MALAYSIA and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre have been chosen to host the 16^th Asian Congress of Architects (ACA) 2014, a regional event that is held once every two years.

The six-day congress, which will be attended by professionals and students from member countries of the Architects Regional Council of Asia, is expected to yield more than RM21.7 million (US$7.1 million) in economic impact for the country and RM13.1 million through visitor expenditure.

The congress aims to take Asian architects around the region where they will gain in-depth exposure to architectural environments of member countries. The event coincides with the Malaysian Institute of Architects’ (PAM) Annual Meeting which deliberates and presents collective directions of the region’s architectural industry.

Malaysia last hosted the Asian Congress of Architects in 1984 and 2000, which according to Saifuddin bin Ahmad, president of PAM, collectively brought 800 delegates into the country.

Saifuddin said: “We hope to significantly increase the number (of delegates) to 3,000 for ACA 2014, with 40 per cent being international attendees. This will serve as the perfect platform for us to show our members the architectural developments in our country and lift the standards of our local architectural society.”

The last ACA was held in Bali, Indonesia.

GlobalStar Travel Management will hold its 11^th annual global conference at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa in Kuala Lumpur this March 11-13.

Themed Transform – Inform – Perform, the event would be attended by the company’s new partners and focus on new business development initiatives, said GlobalStar president Steve Hartwell.

GlobalStar has also engaged Sunway Travel – a sister company of Sunway International Hotels & Resort, both part of the massive Sunway Group that has businesses in sectors such as healthcare and construction – for the organisation of the conference.

Sunway Travel COO, Jeremiah Lim expects some 150 delegates from more than 75 countries worldwide to travel to Kuala Lumpur for this event.

Prince Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong has completed its refurbishment programme, arming it with updated guestrooms, suites and club lounge as well as other new guest facilities.

All 393 guestrooms and suites have been given new carpets, curtains, upholstery and art pieces, while some are equipped with spacious shower facilities.

The Continental Club Lounge also promises improved guest experience.

New additions to the hotel include a gym with state-of-the-art exercise machines and fitness equipment, and complimentary Wi-Fi.

These improvements follow Prince Hotel’s May 2012 launch of a new all-day dining establishment, add@Prince.

THE Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has linked arms with eight key government and private organisations in Chiang Mai to develop a framework to further raise the city’s profile as a MICE destination.

The five-year Chiang Mai MICE Destination master plan will be rolled out in three parts.

The first phase will be implemented throughout 2013, focusing on the development of the domestic MICE segment as well as infrastructure improvements. MICE education campaigns will also be introduced.

In the second phase, from 2014 to 2015, destination promotions will focus on regional cooperation blocks, such as the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Finally, in 2016 and 2017, efforts will be made to promote Chiang Mai as a global MICE city, one which is capable of hosting international mega events.

According to a press statement from TCEB, the framework will be submitted to the Cabinet for acknowledgement.

Thanin Supasaen, Chiang Mai governor, said, “Despite (Chiang Mai’s) huge economic potential, most people only know it as a cultural destination. As a result, the province’s economy relies on the travel season. A concrete master plan and clear strategy to make Chiang Mai a MICE destination will encourage development in all areas and generate greater income for business operators and the locals throughout the year.”

Narong Kongprasert, president of the Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, believes that the “rapid development of regional cooperation framework” such as ASEAN and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation will lift demand for business events in member countries, benefiting Chiang Mai which sits “in the centre of the region”.

The development of the Chiang Mai MICE Destination master plan is recognised as a “significant strategic move for the country” by Thongchai Sridama, acting TCEB president.

He said: “Lessons learned from other countries show that the success of a MICE city is driven by its people and administration, and with the support of the central government. So, Chiang Mai is on the right track.”

Today, Chiang Mai has more than 33,000 hotel rooms and its international airport is Thailand’s third largest, after Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang in Bangkok.

In 2012, the total value of Chiang Mai’s MICE industry reached 3.9 billion baht (US$129.7 million). Of this amount, 3.8 billion baht was contributed by 46,826 foreign MICE travellers.

TOURISM Northern Territory (NT) is pursuing aggressive growth in the Singapore market by stepping up its marketing in 2013 and appealing to culture- and adventure-loving leisure travellers, as well as corporate incentives.

A Tourism NT delegation comprising CEO, Tony Mayell, and state tourism minister, Matt Conlan, was in Singapore on Tuesday for a roadshow to meet the local media and travel trade.

Mayell said: “We may have painted ourselves into a corner (by selling ourselves as an adventure travel spot). It’s not a bad corner to be in, but we want to re-identify what is unique to the Territory and sets us apart from the rest of Australia, then spread awareness of that.

“As a mature market, Singaporeans are also more interested in art and culture now. So we want to broaden the approach in Singapore by adding another layer, focusing on cultural products such as aboriginal art.”

In 2012, Singaporean visitors to the Territory only numbered 6,000 out of more than 300,000 arrivals to Australia. The goal is to increase arrivals from the market by 30 per cent this year.

Mayell cited the city-state’s 82 per cent repeat visitor rate as one reason for interest in Australia’s sixth-largest source market.

“Awareness is a main obstacle in Singapore. This year, we will continue to educate consumers and the trade about what NT has to offer, as well as taking marketing efforts onto a digital platform,” said Grace Tong, general manager of Pacific Leisure Marketing, Tourism NT’s marketing representative in the country.

“Destination training is an ongoing activity, which we organise at the request of travel consultants, either in house at their offices or in collaboration with the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore,” she said.

This year, Tourism NT will also launch bi-monthly email updates for travel consultants to keep them informed on the latest developments in the Territory. Interested parties may subscribe to it at singapore.tourismnt@nt.gov.au.

As for the MICE market, Mayell said: “We have facilities for small meetings and incentives. We’ve seen groups book out the entire Wildman Wilderness Lodge for three days for such events.”

He also revealed that the state NTO was in the midst of working with SilkAir on a number of MICE campaigns. “We’re into our second year with SilkAir, who has been a fantastic partner. While we and SilkAir are keen to increase (flight) capacity, we have first got to ensure the yield is there.”

Looking ahead, Mayell said Tourism NT was still studying the interests of different regional markets. India and South Korea are on the radar, while there are plans to break into China within 12 months.