The Starlink technology will be deployed across the fleet and is expected to be completed by 1Q2023
Royal Caribbean Group will be the first in the cruise industry to adopt SpaceX’s Starlink, an innovative broadband Internet service providing high-speed, low-latency connectivity for a better onboard experience for guests and crew fleetwide.
Starlink will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands.
The Starlink technology will be deployed across the fleet and is expected to be completed by 1Q2023
After receiving positive feedback from guests and crew for its trial onboard Freedom of the Seas, deployment of the Starlink technology across the fleet will begin immediately and is slated to be completed by 1Q2023.
Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, said: “This technology will provide game-changing Internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike.
“It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls.”
Faster and more reliable Internet will also make it easier for guests and crew to remain connected to work, family and friends – no matter where they are in the world.
“Our work with SpaceX is another example of how Royal Caribbean Group continues to lead the cruise industry in innovation and adoption of cutting-edge technology,” he added.
The Sands Hospitality Scholarship programme is open to students studying related courses at the six higher institutes of learning in Singapore
From 2023, more than 100 Singaporean students pursuing hospitality or tourism-related courses can tap a new US$1 million bond-free scholarship programme launched by Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and parent company Las Vegas Sands.
The Sands Hospitality Scholarship programme will run for at least three years, and is open to second-year students studying related courses at the six higher institutes of learning – Nanyang Polytechnic; Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Republic Polytechnic; Singapore Polytechnic; Temasek Polytechnic; and the Singapore Institute of Technology.
The Sands Hospitality Scholarship programme is open to students studying related courses at the six higher institutes of learning in Singapore
Over the three years of the programme, approximately 19 students per polytechnic and 14 students from SIT can apply for the scholarship. Recipients can use the funds for expenses such as tuition fees, course materials and overseas immersion programmes.
They can also apply for internship and full-time roles in the hospitality and tourism sectors such as housekeeping, food and beverage as well as events management.
With a currently employment of close to 10,000 people, of which two-thirds are local, MBS said the scholarship programme is part of its efforts to support the hospitality industry’s workforce development.
MBS’ chief operating officer Paul Town explained that making the programme bond-free will “stimulate interest” in the hospitality industry, rather than specifically to MBS, and will help bring out more emerging talent after the pandemic.
Ron Reese, Las Vegas Sands’ senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, noted that Singapore’s “resilient tourism industry” is expected to grow robustly with international travel resuming.
“By investing in education to help youth establish careers in hospitality, we are supporting the future of our industry and Singapore’s continued leadership as a top global travel destination,” he said.
Housekeeping and F&B jobs are in high demand, he noted, simply because “they really are the engine room of a property”.
“If you don’t have capacity and housekeeping, you literally are potentially closing sections of your hotel and then limiting the tourism visitation into Singapore,” he added.
The Meet Taiwan event was held at Hilton Singapore Orchard last Thursday
When exactly Taiwan’s borders will reopen for international business events remains the biggest hurdle to attracting inbound groups, travel trade members said at a Meet Taiwan event held last Thursday.
During the event, government representatives reiterated their keenness to attract meetings, conferences and incentives back to Taiwan, and mentioned the incentives – such as site inspection subsidies, help with visa applications, and welcome kits – that groups and event planners can avail.
The Meet Taiwan event was held at Hilton Singapore Orchard last Thursday
Several Taiwanese DMCs, PEOs, and PCOs were also present at the event. They shared about the addition of new conference and exhibition venues like ICC Tainan and Taipei Music Center, as well as recommended several post-event programmes and activities in locations such as Hualian and Taitung to the more than 60 Singapore-based event planners and travel agents present.
However, Taiwan’s current quarantine requirements – three days plus a four-day self-initiated epidemic prevention in the same location – stand in the way of the sector’s recovery.
Millie Sze, outbound manager, Ace Tours & Travel, told TTGmice: “The event was good because it allowed us to catch up with sellers, and learn what is coming up in Taiwan. After two years, it’s good to obtain updates.”
She added that although the information was helpful, buyers like herself were keen to find out more about Taiwan’s reopening plans, so that she could help her corporate clients “start planning” and “do up quotations”.
For Angele Lee, client service director with Event & Marketing Solutions, Taiwan is one of the considered destinations among her clients. Meet Taiwan’s event allowed her to re-establish closer connections.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese travel suppliers also acknowledged that the quarantine requirement was the industry’s biggest hurdle, but believed it was important to be at the event to reconnect with their Singaporean counterparts.
Paul Hsieh, deputy general manager, Edison Travel Service, said: “We know sooner or later that Taiwan will open; it’s just a matter of time. Everyone has been asking about our opening date, but it’s been really difficult. That is why we have been pushing our government to open.”
He further opined: “I think that after the election in November, borders might reopen. I am hopeful. Nobody wants to send an incentive group if they have to deal with quarantine!”
“Taiwan suppliers have been ready to reopen since the start of 2022. They’ve also transformed themselves during the pandemic to run hybrid meetings and virtual tours, as well as create new products.
“I am sure that once the quarantine rules are removed, the travel situation will go back to normal pretty fast. That is why we are here to reconnect and keep in touch,” Han Cheng, representative for Taiwan Tour Co, said.
As of press time, and according to Taiwan News, Taiwan’s head of the Central Epidemic Command Center has indicated that the destination is eyeing late September as the likely timeframe to ease its border restrictions.
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) is expanding its Asian footprint with a wholly-owned presence in Tokyo, Japan.
The new Tokyo office is operated alongside the travel solutions provider’s offices in the region, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Taiwan.
CTM opens Tokyo office
The launch follows long-held demand and is designed to maximise on the pent-up need for international travel to Japan, particularly from global firms with a Japanese presence.
“Based on very robust customer feedback over the past few years, we have been working behind the scenes to cement our growth strategy for the Asia region,” said Larry Lo, CEO of CTM Asia.
“Demand for domestic business travel in Japan is brisk. And once Asian countries’ borders reopen, the picture improves significantly,” he added, noting that the move allows CTM to be well-positioned to capitalise on the region’s broader travel recovery in the months ahead.
CTM’s plan to expand into Japan was initiated several years ago following the realisation that having a Japan office would be strategically important.
A Japan presence is “precisely what many existing Asia clients and prospects have been asking for: end-to-end service delivered within Japan, a key business hub within the region”, noted Lo.
Lo added that CTM’s customers both in and outside Asia have long expressed interest in obtaining the same CTM service and technology experience in the Japanese market: a market with high servicing and technology expectations.
CTM’s managing director and founder Jamie Pherous said: “With the opening of our new CTM Asia office in Tokyo, our presence in the region grows, and our power to win new business grows. Our value proposition grows stronger, too, with a CTM-owned and -operated location in the urban heart of this strategically key country.”
The expansion is the second this year for CTM following its acquisition of Safe2Travel in Singapore, in April 2022.
Held from August 24-26, 2022, more than 70 exhibitors and thousands of attendees from around the region gathered at Marina Bay Sands in person for the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia.
G2E Asia 2022, Special Edition: Singapore featured content on the latest market trends, innovative products, and regulatory requirements and networking with technology specialists, investors, regulators, and top leaders in the field.
On-site highlights included the new Smart IR and Innovation Zone; Esports Connect Asia Regulatory Workshop; Future IR Tech Talk Forum; as well as a conference programme led by industry leaders and experts.
Inflation, energy prices, supply chain challenges, labour shortages, and regional developments add 18 months to industry recovery forecast
The global business travel industry is on its way toward full recovery to 2019 pre-pandemic spending levels of US$1.4 trillion, but recovery has hit some headwinds.
Just as many Covid-related recovery conditions have improved, many macroeconomic conditions deteriorated rapidly in early 2022. These include persistent inflation, high energy prices, severe supply chain challenges and labour shortages, a significant economic slowdown and lockdowns in China, and major regional impacts due to the war in Ukraine, as well as emerging sustainability considerations.
Inflation, energy prices, supply chain challenges, labour shortages, and regional developments add 18 months to industry recovery forecast
These new developments are impacting the timing, trajectory and pace of business travel’s recovery, both globally and by region, pushing the forecast for full recovery into 2026 instead of 2024 as previously forecasted.
This is a central finding from the latest 2022 GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook – Annual Global Report and Forecast published by GBTA and Mastercard, unveiled at the 2022 GBTA Convention.
The GBTA BTI is an annual exhaustive study of business travel spending and growth covering 73 countries and 44 industries. Now in its 14th edition, this latest report outlines the top-level outlook for global business travel 2022 to 2026.
The 2022 BTI also reveals insights from GBTA’s recent surveys of global finance executives and business travellers. Additionally, it explores new and transformative factors in global business travel in the areas of sustainability, workforce dynamics (including remote work and blended travel or “bleisure”), and technology adoption.
Highlights from the latest BTI Outlook include:
Total spending on global business travel reached US$697 billion in 2021, 5.5% above the pandemic-era low of 2020. Last year was nearly as challenging as 2020 for the global business travel industry, as it sought to carve out a “normal following” the Covid-19 pandemic. The industry gained back roughly US$36 billion of the US$770 billion lost in 2020.
Recovery was short-circuited by the Omicron variant and spike in global Covid cases in late 2021 and early 2022. As case numbers began to retreat, business travel surged. Global business travel spending in 2022 is expected to advance 34% over 2021 levels to US$933 billion, recovering to 65% of pre-pandemic levels.
Recovery in 2022 was dependent upon and has been largely driven by improvement in the four factors of global business travel recovery – the global vaccination effort, national travel policies, business traveller sentiment, and travel management policy – where conditions have improved significantly in the last six months.
Deteriorating economic conditions and shifting secular trends in 2022, however, have slowed global recovery. Hence, global business travel will almost reach pre-pandemic levels in 2025, reaching US$1.4 trillion.
Global spending is not expected to make it fully back to the US$1.4 trillion dollar mark until mid-2026, when it is forecast to reach US$1.5 trillion dollars. This adds an estimated 18 months to the industry’s recovery than was forecast in the previous GBTA Business Travel Index released in November 2021.
The divergent recovery in global business travel continues In all, global business travel spending is expected to gain 33.8% in 2022, however, differences are anticipated across the world’s top business travel markets. The timing and pace of the recovery will continue to vary significantly from one region of the world to the next, as evidenced in 2021.
North America led the recovery in 2021 – driven largely by rapidly returning domestic travel. Western Europe was the one region to witness spending declines last year as Covid-19 impacted its domestic and regional business travel market. Both regions are expected to experience the sharpest recoveries with compound annual growth increases of 23.4% (to US$363.7 billion) and 16.9% (to US$323.9 billion), respectively by 2026.
Business travel spending in Latin America grew modestly in 2021 as the vaccination effort got off to a slower start. While there may be challenges in this region over the next few years, 55% growth in spend in Latin America is forecast for this year as business travel recovers to 83% of pre-pandemic totals.
Asia-Pacific helped lead the industry in terms of recovery of spend in 2021– particularly in China. This reversed in 2022, as China’s Zero-Covid policy led to wide-scale lockdowns and other countries in the region only slowly opened up. For 2022, a solid increase of 16.5% (or US$407.1 billion) in spending is expected in APAC (held back by China at 5.6%, or US$286.9 billion), with the region recovering to 66% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022.
Challenges and opportunities In July 2022, GBTA surveyed over 400 frequent business travelers and nearly four dozen executive travel budget decision makers across four global regions. The overall sentiment is positive, but also confirms Covid concerns are taking a back seat to current macroeconomic and geopolitical issues.
85% of business travellers surveyed said they definitely need to travel to accomplish their business goals. Over three-fourths said they expect to travel for work more or much more in 2023 than they did in 2022.
84% of senior global corporate finance professionals voiced confidence their travel spending would somewhat or significantly increase in 2023 compared to 2022.
73% of business travellers and 38 of 44 senior global financial executives agree inflation/rising prices will impact travel volumes.
69% of business travellers and 33 of 44 global financial executives are concerned a possible recession will impact travel.
68% of business travellers and 36 of 44 financial executives expect Covid infection rates and variants to have an impact on their travel.
GBTA members can download a full copy of the BTI Outlook on the GBTA members-only hub. The report was conducted in partnership with Rockport Analytics, a research and analytical consulting firm.
BioTechNZ and NZTech are launching New Zealand’s first Life Sciences Summit in a bid to grow the country’s promising biotech sector; Wellington pictured
Wellington has been named host of the event in a multi-year contract between signatories BioTechNZ, WellingtonNZ, and Business Events Wellington, and supported by conference organiser Brightstar and Tourism New Zealand’s business events team.
The first conference will take place March 22-23, 2023 at Shed 6, a waterfront venue. From 2024 onwards, the conference will be based at Wellington’s new convention centre, Tākina, with the aim of growing the event year on year to attract wider domestic and international audiences.
BioTechNZ and NZTech are launching New Zealand’s first Life Sciences Summit in a bid to grow the country’s promising biotech sector; Wellington pictured
“Our objective is to bring New Zealand’s biotechnology and Life Sciences industries together across the sectors, including agricultural, environmental, industrial and human health. Having this breadth of participants highlights New Zealand’s capability, and promotes research and commercial opportunities to solve the biggest challenges on the planet,” BioTechNZ executive director Zahra Champion says.
New Zealand currently ranks fourth in the world for innovation potential in biotech, with 211 companies and NZ$2.7 billion in revenue. Globally, biotechnology is expected to be worth NZ$1.1 trillion by 2025.
“Biotech is an increasingly important industry in New Zealand for addressing our pressing environmental health, climate, and food challenges. To date, there hasn’t been an event that draws together business, academia, government, and investors across this sector in Aotearoa. The innovation and commercial potential for this sector is immense, and this event will serve as a platform for growth,” WellingtonNZ general manager of Business & Innovation Rebekah Campbell says.
Wellington’s the home of Callaghan Innovation’s Gracefield Innovation Quarter, which has been earmarked for a new Biotech Hub; The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, New Zealand’s world-leading independent biomedical research institute; and some of New Zealand’s top Life Sciences research centres, including Scion, NIWA, AgResearch, GNS, HortResearch and Victoria University.
The capital city also offers connection and collaboration opportunities with relevant government organisations, including Ministry for Business, Innovation & Employment, The Ministry of Health, Callaghan Innovation (New Zealand’s innovation agency), New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry for Primary Industries, alongside a wealth of companies that support the sector such as intellectual property firms, venture capital, consumables, banks, and insurance companies.
International hotel chain Hilton and Japan-based technology company Vega have teamed up to create a high-tech virtual production studio and LED wall designed to support business events in Tokyo.
Located at Hilton Tokyo’s hotel in Shinjuku and supported by on-site staff from Vega, the installations can be used in addition to other meeting spaces in the hotel or in a standalone capacity, for livestreaming and broadcasting, creating pre-recorded video, and attending meetings remotely.
Content from the studio can be streamed simultaneously to the LED wall in the hotel’s ballroom, making the set-up suitable for hybrid and in-person events that require breakout spaces such as panel discussions or workshops.
The studio is set up with the latest equipment to facilitate new media content creation including ultra-high definition audio-visual recordings. It features a greenscreen with an extensive range of cameras, microphones, mixers and lighting and has multi-site linkup capabilities.
The support team can offer pre- and post-production such as the preparation of video, slides or other backgrounds for the LED wall before business event teams arrive, thereby easing the burden on event organizers and facilitating the smooth and effective running of events.
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore has appointed Marcel Li as director of F&B.
In his new capacity, he will be responsible for overseeing the hotel’s restaurants, bar, and lounge, as well as the banquet facilities.
Li has over a decade of experience in the luxury hospitality industry and having worked in Mandarin Oriental properties across various destinations including Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Boston.
No stranger to Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, Li previously managed the banquet team as assistant banquet operations Manager before taking on the role as restaurant manager of the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Melt Café.
Mask-wearing at events in Singapore will be optional from August 29, as the city-state progresses further with its endemic Covid-19 transition.
While event organisers welcome the easing of masking regulations, they told TTGmice that they would allow their delegates to decide on personal mask usage.
Event attendees in Singapore can decide if they want to remain masked even as indoor mask-wearing becomes optional from August 29
Alison Gilmore, portfolio director for ILTM Worldwide with RX Global, said the upcoming ILTM Asia Pacific at Marina Bay Sands would give attendees the freedom of choice concerning mask wearing.
The event will be held from September 1 to 5, welcoming luxury travel and tourism specialists from all over the world. While core business activities will be conducted within exhibition halls at Marina Bay Sands, ILTM Asia Pacific will also feature social functions at hotel venues.
International Built Environment Week (IBEW) as well as the co-located trade exhibition, Built Environment Xpo (BEX) Asia, which will open in the same week, will make mask wearing optional for its attendees.
However, Yip Je Choong, managing director, RX Singapore, said “attendees should continue to practice high level of personal hygiene for their own personal health and safety”.
For off-site tours scheduled on September 5, Yip said masking requirement would be determined by hosts.
All events are open only to fully vaccinated attendees, even as Singapore eases restrictions on non-fully-vaccinated individuals. From August 29, non-fully vaccinated long-term pass holders and short-term visitors aged 13 and above will no longer need to apply for entry approval when entering Singapore. They are only required to present a negative pre-departure test within 48 hours.
When asked how the relaxed masking policy would impact Singapore’s appeal for business events, Yip said: “We welcome the move as it strengthens Singapore as the preferred destination for MICE events, paving the way for more large-scale and world-class events to be held in the city.”
Gilmore agrees that the “latest news will add further value to any event experience” in the destination.
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
The five-star property excels in backing its expansive facilities with seamless service and personalised attention, setting the benchmark for luxury in Bangkok.
G2E Asia 2022, Special Edition: Singapore featured content on the latest market trends, innovative products, and regulatory requirements and networking with technology specialists, investors, regulators, and top leaders in the field.
On-site highlights included the new Smart IR and Innovation Zone; Esports Connect Asia Regulatory Workshop; Future IR Tech Talk Forum; as well as a conference programme led by industry leaders and experts.