Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia are showing great MICE outbound promise, inspiring Paris to turn on its charms, discovers Xinyi Liang-Pholsena
Paris’ well-honed reputation as a capital for fashion, art and culture, as well as the nexus of economic and corporate business in France, bides well with its efforts to lure more Asian leisure and MICE visitors.
A city of 2.2 million habitants, Paris welcomed 29 million visitors in 2013, with business and MICE travellers making up half of the destination’s arrivals, according to Patricia Barthelemy, marketing manager of Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB).
“We are seeing lots of leisure and incentive visitors from Asia, as Paris is usually (one of) the first destinations of a Europe trip,” she informed.
“New MICE markets are China, India and South-east Asia, while Japan is already an established market. Incentives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea are doing well, so these countries are no longer new markets for us.”
Having started the Chinese market 15 years ago, Barthelemy informed that PCVB “had time to understand the Chinese market”.
In contrast, the NTO only started making inroads into South-east Asia (excluding Singapore) in 2009, with particular attention given to the emerging markets of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, which accounted for 80,000, 70,000 and 65,000 arrivals respectively to Parisian hotels in 2013, based on estimated figures from PCVB.
Partnering Air France, PCVB in March led its second annual sales mission comprising 13 tour operators and sellers from Paris to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bangkok as part of its aim to “meet major tour operators and understand clients’ rapidly changing expectations” and “present new ideas to the market”, said Barthelemy. Fam trips for this market trio are also in the pipeline this year.
Most Paris sellers, likewise, already had their radar tuned to the Chinese market for the majority of the last half decade, but South-east Asia’s MICE outbound potential is starting to register too, with several sellers sharing how they are stepping up contact with partners and launching more sales calls in the region.
Arnaud Calteau, founder & CEO of Azurever, a Paris-based DMC, told TTGmice that he began looking at the Asian MICE market in 2011 but currently keeps his focus on high-end segment of FITs, seminars and groups from Asia.
“It takes time to build up partnerships with Asian partners, but I have seen interest from incentive planners during this Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok workshop,” he said. “Indonesia has huge potential for incentives and leisure, as they are more open to ideas.”
Expecting the South-east Asian market to mature faster than its Japanese counterparts did in the seventies and eighties, Calteau has hence created MICE programmes plying to Asians’ love for shopping and glamour in Paris, such as a private tour of Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent, where a curator highlights the famed French designer’s fashion collections, life and approach to art; plus private cocktails and dinners in addition to backstage access to Lido or VIP access to Notre Dame Cathedral after closing hours.
Similarly, Lido’s international tourism sales manager Claude Micallef shared that the famed Parisian cabaret theatre has “adapted (itself) some 10 years ago to the rising Asian tide”. “We have received a lot of Asian corporate groups. We can personalise the venue through means such as putting company name (on the screens) or offering cocktails two hours before our shows,” he said. “The possibilities are endless.”
For Domaine de Chantilly, a 7,800ha historic estate in Paris’ outskirts, its MICE strategy was adopted in 2008 when the destination came under private management, revealed international sales manager Patrick Allais.
He commented: “We only started the South-east Asian market (Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand) two years ago and China three years ago; Japan was our first Asian market. For now, we mostly focus on emerging markets like Russia, Brazil, South-east Asia and India.
Jackie Chan’s Chinese Zodiac movie, which was shot on location at Domaine de Chantilly, has made it easier to introduce the château to the Asian market, with China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand rising to become the destination’s top MICE source markets from Asia, while MICE requests from India are starting to roll in, according to Allais.
“We surfed on the wave of Jackie Chan – he’s the best advertisement for us,” he said.
Domaine de Chantilly has also actively pursued new initiatives to strengthen its appeal for Asian MICE groups, said Allais.
Besides providing Chinese guides on-site, the destination has just entered into agreements with Asian food specialist caterers to offer such options as halal or pork-free food.
Furthermore, a Chinese website and marketing tools in Thai, Bahasa Indonesian and Melayu are expected to launch soon.
Meanwhile, the management is now looking at appointing a marketing representative in South-east Asia and India.
Need to know
A grand estate
Located a 20-minute drive from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Domaine de Chantilly is one of the best examples of princely grandeur France has to offer. The estate houses the Musée Condé, home to rich collections of historical paintings, books and manuscripts; three different gardens; the Great Stables featuring one of Europe’s largest equestrian centres; a restaurant helmed by a two-Michelin-star chef and a new Relais & Chateaux hotel. The estate offers myriad MICE possibilities, from intimate parties for 50 pax in The Stags Gallery and 450-pax gala dinners in The Equestrian Gallery accompanied by private equestrian shows to private guided tours of the château and museums. Teambuilding activities are also available, such as treasure hunt by GPS in the gardens.
Contact Patrick Allais at patrick.allais@domainedechantilly.com.
Hilton readies for new look
The historic Concorde Opera is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment to be rebranded as Hilton Paris Opera (pictured below) in autumn 2014. The area surrounding the 124-year-old landmark is undergoing large-scale redevelopment too. The rebranded 266-room hotel will boast an executive floor and lounge, meeting rooms and dining outlets.
Meanwhile, Hilton Chantilly Hotel & Conference Centre, located 30km from central Paris, is under construction and is expected to open in early-2015.
Charming river cruises
Offering year-round cruise tours along the Seine River, Bateaux-Mouches’ fleet of 15 open-deck riverboats will enable visitors to take in sights of Paris’ most iconic attractions such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum and the underbellies of bridges that criss-cross the river.
Dinner cruises depart every evening at 20.30 while lunch cruises operate on weekends and public holidays only at 13.00, with all tables set on the water’s edge to give passengers a clear view of Parisian monuments over traditional French cuisine. Seating up to a maximum of 600 pax for dinners, corporate conferences, cocktails and gala dinners can be organised on board while special dietary options like kosher, Indian and halal food can be prepared upon request.
Visit www.bateaux-mouches.fr for more information or contact Chloe Wilhelem at c.wilhelem@bateaux-mouches.fr.
Oh, what a show!
The glamorous cabaret and burlesque show, Bonheur, performs at the iconic Lido theatre every evening, with 70 artistes putting on a glitzy extravaganza with 23 sets, 600 costumes and special effects.
Spread across six floors, the 7,500m² venue at Champs-Élysées features a 1,150-seat panoramic theatre and a giant elevator that allows the orchestra to sink 80cm into the floor to improve visibility for dining guests. Lido is set to undergo a renovation from January through March 2015, and will reopen with new shows.
MICE planners can also avail the venue’s corporate event packages or give clients the star treatment by requesting for customised options such as pre/post-show cocktails, backstage tours, meetings in the Bluebell Room or booking the entire venue for special events.
Visit www.lido.fr for details.
When in Paris, go shopping
Incentive planners working with Asian clients will do well to include a stop at Printemps, the French luxury department store founded in 1865 and with 17 outlets across France. The historic flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann boasts 44,000m² devoted to over 3,000 luxury brands and goods, a Maria Luisa store featuring famous and up-and-coming fashion names, a 2,000m² parfumerie and an entire building devoted to men’s fashion. Events can be hosted at the Brasserie Printemps. More information at www.printemps.com.
