Steven Phillips has been appointed general manager to The Lux Collective’s flagship resort in Mauritius – LUX* Grand Baie Resort and Residences – scheduled to open 1Q2021.
Prior to joining LUX* Grand Baie Resort and Residences, Phillips served as area general manager for Joali Maldives, and was also the former general manager at Gili Lankanfushi for three years.
The UK native brings two decades’ worth of hotelier experience with various international brands, having overseen properties in London, Japan, Malta, Sri Lanka and Abu Dhabi.
In an open letter published on Tuesday, Gloria Guevara, president & CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), has called on governments of all countries to take immediate action to help ensure the survival of the critical travel and tourism sector which is facing an existential threat during the current pandemic.
Guevara wrote: “No one can doubt that we are in uncharted territory. The coronavirus pandemic means the world is facing a threat on multiple fronts not seen in peacetime. The travel and tourism sector is uniquely exposed, and we estimate 50 million jobs globally are at risk.
WTTC’s Gloria Guevara calls on government support for tourism sector
“To put it bluntly, travel and tourism is in a fight for survival.
“Travel is the backbone of economies around the world. It brings in essential currency and inward investment, creates jobs and stimulates every sector. WTTC figures show travel and tourism contributes to 10.4 per cent of global GDP and 320 million jobs. It is responsible for creating one in five new jobs and, for eight successive years, has outpaced the growth of the global economy.
“Without travel and tourism, economies around the world face an existential threat.”
Guevara identified three vital and immediate measures to be taken by governments everywhere to “help ensure the survival of this critical job-creating sector”.
She emphasised that “any delay will be costed in millions of lost jobs and almost incalculable damage worldwide”.
She wrote: “Firstly, financial help must be granted to protect the incomes of the millions of workers in the sector facing severe economic difficulties.
“Secondly, governments must extend vital, unlimited interest-free loans to global travel and tourism companies as well as the millions of small and medium sized businesses as a stimulus to prevent them from collapse.
“Thirdly, all government taxes, dues and financial demands on the travel sector need to be waived with immediate effect at least for the next 12 months.”
These measures, she opined, taken in addition to recovery funds, will protect a sector which is already facing collapse.
“We are calling upon the world to take urgent and immediate action to prevent this global health crisis becoming a worldwide economic catastrophe. Doing nothing is not an option. We implore every government to take drastic and decisive action now to preserve and protect the contribution of the travel and tourism sector, on which more than 320 million people and their families depend on for their livelihoods,” she concluded.
Tourists at Victoria Peak in better economic times
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will be pushing out a HK$400 million (US$51 million) trade support plan to stimulate tourism and inbound business events once the Covid-19 crisis tapers off.
The announcement comes on the heels of newly released figures that signal a steep crash in visitor arrivals to the country. The provisional figure for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in February was 199,000, down more than 96 per cent from the same time last year, said HKTB in a press release.
HKTB rolls out trade support plan; tourists at Victoria Peak in better economic times
Prior to the major border closure measure implemented by the government on February 8, there were 10,000 to 20,000 arrivals per day. Following after, the average daily arrivals fell to 3,300, about 80 per cent of whom were non-Mainland visitors. In view of the current development of the pandemic, HKTB expects a further drop in arrivals this March.
HKTB executive director Dane Cheng said: “The initiatives will cover local and overseas travel agencies, hotels, airlines and attractions, as well as the retail, dining and MICE industries. The estimated budget for the plan will be HK$400 million, funded by the proposed marketing budget in the 2020/21 financial year and the additional funding earmarked in the Budget.”
The plan focuses on three areas, namely, boosting domestic spending confidence and ambience; partnering with trade to intensify promotions in source markets, and stepping up MICE promotion to attract high-yield overnight visitors.
HKTB will offer subsidies to the retail and catering sectors for joint consumer promotion, as well as waive the renewal fee for Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme accredited merchants and offer a 50 per cent reduction in the application fee for new joiners.
The tourism board will also work with the trade to stimulate local spending, including stepping up promotions and support for the QTS Scheme.
In terms of subsidising the trade in their promotions, HKTB will waive the participation fees of the more than 40 trade activities it organises in visitor source markets, including trade fairs and travel missions, and provide subsidies for related air tickets and hotel accommodations.
The organisation will also fully host travel delegations to conduct roadshows in key markets, invite the travel trade in key markets on familiarisation trips to Hong Kong, reintroduce the matching fund for attractions for promotions, as well as increase the subsidising proportion for the Explore Hong Kong Tours support scheme.
In addition, it will partner with the travel trade from Hong Kong and source markets to conduct tactical promotions to attract visitors.
On the business events front, the NTO will subsidise event organisers to bid for large-scale conventions and exhibitions, lower the threshold for applying funding support for small & medium-sized meetings and incentives activities, and extend the scheme to the hotel sector, as well as waive the participation fees for relevant promotion activities organised by the HKTB in source markets and provide subsidies for related air tickets and hotel accommodations.
To attract business event visitors through enhanced promotions, the tourism board will also team up with the hotel sector on a new initiative, MeetON@HongKong, to provide groups with free meeting packages or dining packages.
In 2020/21, the proposed marketing budget, together with the additional funding announced in the Budget for the HKTB, is worth about HK$1,120 million.
Malaysia will go into total lockdown from tomorrow; Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur pictured in late February
Due to the rapid rise of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia over the last few days, the government has implemented an unprecedented nationwide movement control order, locking down the whole country to counter the spread of Covid-19 starting from tomorrow until March 31.
Prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a special live broadcast on Monday night that all mass gatherings including religious, sports, social and cultural activities will be prohibited during this period.
Malaysia will go into total lockdown from tomorrow; Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur pictured in late February
All government and private premises, kindergartens, schools and institutions of higher learning will be closed. An exception are government and private businesses providing essential services such as water, electric, energy, telecommunications, postal, transportation, irrigation, oil, gas, fuel, lubricants, broadcasting, finance, banking, health, pharmaceutical, fire, prisons, ports, airports, security, defence, cleaning, retail and food supplies.
In addition, Malaysians are also banned from travelling overseas and foreign visitors from entering the country. Those who have just returned from overseas are required to undergo health screening and self-quarantine for 14 days.
As of Monday, the total number of Covid-19 infections in Malaysia stood at 553. Many of the new cases are linked to a Muslim convention at Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling mosque attended by 14,500 people from February 27 to March 1.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents’ (MATTA) president, KL Tan, shared that the government’s initiative was a timely and wise decision.
Tan elaborated: “It will provide Malaysia with an opportunity to recover quickly from the outbreak. This, in turn, will inject public (both local and international) confidence in the destination.
“We are doing our part to stem the outbreak, just as many European nations have done and more countries are expected to follow suit. The global outbreak of the coronavirus has reached a scale where nations have to take bold and drastic measures.”
MATTA has also postponed two fairs, one scheduled for April and another for May.
On the business events front, Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers’ (MACEOS) president, Vincent Lim, said he supported the movement restriction as it has proven effective in stemming the spread of human to human transmissions in China.
He said the association will be sending out a circular to its members urging them to support the government’s direction and not organise events and conferences during this period. He said: “We urge members to work from home, stay healthy and prepare for a rebound.”
Nathan Vaithi, general manager of Zenith Putrajaya, agreed, indicating that the government’s precautionary measures were the right move. The few bookings from the government and corporate sector have also deferred to 2H2020 anyway.
To cope with low occupancy since the start of the year, hotel staff have been encouraged to clear their leave from 2019, while it has also frozen overtime wages and hiring of new staff,
When contacted early Monday morning, Francis Teo, head of Setia City Convention Centre, shared with TTG Asia and TTGmice he was waiting for a directive from the management on the next course of action, such as whether staff should work from home or the centre be temporarily shut down.
The usually bustling Changi Airport is experiencing quieter times
Nobody knows when the travel industry will see the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel as events and corporate meetings continue to be cancelled or postponed, while airplanes, hotels, restaurants and attractions are half-empty.
While recent projections of the financial impact on various sectors are sobering and some say it is too early to talk recovery, industry associations and the private sector are jumping into action to cushion the blow as best as they can.
The usually bustling Changi Airport (pictured) is much quieter than usual due to travel bans across the globe
IATA said it could be up to US$113 billion with broader spread of Covid-19, while a Global Business Travel Association survey released at the end of February put it at US$46.6 billion per month, or 37 per cent of the total 2020 forecasted global spend for corporate travel.
IATA’s two-day Aviation Resilience & Health Workshop in Singapore on March 4 and 5 brought airline members and industry partners together to discuss how they could meet medical and regulatory aspects of the Covid-19 outbreak and work with governments. By holding the workshop, which was organised in just 10 days, IATA hoped to reassure people the travel process was safe, indicating that catching Covid-19 on a flight was “extraordinarily low”.
Mario Hardy, CEO of PATA, based in Bangkok, who said he personally chose to attend the workshop, noted: “I believe that with precautionary measures and regular hand washing and use of hand sanitisers, it is fine to travel.
“I’m also conscious that this is a personal choice and not everyone may be as tolerant to risk. I would recommend everyone to first consult WHO, their respective country CDC and travel restrictions listed on IATA’s website before confirming their travel plans.”
Hardy further revealed that PATA is in the process of forming two task forces led by its volunteer board members to address industry concerns and issues as well as recovery.
He expressed that “the industry is in the process of organising itself” and shared that a Uniting Travel leadership conference call – with representatives from ACI (Airports Council International), CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), IATA, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), PATA, UNWTO, WEF (World Economic Forum) and WTTC – was organised the week of March 9 to discuss joint strategies.
“PATA has also joined a tourism task force with WHO, World Bank, IMF, ADB and CDC to discuss, understand and look at actions needed regarding health and economic recovery. It is still in early stages as we had our first call last week,” Hardy noted.
Kitty Wong, president, K&A International and former president of World PCO Alliance, said it was important for companies to “make their own judgment” on who and what to believe amid all the information out there.
Agreeing with Hardy, she pointed out: “Be sensible and do your own risk assessment. Take care of yourselves, follow the instruction/guidelines set by our governments – if you trust them – look after your staff and protect your clients.”
Wong shared that partners and stakeholders in Taiwan had pledged to honour contracts for postponed events with hotels and venues agreeing “to cooperate” on such cases until the end of the year.
“Work closely with your local MICE industry/community to prevent further losses and/or damages,” she urged. “The aftermath and recovery will rely heavily on our collaboration with partners and stakeholders. Some governments already have plans for economic recovery and I am sure the governments and the private sector will work hand-in-hand going forward.”
In reacting to IATA’s call for rational messages, an industry veteran observed that with so many unknowns about Covid-19, whatever messages that need to be sent cannot be “too clinical”.
“We need to look at restoring travel confidence, that is key. But how to convey that is the challenge we face,” he quipped.
Aventri secures three partnerships geared towards offering virtual events
Event management software company Aventri has partnered with three companies – Digitell, Evia and Intrado Digital Media – to provide more virtual meeting and digital solutions to organisations impacted by Covid-19.
The goal of these partnerships is to provide the market with multiple solutions to continue to connect over shared interests, content and events, no matter where in the world their attendees they may be.
Aventri secures three partnerships geared towards offering virtual events
Digitell is a digital multimedia development company specialising in assisting organisations on how to leverage their educational content online, for instance, bringing a conference online through live streams or webinars.
Evia meanwhile, offers complete digital event and media distribution solutions to companies of all sizes. Its latest product, the Evia Player, is an intelligent cloud-based video player that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to make content more accessible.
Lastly, Intrado Digital Media is a cloud-based, global technology partner, with a host of solutions to connect people and organisations.
“We know nothing beats the value of face-to-face meetings,” Jim Sharpe, CEO, Aventri, said in a statement. “Amid concerns of coronavirus, it’s important to realise that for thousands of live events across the globe, the show will go on.”
“Meetings and events are a strong, resilient, US$565-billion/year industry. Our thoughts go out to the families and all affected by this health emergency, but this shall pass. In the meantime, organisers don’t need to cancel meetings and conferences. Our new partnerships help them transition easily to engaging, revenue-producing virtual events.”
AIPC, the International Association of Convention Centres, and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, have released a guide to good practices for venues in the management of health and operational challenges specifically relating to the current Covid-19 outbreak.
The 27-page document incorporates both strategic and practical guidance in the form of advice, suggestions, examples and tips focusing in particular on new, updated and modified information as opposed to simply pre-existing, standard health and safety controls and crisis management plans. The text also includes ‘live’ document links to allow additional information to be accessed directly, as well as lists of additional key industry and health authority resources that may enhance planning and tactics.
This Guide was created to emphasise the importance of cooperative action in the face of such an issue
“While no single resource will be able to capture the full range of information available on such a broad and constantly evolving issue, this Guide offers a framework for response to make it as relevant as possible to the needs of managers,” said UFI president Mary Larkin.
“As the COVID-19 situation and corresponding impacts evolve, the amount of relevant, practical information and experiences will continue to grow and we will reflect this in future updates”.
The Guide is available for download by AIPC and UFI members on their respective web sites. It will also be made available to all members of the industry.
CWT has introduced web-based flight and hotel booking capabilities to its global travel management platform, myCWT.
This means that travelling employees can now book flights and hotels through any of CWT’s servicing and booking channels, including web, mobile, email, telephone and messaging for their corporate travel. This is in addition to using their company’s chosen online booking provider.
A screenshot of the myCWT app from the website
Offered to 25 countries and 13 languages as a start, the extension will be rolled out in phases through 2020 for clients in these countries. It is set to give corporate travellers the convenience of one-stop booking for both flights and hotels across more channels.
According to Niklas Andreen, chief traveller experience officer, CWT, the increased convenience led to a marked rise in policy-compliant hotel bookings during the beta testing of the extension. During the pilot phase, the percentage of digital transactions made using myCWT app and web channels jumped to double digits.
In the future, CWT intends to roll out more functions to complement the extension of the service, such as the ability to cancel flights via the web and mobile app.
Yokohama will host ICCA's second conference later this year
The ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter 2020 summit has been postponed in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Initially scheduled to take place from July 23-24 this year in Xiamen, China, the event has now been postponed to December, and will be held in Yokohama, Japan.
Yokohama will host ICCA’s second conference later this year
In recognition of Xiamen’s support, ICCA will host the third edition in Xiamen come November 2021.
Specific dates will be announced once the situation settles.
This year’s 11th edition of Vivid Sydney, the city’s annual light, music and ideas festival, has been cancelled, following recommendations by the federal government and health authorities to limit non-essential organised gatherings to under 500 people.
The event, which was originally slated to run from May 22 to June 13, 2020, at various locations around Greater Sydney, will not proceed at any of its planned locations.
A previous edition of Vivid Sydney
Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, said in a statement: “While the cancellation of the event is disappointing and another major setback for the tourism industry, it is the right thing to do to control the spread of infection and keep people safe.”
A spokesperson for Destination NSW added: “Vivid Sydney is a bright star of Sydney’s event calendar so the decision to cancel was not taken lightly. As the event owner, we must follow the advice of health officials to ensure the health and safety of our citizens and everyone involved with Vivid Sydney.”
In 2019, Vivid Sydney attracted a record 2.4 million attendees, and generated A$172 million (US$106 million) for the NSW economy.
Destination NSW has assured that the event would return in 2021.
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.
