Covering travel trade news has its highs and lows – our team spills the beans

Raini Hamdi
Senior editor

BEST My best interview this year was with Kwek Leng Beng, executive chairman, Singapore-based City Developments Limited. I could not believe my luck that he spent nearly three hours with me and that I could ask him anything. I was even more delighted when he answered each question freely and frankly, and nothing was off the record. In fact, it was my best interview ever. ICYMI, it was published in the February 21 issue of TTG Asia.

WORST My worst experience was when I was harangued by a tourism official at ITB Berlin this year after we ran a factual account of how its bad image was affecting bookings to the country. I also could not believe how one of the industry players from that destination, whom my reporter interviewed for views on the issue, stooped so low so as to turn around and deny he was interviewed after the article was published.

Karen Yue
Group editor

BEST This has been a glorious year, largely because sister publication TTGmice underwent a transformation to give it a fresher, more vibrant look, with new sections. The magazine is always looking to make itself more relevant to its readers and to consistently deliver the quality content it is known for, so it gave me great joy to see this dedication being acknowledged through yet another award. The cover story in the November 2013 issue won the PATA Gold Award Travel Journalism – Business Article, making it the fourth PATA Gold Award TTGmice has won to date. Adding to the excitement, we unveiled TTGassociations, a quarterly publication for association secretariats and event planners.

WORST It takes a lot to get me down and I have no terrible work experiences this year to share. However, I do wish more marketing and communications officers would understand that editorial coverage is not for sale and that we owe it to our readers to run objective and relevant content.

Gracia Chiang
Deputy group editor

BEST  I had such an enjoyable first-time cruise experience on an Oceania fam trip to Greece and Turkey that I am already dreaming of my next voyage. Being the restless sort, I was pleasantly surprised that I never once felt bored throughout my seven days onboard. I saw for myself how cruising could appeal to Asian travellers – regardless of age. What did I like? Waking up to a different gorgeous view every day, no transportation and packing hassle, and the all-inclusive fine cuisine!

WORST  Being stuck in Sanya’s airport for over eight hours and missing my connecting flight back home from Guangzhou. Despite being a VIP guest of China Southern Airlines for the WTTC Global Summit, I had great difficulty securing a seat on the next available flight out of Hainan after my original one was delayed.

Strangely, I also found the logistics for such a high-profile event were not well-executed. I was given incorrect and conflicting information more than once whether it was city tours or airport pickup timings. It was a harrowing trip, and also not a productive one as it was hard to squeeze in face time with top executives.

Xinyi Liang-Pholsena
Assistant editor
Thailand/Indochina

BEST Professional PR practitioners know how to pitch a story, give reporters the independence to judge the suitability of a pitch and follow up appropriately without being too pushy. There are a couple of commendable Bangkok-based PRs, from both hotels and boutique agencies, who have left me with a good impression, as they obviously know their clients well and do a great job at assessing a particular product/news for the magazine. It makes getting background information from them and setting up interviews such a breeze!

WORST Long flight times are starting to make me apprehensive about travelling longhaul. For a tradeshow in the US this year, I flew out from Bangkok, stopped for an eight-hour layover in Doha, followed by a three-hour layover in New York. By the time I arrived at my destination in Orlando some 36 hours later, I was so tired that I didn’t experience any jet lag, which also made it easier for me to hit the ground running the following morning.

Hannah Koh
Assistant editor
TTG Asia Online

BEST At this year’s PATA Travel Mart in Phnom Penh, I met Paula from Siem Reap-based Angkor Expeditions, who was introducing a river rafting experience as a new way to explore UNESCO Heritage Site. I wrote about it, and a couple days later she dropped me a note to say thank you and that she had received a number of enquiries about Float Angkor as a result. It was certainly not a big deal, but I felt that in my own tiny way I’d been able to contribute to Cambodia, a lovely country that is still grappling with its dark past. This is likely my own messiah complex speaking, but humour me please!

WORST Being harassed at ITB Berlin this year by a major NTO for writing down and publishing exactly what travel consultants and even a rep from the NTO had said – also known as doing my job. If the world fails to understand that a destination is the land of milk and honey, threatening the media is the last thing that would reassure travellers your destination is a safe place to visit. Don’t kill the messenger!

Paige Lee Pei Qi
Assistant editor
Singapore

BEST  I will bestow this honour to Tourism Australia for the VIP treatment rendered to all guests during the Australian Tourism Exchange in Cairns this year. Just imagine: upon arrival at the airport, we were taken by surprise as the traditional Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people danced around us as we collected our luggages. But that didn’t stop there. We were even greeted by helicopters and ships cruising along the harbour that rolled out welcome banners! Now, how is that for a warm welcome?

WORST Staying in one of the hotels in Cambodia, which was undergoing renovation works. Word of advice to all hotels: Guests do not like to welcome their mornings with drilling and hammering noises at 7am.

Kathy Neo
Copy editor

BEST My five-day fam trip to Okinawa. The sponsor, Okinawa Convention & Visitor Bureau, customised my itinerary well and responded readily to my interview requests. It was also my first trip to Japan, making it doubly memorable.

WORST Fortunately, none.

Mimi Hudoyo
Editor, Indonesia

BEST My fam trip to New Zealand. I have been to Rotorua a couple of times, but this trip allowed me to experience the destination in new ways. The cruise of Lake Rotoiti and helicopter ride, the Maori dinner, and the city walking tour covering historical areas and landmarks have enriched my knowledge of the destination. The highlight was the Hobbiton Movie Set tour in Matamata, an hour away from Rotorua. It was like being in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, and I could almost see Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins and his friends there.

WORST I was assigned to a destination presentation by a visiting NTO, but had already accepted an invitation to a media conference by a cruise company at around the same time. To honour both, I did the interview with the NTO representative half an hour earlier and left before his presentation. I rushed to my next appointment as the PR company told me the cruise spokesperson’s time was also limited. It turned out he was not only 90 minutes late, but did not seem to be in a hurry at all.

S Puvaneswary
Editor, Malaysia/Brunei

BEST A business trip I made to Langkawi for a destination report, as everything went so smoothly. I had a great interview with Langkawi Development Authority’s CEO Khalid Ramli, and LADA’s manager, tourism division, Rosnina Yaacob, also arranged for us to see some new attractions. We stayed at a gorgeous two-bedroom villa at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, and the hospitality we received was simply amazing. I have Shirley Tan, our senior business manager, to thank for making all the arrangements.

WORST Having to travel for an hour to get to the heart of Kuala Lumpur for a one-on-one interview with the overseas spokesperson of a shopping attraction with outlets in Europe. The morning of the interview, the PR company called me to confirm the afternoon appointment. When I arrived, I was surprised to find only the PR person there. Apparently, the spokesperson had fallen ill. When I asked the PR person why he didn’t call to inform, he said: “I didn’t want to disappoint you!”  I was left speechless. In his defence, this PR person is new and inexperienced.

Greg Lowe
Correspondent, Thailand

BEST  Travelling to Egypt in January to cover the Euromic AGM in Cairo was without a doubt the highlight of the year. With three days in the capital followed by a 4D4N cruise down the Nile, taking in the splendour of Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Philae and Aswan was unbelievable. Yes, there were a few bomb blasts in the capital when we were there, but I never felt threatened. The guilty pleasure was that poor tourism arrivals meant the main attractions were relatively empty. Walking though one of the birthplaces of civilization became a much more personal experience.

WORST  Reporting on Thailand’s protracted political crisis, especially during the early months of the year. It was a hard task getting sources to be straight about how bad the situation was. Many were reluctant to speak off record too. If you live in the country, it would have been easy to see how badly affected tourism was, yet a number of people in the industry felt the need to push their optimistic view of the situation beyond the realms of believability. Added to this problem was the fact that the Tourism Authority of Thailand was very unresponsive in the first four months of the year, taking seven to 15 days to answer questions, if any answer was given at all.

Rosa Ocampo
Correspondent, Philippines

BEST AirAsia’s press trip to Tacloban, Leyte – nearly six months after it was battered by super typhoon Haiyan – opened our eyes to the airline’s strong CSR culture.

It raised US$2.2 million to rebuild homes and livelihood of typhoon survivors. The airline and its officers were also involved in various other activities to help Tacloban without publicity.

WORST  That same AirAsia press trip returned to Manila a tad late. More accurately, the plane was already in Manila but was asked not to land because of the congested runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Flight delays were an oft-repeated scenario this year whether travelling domestic or international, underscoring the urgency of solving NAIA’s runway congestion woes.

Marianne Carandang
Correspondent, Philippines

BEST  This year, I’m pinning this on PHILTOA’s 25th Philippine Travel Mart, which made a special effort to support previously disaster-stricken destinations that are back on their feet or on their way there. Places that were hit, like Coron, are back in business, others like Leyte, Capiz, Malapascua – it’s important not to forget our support, even just as tourists, is needed. I also observed promotional efforts on the part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro and Baler. It won’t be long before some of these places will become new byword destinations for the Philippines. That’s my hope!

WORST  I haven’t had any really bad experience this year. Instead, I’d like to put forth a suggestion for local PR agencies who support the travel trade, and that is to help us spot the B2B angle more quickly for our stories as opposed to the consumer angle, as well as to provide more information on what is going to take place prior to the event. That way, expectations are met all around.

Prudence Lui
Correspondent, Hong Kong

BEST  The Disney Paint the Night event in September was executed to a tee by the team from Hong Kong Disneyland. Despite a very packed schedule that included a cocktail, dinner, interviews and a preview of the newly launched night parade, there was no overrun and reporters got what they needed. It was a productive night, as I not only had a chance to mingle with the trade for industry gossip, but also met the senior vice president of marketing Jill Estorino, who just took over the post.

WORST  In August, I was invited to preview the new Stage 360 and Motion 360 at Ngong Ping 360 on Lantau. However, the cable car service was temporarily suspended due to a thunderstorm warning. After spending 25 minutes waiting, the organiser decided to replace the 25-minute cable car ride with a bus ride. It took about 45 minutes to climb up the hill, and on the return trip, another 40 minutes down. This meant I had to rush to my next event in town. Luckily, it was an indoor event and the organiser was well prepared with many umbrellas distributed to ensure we stayed dry.

Caroline Boey
Senior correspondent, China & Special Projects

BEST  When I reached out to my contacts to introduce me not only to new Chinese travel trade players but those who could understand my half-Chinese, half-English interviews, I was not sure if I would have any luck. I was glad to have found James Liang, managing director, Century Holiday International Travel Group who was featured in our Innovators column. Based in Shenzhen, Liang does not only speak fluent English, but has a rather unique story. Instead of becoming a banker like his classmates, Liang decided to stay in the travel business after his part-time tour-guiding stint during his student days.

Today, the company has 18 branches in China, Singapore, Los Angeles and Toronto, and continues to push the B2B boundaries.

WORST  I cannot say that I have encountered any bad experience since I started reporting on China since the start of the year. However, my wish is that I would be given more access to senior tourism officials. It will be a dream come true to be able to conduct a one-on-one, face-to-face interview with the chairman of the China National Tourism Administration one day.

Shekhar Niyogi
Chief Correspondent, India

BEST  Attending Arabian Travel Market 2014 in Dubai. It was a busier event than last year, but the Media Centre operated really efficiently, feeding relevant data and press releases on time. The coordination for various media conferences was excellent, which gave me time for one-on-one interviews and to walk the show floor. I managed to enhance my networking with key trade players in the Middle East at this event. Moreover, the Media Centre was located near the centre of the action unlike other events where the media rooms are located in an obscure corner of the venue.

WORST  Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart was a maiden effort by the state NTO, but a cyclonic storm ripped apart the makeshift structure housing the event and the torrential rain flooded the floor on the first day, truncating all activity by early afternoon. The organisers managed to recover next morning, but about 20 per cent of the exhibitors were absent. The hosted flights on Air India were also really awful as my flight from Bhopal to Mumbai was delayed by five hours, which caused me to miss my connecting flight to Kolkata. Instead of putting me on the next available flight on Jet Airways, Air India insisted on an overnight stay in a very basic hotel near the airport and confirmed me on a very early morning flight. The ordeal of a delayed flight and sleepless night ruined my next workday.

Rohit Kaul
Correspondent, New Delhi

BEST  The 49th convention of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India was a well-organised and educational event. Having attracted a large number of key hoteliers, it not only provided good networking opportunities but a chance to be in touch with key issues facing the hospitality industry. I also had a couple of hours to explore the beautiful pink city of Jaipur, which never fails to impress any traveller.

WORST  The launch of the Comprehensive Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India for accommodation players, tour operators as well as beaches, backwaters, lakes and rivers. The event saw speakers from the tourism department and industry stakeholders explaining about the importance of sustainable tourism. However, there was nothing said about the parameters of the criteria. Plus, the tourism minister left soon after the session so there was no chance to query him about it.

Feizal Samath
Correspondent
Sri Lanka/Maldives

BEST  A discussion with Dileep Mudadeniya, head of branding at John Keells, as he talked me through the group’s range of specialty events lined up for 2014 including hosting the finalists of the Miss China contest; the Harley Owners Group nine-day tour of Sri Lanka with their Harley bikes being separately shipped; a unique treasure hunt in Sri Lanka for 50 travel consultants from France; and the Asian Bloggers conference.

WORST  When a travel consultant who had agreed to go on record for a last-minute interview on MICE developments pulled back when the interview was to take place. It was not only disappointing and unbecoming of a top agency, but also put the magazine and me in a tight spot. There was no apology either. Fortunately, with many contacts at hand, I was able to call another friendly source, and rush through the interview and story to meet the deadline.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, December 12, 2014 issue, on page 27. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe