Pelant: CWT is focused on delivering the most advanced digital products and experience available in corporate travel today
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.
Pelant: CWT is focused on delivering the most advanced digital products and experience available in corporate travel today
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.
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.
Travellers should approach travel like a new traveller, and not assume any destination remains unchanged
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.
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.
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.
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.
PATA’s latest training programme aims to help tourism professionals and destinations recover from Covid-19 business disruptions and prepare for future crises
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).
Vietnam will remove pandemic restrictions on international passenger flights from all markets starting February 15, with the intention to restore flight frequency to pre-pandemic levels.
Vietnam will lift all Covid-19 restrictions on international flights to aid the country’s tourism recovery; Hang En cave pictured
According to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper, Dinh Viet Son, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam, said Vietnam has informed her partners about the new policy and only China has yet to agree on commercial flight resumption with Vietnam.
Vietnam has begun her travel and tourism restart, with gradual international flight resumption with 15 markets from the start of 2022 as well as an intended full border reopening to international tourists by April 30.
Come February 14, India will toss out mandatory quarantine and pre-arrival Covid PCR tests for all international travellers coming into the country.
In place of a pre-arrival negative PCR test result, the new requirement only calls for international travellers to submit their primary vaccination schedule completion certificate. This exemption is available to vaccinated travellers from 82 countries that also extend quarantine-free access to Indian nations. Such countries include Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, the US and the UK.
India removes more barriers for international travel into the country; Indira Gandhi International Airport pictured
The announcement, made yesterday on February 10, is met with jubilation across India’s tourism and hospitality industry, with stakeholders confident that the move will send a positive signal in international travel markets.
Gaurav Bhatia, executive director, Bird Group, told TTGmice that he was glad to see the exit of mandatory quarantine, as the requirement had “resulted in many international travellers avoiding India”.
He now hopes that the government would resume scheduled international flights “as soon as possible to make the most of the relaxation of earlier curbs”, adding that “a significant improvement in inbound tourist arrivals this year” could be expected with both ease of entry and air accessibility in place.
Vishal Lonkar, general manager, brand development, Renest Hotels & Resorts, expects the new waivers to spur international business and leisure travel to India.
“We hope that our properties in Bangalore and Kolkata, which are near the international airport, will gain (business) momentum,” he added.
India’s easing of border restrictions would see the return of travellers from shorthaul markets first, opined Lally Mathews, managing director, Divine Voyages, as “travellers in Covid times have reservations about travelling long distances”. He added that inbound recovery would be more prominent in the next inbound season, starting October.
How does recovery look like for the exhibitions sector for 2022 and how will Asia factor into this recovery?
Overall, we estimate that Asia recorded an unprecedented 63 per cent drop in net space sold in 2020 compared to 2019. Net space sold fell from the 24.5 million suqare metres recorded in 2019 down to 9.1 million suqare metres in 2020. Without China’s comparatively strong performance (down 53 per cent to 6.8 million suqare metres), the regional average would have been much worse.
Across the region, 2021 turned out to be a repeat of 2020 – a damaging year with limited attempts to return to the business of organising events. While 2022 will be a year of recovery for Asia, the path forward will be an uneven one.
It’s a good thing that the outlook for face-to-face events in Asia, and globally, is still very positive. This can be seen in markets that have allowed in-person events to resume. For example, from July 2020 to June 2021, domestic events in China roared back to life. We can expect the same all across the world as the pandemic recedes.
In general, factors affecting trade fair recovery in each Asian market will include the government approach to managing Covid (living with Covid versus Covid-zero), the geo-political landscape, the size of the domestic economy and domestic trade fair industry, the importance of international participation, and others.
Larger, more domestically-focused markets such as China, Japan and South Korea will be in a better position to rebound, when compared to internationally-driven markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore and to a lesser extent Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia.
How has the pandemic changed a customer’s value and expectations of exhibitions?
In many ways, the pandemic has reinforced the value of in-person events. Few purely-digital events, if any, have satisfied stakeholders. Of course, event organisers will have to continue to innovate, improve and add value through events, but we are highly confident that business events of all kinds – will continue to meet and surpass the expectations of visitors and exhibitors in the post-pandemic years.
What trends do you foresee for exhibitions?
We expect to see the virus fade as a threat in the coming months as vaccine rates rise and treatments improve.
This will be followed by a strong bounce back for events in 2022 and even more so in 2023. Event organisers will focus on the getting the basics right, and making use of innovative digital tools to deliver value at in-person events. Companies will also be more willing to heighten their investment in people, as people help make events happen. We need good people with strong business events skills more than ever before.
We see a future full of change, potential and growth.
What bothers you most currently about the pandemic?
There are a few things. The slow rollout of vaccinations, travel restrictions, and perhaps most importantly, governments failing to understand that exhibitions are different from other mass gatherings and that we are key driver of economic recovery and growth. So at UFI, we are committed to mitigating these risks in everything we do.
What is UFI doing to get the exhibitions engine roaring once again?
A lot! That has been our core focus for the past 18 months. We are deeply involved in advocacy work – educating governments around the world on how and when to allow events to proceed.
We track the status of exhibition markets as they open worldwide. We share industry guidelines and best practices, and case studies and details of government support for exhibitions on a market-by-market basis. Our wide range of resources is available on UFI’s Coronavirus Resource Page, which is also available to the public.
The Japanese government will extend Covid-19 restrictions in Tokyo and 12 prefectures for another three weeks in response to daily record-breaking Covid-19 infections across the country.
Japan will extend Covid-19 restrictions to curb rising infection numbers, fuelled by the Omicron variant
News reports on February 9 state that prime minister Fumio Kishida would add one more prefecture to the list of regions facing quasi-emergency measures, including restrictions on the business hours of eateries.
Japan’s international borders have been shut for two years, and several states of emergencies were declared throughout the country’s fights against the pandemic.
The lights are back on for live business events in Sydney, although many in the industry are under no illusion that business will return immediately.
Sydney’s events industry has been filled with fresh confidence, as more than 90 per cent of its population has been double-vaccinated. International borders also reopened for the first time since the pandemic started, to gradually welcome overseas visitors and students at the end of 2021.
Sydney has in place a long-term recovery strategy for business events; a busy Sydney Harbour Bridge precinct in pre-pandemic times pictured
The doors were first thrown open to Singapore, Japan and South Korea for fully vaccinated visitors, with more destinations planned for travel bubble arrangements in the new year.
After months of lockdowns and travel restrictions, Sydney is expecting “a big year” and a key role in rebuilding the country’s A$36 billion (US$26 billion) business events sector.
“Sentiment is starting to be very positive for the future,” said BESydney’s director global corporates & incentives, Sinead Yeo.
“Australia’s global city is opening up again – firstly for citizens and their families who have been kept apart, and very soon we will be excited to welcome our international visitors back to show them all of the exciting things that we have been doing while they have been gone,” she continued.
While the pandemic has been playing out in full drama on the world stage and shutting down many gatherings, Sydney announced in September 2020 it would be a 24-hour city featuring late night transport, longer opening hours for cultural institutions, fewer restrictions on live music and reclaimed spaces for activities like outdoor dining and concerts.
Sydney also launched its newest major large-scale function centre in December 2021, offering two floors of state-of-the-art conference and exhibition space.
The new WINX Stand at Royal Randwick, named after the legendary mare who captivated Australia, stands just 10 minutes from Sydney’s CBD and is accessible by Sydney’s new dedicated light-rail service.
A number of new hotels have opened too while borders were closed, such as the Crown Sydney at Barangaroo and M Gallery by Sofitel Porter House.
However, industry frontliners expect business will return in small and measured ways.
“We’re watching the trends in the Northern Hemisphere, and we know it is most likely that smaller groups will return first,” said Yeo.
“Our sense from talking with our clients is that those with larger groups will be a little more cautious to start and pace their return. It is very clear that companies will be looking to destinations like Australia that have handled the pandemic and put strong protocols in place for their first point of travel,” she continued.
ICC Sydney, the city’s flagship convention centre has also been working hard to prepare for the return of live events, and will start the new year with more than 90 international events in the pipeline out to 2031.
“We never closed (during the pandemic),” said ICC Sydney CEO Geoff Donaghy.
“There were times when we couldn’t do face-to-face meetings but we were ready to spring back and snap back as soon as circumstances allowed, and that’s the circumstances we’re in now. We’re looking forward to being in Asia in early 2022 in conjunction with Business Events Australia,” he added.
ICC Sydney has also been proactively engaging with the city’s activation programmes that will take place across the summer to get Sydney-siders back into the city and promote Sydney again to the international market. The convention centre itself is hosting an experiential exhibition called Neighbourhood Earth, inviting an expected 150,000 visitors into an interactive, science-inspired space.
“We’re showing to the city community that it’s perfectly safe and advisable to come to events at the centre, and it’s a matter of starting that snowballing effect of momentum, creating confidence that events are safe. It’s safe to come to Sydney and to ICC Sydney,” he stressed.
Meantime, although one of Sydney’s most significant source markets for business events visitors, China, is still closed, decisions are being made within corporate circles that could see Chinese tourists returning from 2023.
“There is a general feeling among corporates that they will be pushing ahead with overseas trips even if it means they need to quarantine upon their return,” said Shanghai-based managing director of PTC Express Travel, Christopher Zhang.
“And I think in general, the bureau in Australia is doing a fantastic job because over the last 18 months, a lot of bureaus pulled out of China, especially from smaller destinations.
“But Tourism Australia and some of the state bureaus have stayed active in the marketplace, which may have been the right thing to do because pre-pandemic, there were over a hundred destinations promoting in China and it was very difficult to get your voice heard – you had to spend big to stand out,” he elaborated.
Zhang also said Australia was likely to be preferred to other Asian destinations because the Chinese found the greater cultural contrast more attractive.
The newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok anchors the One Bangkok development with cosmopolitan elegance. Featuring the city's largest ballroom and a spectacular new penthouse suite, it delivers exceptional hardware and deeply authentic, soulful service for business and leisure travellers alike
Behind the imposing, Brutalist concrete that defines Zurich’s Oerlikon district lies a surprising secret. While its exterior honours the neighbourhood’s industrial roots, stepping inside Mama Shelter reveals a vibrant, neon-soaked world that is a far cry from its rigid shell
A polished urban retreat designed for business travellers, Hyatt Regency Kuala Lumpur at KL Midtown combines thoughtful design, seamless service, and exceptional facilities.
Come February 14, India will toss out mandatory quarantine and pre-arrival Covid PCR tests for all international travellers coming into the country.
In place of a pre-arrival negative PCR test result, the new requirement only calls for international travellers to submit their primary vaccination schedule completion certificate. This exemption is available to vaccinated travellers from 82 countries that also extend quarantine-free access to Indian nations. Such countries include Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, the US and the UK.
The announcement, made yesterday on February 10, is met with jubilation across India’s tourism and hospitality industry, with stakeholders confident that the move will send a positive signal in international travel markets.
Gaurav Bhatia, executive director, Bird Group, told TTGmice that he was glad to see the exit of mandatory quarantine, as the requirement had “resulted in many international travellers avoiding India”.
He now hopes that the government would resume scheduled international flights “as soon as possible to make the most of the relaxation of earlier curbs”, adding that “a significant improvement in inbound tourist arrivals this year” could be expected with both ease of entry and air accessibility in place.
Vishal Lonkar, general manager, brand development, Renest Hotels & Resorts, expects the new waivers to spur international business and leisure travel to India.
“We hope that our properties in Bangalore and Kolkata, which are near the international airport, will gain (business) momentum,” he added.
India’s easing of border restrictions would see the return of travellers from shorthaul markets first, opined Lally Mathews, managing director, Divine Voyages, as “travellers in Covid times have reservations about travelling long distances”. He added that inbound recovery would be more prominent in the next inbound season, starting October.