Asia/Singapore Tuesday, 23rd December 2025
Page 57

GBTA APAC Conference 2025 sees strong turnout, announces 2026 dates

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Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, providing the latest forecast for APAC on the Main Stage; photo by Rachel AJ Lee

The growth and vital role of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in the future of global business travel was demonstrated by the strong turnout, engagement and insights from the GBTA APAC Conference 2025 held at the Raffles City Convention Centre in Singapore from May 27-28.

Hosted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), and co-located for the third year with the WERC Regional Summit, the event brought together over 950 industry professionals including corporate travel managers, travel suppliers, exhibiting companies and sponsors.

Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, providing the latest forecast for APAC on the Main Stage; photo by Rachel AJ Lee

Peter Koh, chairperson of the APAC Advisory Board with GBTA, told TTGmice: “Last week’s fourth GBTA APAC conference saw 950 delegates from 32 countries with 50 per cent first-time attendees making up 50 per cent of the total.”

He added there were 250 buyers from 18 countries and more than 40 exhibitors and sponsors, an increase of 20 per cent from 2024.

The first conference held in Bangkok in 2022 had an attendance of just 200, and Koh is hopeful that next year’s edition will cross the 1,000 delegate count.

The two-day programme showcased over 80 featured speakers and prominent regional experts plus 10 breakout sessions, guided by regional APAC committees, along with collaborative buyer- and supplier-only sessions.

Sessions focused on industry forecasts, current challenges, and emerging trends shaping the future of business travel. Key topics included travel programme evolution, workforce mobility, artificial intelligence, payments, sustainability, and the next generation of business travellers.

In 2022, GBTA and WERC saw the opportunity to create a gathering for the APAC business travel sector. While each organisation’s conference runs independently, the collective attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors benefit from access to all sessions, a shared expo, and networking events.

“Our collaboration with GBTA brings together complementary communities, expands our collective reach, and elevates the experience for members and sponsors, all in the pursuit of empowering more seamless global talent mobility. We look forward to another impactful year together,” said Anupam Singhal, WERC president and CEO.

“We saw a convergence in the shared objectives of GBTA and WERC. Co-locating our events has been very successful. This year’s attendance exceeded last year’s by nearly 20 per cent and this is a testament to the continued relevancy and value our shared attendees receive from our partnership,” said Elle Ng-Darmawan, regional director, APAC, GBTA.

According to a press release, GBTA and WERC will again co-locate their conferences next year. It will be held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 12-13, 2026. – Additional reporting by Caroline Boey

STB and Milken Institute ink MoU

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Milken Institute’s Richard Ditizio; and STB’s Melissa Ow at the MoU signing ceremony

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Milken Institute have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to anchor the Institute’s key event – Milken Institute Asia Summit in Singapore for the next three years (2026 – 2028).

The annual Milken Institute Asia Summit is organised by Milken Institute’s International team, spearheaded by its Asia headquarters in Singapore. Since its launch in 2014, the Milken Institute Asia Summit has established itself as an exclusive, world-class event that gathers business leaders, senior government officials, high- level finance executives, institutional investors, and philanthropists from around the world to address critical challenges and propose actionable solutions.

Milken Institute’s Richard Ditizio; and STB’s Melissa Ow at the MoU signing ceremony

This year’s Milken Institute Asia Summit will take place from October 1-3, continuing its tradition of scheduling it during Singapore’s Formula One race week, and reinforcing the city-state’s position as a premier destination where high-impact business discussions and world-class sporting entertainment converge.

STB and the Milken Institute’s Asia headquarters have maintained a long-standing relationship through robust and mutually beneficial engagements since the first Milken Institute Asia Summit was held in Singapore in 2014. A testament to this success was the Institute’s innovative response during the Covid-19 pandemic, when it successfully pivoted the 7th Milken Institute Asia Summit in 2020 to a hybrid format, bringing together 200 in-person attendees and 1,100 global leaders and senior executives virtually.

The partnership was further strengthened at the 2023 Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, where STB hosted the Sponsors and Speakers Welcome Reception, showcasing Singapore’s hospitality to influential audiences from around the world.

Most recently, STB and the Milken Institute collaborated on the 11th Milken Institute Asia Summit in 2024, which featured the participation of Singapore’s deputy prime minister and minister for trade and industry Gan Kim Yong, and Singapore’s minister for health Ong Ye Kung.

Hilton Colombo launches comprehensive MICE package

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Yacht farewell party at Port City

Hilton Colombo has introduced a new package targeted at corporate events, incentives, and team retreats.

Yacht farewell party at Port City

The offering is available for groups of 25 or more, with rates starting at US$288 per night based on double occupancy. The package includes daily laundry service (three pieces per guest); complimentary airport transfers; complimentary breakout rooms for meetings; half-board dining at Graze Kitchen (lunch and dinner); morning yoga sessions on the lawn; and a yacht farewell party at Port City.

This limited-time offer is available for bookings through October 31, 2025.

APAC corporates embrace sustainable corporate travel policies: GBTA study

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Delphine Millot presenting the findings at GBTA APAC Conference; photo by Caroline Boey

Asia-Pacific (APAC) is trending well where 54 per cent of corporates have included sustainability considerations in their travel policy, with purposeful trips being the number one sustainability practice, according to a GBTA Foundation study.

Delphine Millot, senior vice president, sustainability and advocacy and managing director of the foundation, added 67 per cent of them have sustainability features integrated into their corporate travel booking platform.

Millot presenting the findings at GBTA APAC Conference; photo by Caroline Boey

She shared these findings during The Future of Decarbonised Travel Programmes session at the GBTA APAC Conference, held earlier this week in Singapore.

APAC is also closing the gap on emissions tracking and 59 per cent of companies are expected to track their business travel emissions by end-2025, a big jump compared to the 28 per cent polled in 2024.

Millot continued: “Companies are sending a stronger, harmonised demand signal to suppliers where 24 per cent include sustainability questions in their RFPs and 17 per cent use responses in their supplier selection.

“A new GBTA Sustainable Procurement Standards guide has been released to support this process.”

However, APAC’s average sustainability maturity score across four categories of business travel emissions management for regional programmes is only 0.7, compared to 1.3 for the average maturity score across four categories of business travel emissions management for all programmes.

The region, she noted, has the potential to outpace other regions.

Other findings show the bigger the size of the travel programme, the bigger the maturity score is. Leading sectors are finance, banking and insurance scoring 2.0, followed by 1.7 for consultancy and professional services and 1.5 for technology, telecoms and media.

Millot further commented business travel emissions are very visible to employees, especially to Gen Z travellers.

Eleven per cent of companies say they plan to buy SAF, four per cent have onboarded a carbon fee and eight per cent have a carbon budget, but she acknowledged that “cost is still the number one barrier”.

The study comprised 241 companies with global reach of all sizes, sectors and geographies with participation from 114 global, 54 APAC, 46 Americas and 27 EMEA respondents.

GBTA shared that the association will soon launch its GBTA Transition Pathway Guide, and GBTA SAF Corporate Connect.

Jim Crowder, global strategic sales, APAC, Enterprise Mobility, said the region’s 2023 travel spend by category for ground transportation was the highest at 40.8 per cent ahead of the Americas at 26.9 per cent, Europe at 26.5 per cent, Latin America at 3.7 per cent, and the Middle East/Africa at 2.1 per cent.

He added a recent small sample size poll showed 40 per cent of respondents did not have a ground transportation policy.

Buyer Amy Niu, travel manager Asia Pacific of Arcadis, shared that the infrastructure solutions company’s global programme was consolidated two years ago and its carbon budget, on top of its financial budget, was added in 2024.

Niu shared that Arcadis is part of KLM’s Corporate BioFuel Programme, committing to buy SAF for all its business flights.

She told delegates the company launched a “rail over air for trips under five hours” guide, “no more than two inter-continental trips a year” policy and where the first four modules of its sustainability training for employees is compulsory.

Stronger than before

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View of Lagoi Beach from Sugarbeats at Hotel Indigo Bintan Lagoi Beach

Business events has always been part an integral part of Bintan Resort Cakrawala (BRC) – a subsidiary of Gallant Venture which oversees the operations and destination marketing of Bintan Resorts – but this trajectory was abruptly halted by the global pandemic.

Fuelled by the recent hotel openings of Four Points by Sheraton Bintan, Hotel Indigo Bintan Lagoi Beach, and Holiday Inn Resort Bintan Lagoi Beach, as well as a soon-to-open Mövenpick Resort & Spa Bintan Lagoon, the island is now charting an ambitious course with renewed vigour.

View of Lagoi Beach from Sugarbeats at Hotel Indigo Bintan Lagoi Beach

Additionally, The Plaza, which was closed during Covid-19, is expected to reopen in mid-2025 after renovations are completed.

A new Watersports Center has also been established at Lagoi Bay, and there are discussions to build an international-quality go-kart track, as well as a badminton hall.

BRC’s chief operating officer, Abdul Wahab, added: “The management is in the final stages of planning a convention centre that can accommodate approximately 5,000 participants. Designed with a resort feel, this centre will feature both indoor and outdoor facilities, allowing attendees to participate in meetings without formal attire such as ties or jackets.

The owners of Holiday Inn Resort Bintan Lagoi Beach and Hotel Indigo Bintan Lagoi Beach, PT Graha Agung Indahsentosa, told TTGmice that they see “great potential in Bintan as a MICE destination”, where the “goal is to rival destinations in the region such as Batam, Desaru, and Sentosa”.

Their optimism is reflected in the investment in the two hotels, which total 379 guestrooms. Both are located a 10-minute drive from the Bandar Bentan Telani ferry terminal. Meeting facilities at Holiday Inn Resort Bintan Lagoi Beach include a ballroom that can hold 250 guests banquet-style, and three breakout rooms for up to 40 people each.

Meanwhile, the adjacent Hotel Indigo Bintan Lagoi Beach offers a boardroom with ocean views. Shared event spaces include the Sekisah Pavilion and Garden with views of Lagoi Beach and the South China Sea, as well as an outdoor lawn that can hold up to 500 pax under a marquee.

Michael Beechey, cluster general manager at Hotel Indigo Bintan & Holiday Inn Resort Bintan Lagoi Beach, explained that the Holiday Inn’s design specifically catered to business events from its inception.

“The western side of the resort can be utilised for MICE groups, which is slightly away from the eastern side where the family suites and children’s play areas are.

“We are targeting weekday MICE business from Singapore, where a good size for us would be of groups of between 150 to 300 pax. In Singapore where everything costs more, Bintan can be positioned as an attractive alternative. This is why I am very bullish about Bintan’s potential as a business events destination,” he said.

And although there is still some construction ongoing on the fringes of the property, two buyouts have already taken place, Beechey shared.

In the pipeline and on track to open by the end of 2025 is a football pitch, wellness centre with 21 treatment rooms, and pickleball and badminton courts. A four-storey standalone building next to the Holiday Inn Resort Bintan Lagoi Beach is also currently under construction, and TTGmice understands that it will feature a rooftop bar, Chinese restaurant, and shops.

“We want our guests to also experience the resort and destination, and not
leave immediately after their event,” he pointed out.

Recently, BRC helped to lobby for a seven-day visa that costs S$20 (US$15.30; down from S$50 for a 30-day visa previously), “which was longer than what corporate groups required”, Beechey stated. Singaporeans and Singapore PRs enjoy visa-free entry to Bintan, making them the primary target market.

Aside from the Singapore market, Abdul is also looking at attracting more guests from China and India. In China, BRC has partnered with Shanghai Zero Media, a digital marketing agency, while in India, BRC has established a marketing representative office, and partnered with Visa Facilitation Services. 

On the eastern part of the island, The Residence Bintan has already built a business events strategy around attracting high-profile corporate events and full-property buyouts.

“Bintan has seen some exciting developments recently, and a few key ones stand out as game-changers for business events. First, the Lagoi area has expanded significantly – just this year, we’ve seen several new resorts open, catering to everything from luxury travellers to midscale and budget-conscious guests.

“This growth not only boosts the island’s overall appeal but also raises the bar for service and amenities, which is great for corporate groups,” Rajeev Paul, general manager of The Residence Bintan, acknowledged.

The Residences Bintan transforms its lawn into a unique event setting

The Residence’s target markets are Singapore and Europe, where there’s “strong demand” for all-inclusive business retreats. In a proactive effort to secure business events, The Residence Bintan leverages its industry connections, offers exclusive preview experiences, and employs smart data tools to “connect with the right decision-makers”.

Their strategy further involves partnerships with luxury travel planners and corporate concierge services, which are supported by targeted digital campaigns that demonstrate the success of past gatherings.

“The island’s strong tourism recovery, with arrivals expected to exceed 700,000 by 2025, creates an ideal environment for MICE growth,” said Paul.

Impactful cities part 2

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Busan, South Korea
Busan plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, a commitment formalised in the city’s 1st Basic Plan for Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth, launched in April 2024.

As an immediate step, Busan is targeting a 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2018 levels, while simultaneously advancing its 3rd Climate Crisis Adaptation Measures. This strategy involves expanding public sector emissions targets, and funding carbon reduction tech.

Eco-friendly train in Taejongdae Park

The city is also expanding its green infrastructure with the 300-ri Urban Galmaetgil Trail (82.3km, 11 routes) and the Green Carpet project (58 sites, 31.7 hectares), linking 15-minute living zones to improve quality of life. Broader sustainability efforts include the introduction of an eco-friendly train in Taejongdae Park, and the repurposing of vacant older houses into cafes and accommodations in less populated areas (known as the Modi House project).

Busan has also established ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) guidelines for business events held in the city, focusing on reducing waste and carbon emissions.

The Busan MICE Alliance – comprising venues like BEXCO (Busan Exhibition and Convention Center), hotels like the Westin Josun Busan, and PCOs/PEOs – promotes these ESG guidelines to its members.

In January 2025, BEXCO released its 2024 Sustainability Management Report, becoming the first convention centre in South Korea to align with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, an international standard for sustainability reporting. It is also verified by a third-party audit, ensuring the report’s credibility.

The report highlights BEXCO’s ongoing ESG efforts, the progress made, and its goal of sharing these achievements with the local community and stakeholders.

Under its ESG vision of Building a Sustainable Future with Customers, BEXCO outlines efforts to achieve targets such as creating a low-carbon, eco-friendly centre, fostering cooperative and sustainable value creation, and leading a transparent and ethical society.

During the 2024 Busan International Travel Mart held at BEXCO, a zero-waste approach implemented serves as a blueprint for future events in the city. Key measures included encouraging personal tumblers and providing water dispensers, offering reusable cups with collection points, establishing comprehensive recycling stations with waste tracking, enforcing strict waste reduction plans for exhibition materials, and primarily using QR codes for information to minimise paper. – Rachel AJ Lee

Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is setting an ambitious example by embedding sustainability into the very fabric of its business events strategy.

Spearheading this transformation is the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), which is sharpening its sustainability strategy for 2025 and positioning the country as a top choice for event organisers seeking responsible, ESG-aligned destinations.

TCEB promotes low-carbon MICE routes co-developed with the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association. Picture by TCEB

Key to this approach is a shift from sustainability to regenerative sustainability, where TCEB aims to create meetings that go beyond minimising harm to actively generating positive environmental, social, and personal impact.

Nooch Homrossukhon, director of TCEB’s Corporate Image & Communications Department, noted that TCEB’s social impact in FY2024 surged 39.34 per cent, reaching 10.6 billion Thai baht (US$305 million), as a result of intensified focus on measuring both positive and negative outcomes of business events.

“Among the positive impacts were personal, professional & social impacts, as well as brand and reputation gains. But we also considered the negative impacts that need to be offset, such as travel emissions, energy & waste, and quality-of-life impacts,” she shared, highlighting that technology and data are critical enablers for responsible events.

This holistic perspective was merged into TCEB’s MEET WELL strategy, unveiled at AIME 2025.

The campaign’s four pillars – Wellness, Well-Connected, Well-Balanced, and Heartfelt Welcome – reflect global insights, such as the Social Rewilding trend highlighted by Accenture’s Life Trends 2025 report – which points to consumers’ growing desire to disconnect from digital overload and seek simplicity, authenticity and deeper real-world connections, as well as broader trends which show guests prioritizing wellness & sustainability.

Nooch added that mitigating, tracking, and reducing carbon emissions is now a major focus for the bureau.

The bureau put many of these ideas into practice at its recent showcase, MICE Day 2025 – Unfolding Journey, at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani. The event was designed to be carbon neutral, with carbon footprint avoidance, food waste management, and inclusive event design as focal points.

Suratsa Thongmee, director of TCEB’s Central Regional Office, highlighted TCEB’s long-standing collaboration with BMA in championing sustainability across Bangkok’s events ecosystem.

“TCEB’s policy has always been promoting the sustainable organisation of MICE events. That’s why we’ve been working collaboratively to build a knowledge base and have also provided sustainable MICE event guidelines to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration,” noted Suratsa.

The guide, titled Sustainability Events Basic Guidelines – tailored to business events stakeholders and spanning pre-event planning to post-event evaluation – is available from TCEB’s MICE Capabilities department.

“As a result, any events organised or supported by BMA – or jointly executed with TCEB – all follow sustainable event practices. Most importantly, we can measure the carbon footprint generated by each event. Many of our projects already incorporate this,” shared Suratsa.

She also highlighted the BMA’s Greener Bangkok initiative – an expansive project with eight action plans aimed at reshaping the capital’s environmental landscape. These include measures to reduce waste, improve air quality, expand green spaces and walkability, enhance energy efficiency, and modernise wastewater and transportation systems.

Joint initiatives existing between the BMA & TCEB to address environmental challenges are the BMA MICE routing initiative, which includes projects such as Bespoke in BKK – a Bangkok-Ayutthaya city-pairing MICE route made possible by a train ride and Be the Best in Thailand, which promotes Bangkok as a luxury and sustainable business events destination. – Anne Somanas

Singapore
Singapore’s Garden City vision, established in 1967 by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, has today blossomed into something much more than just lush greenery and clean surroundings.

The country set out on a nationwide sustainable development movement in 2021 through the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which has concrete targets to strengthen Singapore’s commitments under the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris Agreement, and bring the country closer to its net-zero emissions goal by 2050.

2024 Worldchefs Congress & Expo

The Singapore Green Plan 2030 as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in turn, guide the MICE Sustainability Roadmap and the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap, which were launched by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 2022.

In March 2024, STB rolled out a global marketing campaign to affirm Singapore’s position as the World’s Best MICE City. The campaign film showcased the strengths that Singapore offers, such as its accessibility to new markets, trust, safety, innovation, and sustainability.

And as of March 2025, 100 per cent of all purpose-built MICE venues (such as Resorts World Convention Centre, Sands Expo and Convention Centres, and Singapore Expo); 80 per cent of members in the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers; and 60 per cent of hotel rooms are on track to attain sustainability certifications by the end of the year.

A Decarbonisation Playbook for Tourism Businesses was also introduced in March 2025 to support the industry in making this green transition. This is in addition to STB pioneering a MICE Venue Carbon Baseline last year to minimise carbon emissions for business events.

Sustainability-minded association event organisers are further supported by the Legacy Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to help them organise impactful and meaningful gatherings.

The Legacy Toolkit was utilised by the World Association of Chefs (WAC) and Singapore Chefs Association (SCA) when both came together with World Chefs Without Borders and the National Kidney Foundation Singapore to organise the National Kidney Foundation 55 Charity Gala Dinner. The dinner coincided with the 40th edition of the Worldchefs Congress & Expo last year, allowing WAC and SCA to achieve their community service objectives and raise S$1.8 million (US$1.4 million) in funding for life-saving dialysis treatments and holistic care for over 5,700 kidney failure patients in Singapore. – Karen Yue

The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore makes two new hires

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From left: Anita Ngan; and Scott Henderson

The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore has made two senior appointments – Anita Ngan as director of sales & marketing, and Scott Henderson as executive chef.

Ngan brings an extensive background in luxury hospitality, with nearly 20 years of experience in the commercial field. She began her career as a sales coordinator in 2006 and rose through the ranks in hotels such as JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong and The Excelsior Hong Kong.

From left: Anita Ngan; and Scott Henderson

She later advanced to a senior role as cluster director of sales for the flagship Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, overseeing corporate, luxury brand, luxury consortia, leisure and business events segments.

Prior to joining The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, she served as director of travel industry sales at Capella Singapore.

Joining Ngan is executive chef Scott Henderson. Henderson will lead the hotel’s culinary direction, overseeing the all-day dining at 15 Stamford Restaurant, Lobby Lounge, The Bar at 15 Stamford, Capitol Bistro, Bar and Patisserie, as well as banqueting operations at the hotel’s function spaces, including the Capitol Theatre.

He brings more than 20 years of experience from some of the world’s most prestigious addresses, including Shangri-La Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.

His most recent appointment was the Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou, where he led a team of 110 chefs and oversaw five dining venues, including Lai Heen – the hotel’s fine Cantonese restaurant, which has retained its Michelin star consecutively since the inaugural Michelin Guide Guangzhou in 2018.

Tourism Australia and Amway sign MoU to drive incentive travel

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From left: Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack; and Amway’s Asha Gupta signing the MoU in the Amway office in Singapore

Tourism Australia and Amway, the world’s largest direct selling company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the first time such an agreement has been forged.

The objective of the partnership is to help Australia attract more of Amway’s Leadership Seminar and Diamond Invitational group incentives in the future.

From left: Tourism Australia’s Robin Mack; and Amway’s Asha Gupta signing the MoU in the Amway office in Singapore earlier this morning

When asked what was the motivation behind the signing, Asha Gupta, Amway’s chief operating officer, told TTGmice that the MoU was a “great opportunity to keep Australia as one of our key destinations”. It also helped that “Tourism Australia showed great interest in forging this partnership”.

She added: “When we have a partnership with a destination like that, we know we can expect the very best from them. They are willing to go and above and beyond to support our incentive groups, demonstrating that through the various trips we have done.

“It is easier when we have a tourism board who understands our values, what we are trying to bring to the table, and can be a thinking partner. Experience is important, but thoughtfulness from the welcoming country is also very critical because it helps us curate the best experience for the groups.”

Amway affiliates have been hosting groups to Australia since 1985. Just last month, Melbourne hosted 16,000 Amway China incentive delegates across six waves for its 30th Anniversary Leadership Seminar – the largest incentive group in history to visit Australia, and the biggest outbound incentive group ever arranged by Amway from China.

Australia has also hosted several other Amway incentive groups in recent years. This includes 730 delegates on the Gold Coast in 2019, 1,000 delegates in Perth in 2024. Later this year, another 2,700 delegates will be in Cairns for the Amway Korea Leadership Seminar.

Tourism Australia’s executive general manager for commercial & business events, Robin Mack, shared: “We have had a strong partnership with Amway for over 40 years, but this MoU takes it to another level so we can attract even more Amway events to Australia in the future. It will help keep Australia top of mind, and there will be more opportunities for us to share why the country is the perfect destination for future Amway events.”

Securing more Amway incentives would also provide a huge boost for Australia’s business events industry. For instance, more than 80 businesses took part in the Amway China 30th Anniversary Leadership Seminar, including 66 restaurants and eight hotels. Moreover, a number of delegates also joined extension trips to other Australian cities Sydney and Hobart, which Mack noted that “dispersal is what we want”.

He pointed out that the “sheer scale and diversity” of experiences throughout Australia will continue to evolve and improve, giving companies like Amway “many reasons” to choose Australia.

As for whether other MoUs with other destinations will be signed in the future, Gupta indicated the company is “open to discussion”.

IATA appoints regional VP for Asia-Pacific

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Sheldon Hee as regional vice president, Asia-Pacific, effective June 1.

Based in Singapore, Hee will lead IATA’s operations across 39 countries and 53 member airlines in the region.

Hee has over 25 years of airline industry experience, having held management roles at Singapore Airlines in multiple countries. Prior to joining IATA, he was vice president for partnerships and international relations at Singapore Airlines.

Henri Arnulphy takes on GM role at Raffles Bali

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Raffles Bali has named Henri Arnulphy as its general manager, who brings nearly 20 years of international hospitality experience to the role.

Arnulphy has held senior leadership positions at resorts across the globe, including Jade Mountain in St Lucia, Constance Moofushi in the Maldives, and Sandy Lane Yacht Club in the Grenadines.

His experience spans resort transformations, new openings, and initiatives focused on sustainability and community engagement – values that align with Raffles Bali’s approach to conscious luxury.

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