STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s Aloft brand made its official South-east Asian debut today with the launch of Aloft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11.

“We’re excited to introduce the Aloft experience to sophisticated travellers coming to Bangkok,” said Brendan Daly, general manager of Aloft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11.

“The Aloft concept is a perfect fit for Bangkok’s Sukhumvit district – it’s fresh, stylish, urban and tech-forward. We are providing the perfect space for travellers to meet and connect on their adventures.”

The 296 guestrooms at Aloft Bangkok-Sukhumvit 11 feature loft-like decor complete with nine-foot ceilings, platform beds, oversized showerheads and BlissÓ Spa products.

F&B options at the hotel include a lounge and bar, a grab-and-go café, and an all-day, full-service dining restaurant offering fresh local seafood and international favourites.

Facilities include a full-service fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, and over 265m2 of meeting and pre-function space.

Located opposite Bed Supperclub and QBar, the hotel also offers guests complimentary access to the popular dance clubs.

South-east Asia will get another two Aloft properties by middle of 2014, with Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral due to open in March 2013, and Aloft Phuket Patong scheduled to open in July 2014.

THE SINGAPORE Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre is looking to attract events beyond its core segment of business events and trade shows, as its surroundings gradually take on a livelier feel through the emergence of new retail, commercial and hotel developments.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily during the preview of A Moving Masterpiece: The Song Dynasty as Living Art exhibition in Singapore earlier today, Aloysius Arlando, Singex Group CEO, said: “Society is evolving and becoming more vibrant, and that is translated into the tapestry of Singapore’s event industry, which is seeing more event genres.”

“We, too, want to ensure that our events will appeal to more segments. While our key focus is still on business events, we will take on events of marked difference when such opportunities present themselves.”

The exhibition, which showcases a computer graphic animation of the renowned Song Dynasty scroll painting, Qing Ming Shang He Tu, as well as the life and traditions of the ancient Chinese dynasty, is Singapore Expo’s inaugural large-scale art exhibition, according to Arlando.

The animated painting, measuring in at a massive 128m by 6.5m, is produced by Crystal CG – the company behind graphic visuals seen during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and 2010 World Expo in Shanghai – and has already toured Hong Kong, Taiwan and Shanghai.

The Singapore showcase is an expanded version, featuring more artefacts and insights into the Song Dynasty.

Arlando said the exhibition would hopefully appeal to residents in Singapore, travellers and event delegates.

“Corporates who want to have an event in a unique venue can hold it in the animation hall. We can also work with event planners to develop a package that includes a visit to the exhibition,” he explained.

Partnerships have also been formed, with travel trade partners in Singapore and the rest of South-east Asia, to market the exhibition as part of an FIT package.

A Moving Masterpiece: The Song Dynasty as Living Art opens tomorrow and tickets retail for S$21 (US$16) per person. The exhibition will conclude on February 8 next year.

INDONESIA’s Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Hatta Rajasa, has called upon the country’s regional tourism stakeholders to focus on drumming up ‘tourism fever’ in their respective precincts, as the country’s burgeoning middle class continues to develop a taste for travel.

Speaking during a keynote session at the inaugural Indonesia Tourism Conference in Jakarta, Rajasa said: “Our average income per capita has been growing, and has reached around US$3,500. The middle class is growing by between eight to nine million people a year. These are new potential tourists. The trend today is for couples and young people to travel and explore exciting places.”

He added: “It is no longer enough to have awareness on the importance of tourism, but to create ‘tourism fever’ to boost local economies and open up job opportunities.”

Rajasa also pointed out that tourism had been a resilient sector during the global economic crisis in 2008/2009.

“The economic crisis resulted in the contraction of world tourism by 30 per cent, but at that time international arrivals to Indonesia was up by 0.3 per cent. That is why the central government is giving so much attention to this sector,” he explained.

INDONESIA’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has decided to focus on coaxing growth out of ASEAN, Asia, Australia, Russia and the Middle East next year, due to the economic slowdown in Europe and the US.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, said: “We are fully aware of the economic slowdown in Europe and the US, and the potential drop in arrivals from (those) markets plus Japan (next year).”

“However, there are markets around here whose economy is viable, such as ASEAN, several Asian countries like China, Taiwan, India and South Korea, and Australia, Russia and the Middle East. These will be our focus.”

Based on the 6.27 million arrivals recorded from January to October, the global crises had minimal impact on Indonesia’s inbound tourism, which looks on course to reach its target of 7.7 million arrivals for the year.

Pangestu was also optimistic that Indonesia would hit its target of eight million arrivals next year. “This is not the first time we are facing (a global economic crisis). In 2009, we managed to achieve positive growth even if it was only 0.3 per cent,” she said.

THE INDONESIA government is setting aside 400 trillion rupiah (US$44 billion) in funds for infrastructure development, as part of a plan to improve connectivity within the country by 2014.

“Indonesia has set a target to achieve 20 million (overseas) arrivals by 2025. This will not be achieved without supporting regulation and infrastructure development,” said Indonesia Coordinating Minister for the Ecomony, Hatta Rajasa.

“Connectivity – by this I mean domestically we are integrated, globally we are connected – is a major pillar in the Indonesian economic development. Connectivity will be the backbone to achieving our targets.”

“The government will not hesitate to inject the money to build (infrastructure) in areas which have potential (for tourism) but are not viable because of accessibility,” he added.

Rajasa gave examples of areas in Eastern Indonesia, such as Wakatobi in South East Sulawesi, and North Maluku, which have pristine nature offerings but limited accessibility.

“I have invited the transportation related businesses to come up with proposals of destinations where they see potential but are lacking in infrastructure,” he said.

THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO) are joining hands to provide professional development training for congress organisers in South-east Asia.

So far, the two organisations have signed a Letter of Intent to provide and host regional seminars from 2013 to 2015.

Akapol Sorasuchart, TCEB President, said: “TCEB is keenly aware of the importance of regional co-operation to boost professional standards within the industry. We expect this partnership to make a major contribution to boosting standards of meetings, conventions, congresses and special events in Thailand and the entire South-east Asian region.”

Akapol added: “We expect the forthcoming economic integration within ASEAN in 2015 to drive a major expansion of the events industry in South-east Asia, and it is therefore crucial to ensure that we start now to develop world-class expertise within the region in order to meet global industry standards.”

Philippe Fournier, president of IAPCO, said: “IAPCO is committed to raising standards of service among its members and other sectors of the meetings industry by means of continuing education and interaction with other professionals. We’re excited at the prospect of interacting with industry leaders around South-east Asia.”

MANDARIN Orchard Singapore, Dynasty Travel and Vital Shared Services have emerged as the winners of PATA Singapore Chapter’s second Our Productivity Story competition.

The three winners, representing the best productivity efforts from the competition’s hotel, travel agent and other services categories respectively, were each presented with a cash prize of S$8,000 (US$6,230) during the annual Tourism Industry Ball held last Friday in Singapore.

Jointly organised by PATA Singapore Chapter and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, the annual competition is aimed at recognising and encouraging the productivity efforts of Singapore’s travel and tourism sector.

Robin Yap, PATA Singapore Chapter activities chairman and managing director Singapore, The Travel Corporation, said: “We hope that the competition will continue to encourage more organisations to embrace productivity, and that their stories will become an annual showcase to mark the industry’s achievements.”

Dynasty Travel, the competition’s travel agent category winner, invested in technology to raise service and product innovation standards. Through employing the use of iPads, Dynasty was able to enhance the booking process by giving customers a better understanding of travel choices and enabling travel consultants to go on house/office calls.

VISITBRITAIN’s marketing efforts in Hong Kong have been incorporated into the NTO’s greater China operations, as part of a restructuring that saw its long-serving manager for Hong Kong & South China, Jane Fong, leave in September.

Fong, who had worked for VisitBritain for about 22 years, is now on an extended sabbatical.

At the moment, VisitBritain’s footprint in Hong Kong consists of a representative who reports directly to its manager for China and Hong Kong, Travis Qian, who is based in Shanghai.

“Hong Kong is now incorporated fully into the China market, and is supported not only by our Hong Kong and South China representative, but also the wider China team in Beijing and Shanghai,” Qian explained.

“Though the size of our team physically based in Hong Kong may have been reduced, we have a bigger budget, and we (the whole of China team) are working closely with our airline partner and public diplomacy partners to gear up our marketing efforts under the GREAT campaign in China (including Hong Kong).”

The NTO hosted last week a group of 32 organisations and 75 travel experts from the UK on a trade mission to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 2).

Meanwhile, VisitBritain is looking forward to plans by Hong Kong Airlines to launch Hong Kong-London (Gatwick) services in March and Air China to start Beijing-London (Gatwick) services in May.

VisitBritain strategy & communications director, Patricia Yates, said: “This will help enormously (with alleviating concerns about air lift). The more connections the UK has with China, the better, because at Heathrow it is now nearly impossible to give slots away.”

THE SRI Lanka government has approved a proposal by India’s ITC Hotels, a franchise of US-based Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, to set up a Sheraton hotel and mixed-use development in Colombo.

The US$300 million property will be built on two hectares of land in the heart of the capital, which has been offered to ITC on a 99-year lease.

Malin Hapugoda, managing director of Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence Hotels, welcomed the news, saying that the entry of large international hotel chains would improve the country’s image, dented in the past by a civil war which ended in 2009.

“Bringing in these super brands is what we need to change Sri Lanka’s image,” he said.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia-Pacific said in an email statement to TTG Asia e-Daily that it was not involved nor aware of the discussions, which it insisted were strictly between ITC and the Sri Lankan government.

The chain said, however, that it was in discussions with different owners and developers to manage a number of hotel projects in Sri Lanka including Colombo, under several of Starwood’s brands.

Hilton Worldwide and Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces are among a handful of international operators already in Sri Lanka.

Other chains planning to establish a presence include Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses Resorts & Spas and Movenpick Hotels & Resorts.

EXOTISSIMO Travel has published a 48-page guide detailing its MICE services in the region.

Measuring 20 x 20cm, the brochure reveals the array of creative opportunities Exotissimo can provide for MICE groups travelling to South-east Asia and Japan, ranging from a selection of meetings facilities to incentive opportunities and memorable events.

The brochure highlights key destinations and a case study for each of the seven countries where Exotissimo offers its services, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia and Japan.