MACEOS calls for full border reopening in March
The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) has urged the Malaysian government to consider the National Recovery Council’s (NRC) recommendation on February 8 to reopen Malaysia’s borders as early as March 1 without the need for mandatory quarantine.
However, the final reopening decision remains with Malaysia’s cabinet. As of February 11, prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob indicated that the Cabinet had yet to discuss NRC’s recommendation. The Ministry of Health of Malaysia has yet to provide feedback on the recommendation as well.
MACEOS president, Francis Teo, stressed that the reopening of the borders will allow the restart of in-person business events with international participation. Instead of quarantines, Teo sought stronger precautionary measures if needed, to ensure the hassle-free entry and stay of business events travellers.
He said Malaysia’s business events cannot sustain on local participation, which contributes just 30 to 40 per cent of attendance – a level below break-even point.
Yap Sook Ling, managing director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, opined that for foreign tourists to enter the country, entry requirements should not be too restrictive as it would turn travellers away, especially if they are short-stay event attendees.
Earlier in June 2020, MACEOS submitted a comprehensive health and safety framework with best practices from around the world as guidelines for organising business events and meetings in the new norm. Measures included the sanitisation of venues, health checks of delegates, crowd control, procedures for contact tracing, and social distancing measures.
As such, he was confident that Malaysia and the business events community were more than ready to receive international visitors.
Universal Holidays Travel and Tourism founder and CEO, Zahira Tahir, shared that she has received interest from agents based in India and Pakistan to bring incentive groups to Malaysia in 1H2022, but pointed out that this would be highly dependent on the opening of borders as well as the entry requirements.
Constellar appoints Luke Han as group M&A Director
Luke Han has been appointed to the newly-created position of director, group mergers & acquisitions (M&A) at Constellar.
In this role, he will drive Constellar’s acquisition and growth strategy to achieve the company’s goal of becoming a leading business events player in Asia and beyond.
Han has 18 years of experience in investments. Prior to Constellar, he covered investments in the business events, financing platforms and clean energy sectors as a director in Temasek’s Enterprise Development Group from 2019 to 2021, identifying and developing new business enterprises.
He started his career at Temasek in 2004, and also covered the natural resources and technology sectors previously.
NZ’s MICE sector welcomes fresh government support
Business events in New Zealand with over 200 attendees have been included – for the first time – in the country’s Events Transition Support Payment scheme (ETSP).
Under ETSP, the New Zealand government will underwrite costs so that organisers of an eligible event will be able to claim 90 per cent of unrecoverable costs if the event cannot be held due to public health measures for events. It will be valid for events scheduled from April 4, 2022, to January 31, 2023.
Business events must have been publicly announced or have been active in the market prior to January 23, 2022, for events scheduled to begin before July 1, 2022; or at least four months prior to the event date for events scheduled to begin on or after July 1, 2022.
The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment will have a new eligibility form online by March 1 and the changes take effect on April 4.
The original ETSP scheme was introduced in November 2021 to give event organisers financial certainty to host large-scale events such as festivals over summer, but did not include business events then.
Business Events Industry Aotearoa’s chief executive Lisa Hopkin welcomed the timely announcement, adding that the New Zealand government recognises the high value of business events industry and gives long-overdue certainty to organisers, venues and clients to help plan ahead.
“When a business event is held, it not only brings much-needed contribution to the tourism and hospitality sectors, but also impacts positively on the community. It supports a highly skilled and dedicated supply chain, who have really felt the impact of restrictions over the past couple of years,” she stressed.
UFI launches inaugural Asia-Pacific Week
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will kick off its first UFI Asia-Pacific Week, taking place from March 28 to April 1.
The week-long programme comprises a series of local events across the region, allowing UFI members and the wider community in Asia to gather in person where they are based, as travel within the region remains highly restricted.
The UFI team in Hong Kong is working with UFI Ambassadors in 12 countries such as China, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan, where members will be responsible for organising a variety of local gatherings – from charity runs to cocktails, dinner and cultural events.
Led by Mark Cochrane, UFI’s regional director in Asia-Pacific, the event will offer all industry professionals the opportunity to network and share ideas.
“The aim is to bring our members and all industry professionals together for networking, content and some fun. The industry in the region has not had the chance to come together since 2019, at the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Tokyo and UFI Global Congress in Bangkok.
“The pandemic has encouraged us all to think more creatively, and the UFI Asia-Pacific Week will be a great way for our community to gather locally and look ahead to better days,” said Cochrane.
CWT invests US$100 million in tech, innovation and product investment plans
CWT has committed to a US$100 million investment in the myCWT travel management platform, as it moves forward with the implementation of its previously announced recapitalisation plan.
The first tranche of investment is allocated towards new capabilities coming to market in the next six months.
These include responsible travel initiatives helping travellers and travel managers achieve more purposeful travel and travel programmes – in response to 67 per cent of CWT global customers stating that their company’s sustainability goals are more important since the pandemic.
Platform connectivity will also be enhanced to ensure a seamless and productive digital experience for travel managers and their travellers – reflective of the increased role technology plays in increasing traveller confidence as they resume travelling. There will also be broader content to further expand the breadth of travel choice and trip options – ensuring greater flexibility, to fit evolving travel program needs.
On the back of new features released in the myCWT platform late last year, the new investment plan this quarter includes the introduction of carbon footprint indicators. The rest of the platform’s new capabilities will be delivered throughout the rest of this year.
How to plan when travel plans are up in the air
Before Omicron, there was a sense that the business travel industry was back on track. It wasn’t just the essential worker who was free to travel; we could all finally have face-to-face meetings after two years and many Australian businesses took advantage of that at the end of 2021.
Two months is a long time during a global pandemic and the arrival of a new Covid-19 strain has seen renewed caution. Some organisations have extended their travel freeze while others have redefined what is essential travel. Many companies are reactive and overly cautious when it comes to putting people back in the air. With some simple contingency plans, companies can support their travelling population.
Whether it’s travelling to Australia for a hit of tennis or to a far-flung destination for that long-overdue business meeting, travel remains complex. At World Travel Protection, we saw a renewed interest in corporate travel towards the end of 2021 with numerous organisations looking to reassess the risk involved and develop mitigation strategies to support their travelling employees and expatriates.
Our knowledge and tools to navigate the pandemic have continued to develop and improve. Governments and insurance companies are also accepting the need for personal mobility, which we’re seeing with borders reopening, loosening restrictions, and many travel insurance policies now include some kind of Covid coverage.
With appropriate planning and risk management, travel should be back on everyone’s radar for 2022.
The next question then, is how? How do we plan when the one thing that is constant is change?
The ‘what ifs’
Contingency planning is a key part of travel risk management – and it’s more relevant than ever with the global pandemic. It’s important before we leave to understand and plan for the ‘what ifs’:
• What if I develop symptoms?
• What if I test positive?
• What if I can’t get a RAT or a PCR test?
• What if I can’t stay at my hotel if I test positive?
• What if I can’t get home when I’m supposed to?
We need to identify and mitigate likely scenarios and understand actions and outcomes required to manage ‘worst-case scenarios’. Having a plan in place beforehand not only fulfils Duty of Care obligations, but it provides reassurance to the travelling employee they will be taken care of by their organisation. Contingency plans protect not only the traveller, but the financial and reputational interests of the company as well.
Fit to fly
For many of our clients’ employees, they are out of practice with the rigmarole of air travel. Some have missed it, while many have enjoyed the downtime and reunification with family and friends. When we travel, we’re confronted with inherent health risks brought about by travelling vast distances, adjustments to routine, changes in diet, extremes in climate etc. Travelling from mostly mild Melbourne to tropical Thailand can be an adjustment, as well as that ski trip to Whistler from Singapore.
Travel “discomfort” is a price we pay until we have acclimatised and our body clock adjusts to local time. When we travel for leisure we rely on adrenaline – the excitement of being somewhere new, the ability to kick back and relax or to recharge our batteries through seeking adventure. When we travel for business, we rarely get a chance to relax and we have a smaller window of opportunity to adjust.
Before asking your staff to fly, ensure they are both physically and mentally prepared for being away from family and braving a world still heavily impacted by Covid. Ensuring someone is fit to fly might be as simple as a conversation or a medical check-up. Are the traveller’s vaccines up to date? Is the traveller’s family okay with them travelling again?
Know your destination
Even if it’s a place you’ve travelled to many times before, it’s different now. No country has been untouched by Covid.
Each country has had a unique journey and the impacts are seen in what we refer to as ‘Covid culture’. The rules – official and socially accepted – are likely different. Should you wear a mask? What kind of greetings are okay? Has there been financial and economic hardship? If so, has that led to an increase in crime or scams that you’ll be targeted for as a traveller?
It’s important to be perceptive to these changes, which will help you to avoid unnecessary risk or offence.
Travel safe
Whether it’s the scholastic clients looking to restart their travel programmes or mining companies looking to a return of ‘business as usual’, travel will come back.
While we are better prepared than we were two years ago, the pandemic is still affecting travel. Be prepared with plans that support your travelling population, backup plans should the situation change, and manage the ‘what ifs’.
Approach travel like a new traveller and not the seasoned traveller you were before the pandemic; don’t be blasé about travel risks and don’t assume your destination is exactly how you left it. Take the time to research how your destination might have changed in the past two years.
Now, more than ever, get your paperwork right, source accurate information on travel requirements and be prepared to adjust if needed.
While travelling is complex and it seems that it might be all too hard, those companies that are risk-aware, well informed and prepared should take advantage of open borders and opportunities.
Eaton Residences opens after a year-long revamp
Formerly known as Eaton House, Eaton Residences Blue Pool Road in Hong Kong, is now open after a year-long renovation.
There are 56 serviced apartments within, ranging from 35m2 to 85.5m2, and come furnished for short-stay guests or unfurnished for longer-staying guests or expats. Furnished apartments will have Indigo Living furniture and mattress, a safe, and Smart TV, and Wi-Fi is complimentary.
There are also fully-fitted kitchenettes in each apartment completed with a full-height fridge, gas hob, and coffee maker, as well as a 2-in-1 Washer and Dryer for guests’ convenience. Dishwashers and dehumidifiers are only available in the Deluxe two-bedroom suite category and above.
All residents will also have access to the 24-hour private gym, an outdoor swimming pool and rooftop garden with seating and exercise areas.
Housekeeping services and towel changes will be provided twice a week, while linen will be replenished once a week.
Situated in Happy Valley, the apartment building enjoys a convenient location. It takes only five minutes by taxi or the minibus to go to Causeway Bay. Also, bus stops and mini bus stops to Causeway Bay and Star Ferry Pier in Central are only a few minutes walk away.
Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas welcomes new executive chef
Fine-dining veteran Fahdrul Abd Malek has joined Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas as its executive chef.
In his new role, Fahdrul will handle all culinary operations for the seaside property’s two dining venues, as well as contribute to the resort’s sustainability credentials by celebrating local produce and indigenous flavours.
A native of Malaysia, Fahdrul joins the resort with a wealth of experience in luxury hospitality. Most recently, he was executive head chef at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang.
The seasoned hotelier began his career in 1997 at the New World Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, before getting his first hotel opening experience with Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur. In 2004, he joined Hilton Kuala Lumpur, where he trained under legendary chef Cheong Liew at The Grange restaurant, Hilton Adelaide. In 2010, Fahdrul moved to The Westin Kuala Lumpur as Banquet Chef De Cuisine.
Fahdrul’s first executive sous chef appointment was at Hilton Hanoi Opera, which he joined in 2011. When he returned to The Westin Kuala Lumpur from his overseas stint, it was as the property’s executive sous chef.
His move to Langkawi as executive chef at The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, presented him with an opportunity to put his creativity to the test. For his new menu, Fahdrul sourced the produce directly from the surrounding rainforest and went foraging around the island, resulting in a seasonal, uber-localised offering.
PATA launches Tourism Destination Resilience Programme
Following a successful trial in December in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, PATA will now launch the Tourism Destination Resilience Programme to help industry stakeholders at both the national and sub-national level build their destination resiliency against the Covid pandemic and other future challenges.
The online and in-market training programme offers 10 modules, available on PATA’s Crisis Resource Center website. The modules are open-sourced and available for any tourism professional that wishes to boost their business or destination’s Covid recovery, increase competitiveness and become more resilient and sustainable.
Users can expect a comprehensive guide to post-crisis planning, which involves responding to the crisis, rethinking tourism models and, finally, strategising for recovery.
Tourism Destination Resilience is implemented by PATA with support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
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Taiwan aims to ease her blanket on-arrival quarantine requirement for people entering the island from March, in recognition of the need to resume normal life and reopen to the world, the government said yesterday.
While Taiwan has never implemented a full border closure during the pandemic, arrivals have generally been limited to citizens and foreign residence permit holders and with a compulsory two-week quarantine on arrival.
The government now intends to cut on-arrival quarantine to 10 days before the middle of March. Health minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters that infections could be detected within that period with testing.
In an interview with Taipei Times, Chen said the new measures would also permit the entry of foreign business travellers and that the Central Epidemic Command Center might establish business travel bubbles to facilitate shorter quarantine periods for such travellers.
However, a complete removal of on-arrival quarantine before the summer holidays was unlikely, according to Chen.
Standing alongside reopening plans is an acknowledgment that Taiwan will need to reopen safely. Conditions for Taiwan’s reopening include sufficient medical supplies and preparations, as well as a continued expansion of Taiwan’s vaccinated population. Some 30 per cent of Taiwan’s 23.5 million residents have obtained a booster shot. The government wants the figure to hit 50 per cent before easing entry requirements.
News media reported that premier Su Tseng-chang expressed confidence in the government’s ability to cope with rising local infections that might come with the reopening.
“The government must also take into account livelihoods and economic development, gradually return to normal life, and step out to the world,” stated the office of premier Su Tseng-chang.