Minor Hotels has appointed Vijay Krishnan-Vazhvelil as vice president – operations, India.
With over 20 years of experience, he is an experienced business leader with a focus on luxury hospitality, wildlife tourism and experiential travel.
He will be based in Dubai and Bangkok, and will play an instrumental role in building a sustainable pipeline and operations in India. His most recent role was as vice president of operations at Royal Orchid & Regenta Hotels & Resorts.
GBTA is boosting its leadership and global reach and has named one member each from Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Latin America (LATAM) as board directors to include the voices of those regions.
London-based GBTA president Mark Cuschieri, said: “In line with our global outlook, I’m delighted to announce the addition of two ex-officio members from the regions of APAC and LATAM to the GBTA board of directors.
“I’m pleased that Peter Koh for APAC and Felipe Cardona for LATAM will serve as ex-officio (non-voting) directors until the latter part of 2024, at which time we hope to finalise the process to give those regions fully elected, voting directors.
“These regional board members will bring unique perspectives and insights that will enrich our decision-making processes.
“This expansion underscores our commitment to being a truly global organisation, fostering international cooperation and ensuring the voices of all our members are heard.”
Koh, who chairs GBTA’s Asia-Pacific advisory board, commented GBTA has become less US-centric, having recognised that APAC is a key region in corporate travel.
GBTA’s Asia-Pacific advisory board chair also shared that Singapore membership is growing well and taking up a big share, and the next two emerging markets are China and India with 37 and 31 members respectively.
As of December 2023, there are 292 regional members with buyers making up 31 per cent and suppliers 69 per cent.
Koh continued: “The goal is to attract every travel manager to be a member, but suppliers will continue to outnumber.”
With growing APAC numbers, Elle Ng-Damarwan, based in Singapore, has joined GBTA as regional director to support members to increase their involvement and learn from each other.
Koh told TTGmice that a number of committees are being set up in areas such as risk, DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), accommodation, and young travel professionals. GBTA also wants to attract more to join the existing sustainability task force.
Upcoming APAC events this year include a forum in Mumbai, a joint effort by FCM Travel Asia and GBTA, in February; a Singapore networking cocktail in March followed by the GBTA APAC conference later in May 14-15. Taking place at Raffles City Convention Centre, the GBTA APAC conference will be a two-day event that will be co-located with the Worldwide ERC Global Mobility Summit.
The year 2024 is looking positive for business travel, where the sector will continue its upward trajectory, although corporate travel programmes’ budgets will be tested.
Studies have shown that business travel correlates to economic growth. We are seeing corporate travellers take advantage of being able to combine both business and leisure travel. There is also a real business focus on face-to-face meetings and collaborations, given the evidence that in-person meetings are the most productive way for businesses to operate.
Business travel is still a high priority despite economic impacts. Lower airfares in 2024 will open options for budget-conscious business flyers. While economic uncertainty posed concerns for any business, there would be a meeting point in the travel industry with falling travel costs. In October 2023, a survey by the Global Business Travel Association found about 70 per cent of corporate travel buyers expect to increase or keep their travel budgets in 2024.
International demand to continue into 2024, and fare rises of three to seven per cent is forecasted in 2024. Asia has seen an increase in economy class fares by 21 per cent and 17 per cent in business class fares year to date 2023 versus 2019. Mumbai to London has seen the highest increase of 24 per cent in economy class fares followed by Mumbai to Delhi. Business class fares from Mumbai to London saw a 14 per cent increase in 2023 versus 2019. Both airports from Shanghai to Singapore have seen an increase in business class fares. Shanghai Hong Qiao Airport saw a 24 per cent increase in fares and Shanghai Pudong Airport saw a 20 per cent increase.
Easing of visa requirements. China, the world’s second-largest economy, has granted unilateral visa-free travel for holders of ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, and Malaysia and signed agreements on mutual visa exemption with over 150 countries which enable citizens to travel to China without a visa.
Bleisure trips are on the rise. Bleisure travel to continue to rise in 2024 as the world returns to normality, flight capacity continues to grow, and collaboration still is a priority. As we see a fixation on productivity amid economic pressures, organisations are looking to meet and gather face-to-face. Employees are taking advantage of increased business travel to extend their trips for joint leisure purposes.
Leveraging technology for smoother travel. Technology will play a key role not only in enhancing the travellers’ experience but also in supplying data-driven insights and real-time updates. For example, FCM’s AI assistant, SAM (Smart Assistant for Mobile), proactively informs travellers of flight delays and recommends the nearest lounge instead of waiting at the gate.
Increased focus on sustainable initiatives. As sustainability has risen to the top of the business agenda, more companies join the race to net zero. To empower companies, FCM Consulting has partnered with CAPA – Centre for Aviation, which pairs the team’s unique methodology with the CAPA Envest Global Sustainability Benchmarking Report. FCM is the only global travel management company (TMC) to currently have access to this data which provides a comparable ranking of airlines incorporating over 10 ‘sustainability parameters’ and is regarded by CAPA as the industry’s single source of truth on emissions, benchmarking airlines, and their performance as they transition to net zero operations.
Regardless of which TMC is selected; enterprises can get a scorecard to learn how their air travel programme and preferred airlines score on various sustainability metrics. As companies become more astute on all things sustainability-related, TMCs must be able to provide a deeper, and more accurate analysis of travel impact with measurable benefits.
Bertrand Saillet is FCM Travel Asia’s managing director.
Tourism New Zealand has announced the continuation of its ICCASkills scholarship programme in 2024, offering New Zealand business events professionals the chance to undertake internationally-recognised certifications.
Developed by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and designed by industry experts, ICCASkills delivers the only globally-recognised certification for suppliers in every sector of the meetings industry. ICCASkills offers two certification tracks: the CICS (Certified International Convention Specialist) for junior professionals, and CICE (Certified International Convention Executive) for those in management roles.
A limited number of scholarships are available for New Zealand-based professionals working in the business events industry, with Tourism New Zealand sharing costs with the scholarship recipient’s employer.
In addition to online courses starting in March 2024, an in-person ICCASkills training event will be held in New Zealand for the first time.
The three-day training event will take place at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in Christchurch from September 10-12, facilitated by ICCA’s expert international instructors Deanna Varga and Juan José García.
International events professionals will also be invited to attend this course. Domestic learners will also have the opportunity to participate in a post-training activity programme (at their own cost). Details will be confirmed in due time.
Tourism New Zealand’s general Manager NZ & business events, Bjoern Spreitzer, said: “Business events are a key part of Tourism New Zealand’s strategy to attract high-quality visitors who positively benefit New Zealand’s nature, culture, society, and economy.
“Business events are all about people – it is important to invest in our people in the industry and educate and elevate New Zealand’s event sector to ensure international visitors continue to have a world-class experience here.
“This is a valuable professional development opportunity for New Zealand’s event professionals, and we encourage people to attend the training in person to make the most of the networking opportunities.”
CWT has improved traveller messaging interactions on its myCWT platform with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) capabilities powered by Azure OpenAI.
Travellers seeking assistance via the messaging service channel on the myCWT web and mobile apps will now engage in unscripted conversation with a GenAI-enabled virtual assistant. When the virtual assistant is unable to help, it will seamlessly over to a travel counsellor.
Following a pilot run with a small group of early adopters, the enhanced messaging service has now been rolled out to customers in 56 countries, achieving traveller satisfaction scores of over 90 per cent.
“We see immense potential in using generative AI across our products and services to benefit our customers… GenAI will speed up our ability to automate conversations in a powerful way, significantly reducing response times and allowing our travel counsellors to focus on more complex customer needs,” said Erica Antony, CWT’s chief product officer.
In the coming months, CWT will start using GenAI for live language translations in its messaging service, allowing travellers to quickly and easily access support in their preferred language. It is also looking to boost its virtual assistant’s ability to better understand each customer’s unique preferences, previous travel patterns, and specific business requirements, offering a fully personalised and intelligent experience.
The oneworld alliance opened its first-ever fully branded dedicated airport lounge in Seoul, built in collaboration with global aviation ground services provider Swissport, and the team behind its ASPIRE Airport Lounges.
Featuring the alliance’s bold Travel Bright branding presented in a sophisticated and welcoming way, the lounge’s design incorporates subtle nods to South Korean culture, capturing the colourful Lantern Festival in mesmerising glass art and the ‘Gat’ hat in a welcoming bar, mixing traditional and contemporary aesthetics.
The 555m2 lounge features a wide choice of distinct zones and spacious comfortable seating areas with relaxing, private or more sociable spaces in which customers can unwind, work or dine. There is seating available for up to 148 customers.
Situated in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, the lounge is no more than a 10-minute walk from the furthest oneworld airlines’ departure gates. Incheon International Airport is served by seven oneworld member airlines: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines. Between them, these oneworld member airlines operate more than 60 weekly flights to Seoul, connecting the Korean capital with more than 900 destinations worldwide through the oneworld member network.
Gerhard Girkinger, oneworld vice president, customer experience, delivery and membership, said: “With oneworld celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, we are incredibly proud to be opening the very first oneworld branded lounge experience for our member airlines’ customers.
“The new oneworld lounge is an exciting next step in our vision to making travel bright. Together with ASPIRE, we have combined refined fixtures and finishes, digital technologies, and warm and ergonomic settings to create smart and memorable travel experiences.
“Our new Incheon lounge resets the benchmark for contemporary travel and will serve as the blueprint for future oneworld lounges in select airports around the world.”
The new lounge is open daily between 07.30 and 23.45 (apart from Monday and Saturday when it opens earlier at 04.30), for eligible oneworld Emerald and Sapphire customers departing from Seoul on oneworld flights, as well as First and Business Class customers travelling with oneworld member airlines.
In response to the increasing demands and challenges of the modern workplace, Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som in Qatar has developed a series of corporate wellness and executive wellness experiences.
Combining holistic personal treatments with group activities, these corporate getaways are designed to boost physical and mental wellbeing in the workplace, enhance team bonding, encourage creativity, and improve workplace productivity.
Each participant will undergo a personal consultation with a health and wellness advisor who will craft a customised wellness programme tailored to their specific needs, as well as provide them with tools to support and promote their optimal wellbeing as an employee within a team. Comprehensive blood testing is also available for all participants to analyse the body’s internal functions and to further curate the wellness journey.
Corporate coaching sessions – a crucial component of the executive wellness offering – will be led by experienced career development facilitators. These sessions will focus on personal development topics such as productivity, time management, goal setting, and more than anything else mental balance in the workplace.
Also included within each retreat is a range of teambuilding activities, such as corporate sustainability initiatives such as mangrove planting, circle of trust communication sessions, and outdoor activities including paddle tennis and beach volleyball.
The wellness programme can also include culinary experiences such as group cooking classes and barbecue nights, designed to strengthen team bonding while educating participants on the benefits of healthy food preparation and the importance of healthy eating habits.
Corporate groups may also avail a 200m2 Eshar Banquet Area, one of Zulal Wellness Resort’s event spaces. Meanwhile, with full Wi-Fi and audiovisual facilities, Wadina Boardroom spans 48m2 and can accommodate up to 15 individuals around the table.
Prices vary according to group preferences and include accommodation, full board, individual health and wellness consultation, personalised treatments, and group activities.
Bryan Batista has been appointed as Skyscanner’s new chief operating officer.
He was previously senior vice president of international at Gopuff, and was Booking.com’s senior vice president Trips and CEO of Rentalcars.com before that.
In his new role, Batista will lead Skyscanner’s teams focussed on developing the company’s long-term strategic vision, business operations as well as non-flight verticals such as accommodation, car rental and future travel options.
SKÅL International Thailand – the national representative committee of SKÅL International – has announced the immediate resignation of its current president, Kevin Rautenbach, following his appointment to the newly-formed, 14-member Executive Board of SKÅL International.
SKÅL International is the world’s largest association of travel and tourism professionals in 78 countries.
Rautenbach, who has held the position of president of SKÅL International Krabi and Thailand since January 2023, will now assume the role of director for Region 11 at SKÅL International. Region 11 encompasses Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand.
In his new position, Rautenbach is precluded from holding any other senior role in the organisation.
His new appointment comes halfway through his tenure as president of SKÅL International Thailand which will now undergo a reorganisation of its Executive Committee to fill Kevin’s position.
The Global Business Travel Association has revealed that Elle Ng-Darmawan, who joined the association in December 2023, is its new regional director for Asia-Pacific.
Based in Singapore and reporting to Catherine Logan, GBTA Regional senior vice president for EMEA and APAC, Ng-Darmawan brings extensive expertise in membership engagement, the business events sector, and a deep understanding of the region to support GBTA’s initiatives.
