CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group has opened the 214-key Radisson Blu Hotel Nagpur in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

The hotel, located minutes from Nagpur city’s main commercial and business zones including the Mihan special economic zone, has over 10,000m² of event space which can accommodate up to 1,000 people. The space comprises a ballroom that spans 1,200m², with two collapsible partitions to divide the hall into three meeting rooms, as well as three boardrooms, a business centre and a business-class lounge.

Other facilities in the hotel include a spa, a fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, and a variety of dining options such as Ethyl Bar and Lounge, Cakewalk Tea lounge and Pastry Shop, The Creative Kitchen, Ni Hao and Indya Oye.

Simon Barlow, president, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Asia-Pacific, said the company, which has been operating in India for 14 years, would have 100 operating hotels in India by 2015.

“We have just signed a strategic partnership with Bestech Hospitalities to develop our Park Inn by Radisson brand in north and central India, and the newly opened Radisson Blu Hotel Nagpur will be the fifth property that we are managing for Bestech,” Barlow said.

THE CAPITAL city of South Korea has won the rights to host two high-profile events –- a ministerial meeting on climate change this October and a radiation association conference in 2020.

The 2012 Pre-COP (Conference of the Parties) Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change, which will set the groundwork for the 18^th United Nations Conference of the Parties in Qatar later this year, is expected to be attended by 300 delegates from 50 countries. Participants will include government secretaries, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretaries and members of non-government organisations.

The other major win for Seoul is the 15^th International Radiation Protection Association conference in 2020, which is expected to bring in 2,500 overseas participants from 90 countries.

These wins come along with news of Seoul retaining its fifth spot on UIA’s list of top international meetings destinations in 2011 for the second consecutive year. Seoul held 232 international meetings in 2011, 15.4 per cent more than the previous year.

THE PHILIPPINES’ Department of Tourism (DoT) will step up MICE-specific marketing promotions in India, which will include hosting its first-ever roadshow in the market in August.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly, Glen Agustin, DoT’s chief tourism operations officer and head, Team India, said: “Surveys and studies have shown that our efforts should be on MICE, especially on incentive groups from India (such as those from) business process outsourcing and call center, pharmaceutical and technology sectors.”

“These companies have already been to other Asian countries but not to the Philippines. Now is the time for us to position ourselves as an incentive travel destination,” he said.

Agustin will lead the Philippine delegation of travel agents and hotels to Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and possibly Kalkota – cities that generate the highest outbound volume.

While Agustin admits that efforts to lure Indian MICE groups will be hampered by the lack of direct flight between India and the Philippines, he said “not much can be done” in that aspect.

Having said that, Agustin pointed out that the Philippines had eased visa regulations for Indian travellers since May, allowing holders of valid visas from the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, the UK, the Schengen Area countries and Singapore to enter the country visa-free for 14 days.

Casey Faylona, director of sales of Dusit Thani Manila, identified two more hurdles Filipino MICE sellers must cross in order to win over Indian MICE groups – food and budget requirements.

Faylona said few hotels in the Philippines serve Indian food. “You cannot just serve Indians a western buffet because they prefer their own food, which can be halal, vegetarian or strict vegetarian, depending on their orientation.”

He noted too that budget-conscious Indians preferred lower star hotels, a need that is now being addressed by the new supply of no-frills hotels and serviced apartments in the Philippines.

THE ASSOCIATION of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is hosting a series of executive forums to allow corporate travel professionals to network and exchange ideas, as part of its wider plans to establish a stronger presence in Asia.

Two executive forums were held this month in India’s New Delhi and Bangalore, and plans are being made for Shanghai and Hong Kong to host the event in September and November respectively.

ACTE will also take its Asia Education Conference to Singapore on August 16 and 16.

Running concurrently is the Around the World in 80 Hours (ATW80) programme – a 12-week hands-on global immersion training and development course focused exclusively on global business travel management. Encompassing classroom instruction, networking events, cultural activities and site visits, the programme is open to university students as well as travel industry professionals. All participants are awarded the ACTE Global Travel Executive Certification upon completion of the programme. The first round began in March and ended in May. The second session is scheduled to take place from September to November and participants will visit Beijing, Sydney, Frankfurt, New Delhi, Sao Paulo and Dubai.

Plans are underway to extend its footprint across Asia. Its regional director for Asia, Benson Tang, said: “We will continue to investigate the possibility of setting up offices in areas like China and India. In addition, membership on the regional council will continue to expand into different geographic locations. We foresee individuals from China and India becoming regional council members.”

SUPPORTED by a new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Bangkok, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) will play a bigger role in the educational programmes offered at the annual Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific and Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings (IT&CM) series.

While GBTA used to provide advice on areas such as conference programming, Global Travel Management Exchange Forum (GTMEF) and CTW Industry Presentation, the association will now help to debut the Fundamental of Business Travel Management (FBTM) course at the inaugural IT&CM India show in New Delhi in August, and an intermediate procurement workshop for travel professionals at CTW in Bangkok this October.

The FBTM course, previously known as Corporate Travel Expert, is not unfamiliar to corporate travel practitioners. Focusing on the basics of business travel management, with content tailored to the Asia-Pacific business travel industry, the starter course has been conducted for the past four years at CTW in Bangkok, and will be offered for the third time at IT&CM China in 2013.

GBTA will also secure sponsors for CTW and grow the event with its strong corporate membership base.

Darren Ng, TTG Asia Media managing director, added: “The collaboration has given our conference a competitive edge. Participants can enjoy access to two exclusive sessions by GBTA – the GTMEF and the CTW Industry Presentation – which are available in Asia only through CTW.”

MELBOURNE has won the rights to host the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development in 2014.

The biennial event, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, is expected to draw 2,000 delegates from around the world, and inject an estimated A$7.6 million (US$7.5 million) into Victoria’s economy. It will be jointly hosted by the International Association of Schools of Social Work, International Council on Social Welfare, and International Federation of Social Workers.

Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher, said: “This conference will not only deliver valuable tourism dollars to the state, it will also provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the extensive work undertaken in Victoria in the development of social welfare policy and service delivery.”

This year’s Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, in July.

A JOINT venture between Indonesia’s Panorama Group and Reed Exhibitions has been formed, giving rise to Reed Panorama Exhibitions (RPE) and the new entity’s first trade exhibition, Mining & Engineering Indonesia Expo, which will take place in Jakarta this October.

With this partnership, Panorama Group’s MICE arm, Panorama Convex Indah, will have its exhibitions division drawn into RPE. Panorama Convex Indah will also take on a revised name to reflect its new specialisation – Panorama Meetings and Events.

Budi Tirtawisata, CEO of Panorama Group, said: “MICE is one of the five pillars in Panorama Group. Panorama Convex Indah has been growing well since we launched it 12 years ago. We see an opportunity to grow it further, as the Indonesian economy is booming.

“Indonesia is a highly promising destination for many industry sectors, (but) the exhibition industry in the country is still at an emerging stage.”

Tirtawisata said the formation of RPE was necessary to “raise the quality of trade shows in Jakarta”, and that the move was in line with the group’s plan to “become a global company through international networking”.

Reed Exhibitions Asia-Pacific president, Paul Beh, said: “Indonesia’s stellar economic growth in the past few years and sizable young demographic make it a highly attractive destination for foreign direct investment. Beyond the BRIC economies, Indonesia ranks high in the business agenda of multiple industries around the world. Our customers are telling us to bring them to Indonesia and help them find new businesses. This is the right time to be in Indonesia.”

RPE’s new Mining & Engineering Indonesia Expo, which will target 300 local and international sellers and 3,000 visitors, joins Panorama Convex Indah’s stable of six exhibitions.

“We are aiming to add two new events every year, so in the next five years we will have 17,” Beh said. “We are open to partnerships, be it equity partnerships, acquisitions or managing exhibitions such as those belonging to associations and the government.”

Tirtawisata expects the joint venture to grow business volume by seven to ten times, and revenue by three to four folds over the next five years.

MACAU welcomed six fewer events during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2011, reflecting a sustained downward trend in its quarterly MICE performance.

In 4Q2011, the destination registered 272 events, 108 fewer than the same quarter the year before.

Although its events count is down, Macau saw an increase in the total number of event attendees. Events in 1Q2012 attracted 161,781 attendees, representing a 26-per cent year-on-year increase.

Hong Kong-based C&E Conference and Exhibition Management general manager, Clemson Lo, who observed a drop in meetings and incentive enquiries for Macau over the past six months – which he attributed to the destination’s rising hotel room and venue rental rates – said the stronger attendance figures could have included day visitors from China.

Off-Site Connections Events Solutions managing director, Peter Hassall, blamed the decrease in MICE events on a “globally suppressed market”.

Hassall added: “The total number of participants (in 1Q2012) may have increased because of two major exhibitions held in the first quarter. More than 15,000 people attended each exhibition, which makes up almost 20 per cent of the total participants registered in Q1. As Macau (adds) more venues, hopefully we will continue to see (more of) such large-scale events hosted here.”

Meanwhile, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has also seen a slowdown in applications for its extended Incentive Travel Stimulation Programme, which offers support to event organisers throughout 2012.

According to an MGTO spokesperson, 55 incentive travel groups with a total of 19,439 participants were approved in 2011. In the first four months of 2012, only 16 groups with a total of 6,786 participants were approved.

The spokesperson attributed the decline to global economic instability in the last quarter, and added that “signs of an economic recovery” and new attractions in Macau would bring about a boost in application numbers for the rest of the year.

SRI Lankan conglomerate, Expolanka Holdings, has acquired a 50 per cent stake and full control of Mumbai-based Akquasun Holidays, which is said to be a destination management network that specialises in both inbound and outbound tourism.

Akquasun has offices in 11 destinations including the Maldives, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Russia and the US, and these work closely with travel agents, tour operators and event specialists in facilitating arrivals.

Chaminda Dias, executive director at Luxe Asia, an inbound tourism company which is part of Expolanka, said the acquisition would take Akquasun “to the next level”.

He said: “We (Expolanka) plan to set up new sales teams in the established overseas offices to attract clients to (destinations) such as the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, etc.”

Dias explained that prior to the acquisition, Akquasun handled mostly Indian outbound traffic to destinations where it has operations. Now, with Expolanka’s backing, Akquasun will increasingly canvass for business in markets such as Russia and China.

“(Akquasun) was also involved in sending (sizable) MICE (groups) to Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Macau. We hope to replicate this Indian model with the new and enhanced operations in Russia, China and the Midde East, and encourage MICE travellers (from these markets) to visit (destinations such as) Sri Lanka and the Maldives,” he added.

Expolanka’s ultimate goal is to transform Akquasun into a US$100 million (annual turnover) company in the next few years, from US$30-40 million currently.

“We want to grow the company’s outbound market share to 10 per cent, up from its current three to four per cent share in countries that Indians are visiting,” Dias said, adding that the company accounts for some 7,000 Indian visitors per annum to Mauritius, making it the second largest operator in that market.

ESCALATING petrol prices in India – which saw hikes of some 11 per cent recently – and a higher service tax are making some Indian DMCs jittery over an expected dip in demand from corporate clients.

Om Prakash, director of Inorbit Tours, said: “Corporates will be compelled to think of alternative destinations. While businessmen who have dealings in India will continue to travel to India, other corporate groups will certainly look at comparable destinations with lower costs. India will lose business to our neighbours, which have better facilities and competitive prices.”

To stay competitive, Prakash said Inorbit Tours had no choice but to “cut into (its) own profits”.

Amaresh Tiwari, managing director of A T Seasons & Vacations Travel, said his company had to bear the price difference in fuel costs and taxes for clients who signed contracts earlier on.

Tiwari also noted that some clients were looking for ways to reduce travel costs in India, such as taking taxis and having most meals outside the hotel.

Article by Divya Kaul.