The airline reinforces our commitment to engage with our customers in their everyday lives with world-class service. By adding more value
Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has rolled out a new, eponymous travel lifestyle brand that will bring together the Cathay Pacific, Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles schemes.
The “premium” brand, Cathay, will also unveil a range of new offers in spending, dining, shopping, hotels, and wellness over the coming months.
The airline is reinforcing its commitment to engage with their customers by adding more value
The first of these – a new Cathay co-branded credit card – will be launched in Hong Kong soon. These will all culminate in a refreshed customer relationship programme to be launched in 1H2022. While the airline has made the Cathay brand initially only available in Hong Kong, it plans to gradually expand the brand to other markets.
The global airline also stated that the Cathay branding will help to simplify how their customers interact with them, including how they earn status and make use of miles.
ICCA has added two new members to its Asia Pacific team – Waikin Wong who will take up the regional director position, and Jessica Ng, who will be taking on the role of membership development manager.
Wong will be joining ICCA on July 26, 2021, and in this new role, will be advising the ICCA head office’s management team, and aiming to grow the ICCA community in APAC.
From left: Waikin Wong; and Jessica Ng
She was previously the business director with GIS Group based in Taipei, and possesses nearly two decades of experience in account management, business development and strategy.
Meanwhile, Ng will join ICCA on August 2, 2021, and report to Wong. Ng will be supporting the membership and growth of ICCA in APAC, as well as assist members and answer ICCA portal-related enquiries.
Ng joins ICCA from Hotel Equatorial in Penang, where she was a senior sales manager. She brings over seven years of experience in event coordination and sales to this new role.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has opened corporate bookings for Australia’s Digital Art Gallery THE LUME Melbourne from September 2021.
With exclusive access to the immersive space (part of MCEC), guests will be treated to a 45-minute feature show and 15 minutes of featurette shows, woven around the event running order.
A rendering of Starry Night, part of the Van Gogh show
THE LUME Melbourne’s inaugural show, Van Gogh, will take guests on a journey into the world of Vincent van Gogh, as his most famous artworks burst to life and the sights, sounds and aromas of 19th century France fill the room.
Exclusive events within the gallery can range from gala dinners to cocktail parties good for 200 to 1,200 pax (Covid-19 capacity limits permitting) and include F&B. Here, the menu was created to celebrate the uniqueness of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings, paying homage to his Dutch heritage and to France, his adopted creative home, and uses fresh Victorian produce paired with an extensive Australian and French wine list.
MCEC and THE LUME Melbourne can also tailor the event with the help of custom projections, such as beaming a company’s branding across 3,000m2 of event space with the help of 150 projectors.
Non-exclusive events are also a possibility thanks to the mezzanine level. The space can be booked during gallery hours for smaller events up to 100 guests.
An event being held at the Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel
With remote and hybrid work now the new normal, Avani Hotels & Resorts in Thailand has expanded its portfolio of technology-based meetings and events products.
In addition to being able to host various video calling apps such as ZOOM and Microsoft Teams, the hospitality brand’s digital services now include a range of event planning solutions such as online attendee management, interactive polling, rental of live streaming equipment and services of a dedicated on-site technical team.
An event being held at the Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel
Hybrid packages range from “Mini Meet” with up to 10 on-site attendees and 100 online participants to “Conference Pro” with 50 on-site and 500 online participants, six guest speakers and multiple 4K cameras.
Creative production services such as digital backdrop design and waiting room visuals are also available, allowing event organisers to plan their inter-connected events efficiently. Meanwhile, on-site participants will enjoy traditional hospitality in the form of theme coffee breaks and meeting spaces.
For a peace of mind, all Avani Hotels have adopted a range of heightened hygiene and sanitising standards, collectively known as the brand’s safety and hygiene programme the AvaniSHIELD. All Avani properties in Thailand have also been certified by The Ministry of Public Health and obtained the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s certification for Thailand Safety and Health Administration.
Hilton has opened its seventh hotel in Indonesia, the 168-room Hilton Garden Inn Jakarta Taman Palem.
Launched as the first hotel under the Hilton Garden Inn brand, the hotel offers eight multipurpose function rooms – good for up to 700 attendees – with natural light and state-of-the-art technology to help deliver meetings and events.
King Guestroom
Accommodation meanwhile, can be found in one of the 168 guestrooms and suites, all of which are furnished with a 43-inch HD TV, mini-fridge, USB charging ports, a dedicated work desk, and bath amenities from CrabTree and Evelyn. Business travellers with their families in tow will be able to book the King Family Suite, which offers a kid-friendly bedroom and play furniture.
Amenities on-site include a 24-hour fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, business centre, guest laundry, as well as an all-day diner, and a 24-hour convenience store offering a variety of snacks and beverages.
Hilton Garden Inn Jakarta Taman Palem is located in the heart of West Jakarta’s central business district and a 20-minute drive from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. It is also connected to Green Sedayu Mall which features a range of retail outlets, restaurants and bars and entertainment options.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has appointed Pamudji Slamet as director of development, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Pamudji joins Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ Asia Pacific division, which has a portfolio of over 1,500 hotels across 20 markets and territories. He reports directly to Matt Holmes, head of development, South-east Asia & Pacific Rim.
In his new role, Pamudji will be responsible for growing the company’s portfolio through new development and conversion opportunities across franchise and management agreements in Indonesia and the Philippines. Pamudji will focus on establishing new relationships and partnering with key owners and property developers to drive the continued growth of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts presence in both markets.
The Indonesian possesses than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, which includes both operational and development roles where he managed conversions, mergers, acquisitions, rebranding of hotels through franchise, management, hotel lease, as well as manchise agreements. He is also adept at property development across a wide range of segments from luxury to economy hotels to condotels and branded residences.
Prior to joining Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, he was director of development, Indonesia, with Accor. His decades-long experience also included stints at GHM Hotels, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, Discovery Hotels & Resorts, Horwath Asia Pacific, and JLL.
Langkawi may soon welcome foreign visitors under a pilot project; an unusually quiet Chenang beach in Langkawi during Covid-19 pictured
Langkawi is planning to reopen its doors to foreign travellers soon and be promoted as a Covid-free destination, under a pilot project by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) to kickstart the country’s tourism recovery.
Once successful, the pilot project will be extended to other localities and islands across the country, Noor Zari Hamat, MOTAC secretary-general, said at the Islamic Tourism Centre Corporate forum held last week.
Langkawi may soon welcome foreign visitors under a pilot project; an unusually quiet Chenang beach in Langkawi during Covid-19 pictured
While Noor Zari did not specify a start date for the pilot project, he stated that 80 per cent of the population had to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity before the pilot project could take off.
In a report by Bernama last month, Kedah chief minister, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, said he was hoping the project could take off in September or October, with Langkawi welcoming fully vaccinated foreign tourists.
Anthony Wong, president of Langkawi Business Association, opined that to date, between 35 to 45 per cent of the population in Langkawi had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and that at least 20 per cent of the population had received both doses.
Wong added that he has been talking with senior officers at Tourism Malaysia who told him they were trying to get international and regional airlines to resume their services to Langkawi.
He said some stakeholders in Langkawi, such as boat operators, hotels and tour operators, are preparing for the reopening of the island by “getting their house in order”, while others are taking a wait-and-see approach.
Uzaidi Udanis, president, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA), pointed out that tourism activities in Langkawi have been at a standstill since March, when inter-district and interstate travel was banned by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19. However, even before March, Langkawi had seen a drop in the number of domestic tourists.
He shared that the main task of MITA currently is to prepare members for the reopening and to ensure stakeholders are ready to receive international tourists.
Uzaidi said that following discussions with stakeholders, three key issues have been identified: first, the lack of human resources as many locals who had been working in Langkawi have since returned to their hometowns; two, the maintenance of tourism products which have been neglected due to the temporary ban on domestic tourism; and three, product readiness.
“We need to ensure we have very good products and local storytellers to ensure international guests have a very good experience when they visit. We are competing with the likes of the Maldives, Bali and Phuket,” he said.
Adam Kamal, head of contracting & domestic market at Ice Holidays, shared that authorities in Langkawi should also ensure that the health facilities are adequate to handle international travellers, who might be infected with Covid-19.
“We should take heed of what had happened in Phuket”, he said, referring to the incident where Phuket reported its first Covid-19 case from overseas on July 7 after reopening to international tourists.
Singapore tightens entry approvals for travellers and transfers from Indonesia
Singapore has reduced entry approvals for travellers from Indonesia who are non-Singapore citizens or permanent residents.
The announcement was made on Saturday (July 10) by the Ministry of Health (MOH), who said that the tightened border measure for travellers from Indonesia will take place “with immediate effect” and comes amid the “worsening” Covid-19 situation there.
Singapore tightens entry approvals for travellers and transfers from Indonesia
Entry approvals may be considered where additional safe management measures are taken, it added.
All travellers with travel history to Indonesia within the last 21 days will also not be allowed to transit through Singapore, starting July 12, 11.59.
With effect from July 12, 23.59, all travellers entering Singapore with recent travel history to Indonesia within the last 21 days will be required to present a valid negative Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result taken within 48 hours before departure for Singapore.
Currently, such travellers will need to present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test result taken within 72 hours before departure for Singapore.
Travellers who arrive in Singapore without a valid negative PCR test result may be denied entry into Singapore, said MOH. Permanent residents and long-term pass holders who fail to comply with the new requirements may have their permit or pass cancelled, it added.
All travellers will continue to be subjected to a 14-day stay-home notice at dedicated facilities; an on-arrival PCR test and another test on day 14 of arrival; and an on-arrival antigen rapid test (ART) and self-administered ART test on day 3, 7 and 11 of arrival.
The Japanese business travel market offers vast opportunities to grow; Tokyo pictured
The Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB) has released sustainable offerings to enable business event organisers to hold conferences in the Japanese capital in a more socially and environmentally responsible way.
Entitled Sustainability Experience in Tokyo, the initiative aims to introduce the city’s rich culture and history in a unique, thought-provoking way via 11 programmes designed to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Programmes have a focus on nature, food, crafts and physical activities.
Tokyo is pushing the sustainable envelope and is keen to show its guests how they do it
According to the TCVB, the idea is to allow business visitors to “enjoy Tokyo charms and at the same time contribute to the future of the city”.
Kazuko Toda, senior director of the business events team, said the TCVB is “confident that the programmes will make the guests’ stay in Tokyo most satisfying. We also hope the meeting organisers will make good use of the programmes”.
One experience explores how bees travel from the Imperial Palace and Hamariku Gardens to a sustainable hive two kilometres away on a rooftop in Ginza where their honey is harvested. Here, participants can learn about the vital role that bees play in ecosystems and enjoy a honey tasting.
Staying with the theme of sustainable food, another experience allows participants to learn and use traditional methods to make nori, dried Japanese seaweed, which was first produced in Tokyo in the 17th century.
Also included are several programmes related to the reuse and recycling of kimonos and other traditional or natural materials to make Japanese souvenirs. Participants can also join a clean-up of Tokyo’s waterways or a walking tour of key sites.
As an add-on, the information pack features tips on how events can be organised more consciously, such as by using local vegetables. It also notes that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has created more than 800 drinking stations across the capital, offering free tap water to reduce consumption of bottled water.
The second Virtual IT&CM China and CTW China, held from June 22-24 this year, has reported a successful conclusion, with a high percentage of fulfilled scheduled appointments and strong buying intention for the next two years.
Post-show statistics revealed that over 500 Chinese and international delegates had participated in the three-day event, with 200 exhibitors from 22 territories/countries meeting with 247 buyers from 32 territories/countries.
The virtual floorplan at ITCM China
The event organiser, TTG Asia Media, has also found strong business and lead generation throughout the MICE and corporate travel event.
Close to 3,000 pre-scheduled appointments and walk-in meetings were conducted over three days, with 86 per cent of pre-scheduled appointments being fulfilled.
Noteworthy during the ongoing travel and tourism crisis is that 92 per cent of exhibitors and buyers expect to receive or place MICE and corporate travel orders over the next 12 to 24 months.
Eighty-six per cent of delegates said they have achieved their objectives of attending Virtual IT&CM China and CTW China 2021, while 74 per cent of exhibitors rated buyers’ quality were above average.
The post-show study has also found that delegates were most impressed by the live networking conversations, exclusive live sessions, as well as the various MICE and corporate travel knowledge sessions. Ninety-three per cent have also registered their interest in attending the next virtual event.
G Murali Krishna, CEO of India-based Happy Vacations, said that the networking sessions were “excellent and well-organised”, and he was delighted to discover new business ventures.
Similarly, Cheng Xiangfeng, assistant manager of China Women Travel Service, appreciated the opportunity to stay connected with suppliers and the industry to continue with her business planning for when borders reopen.
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