PCMA has launched destinAItor, a next-generation, AI-powered platform designed to streamline destination and venue research for business events strategists.
Developed in partnership with dFakto, the tool promises to deliver data-driven insights, significantly cutting down the time and money traditionally spent on planning.
A screenshot from the destinAItor website
Previewed earlier this month at edUcon, destinAItor incorporates a unique destination marketing organization (DMO) validation process, where participating destinations and venues verify their profiles to ensure accuracy and up-to-date content. This curated data includes details such as sustainability initiatives, safety measures, economic sectors, citywide events, and infrastructure developments.
The platform leverages strategic data partnerships with Tempest and Simpleview, integrating meetings and events data to allow strategists to objectively compare multiple destinations with verified information. DestinAItor also features an RFP tool that analyses a planner’s request for proposal and suggests suitable matching destinations.
Participating destinations and venues will benefit from performance reports and analytics on search patterns and trending destinations, as the platform allows them to highlight their unique value propositions, attracting business that aligns with their strategic goals.
Thibaut De Vylder, CEO of dFakto, indicated that destinAItor offers destinations and venues an opportunity to “control their data and brand narrative, address poor lead generation, and overcome RFP spam, while gaining performance insights through analytics on search patterns”.
He added that more features will be added to the destinAItor platform on a continual basis.
Insights from the destinAItor platform are complimentary for business events strategists. Destinations and venues interested in being searchable must join a pilot programme to review AI-generated data and earn a “Verified Destination” badge on the platform.
The Iran-Israel-US conflict, which started on June 13 when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian soil, has disrupted air travel in the Middle East and forced airlines to reroute long-haul flights to safer airspaces.
Providing an overview of airlines’ reaction to the instability in the Middle East, Mayur Patel, head of Asia at OAG Aviation, said: “Major airlines including Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines have had to cancel or reroute flights. Singapore Airlines, for instance, suspended its flights to Dubai from June 22 following an internal security assessment, with the suspension remaining in effect at the time of writing (on June 25).”
He added that there has been “a significant drop in flights operating via key Middle Eastern air hubs, particularly Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Manama” since June 13.
“The temporary closure of airspace over Iran, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and briefly across parts of the Gulf led to widespread flight cancellations, diversions, and delays. For instance, Hamad International Airport in Doha saw over 250 cancellations and more than 200 delays on June 24 alone.”
This has resulted in preferred air corridors and air hubs shifting to other regions. Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia air corridors are favoured while European hubs such as Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Amsterdam, as well as Asian major gateways are processing higher transit traffic.
Patel also told TTG Asia that overall flight bookings to the Middle East have likely declined since June 13, driven by widespread cancellations and rerouting in response to the Israel–Iran conflict.
“Evolving airspace restrictions and heightened security advisories have led both businesses and leisure travellers to scale back their travel plans, even though precise booking data is not yet available,” he stated.
Ongoing conflicts in both the Middle East and Russia, along with a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, have deeper operational impact on airlines, beyond an upset flight schedule and inconvenienced travellers.
Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, told TTG Asia: “The frequent closures and diversions as well as cancellations in some cases cause costs to go up and affect schedule reliability, not to mention the reaccommodation costs and cost to crew scheduling. Additionally, capacity which is already constrained will be further affected while demand remains resilient.”
Similarly, Patel also warned of a cost impact – carriers forced to adopt longer flight paths to avoid restricted zones will incur higher fuel consumption, extended crew duty hours, and increased operating costs. These burdens come on top of complicated crew scheduling and stretched operational resilience.
“These adjustments have triggered widespread delays, particularly on long-haul routes connecting Europe, Asia, and Australasia,” he noted.
Patel said: “Managing these changes amid evolving NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) advisories and congested air traffic control has further strained airlines – especially those operating hub-and-spoke models that depend on tight schedules and quick turnarounds.”
With the US now drawn into the Israel-Iran conflict amid its abrasive stance on global trade, Subhas said travel to the US “has definitely seen a downturn” while “traffic and trade flows on other routes are holding firm”.
He expects June’s air traffic report to show some short term effects due to the frequent disruptions to capacity.
As of this morning, several Persian Gulf states, including Qatar and the UAE, have reopened their airspace and resumed flights. Further, Flightradar24’s update on X stated that Iran has partially reopened its airspace to permitted international flights to and from Tehran.
A spokesperson from Royal Jordanian Airline told TTG Asia that operations had resumed after the second day of the conflict, and that the airline is among the few that continue to operate flights to the Levant region and Jordan. The airline launched its first non-stop service between Mumbai and Amman on June 19.
When bleisure and hush trips are supported intentionally, it strengthens duty of care and allows for more comprehensive employee support
Rise of bleisure and hush trips blurs corporate duty of care
Companies are struggling to adapt to evolving traveller behaviours and compliance risks
Proactive solutions involve policy flexibility, transparency, and robust systems
When bleisure is intentionally supported, it strengthens duty of care and allows for more comprehensive employee support
The trend of bleisure continues to rise steadily, according to service providers, and Asian corporates are open to travellers mixing business with pleasure.
However, most are still “adapting to hush trips”, which refer to employees working remotely from a different city or country without disclosing or seeking approval.
Rebecca Malzacher, vice president, marketing H3S International, strategic projects, International SOS, said at the recent GBTA APAC Conference session Leisure & Hush Trips – Who Bears the Responsibility?, 64 per cent of participants believed hush trips were occurring within their organisations, yet only 73 per cent were familiar with the term.
“This disconnect highlights how quickly traveller behaviours are evolving and the urgency for organisations to ensure that their travel policies and support systems keep pace.
“As bleisure and hush trips become more common, the boundaries of responsibility are increasingly blurred, raising serious questions around an organisation’s duty of care, and its ability to support employees in unexpected situations.”
Industry grapples with new travel realities
A corporate travel manager in the pharmaceutical industry told TTGmice its leaders are watching the development, and he is now looking at what or what does not need to be put in place as “guardrails” if the organisation does not know where a traveller is and if he booked out of policy.
Another corporate travel manager in global retail product development, design, supply, manufacture and sales, while preferring to “say no entirely” to bleisure and hush trips, wants to explore extending travel insurance coverage from two days before and after to 10 days pre- and post-trip to address the “constant worry” and duty of care responsibilities.
Christine Connolley, BCD Travel, senior crisis programme manager, global crisis management, commented: “Globally, we’re seeing a steady rise in support for bleisure, particularly among companies that prioritise flexibility and give employees more control over how they manage time on the road.
“Tech is leading the charge, along with consulting, media, and professional services, industries where talent mobility and agile work models are already well established. These organisations view flexibility as a competitive advantage in today’s job market, a powerful tool for attracting and retaining talent, especially among younger employees.”
For traditional sectors like finance, legal, and manufacturing, Connolley pointed out they take “a more structured approach, often due to regulatory limitations and operational constraints”.
Although hush trips create compliance risks around tax, immigration and insurance, Connolley acknowledged flexible work has outpaced formal policy to support it.
“When the issue is addressed, it’s typically through HR or global mobility policies, not necessarily through a travel policy, as it touches broader compliance and oversight issues. Ideally, a cross-functional approach would include HR, legal, security and travel to help the company set expectations and manage the broader organisational risk,” she added.
Change in approach
BCD Travel has implemented a policy that allows employees to work remotely for up to 60 days per year from any of the 48 countries with an office location worldwide.
“It has helped us stay ahead of compliance while supporting flexibility and retention. More companies across APAC are beginning to take a closer look at how to manage these situations, building in flexibility where they can, but putting clearer structures in place to avoid compliance headaches.”
International SOS’ Malzacher observed a clear shift in corporate travel behaviour across the region, particularly among younger professionals who are more inclined to blend business with leisure, or take unapproved hush trips without informing their employers.
Travel patterns are also shifting. She continued: “With cost pressures and broader acceptance of remote work, companies are increasingly engaging in business travel to second-tier cities and non-traditional hubs, as operations become more decentralised. These destinations often carry less predictable risks, such as limited access to healthcare or variable infrastructure.”
As such, Malzacher advised companies to “foster a culture of transparency, where employees feel comfortable declaring leisure extensions without fear of penalty”. Building on this, organisations can then implement technology that maintains visibility and enables support throughout the entire trip, balancing employee privacy with duty of care responsibilities.
Malzacher concluded that success in today’s landscape hinges on investing in proactive education, effective systems, and a risk framework that supports employee autonomy while reinforcing corporate accountability.
Ryan: Asia is a growth market for New Zealand; photo by Adelaine Ng
Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) is stepping up its play for the Asian business events market, as it enters a rebuilding phase with increased government support.
A NZ$35 million (US$21.1 million) Tourism Growth Roadmap, announced at Meetings 2025 in Auckland, includes a second NZ$3 million injection into the Conference Assistance Programme, NZ$6 million to support South-east Asia and India, and NZ$13.5 million for China, shared with Australia and the US.
Ryan: Asia is a growth market for New Zealand; photo by Adelaine Ng
The new investments aim to rebuild capacity and re-energise international marketing efforts following a NZ$60 million cut in tourism funding in 2023, introduced as the country recalibrated with shifting priorities post-pandemic.
TNZ said the boost will allow it to “do more, go bigger and faster with our international marketing efforts” in key visitor markets.
Penelope Ryan, global manager for business events at TNZ, told TTGmice that in terms of government budget contribution, the new Roadmap restores just over half of the previous budget cut.
“It’s a really interesting phase where I would say we are still building back from Covid, and there are several factors still impacting our arrivals, like our air capacity. What I do know is that the appeal for New Zealand is the highest it has ever been,” she said.
She also acknowledged the need to intentionally shift perceptions around New Zealand’s remoteness for business events.
“Asia is one of our growth opportunity markets, and it is really about how we can be present there to build awareness of New Zealand, and the fact that we are easier to get to than people might think,” she said.
While there are no plans to increase in-market staff, the new funding will be directed toward driving activity through more touchpoints and attending different events in building New Zealand’s presence among key Asian decision-makers.
This includes participation at PCMA Business of Events in Singapore, and Destination Week in Goyang, South Korea.
Incentive travel continues to be a strategic focus, with efforts to balance high-value, short-lead bookings alongside longer-term association conferences. “We are looking at how to incorporate an incentive strategy as part of our associations activity as well,” said Ryan.
India is firmly on the radar, with growing enquiries prompting a specific incentive focus and plans for future direct air connections in the pipeline.
As of May, conference arrivals for FY25 were tracking at 75.6 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Conversion performance exceeded targets by three percentage points to reach 63 per cent.
Conference delegates remain the country’s highest-yielding visitors, spending an average of NZ$379 per day, compared to the NZ$314 average for holidaymakers and NZ$203 for business travelers. Nearly 30 per cent of conference visitors travelled with family.
Looking ahead to FY26, Tourism New Zealand will focus on attracting more corporate and incentive arrivals from North America, Australia, and Asian markets, which also have a shorter lead time than conferences to generate year-round spending.
Japanese venue operator One Bright Kobe has unveiled Glion Arena Kobe, a multipurpose indoor arena suitable for conferences, exhibitions, concerts and sporting events in the Kansai port city of Kobe.
Located in the revitalised waterfront area, Glion Arena Kobe can accommodate up to 10,000 people, with spaces featuring a high degree of adaptability for various event formats and a state-of-the-art AV system that includes one of Japan’s largest indoor high-definition LED screens.
An aerial view of Glion Arena Kobe
Describing the arena as “a major addition to the city’s MICE infrastructure”, Lance Ferguson, assistant manager at Kobe Convention Bureau, told TTGmice that the facility’s scale, modern amenities and flexible layout will enable the city “to attract a broader spectrum of business events, from product launches to innovation expos and high-profile corporate gatherings”.
Ferguson also anticipates potential in emerging event formats, noting that the arena “could become a highly attractive venue for international esports events”.
“The infrastructure is well-suited to large audiences and technology-driven productions, aligning well with Kobe’s growing appeal among younger, global audiences,” he explained.
Additionally, product launches and corporate events could host 2,000 to 5,000 pax, while stage events and esports tournaments could accommodate 5,000 to 7,000 pax.
Interest in using the venue for business events is expected to come from within Japan as well as Asia, Europe and North America. The South Korea, China and Taiwan markets are expected to perform particularly well following the launch of international flights connecting Kobe to these countries in April.
“By serving as a core facility for MICE, the Glion Arena aims to elevate Kobe’s recognition as a premier city for international conferences and exhibitions,” Ferguson opined.
The Tha Exhibition Association (TEA) has appointed Loy Joon How, general manager of IMPACT Exhibition Management Co. as its new president, effective June 2025.
Over the last two years, Loy served as vice president on TEA’s Executive Committee. He takes over from outgoing TEA president Panittha Buri from Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center.
Loy has over 40 years of professional experience in the exhibition industry, of which 18 years are in Thailand with IMPACT.
This initiative aims to strengthen Sri Lanka’s tourism presence in India, a key source market; Colombo pictured
The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), in partnership with the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Chennai, will be organising two MICE Roadshows in Hyderabad and Bengaluru next week.
The first roadshow is scheduled for July 1, 2025, at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad, while the second will take place on July 3, 2025, at the Taj West End in Bengaluru.
This initiative aims to strengthen Sri Lanka’s tourism presence in India, a key source market; Colombo pictured
A 20-member delegation of Sri Lankan tour operators and hoteliers will participate in the roadshows, showcasing the country’s business events and tourism offerings to event planners, tour operators, corporate leaders, trade associations, and Indian travel industry stakeholders.
There will be B2B engagements, evening networking sessions, as well as a performance from a Sri Lankan cultural troupe.
Malkanthi Welikala, manager – marketing, SLCB, added that the roadshows will also “build momentum for the 5th Edition of the Sri Lanka MICE Expo”. Happening from September 22–26, 2025, in Colombo, the show is expecting to welcome over 100 international buyers.
India remains Sri Lanka’s top source market, contributing 20 per cent of total tourist arrivals. From January 1 to May 31, 2025, Sri Lanka welcomed over one million, with 204,060 from India. Sri Lanka’s tourism earnings have exceeded US$1.5 billion in 1H2025.
Sri Lankan Airlines operates 90 weekly flights connecting Sri Lanka with nine Indian cities. IndiGo and Air India also offer daily flights to Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Cvent has announced that Cvent Essentials – a new product designed for managing high-volume, simple in-person events – is now available to all Cvent customers.
Cvent Essentials simplifies the planning and execution of frequent, smaller gatherings like field marketing activations, internal meetings, client trainings, and networking experiences. It aims to provide a solution without the complexity or cost of traditional event management tools. The product helps event professionals set clear guidelines and templates, enabling anyone within their organisation to plan and execute smaller events with minimal oversight.
A screenshot from the Cvent Essentials website
The tool emerged from a rigorous beta programme involving hundreds of users across various industries.
Key capabilities of Cvent Essentials enables users to launch on-brand events in minutes using approved templates; offer streamlined registration and onsite experience through single-page online registration and check-in via the Cvent OnArrival app; and providing attendance data.
The solution includes built-in engagement tools like live polling, Q&A, and post-event surveys. For data management, it provides real-time data and integrations with platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot for timely data capture and ROI tracking.
The product also facilitates empowered, distributed teams with unlimited Essentials-only users, allowing business units to self-manage events within admin-defined guardrails. A powerful templating system ensures centralised governance over data collection, privacy, security, and event design.
This launch comes as industry data indicates 58 per cent of organisations plan to increase their volume of small, in-person events in 2025–2026.
Malaysia’s largest women-focused trade and investment exposition, WE2025: Future in Motion, will take place at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) from November 25-27.
Under the theme Women in Trade. Investment. Leadership., WE2025 aims to unlock RM100 million (US$23.5 million) in potential trade and investment and convene over 10,000 visitors, 1,000 conference delegates and 500 exhibition booths.
MITEC (pictured) is the strategic venue partner
Timed to coincide with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship, WE2025 also serves as a timely platform for regional cooperation, aligning with the National Women’s Policy 2025, and the Malaysian government’s vision of shared prosperity and inclusive progress.
The conference multi-format design integrates four core components – a leadership conference, trade exposition, business matchups, and curated knowledge sessions and mentorship forums.
A hallmark of the event is the dedicated marketplace for micro and small enterprises, particularly from underserved and emerging communities. This segment ensures that WE2025 is both top-level and grassroots in its reach and relevance.
The event is organised by Qube Integrated Malaysia in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and supported by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation and Department of Women Development.
Australian casino group The Star Entertainment Group has appointed Jennifer Cronin as interim CEO of The Star Gold Coast, subject to regulatory approvals.
Starting on July 1, 2025, Cronin has agreed to assume the leadership of The Star Gold Coast for up to 12 months, while the company continues its search for a permanent CEO. She has also been appointed director of The Star Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast local was previously president and CEO of Wharf Hotels, Marco Polo Hotels and Niccolo Hotels in Hong Kong. Her extensive experience also includes working at Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, Hololiday Inn Hope Island and at The Kooralbyn Hotel Resort on the Gold Coast before she pursued an international career working for global brands in Singapore and Thailand.
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.
Starting on July 1, 2025, Cronin has agreed to assume the leadership of The Star Gold Coast for up to 12 months, while the company continues its search for a permanent CEO. She has also been appointed director of The Star Gold Coast.
