TOURISM Queensland yesterday revealed the final 20 companies still competing in its Million Dollar Memo challenge (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 18).

The marketing initiative has so far generated 779,000 visits and 2.7 million page views for the official campaign website, as well as an estimated A$12 million (US$12.9 million) worth of publicity for Queensland’s tourism industry.

Tourism Queensland CEO, Anthony Hayes, said competitors had “undertaken an impressive amount of creative promotional activity to support their entries”, which had “in effect been fantastic mini-campaigns” and helped Tourism Queensland achieve its aim of promoting the state as an incentive travel destination.

Campaign information has been distributed via numerous channels including company websites, intranets, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, email signatures, direct mails to customer and supplier databases, on hold messages, cinemas advertisements, outdoor billboards, and even online banner ads.

“We estimate the campaign message has reached an audience of around five million people, including the entrants’ personal contacts, business networks, customers and suppliers. The marketing activity undertaken by these companies is worth an approximate media value of A$6 million,” said Hayes.

Hayes said further international interest in the campaign would be generated when one representative from each finalist participates in the eight-day Incentive Challenge Event in August. “The final stage of the campaign is a prime opportunity for us to showcase key Queensland incentive experiences, destinations and products to a world-wide audience,” he said.

The winner of the top prize of A$1 million (US$1.07 million) in Queensland incentive travel experiences will be announced on August 31.

CEBU Pacific (CEB) is helping the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) promote the country in China.

With the growing number of Chinese travellers heading to the Philippines for shopping, sightseeing, cultural and beach holidays, according to Gerard Panga, Philippine Tourism attaché to Shanghai, the airline has partnered with the DOT for a calendar of promotional events in China throughout 2011.

Jazmin Esguerra, Philippine Tourism attaché to Beijing, said: “The partnership of the national tourism office and CEB shows the Philippines is a serious player in wooing the Chinese travel market.”

CEB is the official airline for the Davao Cultural Festival in August, which it recently promoted in Beijing by showcasing authentic Davao cuisine, a cultural show and eco-friendly Filipino handicraft.

It was also the official airline partner of a promotional event in Beijing, showcasing three days of Filipino fashion shows and games from June 3 to 5, with an estimated 140,000 in attendance.

In addition, CEB was the official airline for a wedding expo at Beijing Exhibition Hall from May 27 to 29. The annual event highlighting romantic destinations showcased top honeymoon options in the Philippines, including Boracay, Cebu, Coron and Palawan. All of these have connections aboard CEB via Manila. The expo attracted a Chinese audience of 60,000.

CEB earlier participated in the Shanghai World Travel Fair in May, and the Suzhou International Tourism Festival in April. For the Suzhou festival, CEB flew in performers for the colourful Wow Philippines float voted Best Performing Group. For the Shanghai World Travel Fair, CEB flew in the acclaimed Bayanihan Dance Troupe.

TIGER Airways’ operations in Australia could be facing a prolonged period on the sidelines, as the country’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) today filed an application in federal court seeking to extend the carrier’s suspension period until July 31.

CASA grounded Tiger Airways Australia for five working days last Saturday, the first time in Australia’s aviation history that an airline’s entire fleet has been beached.

Travel plans of an estimated 35,000 passengers have been disrupted so far, and the airline has decided to refund passengers holding flight bookings from July 6-31. Tiger has estimated that it stands to lose A$1.5 million (US$1.6 million) a week as a result of the suspension.

In a statement released by the beleaguered airline, Tiger said that it was now working closely with the CASA to establish a road map to resume services as quickly as possible.

Tiger also announced that its Australia CEO, Crawford Rix, would be replaced by Tony Davis, the group president and CEO of the airline’s parent company, Tiger Holdings Ltd, at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in a statement to TTG Asia e-daily that it had ‘”not found any cause for concern over Tiger’s ability to operate flights in a safe manner”, and hence was not taking any action against the airline’s Singapore operations.

According to Tiger Holdings’ annual report, Tiger Airways Australia accounted for 43 per cent of the group’s total turnover last year.

INDONESIAN property developer Alam Sutera Realty is planning to build a convention and exhibition hall, hotel, and theme park in Serpong, west of Jakarta.

The development will be part of a 55.5-ha integrated development, which includes office buildings, apartments, and malls.

Alam Sutera marketing director, Lilia Sukotjo, said construction on the 800 billion rupiah (US$94 million) convention and exhibition hall would start in 2012, and was scheduled for completion by 2013. When ready, the hall will offer about 100,000m2 of exhibition space.

To support the MICE venue, accommodation facilities and a theme park will be constructed. The theme park, occupying a 13-ha piece of land and costing between 100 billion and 200 billion rupiah, will be built at a later stage.

In the meantime, Trans Corp, a conglomerate of companies in the media, lifestyle, retail and entertainment sectors, has just launched Trans Studio Bandung, its second indoor theme park after the recently-opened Trans Studio Makassar.

Trans Corp is planning to have 20 such parks in Indonesia by 2020, with a total investment of 40 trillion rupiah.

EVEN though the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), which soft-opened last week, is not yet fully operational, the facility is already proving popular with event and conference organisers.

According to Lucy Thurana, BNDCC general manager, sales and marketing, a host of conference bookings have been confirmed up to 2013, and deals are in the pipeline for events up to 2019.

“The forward bookings are very positive. We have already met the sales target for next year,” she said.

She added: “At the moment, the main convention hall, restaurant and the outdoor venue are ready. The second hall on level one is scheduled for completion by September, when the BNDCC will officially open.”

Thurana said the ASEAN Summit from November 17 to 19, and the East Asia Summit on November 19, would be the high-profile events for BNDCC this year. Some 1,000 delegates from 18 countries, including various heads of state, are expected to attend.

For 2012, a number of medical meetings and association gatherings have been lined up, with delegate numbers ranging from 700 to 2,000. “We are also finalising a deal for a world medical congress in 2019,” said Thurana.

THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has urged the newly-elected Pheu Thai-led coalition government to restore the country’s image as a safe and secure destination.

Following the general election last weekend, the TCEB is hoping that the relatively peaceful political climate in the country will continue, and that barring further crisis, the local MICE industry will be able to sustain a 25-30 per cent annual growth rate from next year onwards.

TCEB president Aksapol Sorasuchart said that the Thai MICE industry had missed out on more than 100 billion baht (US$3.3 billion) in revenue between 2008 and 2010, as the uncertain political environment had affected the confidence of event organisers and travellers to the country.

The TCEB is expecting the local MICE industry to grow by 10-15 per cent this year, with 720,000 foreign MICE visitors and 57 billion baht in revenue.

By Sirima Eamtako

ASEAN is well on its way to developing its five-year tourism roadmap. The region’s NTOs are starting to promote their Visit South East Asia: Feel the Warmth marketing campaign, and are seeking to double the annual budget from members to US$20,000 a year over the next four years.

According to Thanittha Maneechote, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, the various NTOs had already endorsed a tourism roadmap template during the 34th ASEAN NTOs Meetings event in Luang Prabang last month. This template will pave the way for the official use of the slogan and logo for the marketing campaign.

With detailed marketing activities to be discussed at a special meeting of the marketing communications working group in October, the ASEAN NTOs also requested that a US$23,000 budget be allocated to market and promote the region under the campaign.

In addition, the NTOs sought US$5,000 to fund the production of a promotional video with the theme ASEAN: A World of Wonders and Diversity, as well as proposed that the annual US$10,000 contribution per country be doubled between 2012 and 2015.

The five-year tourism blueprint is targeting 86.7 million arrivals to the region by 2015.

By Sirima Eamtako

SINGAPORE outbound travel to Taiwan is flourishing, thanks in part to the proliferation of media programmes and advertising showcasing Taiwan’s historical and cultural treasures, as well as its leisure offerings.

Closer trading and bilateral ties, as well as increased air links, have also played an integral role in boosting outbound traffic.

Vanessa Shih, head, Taiwan Representative Office in Singapore, speaking at a press conference for TransAsia Airways recently, said that the two countries “shared a conviction to open skies”.

This was demonstrated earlier this year, when Singapore and Taiwan moved towards establishing a bilateral open skies policy that would remove capacity limits for flights between the two countries (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 18).

TransAsia Airways was the latest carrier to leverage on this newly-forged pact when it launched a daily service between Taipei and Singapore last week (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 5).

The Taiwan Visitors Association and the Taiwan Representative Office in Singapore have various marketing initiatives to support the six airlines now plying the Singapore-Taipei route. A new marketing programme that rewards every two travellers whose combined age reaches 100 with a gift of US$100, will be launched soon.

According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, some 241,334 Singaporeans visited Taiwan last year, an increase of 24 per cent over 2009. From January to April this year, the number of Singapore visitors to Taiwan grew 22 per cent – the largest growth among foreign arrivals.

Shih said the Taiwanese NTO was targeting a 20 per cent increase in Singapore arrivals by year-end.

BEST Western International has added two properties, one each in Hua Hin and Bangkok, to its upscale Best Western Plus portfolio.

Best Western Plus Serenity Hua Hin opened in May with 54 rooms, each with its own private balcony.

The hotel’s facilities include the all-day dining Charisma restaurant, which serves Thai and international cuisine, a business centre, function rooms for up to 40 people and an 80-metre swimming pool.

The Grand Howard Hotel, located in the Sathorn area of Bangkok, is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2012. Its 256 rooms come in studio, superior, deluxe, cabana and premier categories.

Facilities include a swimming pool, an all-day dining restaurant, a coffee lounge, an outdoor bar, a fitness room, a business centre and function rooms – among these a grand ballroom that is able to hold up to 700 people.

PATA has signed an agreement with the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) to enhance cooperation in the sharing of research, intelligence and information, as well as the execution of joint lobbying and policy development activities.

The deal offers the two associations reciprocal arrangements in sharing data and the results of their studies, reports and surveys, and will also facilitate lobbying activities for the benefit of both organisations’ members.

Bill Calderwood, PATA Interim CEO, said: “Both PATA and ETOA will start to work together in pursuit of our shared interests. We’re seeking to minimise the obstacles to two-way growth between Asia-Pacific and Europe.”

Tom Jenkins, executive director, ETOA, said: “As Europe works towards economic recovery, the Asia-Pacific region is a vital partner.”

“The impulse to explore the world is something that can easily be discouraged. Visa and tax arrangements are problematic, health and security concerns are exaggerated. The industry needs to respond to a wide range of consumer concerns and interests,” he added.