TOURISM Northern Territory (NT) is pursuing aggressive growth in the Singapore market by stepping up its marketing in 2013 and appealing to culture- and adventure-loving leisure travellers, as well as corporate incentives.

A Tourism NT delegation comprising CEO, Tony Mayell, and state tourism minister, Matt Conlan, was in Singapore on Tuesday for a roadshow to meet the local media and travel trade.

Mayell said: “We may have painted ourselves into a corner (by selling ourselves as an adventure travel spot). It’s not a bad corner to be in, but we want to re-identify what is unique to the Territory and sets us apart from the rest of Australia, then spread awareness of that.

“As a mature market, Singaporeans are also more interested in art and culture now. So we want to broaden the approach in Singapore by adding another layer, focusing on cultural products such as aboriginal art.”

In 2012, Singaporean visitors to the Territory only numbered 6,000 out of more than 300,000 arrivals to Australia. The goal is to increase arrivals from the market by 30 per cent this year.

Mayell cited the city-state’s 82 per cent repeat visitor rate as one reason for interest in Australia’s sixth-largest source market.

“Awareness is a main obstacle in Singapore. This year, we will continue to educate consumers and the trade about what NT has to offer, as well as taking marketing efforts onto a digital platform,” said Grace Tong, general manager of Pacific Leisure Marketing, Tourism NT’s marketing representative in the country.

“Destination training is an ongoing activity, which we organise at the request of travel consultants, either in house at their offices or in collaboration with the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore,” she said.

This year, Tourism NT will also launch bi-monthly email updates for travel consultants to keep them informed on the latest developments in the Territory. Interested parties may subscribe to it at singapore.tourismnt@nt.gov.au.

As for the MICE market, Mayell said: “We have facilities for small meetings and incentives. We’ve seen groups book out the entire Wildman Wilderness Lodge for three days for such events.”

He also revealed that the state NTO was in the midst of working with SilkAir on a number of MICE campaigns. “We’re into our second year with SilkAir, who has been a fantastic partner. While we and SilkAir are keen to increase (flight) capacity, we have first got to ensure the yield is there.”

Looking ahead, Mayell said Tourism NT was still studying the interests of different regional markets. India and South Korea are on the radar, while there are plans to break into China within 12 months.

PARKROYAL on Pickering, Singapore opened yesterday with several corporate meetings and weddings already on the books.

While the hotel’s general manager, David Sullivan, was unable to quantify the number of corporate events secured to-date, which included a “major VIP event for 350 guests nine days after the opening”, he told TTGmice e-Weekly that 52 weddings would take place at the hotel this year and 10 more had been confirmed for 2014.

Despite having several events in the bag ahead of opening, Sullivan said it was a “slow start” for the hotel due to “the time of the year”.

He explained: “Corporate clients usually go on vacation from the middle of December to mid-January. So although we got some bookings on the books in mid-December, it was only in the last week and a half that business started kicking into gear. And we are really gaining speed. We picked up three per cent occupancy in a single day (on Monday). It is a matter of time before we hit the 90 per cent range.”

The visually stunning 367-room hotel is a masterpiece of acclaimed architectural firm WOHA. Marketed as a hotel-in-a-garden and boasting extensive landscaping and environment-friendly features, the hotel opened with 200 guestrooms, as well as its signature all-day dining restaurant, Lime, an infinity-edge pool on the fifth floor, a luxurious residence-styled executive lounge and rooftop terrace on the 16^th floor, and a collection of meeting and event venues on the second floor.

Remaining guestrooms will be rolled out gradually.

Sullivan said the hotel’s business mix would comprise 55 to 60 per cent corporate business, largely due to the property’s location in the central business district (CBD).

“From Sunday to Thursday we will be primarily a corporate hotel and transition into a leisure hotel over the weekend. Some hotels in the (centre of the) CBD really suffer on weekends because it is difficult to get any leisure travellers. Nobody wants to walk out of a hotel and onto empty streets. But here, we have Chinatown just behind us, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and the Singapore River in front, and Marina Square and Marina Bay Sands in close proximity. Guests can also walk to Club Street where there are many interesting restaurants and bars,” he said.

Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts also operates two other hotels in Singapore – Parkroyal on Beach Road and Parkroyal on Kitchener Road – as well as the Parkroyal Serviced Suites Singapore.

THE new 323-key Shanghai Marriott Hotel Pudong East is celebrating its opening last week with several promotions, including a meeting offer.

Besides offering bonus points to Marriott Rewards members and free buffet breakfast for guests who book two consecutive nights’ stay, the hotel has made available a full-day meeting package from RMB488 (US$78.50) per pax, excluding a 15 per cent service charge.

Valid from now until August 31, the meeting package includes standard meeting amenities; use of a flipchart or white board, audiovisual system with two microphones, and an LCD projector and built-in screen; morning and afternoon refreshments; and a working lunch with free-flow of non-alcoholic beverages.

Located in the heart of Pudong, Shanghai Marriott Hotel Pudong East is equipped with a 655m² divisible and pillar-free grand ballroom, 10 function rooms, an executive lounge on the 21^st floor and a signature Chinese restaurant with several private dining rooms, among other facilities.

THE five-star One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia has started the New Year with a refreshed series of meeting deals.

Valid for the whole year, meeting packages with lunch are available at RM175++ (US$58) and RM165++ for full-day and half-day arrangements respectively. Meeting packages without lunch cost RM140++ for a full day and RM130++ for half a day.

Meeting planners will also enjoy standard meeting amenities, personalised stationery for delegates, complimentary Internet access for one user per day (eight hours) in the meeting room, and complimentary use of an LCD TV for signage, among other perks.

THE ICCA Forum for Young Professionals (FYP), to be held alongside AIME next month, will feature more industry speakers, additional case studies, as well as a chance for participants to compete for an attendance at the ICCA Congress 2013 in Shanghai.

Over February 25 and 26, some 18 speakers, including a record eight from overseas – up from four last year, will address participants who are under 30 years old and/or have been in the meetings industry for less than three years on a full-time basis.

The event aims to expose new meetings industry members to the latest trade issues and offer learning points from global experts.

Elizabeth Rich, manager of ICCA FYP at AIME 2013, told TTGmice e-Weekly that “this year seems to be an especially good one for securing overseas speakers”.

Rich added that FYP never had trouble sourcing for speakers. “I’ve always found meetings industry (practitioners) especially collegial in their approach, particularly generous in sharing their experiences to educate others.”

Meanwhile, MeetTaiwan’s Shake to Share event networking programme now joins other industry case studies which will be presented on February 25.

Rich expects ICCA FYP at AIME 2013 to draw the same number of participants as past editions.

She said: “We usually have 30 to 35 pax – most of them are from Australia and a handful from Asia. Last year we had 35 participants, of which 10 were from Asia. This year’s registrations are still streaming in, but already we have participants from South Africa, Malaysia, South Korea and Australia. It is generally a mix of staff from bureaus, centres, PCOs, hotels and occasionally some in-house meetings managers. Young employees of ICCA members predominate since it is a benefit of their membership.”

Rich recognises that staff retention is a problem, but has observed that “the young ones who (attend FYP) go away with a much heightened appreciation of the breadth of the industry…and are enthused with the potential of what they can achieve”.

When asked if FYP has helped the meetings industry to retain young professionals in its 13-year history, Rich said: “While I haven’t actually done any quantitative research of this, I have watched some of my ‘students’ go onto great success in their careers.”

FYP is organised twice a year by ICCA, and the next one will be held in conjunction with EIBTM in Barcelona.

COEX will launch a concurrent event, Packaging World, alongside its annual Automation World exhibition in Seoul this March, a move that is expected to boost trade buyers’ interest and show experience.

According to Susan Kim, Coex overseas marketing manager, the new event “allows visitors to experience the entire factory automation process, from production and machinery to packaging”.

Visitors to Automation World 2013 will gain free access to Packaging World, and vice versa.

“We hope this concurrent event will widen the reach of Automation World and attract further businesses interested in (various) aspects of the automation industry,” said Kim.

Coex said in a press statement that South Korea’s automation industry is valued at more than US$15 billion, making it the eighth largest automation market in the world, and that the opportunity to meet local buyers is consistently ranked as the leading reason companies from around the world choose to exhibit at Automation World every year.

An estimated US$29.4 million in business deals were arranged at Automation World 2012.

COEX expects the exhibition, which is slated for March 13-16 at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center, to draw 30,000 visitors this year – a 25 per cent year-on-year increase. A stronger seller representation is expected too, with exhibiting companies projected to grow 10 per cent to reach 300, and the number of booths to rise 18 per cent to 900.

Kim hopes to grow European and American representation at the show which is now dominated by Asian sellers. Approximately 75 per cent of exhibitors in 2012 were from Asia.

YOKOHAMA Convention & Visitors Bureau has won bids for two major trade events – Goldschmidt Conference and 17th International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste ISOT – which will take place in 2016.

The bid for the Goldschmidt Conference, to be hosted by the Geochemical Society, European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society of Japan, was secured by the MICE bureau and venue PACIFICO Yokohama.

The conference is expected to draw 2,500 delegates.

Harue Masuda, head of the local council that leads the site selection, recognised the capability of PACIFICO Yokohama as an all-in-one venue that provides easy access from international and domestic cities and offers a wide variety of shops and restaurants nearby.

The Japanese city was also selected to host ISOT in June 2016, a chemosensory sciences event that is held once every four years. The last ISOT was held in Stockholm, Sweden in June 2012.

Yuzo Ninomiya, chair of the Japan Host Committee, said in a press statement that Yokohama would make an ideal site for ISOT, as the city was home to the first Japanese port that opened to the world, thus making the destination the birthplace of modern Japanese culture.

ROYAL Cliff Hotels Group and PEACH (Pattaya Exhibition & Convention Hall), which have undergone a one billion baht (US$32.8 million) renovation and rebranding programme, will host several major events this year.

One of these mega wins include the 600-pax Asia Golf Tourism Convention in April (TTGmice e-Weekly, December 6, 2012).

Royal Cliff Hotels Group and PEACH executive director, Vitanart Vathanakul, said the convention, coming on top of an Asia-Pacific Golf Summit it also hosted last year, would help promote Pattaya as a golf hub.

“Eighteen of the best golf courses in Asia are located in Pattaya, with one of the courses designed by Jack Niklaus. In addition, golfers will see that Pattaya city has improved its infrastructure significantly,” said Vitanart.

The convention will comprise a number of seminars conducted by sports icons and a buyers-meet-sellers programme, according to Vitanart.

Other conventions confirmed at Royal Cliff and PEACH to-date included a money expo, an Asia-Pacific cardiology congress, a world health conference and key corporate meetings such as Singha Corp and Thai Beverage Corp said Vitanart, adding the venue had been seeing more prestigious events and large-scale wedding groups since last year. This included a ministerial meeting where the Thai Prime Minister and her Cabinet addressed issues to improve the Eastern Seaboard region and a car rally organised by the Economic Reporter Association which brought more than 600 reporters in Thailand to Royal Cliff.

Vitanart said the billion-dollar baht renovation and an investment on human resource training gave Royal Cliff an edge to clinch prestigious events.

The 40-year-old Royal Cliff has repositioned the product to cover all segments and draw not just loyal customers but younger executives.

The 544-room Beach Hotel is now pitched at those who love “casual luxury”. Aside from new, modern Mini Suite Plus rooms, it has a new infinity-edge pool and a new beachside restaurant, Breezeo, which offers over 100 cocktails. Guests can also create their own cocktails, down to choosing the ice shape for their drink.

The 89-room Beach Terrace is now positioned as “boutique luxury”, and a highlight is its new rooftop sunset terrace.

The Grand Hotel targets those who want “formal luxury”. It is also made for business travellers, with features such as a large working table and high-speed Wi-Fi. For guests desiring “ultimate luxury”, the Royal Wing, with 85 rooms and presidential suites, awaits.

MARRIOTT Hotel Manila is looking to boost its MICE business with the construction of a new wing with 228 guestrooms and a convention centre within the Resorts World Manila integrated resort (IR).

The new wing and convention centre will be connected to the existing Marriott Hotel Manila by a walkway. The convention centre will house a grand ballroom that can sit 2,500 pax; two ballrooms for up to 300 people; some 50 meeting rooms; two wedding chapels; and other MICE facilities.

When these facilities are operational by 1Q2015, the hotel will boast a total of 570 guestrooms and 6,900m² of meeting space, making it the Philippines’ largest in terms of hotel facilities and services category.

The hotel sees exciting opportunities for MICE which currently contributes 13 per cent to its total room nights, according to Marriott Hotel Manila’s general manager Scott Sibley.

Sibley said the MICE segment would generate 56 per cent of the growth in total hotel revenue in the first year of operating the additional guestrooms and Marriott Convention Center.

The hotel’s increased focus on MICE comes at a time when Resorts World Manila, the country’s first IR, will be facing off with four larger competitors that will emerge in the Entertainment City in the Manila Bay area beginning this year till 2016.

In an earlier interview, Bill Barnett, managing director of asset management and hospitality consulting C9 Hotelworks, said the future augurs well for Marriott Hotel Manila, which has one of the largest occupancies in mega-Manila and 85 per cent corporate business.

Barnett said the property would not take business out of hotels in the Makati CBD, but would instead offer an edge in enhancing the MICE segment.

“(It is) a segment we haven’t seen in the Philippines,” he said.

DOMESTIC ferry operator 2GO is now marketing its Batangas-Boracay and Manila-Cebu overnight ferry trips to overseas MICE markets, offering corporate groups on option to host themed meetings and events on board its vessels.

Seminars can be conducted on vessels plying the Cebu route, with setups available for 200 pax in theatre style. Boracay-bound vessels offer converted space in the cafe and an open deck. Ships on both routes can be used for deck parties with band performances, karaoke nights and teambuilding sessions.

Stephen Rey Tagud, 2GO vice president and chief commercial officer, told TTGmice e-Weekly that free Wi-Fi would be offered from this year on, and onboard e-gaming facilities were being considered.

Corporate rates are available for groups of 10 or more.

Top local companies are being targeted, and 2GO is looking to build ties with the Philippine travel trade too.

According to Amy G Leyes, assistant vice president for passage group sales, 2GO is making headway in its MICE pursuit. The Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines chartered the Boracay ferry last May, holding its conference onboard, while the Association of Administrators of Hotel and Restaurant Management Education Institutions utilised a round trip ferry service when it had its convention at the Crown Regency in Boracay in December.

Besides targeting overseas MICE buyers, 2GO is also keen on attracting value-conscious leisure travellers. The company has been pursuing leads from India and Taiwan obtained at PATA Travel Mart in Manila last September. Tagud explained that there were a lot of Indians who wanted to travel around Asia and the Philippines with their families, but were on a budget.

Leyes added that leisure enquiries were also streaming in from Latvia, Scotland and South Korea.

Meanwhile, 2GO has secured a pink market group for 1Q2013. Some 500 to 600 participants are expected. Theme parties onboard and in Boracay will be offered in the five-day/four-night programme, as well as bundled packages that include buffet meals, airport transfers, day tours to Intramuros and Tagaytay for early morning arrivals, shuttle services from Manila to Batangas port, and land and boat transfers to Caticlan.

A cruise-fly option is also offered to travellers planning on extending their visit in Boracay or elsewhere.

Tagud said: “We’re partnering a Taiwanese party organiser (with networks in the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia) to sell Boracay as a party destination.”