ADDRESSING the critical role of international meetings in a country’s development, ICCA CEO Martin Sirk will kick off this year’s IT&CM China as keynote speaker.

Scheduled to take place at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre from April 17-19, the sixth edition of IT&CM China has adopted the theme ‘Advancing MICE and Business Minds’, and is expected to attract more than 2,000 delegates.

The convention will feature a list of promiment speakers from the MICE industry, including Gerilyn Horan, director, Global Market Development of HelmsBriscoe, US; Lisa Hopkins, managing director, Asia Pacific of BCD Meetings & Incentives, Singapore; and Li Zhuyuan, general manager, CITS International MICE, China.

IT&CM China is organised in collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration as part of Shanghai Business Events Week.

INTERCONTINENTAL Hotel Group (IHG) has unveiled Hualuxe, its upscale hotel brand catering to the Chinese traveller.

The new brand, which was first divulged in January by IHG’s chief executive Asia, Middle East & Africa, Jan Smits, was conceptualised in response to an increasingly discerning Chinese clientele as well as growing numbers of Chinese travellers – both domestic and abroad.

Hua means majestic in Chinese, while luxe connotes luxury.

Focusing on four service areas of ‘tradition’, ‘rejuvenation’, ‘status’ and ‘familiar spaces’, Hualuxe hotels will feature Asian-style amenities such as tea houses for meetings, lobbies with gardens, late-night noodle bars, as well as VIP check-in and Club Lounge areas for premium guests.

Keith Barr, CEO, IHG Greater China, said: “We have had great success over the years with the five brands we already have in this market, and we will now leverage our experience, and the strong relationships and reputation we have with customers and owners to establish and grow Hualuxe.”

IHG has already signed over 20 letters of intent that are now being converted into management contracts, with the first Hualuxe expected to open in China in late 2013 or early 2014.

The brand will roll out in over 100 tier 1, 2 and 3 Chinese cities over the next 10 to 15 years, before opening in major global cities to cater to Chinese travellers going abroad.

Earlier this year, Accor revealed a re-engineering of its Grand Mercure brand in China to cater to the domestic travel market.

TOURISM stakeholders in Bali reported that the destination was holding firm in the wake of a renewed terrorist threat, after Indonesian authorities subdued a suspected terrorist cell in Sanur, Denpasar on March 18.

Ansyaad Mbai, head of Indonesia’s National Counter Terrorism Agency, was quoted by various media outlets as saying that the five men shot dead by Indonesian counter-terrorism forces were planning to bomb several targets on the island, including the La Vida Loca bar in Seminyak.

The Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has since revised its Indonesia travel advisory status to “Reconsider your need to travel”, urging Australian nationals to “reconsider (their) need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack”.

Bali tourism stakeholders whom TTG Asia e-Daily spoke to, however, painted a picture of serenity and nonchalance among major source markets thus far.

“There have been no cancellations nor exodus of tourists following the raids,” said Indonesia Tourism Industry Association Bali chairman, Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya.

“We hope there will not be any (cancellations) in the future, as the success of Densus 88 (Indonesian counter-terrorism force) in catching those suspects shows that security works well here.”

Pacto director of operations and product development, Umberto Cadamuro, said: “It is business as usual for us. We have received no requests for clarification, nor any cancellation or decline in bookings.”

“I believe this is partly due to the very limited news (coverage of the incident) by major media (outlets) such as CNN and BBC. It is a very positive move to defeat terrorism by not giving them unnecessary publicity,” he added.

Smailing Tour, which handles a large amount of MICE business to Bali, received earlier this week a number of business inquiries from European and Singaporean incentive groups looking to visit the destination in May and November.

“We have received some queries from (incentive) clients, but more about the weather than the raids,” said Smailing Tour Bali managing director, Justina Puspawati, referring to the inclement weather as a result of Cyclone Lua hitting Bali last week.

“In fact, we are now handling a high profile corporate meeting with 120 participants from various countries here in Bali,” she added.

“No one is showing any concern. On the contrary, some delegates have even asked us about (holiday packages) for June and hotel rates (during high season).”

THE PHILIPPINE Department of Tourism (DoT), Department of Foreign Affairs and Bureau of Immigration have jointly agreed to expand the validity of an existing visa-free facility from 21 to 30 days for 161 source markets, with additional provisions for China and India.

“With these visa reforms, we will be at par with the entry policies of our neighbors in the region and, for some markets, more liberal,” said DoT secretary Ramon R Jimenez Jr.

“This will definitely help in achieving our target of 10 million foreign visitors by 2016.”

As part of the deal, China nationals travelling on package tours to the Philippines and handled by DoT-accredited tour operators will receive 30-day visa-free stays, while Indian nationals holding valid US, Canada, Japan, Australia, UK, Singapore and Schengen visas will receive 14-day visa-free stays.

Indian visa on arrival facilities have been available to Philippine nationals since January 2011.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines’ New-Delhi-Manila direct services, which were launched last March but suspended in October, resumed this month at a reduced frequency of three-weekly.

Cebu Pacific is looking to mount new flights between Manila and New Delhi this year, which would plug the shortfall in capacity.

According to the latest figures from DoT, the Philippines received 42,844 Indian visitors in 2011, compared to 34,581 the year before. China arrivals rose 29.71 per cent in 2011 over the previous year.

ROYAL Caribbean International’s Rhapsody of the Seas has entered Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore to begin a month-long US$54 million refurbishment as part of the cruise line’s Royal Advantage upgrading programme.

Rhapsody of the Seas is the third ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet to receive these upgrades, which provides its older ships with facilities and amenities found on its newer vessels.

Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, said: “With our US$300 million investment through 2014, no ship in our fleet will go untouched and our guests will have an unrivaled vacation experience no matter which destination in the world they visit or on what ship they sail on.”

Once the refurbishment is completed, Rhapsody of the Seas will receive a host of new dining and entertainment venues, a Diamond Lounge for Crown and Anchor loyalty guests, a Concierge Lounge for suite guests and top tier loyalty guests, a transformed Viking Crown Lounge, and a Royal Babies and Tots Nursery.

Technological upgrades will include ship-wide WiFi, a digital way-finding system, electronic mustering, an outdoor movie screen, as well as iPads in every stateroom. There will also be a bow-to-stern refresh of all furniture, carpet and upholstery, including renovated staterooms.

When the enhancements are completed on March 28, Rhapsody of the Seas will embark on a 15-night voyage from Singapore to Sydney. From there, she will sail across the Pacific with a combination of cruises from Australia and Hawaii, before beginning her Alaska season in May 2012.

FLYDUBAI, a low-cost carrier that operates out of Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2, ramped up its Colombo services to daily from March 11.

The airline started four-weekly services to the Sri Lankan capital last June, which it later hiked to five flights a week, and is looking to boost to double daily by end-2012.

According to Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith, the frequency hikes were in response to rising traffic from emerging markets such as Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, who make use of a Dubai connection to fly to Colombo.

Flydubai currently operates to 13 destinations in former Soviet republics, many of which are secondary airports.

The carrier is planning to launch flights to the new Mattala International Airport in Hambantota, Sri Lanka when it opens in 2013.

JUMEIRAH Group has signed a management agreement with Demsa Group, a Turkish luxury and fashion conglomerate, to operate the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.

Jumeirah will assume management of the hotel from May 1, 2012 and the property will be rebranded as Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah.

Located in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah has 115 rooms including 16 suites, the majority of them with balconies.

The hotel has a 380m2 spa and four function rooms. Its main restaurant, Agatha, serves French, Italian and Turkish specialities. Other F&B outlets include Orient Bar, Kubbeli Saloon and Tea Lounge, Patisserie de Pera and Orient Terrace.

The addition of Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah brings Jumeirah’s global portfolio to 19 properties.

In the coming months, Jumeirah expects to open Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa in Mallorca, Spain; Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan; Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa, Kuwait; and Jumeirah Creekside in Dubai, UAE.