THE WESTERN state of Gujarat has opened the Mahatma Mandir Convention & Exhibition Center in Gandhinagar, which is said to be India’s second largest international convention centre after the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.

In operation now is the centre’s phase one, which comprises a 5,000-pax convention centre, three seminar halls with a capacity for 500 pax each, a fourth hall for 1,000 pax, three exhibition halls spanning 10,000m2, and a selection of meeting and conference rooms.

The second phase of the covention centre, due to open next December, will feature a museum, library, outdoor theatre and research centre on Mahatma Gandhi.

Although the Industrial Extension Bureau of the government of Gujarat is currently responsible for the administration of the venue, plans are underway to call for venue management tenders. Local and international venue management companies can tender.

By Anand & Madhura Katti

FOLLOWING yesterday’s revelation that GBTA’s Asian expansion was put on the back burner after the departure of its managing director for Asia-Pacific, GBTA’s chief global development officer, Paul Tilstone, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to bring its Asian plans back on track with the appointment of a replacement soon.

“GBTA’s strong presence here will benefit Asian markets and interest other GBTA markets worldwide,” Tilstone said.

The appointment of a regional head is crucial to GBTA’s growth, he explained, adding that the appointee would guide GBTA on how to operate in Asia.

Efforts to establish a regional office in Singapore, Hong Kong or Bangkok will follow. The office will engage the trade and governments, and conduct industry research. Training courses in Asia will be adapted to the regional market. Modules for other GBTA markets on how to operate in Asia are also being considered.

THE ASIAN Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus’ (AACVB) approved a revised membership structure on Tuesday to welcome a broader range of members.

The new structure comprises three membership categories – full country CVB, associate city-level CVB and association industry partners. The latter category includes venue operators, DMCs, PCOs and industry associations. Annual membership fees are US$5,000 for full CVB members, US$3,000 for associated CVB members and US$500 for associate industry members.

Paul Kanjanapas, managing director of Impact Exhibition Management, which operates Impact Exhibition and Convention Center, said the US$500 fee was not expensive and he was likely to join. “However, we are not expecting any sales leads, other than networking and access to information on other members,” he said.

Cambodia Ministry of Tourism deputy director for marketing and promotion, Lor Thoura, expressed interest and told the Daily that he would table the opportunity with the tourism minister.

However, Thailand Incentive and Convention Association president Sumate Sudasna said it already had access to regional industry peers as a member of the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations, which charges under US$500 for annual membership. “We want to know whether we can share comments and recommendations, which will be used to push the government for more support,” he said.

By Sirima Eamtako

THE STRONG Australian dollar has triggered more demand for farther destinations and luxury products and experiences in Asia-bound trips.

Perth-based Travel Traits owner Sharon Leonhardt said the US dollar is now 30 per cent cheaper than the Australian currency when compared to a year ago. As a result, her agency saw an uptake in trips to the US and a 10 to 20 per cent increase in outbound corporate meetings and events this year.

The company also recognised a trend towards luxury components in shorthaul trips. Clients asked for upscale convention and hotel facilities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Phuket, said Leonhardt.

Virginia Percival, director of Sydney-based Conference Events and Function Specialists, said her company also saw strong business and increased enquiries for the US, especially to San Francisco and Hawaii, as well as Europe, due largely to the strong Australian dollar.

In Asia, which is still in hot demand, especially for Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, the company is looking to offer more luxurious experiences. Gourmet and cooking programmes in these three destinations are on the menu, as well as an option to extend to Europe for another 10 days.

“We expect a departure every two or three months for about 40 delegates per group,” Percival said, adding that the company is also planning golf programmes in Asia.

– Read more in IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific Official Daily – Day 3 issue

By Sirima Eamtako

POLAND is proving to be the new Russia and IT&CMA sellers are making a beeline for the record number of 27 Polish buyers who are present at the show this year.

Virat Chatturaputpitak, managing director, Marwin Tours (Thailand), said: “In the past, most Polish groups came to Thailand for leisure. Nowadays most are on incentive programmes.”

Marwin Tours has three to four Polish incentive groups this year, each with 100-500 delegates, staying six to seven nights.

Polish incentives are also growing for Thailand’s Creative Destination Management (CDM), which is handling 10 groups from Poland this year, up from five groups two years ago.

For Suwadee Pachariyangkun, managing director of Universal Travel Link & Services Thailand, the Polish incentive market is as big as the Russian incentive market. “We started tapping Poland last year and have already scored 10 groups,” she said.

Indonesia is also eyeing Polish incentive groups. Smailing Tours is handling three incentive groups from the market this year and has four to six potential ones lined up for 2012, while Bali DMC Plus has three confirmed groups in 2012.

Explaining Poland’s strong outbound incentive potential, Andrzej Tkaczow, office & sales director of Warsaw-based Luxury Travel, said the country was not affected by the financial crisis in Europe. “Even though Poland is part of the European Union, it has its own currency (the Polish zloty),” he said.

Thailand is favoured during the winter months of October to March, while Bali is hot from June to August, as it escapes the Asian monsoon season, according to Tkaczow.

– Read more in IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific Official Daily – Day 3 issue

THAILAND has hiked its visa fee for Indian nationals, catching Thai sellers at IT&CMA by surprise while Indian MICE buyers, who are aware of the move, roundly criticise it.

Coming after a visa fee waiver from 2009 till March this year, implemented to mitigate the impact of Thailand’s political riots, Indian buyers warn the hike will impact MICE business to Thailand. The new fee, effective October 1, is 2,000 rupees (US$40) per person and comes up to 2,350 rupees including processing charges. Previously, it was 1,400 rupees.

Indian buyers the Daily spoke to were aware of the fee increase because of a circular sent out by the Thai embassy in India just prior to IT&CMA, explaining that the adjustments were made “due to the cumulative changes in foreign exchange rates, and may be adjusted periodically in the future”.

Anshuman Mitra, director, New Delhi-based Starlite DMC, said: “The visa fee increase creates a lot of pressure on us as MICE operators into Thailand. Maybe the leisure arrivals won’t be affected, but I am 100 per cent certain that the MICE market from India will be hit. The visa fee is crucial in terms of overall costs, since MICE groups tend to be quite large compared to leisure.

“The visa fee waiver over the last few years was the biggest advantage Thailand had to attract markets like India. Other governments like Singapore, Malaysia and Macau are not raising visa fees. In fact, compared to Thailand, some of them are actually paying us subsidies to bring Indian MICE into their destinations.”

Mitra said concern was already pouring in from MICE clients scheduled for Thailand. “The extra cost is almost equivalent to the rate for a roomnight in Bangkok.”

Representatives from Onyx Hospitality Group’s Amari brand of hotels tried to paint a positive picture.

Amari Watergate Bangkok general manager, Pierre-Andre Pelletier, said: “Despite the hike, Thailand is still value for money. We have a lot of good connections between India and Thailand, and there are plenty of opportunities for MICE here.”

– Read more in IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific Official Daily – Day 3 issue

GBTA’S plans to expand its presence in Asia last year was foiled by the abrupt departure of Mark Rizutto, who left the organisation almost as soon as his appointment as managing director for Asia-Pacific was announced at the last IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific in Bangkok.

Hank Roeder, vice president of chapter relations for GBTA, declined to divulge the reasons behind the sudden turn of events. “Sometimes things just don’t work out. He (Rizutto) left almost immediately, so we continued looking, and have been actively searching for a replacement since then,” Roeder said.

Rizutto, in an email to the Daily, said: “Put simply, there was basically a difference in ideas around strategic priorities for the Asia-Pacific region.”

According to Roeder, GBTA is “very close” to assigning a replacement, who will resume efforts to boost the association’s footprint in Asian markets such as Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Thailand, as well as lead operations in Australia/New Zealand, where GBTA has an existing office.

Meanwhile, GBTA has rebranded its education offerings with the launch of the GBTA Academy in August, an umbrella institution for its suite of new business travel management courses.

The academy’s educational certificate programme will be offered in three distinct tiers – associate, manager and leader. This will replace a number of its courses such as Corporate Travel Expert, Sports Travel Professional/Sports Business Travel Professional, Certified Corporate Travel Executive and Strategic Meetings Management Certification, which are being discontinued.

– Read more in IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific Official Daily – Day 2 issue

INCREASED direct flights between Koh Samui and Singapore are expected to grease the way for more meeting and incentive traffic from the city-state to the southern Thai island, which draws mostly high-end leisure travellers.

SilkAir launched a thrice-weekly Singapore-Samui service from September 27 on top of its codeshare arrangement with Bangkok Airways’ daily flight on the same route. The Airbus A319, which provides business and economy class seats, is used by both airlines.

SilkAir has plans to raise frequencies to five flights a week from the year-end.

Singapore-based Fortune Travel manager, Gwen Ong, expects to convert incentive and meeting enquiries into confirmed bookings with SilkAir’s new flights. She said enquiries often stopped short at the quotation stage due to high airfares from Bangkok Airways.

Singapore’s Euro-Asia Holidays director, Maggie Tay, said SilkAir dangled an introductory fare of S$130 (US$99), excluding tax and fuel surcharges of around S$120, until end September, while Bangkok Airways kept its fares at S$320.

Ong hoped SilkAir would continue to be aggressive with its pricing strategy. “Bangkok Airways will feel the heat (and lower its price), which will help us to confirm more meetings and incentives to Koh Samui,” she said.

However, Bangkok Airways sales manager-South-east Asia and Indian Ocean, Sutee Yongudomkit, said there were no plans to reduce fares on that route. He explained that the route was lucrative and that it was normal for SilkAir to enter the market with an attractive price offer.