Business events stakeholders in Hong Kong have hailed the government’s decision to relax entry restrictions good news, having done away with the city’s 0+3 quarantine arrangements on December 14.
However, many other Covid-related limitations and rules are still in place, continuing to pose a challenge for stakeholders to sell the destination to overseas buyers.
According to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management)’s managing director, Monica Lee-Müller, this relaxation in measures is an important step the business events industry has been waiting for.
Similarly, general manager of DMC Momentous Asia Travel & Events, Doris Lam, called the relaxation “good news”.
Having just returned from IBTM World, Lam shared that her European clients have shown interest in visiting Hong Kong, but she does not have any solid leads on groups with intention to travel.
As such, she does not expect a surge in visitors over the next few months, and remains hopeful that in time, all Covid-related restrictions will be completely lifted.
Right now, her focus is on developing “new and interesting products”, as well as updating their lists as some attractions, like the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, no longer exist.
Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association’s chairman, Stuart Bailey, called the removal of the Amber code restriction a “big step forward that will help with the resumption of MICE activity”, and expects the convention and exhibition sectors to rebound by mid-2023.
“However, there are still some hurdles to overcome. Issues that remain are the testing regime that remains in place for arrivals, and another test on day two. If found positive, visitors are quarantined to their hotel rooms for five days and cannot leave the city,” Bailey explained.
The other major issue is the prolonged closure of China’s border, where many trade exhibitions in Hong Kong are reliant on Chinese participants.
Still, Bailey remains optimistic that solutions can be found in due time, as the association is closely working with the government to remove the last remaining obstacles.
For Katerina Tam, director of International Conference Consultants, she expects business events groups to return to Hong Kong from 2Q2023. However, one “stumbling block” is that banquet group sizes are still limited, which she hopes to see it relaxed soon.
Lopez was previously based in Mexico serving in executive roles at The Westin Resort & Spa and Excellence Playa Mujeres, both in Cancun.
Steve Odell, managing director for Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will retire from his position after a seven-year tenure with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH).
A cruise industry veteran with over 35 years of experience, Odell joined NCHL in October 2015 to spearhead the launch of the company’s Asia-Pacific business across its three brands.
In his most recent role since 2019, he was responsible for the strategic expansion, vision and continued growth of the company’s presence in the Asia-Pacific market for Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises.
“It has been an honour to lead the unmatched teams at Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises during this exciting period of growth in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Odell in a statement.
Caroline Smith will assume Odell’s responsibilities in her new role as managing director, international in which she will oversee sales and marketing for Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Brazil.
Lisa Pile, current vice president of sales, Australia and New Zealand for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, will expand her responsibilities to include the entire Asia-Pacific region as vice president sales and general manager Asia-Pacific for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, reporting to Smith.
Jason Worth, current vice president of sales, Australia and New Zealand for Oceania Cruises, will expand his responsibilities to the entire Asia-Pacific region as vice president sales and general manager Asia-Pacific for Oceania Cruises, reporting to Nikki Upshaw, senior vice president, sales for Oceania Cruises.
Said Odell: “I am proud of the significant achievements we have accomplished together, and I am confident that this is the right team to lead the company into the future and continue delivering best-in-class experiences for our loyal guests and valued travel partners.”
Ben Angell, vice president and managing director Asia-Pacific for Norwegian Cruise Line, will continue to represent the brand in the Asia-Pacific region, reporting to Jason Krimmel, vice president, international sales and marketing for Norwegian Cruise Line.
“We are grateful to Steve for his strategic vision and significant contributions to the company which have positioned us as leaders in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region,” said Frank J Del Rio, president and chief executive office of NCLH.
Del Rio said the leadership transitions “reflect our robust succession planning and the strength and talent of our broader team”.