Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel is ramping up its efforts to attract more business events from the Asia-Pacific region.
Kazuya Sugano, general manager of Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel, told TTGmice that currently 10 per cent of the hotel’s business events come from Asia-Pacific, and there is room to grow. As such, he is targeting 15 per cent in business events in 2025.
Having undergone renovation of its guestrooms and meeting facilities in 2019, Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel is well-equipped to cater to corporate events, said Sugano.
Demand is rising, he noted. There has been a surge in incentive travel from South-east Asia, with a large incentive group from the region set to stay at the hotel over the coming weeks. Intensifying interest is also seen from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, while Vietnam is an emerging market.
Sugano regards Singapore as a mature travel market that is new to Kobe, especially among outbound corporate groups. The city offers many suitable products, such as Concerto, a popular sightseeing cruise with multiple daily departures and onboard dining opportunities. There is also a golf course located a 30-minute drive from the hotel.
The property, however, is not limiting itself to South-east Asian markets. Sugano plans to cast the net wider in 2025, and has his eye on Australia and New Zealand. To grow its market visibility in Australia and New Zealand, Kobe Meriken Park Oriental Hotel will be participating in AIME 2025 and invest in advertising campaigns.
“We have a lot of leisure guests from Taiwan, so we’re thinking of ways to bring in corporate groups from Taiwan. We are also making plans for a sales mission to South Korea, where we will present the hotel and destination to top MICE agents,” he shared.
With Osaka Expo 2025 on the horizon, Sugano plans to leverage the event and “cooperate with the local government, and more hotels in Kobe” to bring more visitors and business events into the city.
