

Marriott Hotel Manila zeroes in on MICE

By Rosa Ocampo

January 22, 2015

ITS upcoming transition into a convention hotel will enable Marriott Hotel Manila to bat for bigger meetings and more than double MICE’s contribution to room sales, said general manager Bruce Winton.

The 8,000m² Marriott Grand Ballroom (MGB), the Marriott group’s biggest convention and exhibition space outside the US, is set for a grand opening on May 18.

Apart from a 3,000m² pillar-less main ballroom for up to 5,000 pax, MGB also has two chapels and six multi-purpose venues called VIP Skyboxes.

But the 228 additional rooms, which will be bigger and more luxurious than the hotel’s existing 342 rooms, will be launched only towards year-end.

“2015 will be a transition for us and the dynamics will change. Since the additional rooms won’t be ready until the end of this year, the rooms-to-MICE-space ratio might be skewed,” he said.

Winton said that demand for MICE was strong but the hotel had to turn away a lot of business “because we don’t have enough rooms”.

Once the additional rooms come on stream, MICE contribution to room sales would increase from the current 20 per cent to almost 50 per cent by end-2016, he said.

Winton expects half of MGB’s business to be MICE, including association meetings, and the rest to come from entertainment and social events such as weddings.

Pacific World enrols 22 staff members for CMP accreditation

By Caroline Boey

January 22, 2015

SINGAPORE-BASED Pacific World has signed up 22 staff members in Singapore and the region to take the Convention Industry Council’s Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) training course for international accreditation.

Herve Joseph-Antoine, global managing director, Pacific World, said 13 staff members from its Singapore office and nine from its offices in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam have enrolled for the programme this year.

“The business events industry is at a turning point and Pacific World has been looking for a solution and a suitable staff development programme since 2012,” said Joseph-Antoine.

“Not only will the CMP training and certification provide our staff with a helicopter view to deliver the needs of our clients, our clients also recognise the value of working with a company whose staff understand and speak the same language.”

SACEOS and PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) have renewed their partnership for a second consecutive year to provide a train-the-trainer programme in Singapore, offering education and support for those in the region planning to take the CMP exam.

Lilian Kuan, executive director, SACEOS, told the TTGmice e-Weekly that 26 MICE practitioners took the CMP exam in 2014 and eight earned their CMP credentials.

“Singapore now has a total of 30 MICE practitioners with CMP accreditation, and SACEOS is playing a very involved role to help MICE companies professionalise their staff by helping the individual MICE practitioner prepare for and pass the exam in 2015.”

Kuan said the CMP programme costs S$2,300 (US$1,722) per individual, but Singapore-registered companies who meet the terms and conditions of the Productivity Innovation Credit scheme can enjoy a 60 per cent subsidy.

Explosive growth in Taiwan’s MICE capacity within the next 3 years

By Jessie Liu

January 22, 2015

WARMER cross-straits ties have bolstered Taiwan’s MICE industry, where a promising outlook has propelled MICE infrastructure development and investment from international hotel chains.

Latest information from Meet Taiwan has revealed plans to construct brand-new MICE venues in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung, which will be ready for business in the next two years.

Kaohsiung city saw the grand opening of its Kaohsiung Exhibition Center in April 2014, while in Taipei, construction of a second exhibition space for Nangang Exhibition Hall will complete in 2017. The halls will collectively be able to contain 5,000 booths, and the increased capacity will relieve the space crunch confronting major international exhibitions including Computex Taipei.

Meanwhile, construction of Taichung Convention and Exhibition Center – with the capacity to house 3,353 booths and 30,000 visitors – will be wrapped up by 4Q2018.

Prominent local hotels, including W Taipei, Le Méridien Taipei and Humble House Taipei, are expanding their MICE facilities. The Marriott Taipei, featuring an attached international convention centre for 2,000 pax, will commence business in 2Q. Likewise, the Courtyard by Marriott Taipei will open its doors in 2H2015.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is boosting its presence across the country via the Westin brand in Taoyuan and Taipei, Le Méridien in Hualien and Taichung, and Four Points by Sheraton in Penghu. More international brands are expected to come up in Taiwan.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council executive vice president and Meet Taiwan managing director, Walter Yeh, said Taiwan will welcome 12 international conferences with over 1,000 participants in 2015.

Also, Meet Taiwan will bid to host Rotary International Convention 2021 and 2022 that will involve an estimated 35,000 participants.

Meet Taiwan 2014 assisted 118 firms in conducting corporate meetings and incentive travel in Taiwan, with Greater China as the largest source market.

Corporate clients drawn to Taiwan include renowned firms like Jollibee China, China Perfect, Charle Japan, Colgate-Palmolive Malaysia and Estee Lauder Singapore.

Translated from the original TTG China e-Daily, January 20, 2015 article by Ong Yanchun

Seeing the doctor

By Mimi Hudoyo

January 21, 2015

As health and wellness tourism becomes a growing trend worldwide, what are the region’s players doing to grab a slice of this lucrative market?

SINGAPORE – KEEPING THE GLOW
The Lion City is a bright point in South-east Asia’s medical tourism scene but complacency could see that position under threat from developing neighbours.

A Health Outcomes and Spending Index by The Economist Intelligence Unit – which weighs population health against healthcare spending in 166 countries – placed Singapore second internationally, coming after Japan.

However, Beng Teck Liang, CEO of Singapore Medical Group (SMG), said: “The key challenge with medical tourism is (developing) markets are catching up with Singapore in standards and quality of healthcare. It could be a matter of five to 10 years. For Singapore to remain the preferred choice for medical tourism, we have to innovate to stay ahead in the industry.”

“Complex diagnosis that are surgical and oncology related have higher proportions of medical tourists,”
he observed, but added that SMG is seeing a gradual increase in tourists asking for cosmetic and aesthetic treatments.

Likewise, Raffles Hospital deputy director for hospital marketing, Foo Min Meng, said: “Developing countries are increasing healthcare spending, giving patients more reasons to remain in their country for simple medical procedures.”

He also said that the lack of nurses and doctors continues to affect healthcare organisations globally. “Even if healthcare organisations would like to grow business at a faster rate, we are constrained by the availability of manpower.” Foreigners make up 30 per cent of the hospital’s patient numbers.

The bulk of the foreigners seeking healthcare services in Singapore in 2011 are Indonesians and Malaysians respectively, with growing numbers emerging from Bangladesh, Vietnam and Myanmar.

MALAYSIA – MORE PROMOTION NEEDED
Eager to attract medical tourists, Malaysia has been ramping up its infrastructure in pursuit of this segment.

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) has introduced concierge and lounge services at the Kuala Lumpur and Penang international airports in the last two years. The service is integrated with the MHTC Careline, a hotline medical tourists can use for enquiries and assistance with appointment booking.

Healthcare service provider Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care is also set to open Mediplex at its Subang Jaya Medical Centre in Selangor state in February 2015. As the country’s first purpose-built healthcare and retail complex, it will offer preventive medicine and cosmetic procedures and, by 2016, feature accommodation for outpatient and foreign patients.

However, despite the greater attention given to the medical tourism segment, Malaysia continues to suffer from a lack of awareness by potential customers.

Azizan Noordin, Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general (promotion), said one challenge is the lack of awareness internationally of Malaysia’s medical facilities. The NTO thus regularly invites overseas hospital administrators, travel consultants and media for fam trips.

Rafeah Ariffin, senior general manager, group marketing & corporate communications at KPJ Healthcare, said: “The government should do more to promote Malaysia as a medical tourism destination as awareness is lacking in this area.”

Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care’s director, strategic marketing, branding & communications – Malaysia, Edgar Toral, added: “Another challenge is competition from countries that have been in this space longer than Malaysia, (plus) the delay in getting visa renewals for medical tourists who require follow-up treatments.”

INDONESIA – MORE OUTFLOW THAN INFLOW
Better known as a source of healthcare travellers, Indonesia is just beginning to invest in its medical tourism sector.

The Ministry of Tourism has identified 16 target markets for this niche, including Singapore, Malaysia and Australia as primary sources.

However, Fitriana Dosun, head of marketing, BIMC Siloam Hospitals Group Bali, said the medical tourism sector in Indonesia is “nascent” compared with neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia.

BIMC Hospital Nusa Dua, part of BIMC Siloam Hospitals Group, receives online enquiries daily from international markets. “But it’s our close proximity to Australia, a country well known for high medical costs and long waiting periods for treatments, that is our biggest market, especially since we have invested in Australian Council on Healthcare Standards accreditation,” said Fitriana.

The hospital is also equipped with an Australian-standard surgical theatre and has “laid the initial groundwork with our Australian counterparts to bring Australian plastic surgeons to Bali with their patients”. It is also offering plastic surgery by leading Indonesian surgeons at a more affordable price.

Indonesia could also leverage its strength in wellness. “Bali will become a destination for surgery and convalescence at any of its after-care resorts,” said Fitriana.

However, few hospitals in Indonesia understand and are investing in medical tourism, noted Akhyaruddin, director of MICE and special interest tourism development, directorate general of destination development, Ministry of Tourism.

Akhyaruddin also pointed to the lack of a hospitality mindset among doctors in Indonesia, where patients have to wait for a long time to receive treatment.

THAILAND – A LONG-STANDING PROPONENT
A leading medical tourism hub in the region, Thailand attracts more than 2.5 million health and wellness travellers to generate 140 billion baht (US$4.3 billion) a year.

Japan remains Thailand’s top source market for medical tourists, followed by the US, the UK, the GCC and Australia, according to the most recent official statistics published in 2013, although the US and UK have moved up the leaderboard ahead of the Middle East over the past few years.

It is not hard to see how Thailand, already known for its attentive service and hospitality standards, reigns in this market. The kingdom currently has 37 hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) certification, and Bumrungrad International Hospital was ranked among the world’s best hospitals in 2014 by the Medical Travel Quality Alliance.

Wellness is also a core growth area for Thailand’s tourism. The country has a large spa and wellness sectors, which forms the backbone of the alternative health segment. About 80 per cent of guests are foreign tourists. With some 1,400 spas, and an annual sectoral growth of five to six per cent, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) anticipates this market segment will grow from contributing 16 billion baht a year to as much as 50 billion within the next five years.

A TAT study has revealed that patients stay up to three days for dermatology treatments and medical check-ups, three weeks for plastic surgery, and from one to six months for more extensive medical treatments.

Meanwhile, travellers visiting the kingdom for plastic surgery spend about 130,000 baht per person, with the treatment accounting for 40 per cent of expenditure. Those coming for dermatology treatments over the weekend, especially from Hong Kong and Singapore, spend about 20,000 baht to 35,000 baht.

To seize the opportunities presented by the sector, TAT has rolled out a number of strategies to promote the health and wellness market under its 2015 Discover Thainess campaign. The NTO plans to strengthen the country’s positioning as the rehabilitation destination of choice for the Middle Easterners; for rehabilitation, wellness and beauty treatments for the European market, medical check-ups, beauty treatments and dental work for Asians; and wellness and medical check-ups for visitors from the US.

However, intense competition from other countries presents a key challenge. Thailand, Singapore and India account for 90 per cent of Asia’s medical tourism market, according to MyMedHoliday.com. While that builds the region’s overall appeal within the global market, it also increases competition within Asia.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, January 16, 2015 issue, on page 11. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Additional reporting from Paige Lee Pei Qi, S Puvaneswary and Greg Lowe

Fairmont bags management agreement for Wuhan property

By TTG Asia

January 21, 2015

THE Fairmont brand will gain another foothold in the massive China market with the opening of Fairmont Wuhan in 2017.

Fairmont Wuhan forms part of a mixed-use development in the Wuhan CBD and the area is served by the Hankou Railway Station, major metro lines and the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.

Jennifer Fox, president, FRHI International and Fairmont brand, said in a release: “Wuhan’s position as a base for industry, as well as being the financial, educational and transportation hub of Central China, makes it an ideal location to develop a luxury hotel. We look forward to being a key part of the city’s continued growth.”

The 350-key hotel will offer four dining outlets, 2,500m²in event space, Fairmont’s signature Willow Stream Spa, and fitness facilities such as a swimming pool.

Narita’s LCC terminal to commence operations in April

By Julian Ryall

January 21, 2015

WORK on a new terminal for LCCs at Tokyo’s Narita Airport is close to completion and the facility is on schedule to open on April 8.

Three airlines – Jetstar Japan, Vanilla Air and Spring Airlines – will be based in Terminal 3, which will have 24-hour convenience stores and an extensive food court, said airport officials.

On the downside, the new facility is 500m from Terminal 2 and a 15-minute walk from the nearest train station. A shuttle bus will operate between the two terminals.

There are suggestions that the LCCs are not entirely happy with operations at Narita, which is subject to a night-flight curfew because of the proximity of local communities. The new terminal is not exempt.

“This is one of the fundamental problems with Narita and it is more serious for LCCs because they like to operate late at night or early in the morning,” Geoffrey Tudor, an analyst for Japan Aviation Management Research, told TTG Asia e-Daily.

One key local LCC, Peach Aviation, has opted to remain with its present slot in Terminal 1.

Japan’s aviation stakeholders are hoping that the new terminal will serve as an additional gateway for foreign tourists coming to a country that has set a target of attracting 20 million visitors a year by 2020.

“(Foreign) inbound demand is already increasing rapidly, in part because of the fall in the value of the yen against other currencies, and (LCCs are) hoping to take advantage of that,” said Tudor.

Malaysia declares visa fee waiver for Chinese tourists

By TTG Asia

January 21, 2015

LESS than two months to the first anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines’ Beijing-bound flight MH370, Malaysia’s prime minister has announced a waiver of visa fees for Chinese nationals to boost the country’s competitiveness in attracting Chinese tourists.

According to the New Straits Times today, home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the implementation date for the move would be made known today at the cabinet meeting.

He was quoted as having said that visas still needed to be issued for national security purposes: “Although we want to draw tourists to our shores, we cannot compromise on security.”

In an earlier press conference this month with the minister of tourism and culture, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Ahmad Zahid said that Malaysia had lost 540,000 tourists from China last year and tourism arrivals in 2014 may not reach the targeted 28 million as a result.

Malaysian inbound operators handling the Chinese market had reported many Chinese group tour cancellations in the immediate aftermath of MH370.