Phan Huu Duc has been named as business development director, Vietnam & Cambodia, of TUI Blue Hotels & Resorts Asia.
He will spearhead TUI Blue’s growth in Vietnam and Cambodia, and grow the TUI Blue brand steadily in the markets and bring long term performance to the company’s partners and owners.
Before joining TUI Blue Hotels & Resorts, he was director of sales & business development at Nova Service Group.
Destination Gold Coast has launched a global campaign inviting incentive and corporate event planners in South-east Asia to “give their team the trip they deserve”.
The integrated campaign – named Give your team the trip they deserve – will be rolled out across trade and social media from May 2023 and supported by content and publicity activities.
Destination Gold Coast’s head of business Events Selina Sinclair said the campaign is designed to speak to the high achievers within companies, those who are sales-driven individuals, loyal and always willing to go the extra mile to reach their targets.
“This digital-led campaign is an acknowledgement by us of all the effort and contributions they have made on behalf of their company. But more than that, it’s a reward. A way to say thank you for all the amazing work they have put in and give them something amazing and truly memorable in return, a Gold Coast trip. The incentive they deserve, ” Sinclair said.
Give your team the trip they deserve is supported by Tourism Australia’s Business Events Advance Program designed to increase the number and value of international business events for Australia.
The Gold Coast has started to fill the incentive travel pipeline with Amway Thailand choosing the city to host over 1,500 delegates over five days in March 2025 which is expected to inject an estimated A$5 million (US$3.25) into the local economy.
This win was secured in partnership with Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program and Tourism and Events Queensland.
Incentive travel made up 12.9 per cent of all business events on the Gold Coast and was the fourth most popular international business event destination in 2019-2020. During the pandemic (2021-2022), incentive travel groups were reduced to 3.7 per cent.
Business event players in Indonesia are heartened by the rapid pick up in incentive and corporate events this year, where observations include an increase in group sizes and the preference for new destinations.
When spoken to at the annual Indonesia Professional Organizer Summit (IPOS) Vol 8 Summit and Table Top, Trianto Sunarjati, director at Travel Help Indonesia, revealed that not only demand for incentive trips was high, but companies are also more confident in sending bigger groups.
His shared that his company has been constantly receiving enquires from insurance and banking companies, as well as law firms, with up to 600 participants per group.
“In 2022, the groups were smaller in size of between 50 to 150 people,” he observed.
Agreeing, Wienna Damanik, account director of Cakrawala Event Organizer shared that her company has already organised incentive trips from several manufacturing, banking, and pharmaceutical companies. Group sizes ranged from between 200 and 500 people, where their itineraries included meetings, teambuildings, and gala dinners.
“In June, November and December this year, we also have larger groups of up to 2,000 people travelling per month,” she added.
Evi Nur Hapsari, managing director at B.A.T Travel, has also observed that companies are looking for new destinations, where interest for places like Labuan Bajo and Lake Toba have soared, due to the government’s promotions. Her company has also received enquires for not-so-popular destinations like Likupang in North Sulawesi.
Destinations like Bali and Yogyakarta remain popular choices, but Evi has noticed companies asking for new activities – such as wearing traditional clothes and riding ox carts through a village in Yogyakarta – that can be experienced instead of a regular itinerary.
Held at The Sultan Hotel & Residence Jakarta earlier this month, the IPOS Vol 8 Summit and Table Top, a total of 366 potential events across 32 provinces in the country were recorded. Of this number, 39 per cent have been confirmed, with another 37 per cent most likely to happen, according to IPOS data.
The event brought 41 hoteliers and event suppliers together with 68 event organisers and tour operators from around the country.
Harry D Nugraha, founder of IPOS, shared that these numbers were a clear sign that the events industry was recovering, and “demand for corporate events has been rising steadily”.
Ascott Indonesia has signed an MoU with the Indonesia Congress and Convention Association (INCCA) and the Indonesian Exhibition Companies Association (Asperapi), where all parties will collaborate to support business events in Indonesia, especially Jakarta.
This comes as the Indonesian government’s plan to relocate the national capital from Jakarta to Ibu Kota Nusantara in East Kalimantan. As such, the partnership is expected to create reciprocal potential and competitive rates for event organisers.
Iqbal Alan Abdullah, chairman of INCCA, said: “The relocation plan of the National Capital (has pushed) business events stakeholders to collaborate in Jakarta, to (ensure) the city even more competitive.”
“I am optimistic that business events activities will continue to thrive. This is evidenced by the organisation of various international conferences such as the G20 series in 2022 and the ASEAN Summit series in 2023, as well as various national and international trade exhibitions and shows held in Jakarta and other regions.”
He opined that Jakarta would continue to be a popular business events destination as 57 per cent of Indonesia’s population – exceeding 31 million – live in Java and economic activities are concentrated there.
“Besides, 58 per cent of the nation’s money circulation is also in Java., making it the centre of business events development in Indonesia and South-east Asia,” he added.
Fenny Maria, corporate director of sales & distribution Ascott Indonesia, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with INCCA and Asperapi, which are two prominent associations in Indonesia. This partnership will help enhance the quality of human resources through training, promotion, and networking, particularly for the MICE industry, as demand (for face-to-face meetings) increases post-pandemic.”
The Asia Convention Alliance (ACA) is calling for business events players to join industry peers at the inaugural ACA Association Forum 2023 on November 11, 2023.
Slated to be held in the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC), Bangkok, Thailand, the forum expects to welcome approximately 100 delegates from the region’s 20 established associations, as well as international delegates from around the globe.
In the first installation, delegates can expect key takeaways on issues including Sustainability; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion or DEI and Environmental, Social and Governance, or ESG practices, which all point to being aligned and working towards reaching the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Several speakers have been determined and will be announced by Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
#ACAAF1 is anticipated to configure the foundation of this forum through its first hosting country and further provide exposure to other ACA members in particular, to the association clientele.
This was announced during a Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB)-chaired ACA Press Conference in IMEX Frankfurt 2023.
Noor Azlan Abu Bakar, director – convention & exhibition of MyCEB, expressed: “In the past, ACA members as individual entities have had great working relationships among each other, but the recent unprecedented industry and global challenges have further propelled us to come together and overcome difficulties as a team. ACA is a true alliance which reflects the integrity of members convening to cohesively cooperate to benefit not just member countries, but the region itself. This is what we want to achieve through the ACA Forum as it is created and spearheaded by a band of the industry’s authorities.”
Nooch Homrossukhon, TCEB’s director of conventions, added: “Each destination will bring their associations from their destination to Bangkok in conjunction with 62nd ICCA Congress Bangkok. The forum will address how the association advances in the region and how convention bureaus like us were able to partner with associations in staging their events in respective destinations.”
Masungi Georeserve, a vast conservation area of ancient forests and limestones at the foot of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges a 1.5-hour drive from metro Manila, has added a unique events place on a hilltop.
Called Silayan, the circular venue is designed to blend with, and have a 360 degree view of, the spectacular natural environment. Glass walls partition the indoor space from the al fresco area. Catering for events is done in-house, and the menu will comprise of organic and seasonal ingredients.
Other event spaces on-site include Dasalan (Meditation Hut), Tipunan, and the Rock Garden Events Hall.
Outside of the event spaces, exploring Masungi and its numerous nature trails can be incorporated into corporate programmes.
For example, The Discovery Trail includes traversing hanging bridges connecting limestone peaks; taking in the scenery on the giant spider web-like contraption; and resting in giant hammocks and raindrop-shaped “air house”.
Meanwhile, The Legacy Trail is for those who want to join in various conservation and restoration efforts including tree planting and nurturing, guided by park rangers.
General Hotel Management has named Hani Akkari as the new general manager of The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort in Doha, Qatar.
Having amassed over 17 years of experience in some of the world’s most renowned luxury hotels, Akkari will oversee the hotel’s day-to-day operations and lead its commercial and strategic initiatives in his new role.
He was previously the general manager of Fairmont Doha in Katara Towers, where he led the team for the hotel’s opening which went on to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Scott Schaefer has been appointed as general manager of Holiday Inn Dandenong and will lead the team for the launch of the hotel.
He has 15 years of experience in management roles within IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Australasian properties, and most recently supported three Holiday Inn hotels and the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort.
Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines will enter into a joint venture to deepen their cooperation in increasing passenger capacity between Singapore and Indonesia.
Expanding on the Memorandum of Understanding that the two airlines signed in November 2021, and subject to regulatory approvals, the proposed joint venture will cover routes between Singapore and Denpasar, Jakarta, and Surabaya.
In addition, both carriers will explore the implementation of new initiatives, including joint fare products and an alignment of corporate programmes to enhance the value proposition to customers.
Irfan Setiaputra, president and CEO, Garuda Indonesia, commented: “This joint venture agreement, as a further milestone of the partnership expansion initiative, will certainly strengthen the commitment between the two carriers simultaneously, delivering a seamless and valuable flying experience to both our customers across the globe.”
He added that the collaboration will also help strengthen tourist flows between Indonesia and Singapore, making it easier for international tourists to explore South-east Asia.
Singapore Airlines’ CEO, Goh Choon Phong, said: “(This joint venture) reflects our firm commitment to grow the aviation markets in Indonesia and Singapore, facilitating a greater level of business and people connections and promoting both countries as regional tourism destinations. Our customers will also enjoy even more benefits, including an improved level of network connectivity, enhanced travel convenience, and additional fare options.”
The importance of an incentive trip’s destination as a motivational factor, a preference by participants for increased communication, and some tensions between corporate leadership objectives and qualifier desires for an unscheduled time at leisure were some of the major points that have emerged according to new research published by SITE Foundation.
SITE Foundation has officially published its newest report, Participant inSITEs, which features insights from a global body of 825 incentive travel reward-earners.
In this report, respondents painted a new picture of what participants these days expect from incentive travel programme communications, destinations, onsite activities, and more.
Broken into three sections, Participant inSITEs also explored what makes participants get ready to work toward incentive travel rewards; how to set participants up for a motivating experience while qualifying; and why participants enjoy going on trips they have earned and what activities and benefits stand out most.
“This truly global study provides immensely valuable data for all segments of the incentive travel industry,” said SITE CEO Annette Gregg. “We know companies are eager to leverage the power of face-to-face connections to get the best ROI for themselves and for their teams. The insights presented here are key to helping drive all of that.”
A copy of the full Participant inSITEs report can be downloaded here.