VOTE for your favourite productivity videos in PATA Singapore Chapter’s Our Productivity Story competition and you could be one of three lucky winners to walk away with an Apple iPad2.

Simply pick the winning video in each of the three categories: Hotels, Travel Agents and Other Services, where six finalists are vying to be crowned the most productive.

The finalists include Mandarin Orchard Singapore, Fairmont Singapore, Dynasty Travel International, International Paradise Connexions Tours & Travel, Adrenalin Events & Education and Vital Shared Services (a department under Singapore’s finance ministry),

The votes will contribute to half of the contest’s final results, which will be announced during the annual Tourism Ball on December 3.

Do note that the voting period has been brought forward to November 4 from November 14, and will end on November 23 instead of November 30.

For more information visit http://www.patasingapore.org.sg/pata_new/comp_video_voting.php

THE SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) Group recorded significantly lower half-year earnings, as higher jet fuel prices took a toll on the company’s bottom line.

The Group, which consists of flag carrier SIA, SilkAir, SIA Engineering and SIA Cargo, posted net profit of S$239 million (US$188.5 million) for the first half of financial year 2011-12, a 62 per cent drop from the S$633 million generated a year ago.

The Group attributed the decrease in profits to increased expenditure on fuel, which shot up by S$747 million (+35 per cent) as jet fuel prices spiked 45 per cent over the period.

Group revenue, in the meantime, rose S$180 million to S$7.2 billion, a three per cent hike.

Broken down into subsidiary performance, SIA’s operating profit for the first half of financial year 2011-2012 fell 86 per cent to S$53 million, compared to S$380 million the year before.

Even though the airline carried a total of 8.5 million passengers (a year-on-year increase of 3.3 per cent), growth in passenger carriage was slower than expansion in capacity, resulting in a 1.9 percentage point dip in load factor to 77.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, SilkAir recorded operating profit of S$34 million for the first half, compared to S$36 million the year before. As a result, load factor was flat at 74.2 per cent.

INTERNATIONAL boutique hotel chain, Grace Hotels, has opened a 30-key property in the Chinese capital city, marking its entry into Asia-Pacific.

Grace Beijing, located in Beijing’s 798 Art District, occupies the former Yi House Hotel. The property houses modern art and contemporary furniture, and features decor inspired by the Ming Dynasty.

Facilities at the luxury hotel include Yi House restaurant, which serves Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, and Bar 798.

Philippe Requin, Grace Hotels CEO, told TTG Asia e-Daily in an interview that the hotel’s target traveller segment reflected the nature of the 798 Art District.

“We see a mix of local and international clientele with strong representation from the fashion, arts, film, photography and design communities that are attracted to the art district or have business there,” he said.

“There are also some discerning vacation guests who seek an alternative to the established city centre locations.”

Grace Beijing employs multiple channels to move rooms, including direct booking, tour operators and travel agents.

“There is a global trend towards more use of the Internet to research or book travel and accommodation, so we are constantly working to improve our web experience,” said Requin.

To advance Grace Hotels’ expansion into the rest of Asia-Pacific, the group has hired renowned hotelier Roberto Pelliccia to oversee opportunities in the region.

Although no firm plans have been laid as to Grace Hotels’ next opening in Asia, Requin said mainland China was “definitely among the countries in which we are hoping to develop”.

Grace Hotels’ other existing properties are in Mykonos, Santorini and Rhode Island.

THE NUMBER of foreign visitors to this year’s edition of EXCO Taiwan was double that of last year’s, as organisers continue to step up efforts to broaden the show’s MICE range.

“Our hope is to become a full-fledged MICE show like IMEX,” said Alex Lai, EXCO show manager and project manager, Exhibition Department, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

Lai said more emphasis would be placed on the incentive travel and meetings segments for future shows.

“Right now we are strong in the ‘E’ because that is what TAITRA is – a trade show organiser. We also have the ‘C’ because of TICC (Taipei International Convention Center—both a venue and a conference organiser),” he said.

This year’s first-day attendance at the Taipei World Trade Center included a total of 103 foreign visitors, a 230 per cent jump over last year. Pre-registration generated more than 230 attendees from oversees, also a doubling.

The biggest share of overseas visitors were from foreign schools participating in a MICE training event held during the show.

Each year, the TAITRA International Trade Institute’s MICE training division invites the tourism departments of local colleges and universities to compete at EXCO by creating and manning booths for Taiwan’s MICE destinations.

Joining the 14 local schools at this year’s MICE Education & Training Area were eight universities from South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia.

By Glenn Smith

KAHA Group, a major Indonesian travel consultancy, is entering the e-commerce arena through Karya Harmoni Indonesia, a joint venture with former Wotif product director Thailand, Indonesia and Indochina, Yusuf Ijsseldijk, who has been appointed managing director and CEO of the new entity.

The company will launch its full-service online B2B and B2C travel sales engine, Goindonesia.com, in mid-November, catering to Indonesian domestic and outbound travellers.

“The fact that there is a fast-growing domestic business for online players like Agoda.com, which only accepts credit card payments, shows that the online market in Indonesia is maturing,” explained Yusuf.

“There is a huge market here (in Indonesia) but very few players. There are e-commerce sites, but they are not fully online.”

Goindonesia.com, which will initially feature hotel and transfer bookings and later airline and package tours, will offer a range of payment options such as Internet banking, closed-amount payments via ATM, and credit card transactions.

“There is a big opportunity for us to cater for those who have been thinking of (buying products) online, but are reluctant to use their credit cards because of fraud worries,” said Yusuf.

Commenting on the possibility of cannibalising KAHA’s business as a traditional offline travel consultant company, Yusuf said: “There will be a shift of market, but KAHA’s (offline) market will continue to grow in line with the growth of traffic in Indonesia.”

“Traditional travel business will continue to grow, but the online business will grow faster,” he added.

GREEN MICE practices took centre stage at this year’s EXCO Taiwan 2011, the third edition of the annual exhibition and convention-focused show.

Exhibition service providers participating at the event told TTG Asia e-Daily the adoption of eco-friendly practices in the exhibition and convention industry was a steadily growing trend.

According to Tom Yang, deputy general manager of Uniplan Taiwan, which went green with its own presence at the show by relying on iPads and projectors instead of printouts for presentations, 30 per cent of his clients adopt green exhibition technology, with automotive companies being the biggest supporters.

“Automotive companies are big polluters, and they are sensitive about their image,” he explained.

Yang believes that suppliers can play a big part in getting their clients to adopt green practices. “It is our job to convince our clients to use green (exhibition) technology, and we tell them that their customers will appreciate the effort,” he said.

Rick Chen of Taiwan-based Olily Exhibition Design, which counts HTC, Samsung, Hermes and Louis Vuitton among its clients, was another of the eco-friendly exhibitors on show.

All materials used by his company are reusable, Chen claimed, adding that he avoids using wood in the construction of booths.

Instead, the booths are created with custom-made steel fittings, bolted for easy dismantling, and lit using LED lighting—which reduces energy usage by up to 80 per cent, according to Chen.

By Glenn Smith

COMPETITION in the online travel retail space in Asia ratcheted up a notch with the launch of CheapTickets.sg on Monday.

CheapTickets, a B2C online travel-booking brand and the leading online travel player in Germany, is planning to expand aggressively in Asia, with Singapore having been designated as its regional headquarters.

The company opened offices in Bangkok and Hong Kong in October, with websites for both markets slated to go online by year-end. Plans are also on the cards to open offices in Indonesia, the Philippines, India and China next year.

Isabel Gonzalez, brand manager, CheapTickets.sg, told TTG Asia e-Daily that negotiations were ongoing with a potential local partner in China.

“If an agreement is signed, we will probably enter China by leveraging on (the partner’s) insider knowledge about the Chinese market, and by adopting the recommendations they make,” she said.

“We foresee that we will need to open two to three bases in the mainland.”

When asked if the online travel space in Asia was becoming saturated, Gonzalez said there was “definitely enough room in Asia for all players to secure massive growth potential”, especially in view of the increasing number of budget airlines already operating in or thinking of entering the region.

“In the meantime, consumer Internet penetration (in Asia) is on the rise,” she added.

Although it caters to the B2C market, Gonzalez pointed out that CheapTickets.sg would also appeal to travel consultants booking flights on behalf of corporate clients, due to its ability to display fares offered by scheduled as well as low-cost carriers operating within Asia-Pacific.

“CheapTickets’ ability for users to book low-cost flights to destinations not served by network carriers is one of the distinct features that marks us out,” she said.

Meanwhile, details for a CheapTickets affiliate programme are currently being worked out, said Gonzalez, adding that an initiative targeted at travel experts would not be ruled out once the website takes off.

ACCOR will add 10 new properties to its current crop of four in Malaysia by 2014, the majority of which will belong to its Ibis brand—which is making its debut in the country.

The Ibis properties slated to open include the 500-key Ibis Styles Fraser Business Park Kuala Lumpur (2012), 156-key Ibis Styles Cheras (2012), 179-key Ibis Styles Johor Bahru (2013), 165-key Ibis Styles Kota Kinabalu (2013), 108-key Ibis Styles Lahad Datu (2013) and 118-key Ibis Styles Ipoh (2013).

Other properties on the cards include the 513-key Pullman Kuala Lumpur (2012), 318-key Pullman Port Dickson (2014), 320-key Novotel Melaka (2013) and 187-key Novotel Klang (2013).

Accor’s existing portfolio in Malaysia includes Pullman Putrajaya, Pullman Kuching, Novotel Kuala Lumpur and Novotel Kota Kinabalu.

Malaysia tourism minister, Dr Ng Yen Yen, welcomed Accor’s expansion plans.

“Malaysia still needs more high-end hotel rooms to cope with the current influx of tourists into the country,” she said.

“While we have 87 five-star hotels and 135 four-star hotels, they are usually fully booked during peak travel seasons.”

Meanwhile, Accor has also launched its own Destination Malaysia website.

“This is to provide a platform for online visitors and customers to learn more about our network in Malaysia,” said Gerard Guillouet, vice president for Accor Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

“Accor will collaborate with Tourism Malaysia through content syndication and by linking partnership activities.”

By N. Nithiyananthan

TRAVELPORT has introduced a new hotel booking programme that gives Travelport GDS-connected travel agents guaranteed access to the lowest publicly available rates from a wide range of international hotel groups.

Agents booking via Travelport’s Lowest Public Rate Programme have the ability to source and book the lowest public rate of the day offered anywhere by the participating property, including pre-paid rates and special promotional offers, regardless of whether the rate is flexible or has restrictions.

“By offering complete rate parity, hotels participating in ‘Lowest Public Rate’ stand to boost their brand awareness and loyalty among travel agents, many of whom prefer booking through the GDS channel,” said Niklas Andreen, group vice president, Hospitality & Partner Marketing, Travelport.

“This is a win-win partnership that enables our hotel partners to expand their sales opportunities, while giving agents confidence that they have secured the lowest rate of the day.”

Launched recently on both the Galileo and Worldspan GDS, the programme has already roped in more than 40 participating hotel brands, including InterContinental Hotels Group, Preferred Hotel Group, Leading Hotels of the World and Marriott International, with other chains expected to join by year-end.

The introduction of the programme follows the launch in July of Travelport Rooms and More (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 29), a hotel booking engine that allows agents to compare deals and commissions across multiple aggregators.

THE MALAYSIA Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has embraced a new brand identity, Asia’s Business Events Hub, which will position the country as an entry point for international organisations wanting to engage with Asian businesses and professionals through events.

A revamped standalone website showcasing MyCEB’s new branding, as well as a Quick Response (QR) code which directs smartphone users to the website when scanned with a QR reader, were unveiled at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Ho Yoke Ping, general manager-sales & marketing, MyCEB, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the new branding and website would enable the bureau to clearly demarcate its role, and distinguish its efforts from Malaysia’s broader tourism promotion initiatives.

“The focus of this major branding exercise is to communicate our value proposition to the market, and to give MyCEB and Malaysia a competitive edge,” she said.

“Our ultimate goal is to position Malaysia as one of the top five destinations in Asia-Pacific for international meetings, and to hit a target of 2.9 million business arrivals by 2020.”

Ho added that the website would be constantly updated to inform meeting planners of Malaysia’s latest MICE-related service and facility offerings, and would be linked to a customer relationship management (CRM) system developed in partnership with Simpleview, a US-based CRM solutions provider.

Other MICE initiatives due to be rolled out include an Association Ambassador Programme, which will enable MyCEB to identify and train potential local hosts for international conventions, and a certification programme for Malaysia’s MICE industry stakeholders, which is still under development.

MyCEB will also be increasing its sales representation in Europe, followed by North America, Australia and key markets in Asia. The move will strengthen MyCEB’s bidding activities, promotions, lead generation process and marketing programmes in these markets.

The Ministry of Tourism has allocated a budget of RM50 million (US$16 million) to MyCEB for 2012, half of which will be channelled into the bureau’s existing subvention programme.