Air New Zealand has appointed CFO Jeff McDowall as acting CEO, as a global search goes underway to replace Christopher Luxon when he leaves the role on September 25.
Taking up the acting CEO role from September 26, McDowall is not seeking permanent appointment to the role, according to a statement issued from the airline. He will be remain the airline’s interim chief until a successful candidate is found, which may not be until 1Q2020.
McDowall’s previous roles at Air New Zealand include group general manager corporate finance and group general manager commercial. Prior to Air New Zealand, he worked across a variety of industries in Asia, the US and the UK.
Meanwhile, general manager corporate finance Stephan Deschamps will take over as acting CFO on September 26.
In addition, the airline’s chairman Tony Carter will also retire on September 25 at the annual shareholders meeting. He will be replaced by current director Therese Walsh, who is leading the CEO search process on behalf of the board.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has named Rex Loh vice president, commercial, overseeing the South-east Asia and Pacific Rim region.
In his new role, Loh will be responsible for leading and driving sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution efforts for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the region.
Loh has more than two decades of hospitality experience under his belt, and was previously cluster director of sales & marketing at Marriott International, where he oversaw JW Marriott Singapore South Beach, The St Regis Singapore and W Sentosa Cove.
Before that, he held leadership roles at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) including director, commercial – Asia and Australasia resorts, responsible for sales and marketing functions of 26 resorts in Thailand, Vietnam, the Maldives, Indonesia, Fiji, Mauritius and French Polynesia. Prior to IHG, Loh held director roles at hotels under luxury brands like Ritz Carlton and Shangri-La.
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has appointed Charis Yim as executive assistant manager – sales and marketing.
In her new position, Yim will oversee and develop the sales & marketing division of the 542-room hotel, Hyatt’s first flagship Grand Hyatt hotel in Asia.
She joins Grand Hyatt from JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, where she held the position of director of marketing.
A seasoned hotelier with over 20 years of experience, Yim has held senior management roles at multiple luxury hotels in Hong Kong and Macau, including The Peninsula, InterContinental and Mandarin Oriental.
Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali has appointed Chanelle Rose Garvey and Shelly Darcy to the positions of executive assistant manager and director of sales & marketing respectively.
From left: Chanelle Rose Garvey and Shelly Darcy
Hailing from Australia, Garvey comes to the resort with an extensive hospitality background, specifically in sales and marketing. She began her career working for branded hotels in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. In 2006, Garvey joined Accor where she was tasked to head sales and marketing departments for a succession of Sofitel and Novotel properties in South-east Asia.
Meanwhile, Darcy is no stranger to Bali an she has worked exclusively in the island’s luxury hotel sector for almost a decade in the area of sales. Her career with Accor began in 2013 where she handled Sofitel Bali for six years.
For Thailand to remain an attractive destination and reap greater revenue from the lucrative tourism industry in the next decade, it has to adopt and execute smart city strategies to digitally transform its travel infrastructure and systems for the future.
As Thailand’s travel and tourism sector posted six per cent growth to see a record 38.4 million tourists in 2018, a number of the country’s airports are approaching capacity and popular destinations are starting to show the impact of overtourism, both of which could limit the rate of future tourism growth if not urgently addressed, according to the Thailand Towards 2030: Future of Travel & Tourism report released by Amadeus in collaboration with Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) and PATA.
From left: Pracha Asawateera and Simon Akeroyd shared the findings of a report concerning Thailand’s travel and tourism sector
In particular, airports – typically the first point of contact for foreign tourists into the country – should figure high up on Thailand’s national agenda, stated Simon Akeroyd, vice president corporate strategy & business development, Amadeus, sharing the findings of the collaborative report in Bangkok earlier this week.
“Thailand needs to fundamentally change how its airports function,” he stressed, pointing to the frequent bottlenecks observed at the immigrations at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
However, such traffic congestion usually affects a small part of the terminal while other areas of the airport remain underused, Akeroyd said, resulting in missed opportunities on the operators’ part to divert passenger flows and derive greater revenue from passenger spending on F&B or duty free shopping.
The adoption of smart technology at Thailand’s airports, besides the physical expansion of the facilities, will help to ease some of the strain as the country struggles with visitor influx.
Akeroyd recommends that self-serve check-in kiosks, automated bag-drop and use of biometrics for passenger identification, technologies which Amadeus has respectively deployed in Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Singapore Changi Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, could significantly increase the efficiency of passenger movements at Thailand’s airports.
To fully tap Thailand’s potential as a MICE destination and accelerate the sector’s growth, Akeroyd also critical attention to improving inter-model air-to-city links to support a seamless travel experience, pointing to Heathrow Express in London, Hong Kong’s Airport Express and Shanghai Maglev as fine examples of transport solutions that allow people to move back and forth with ease between the airport and the city.
“Ease and speed of travel will become major differentiators amongst the region’s MICE hotspots in the near future, so these cities need to invest in technologies that are designed for convenience – such as having off-airport check-in and bag-drop facilities at conference venues themselves. The technology needs to be best-in-class because Thailand is competing with MICE destinations across the region, not just domestically,” he said.
“Airports are not the end of a long line,” he remarked, underlining the need to rethink Thailand’s airports as a hub-and-spoke operation. “Airports are still seen as a separate entity (connected by) a long line into the city, but instead airports should be conceived as a hub that leads to other parts of the city.”
Amadeus urges the Thai government to place airports high up on the agenda to better facilitate visitor flow into the country; Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok pictured
The report also identifies increased public-private partnerships to scale up smart mobility – where data and technology are integrated to improve the efficiency of population movements around a city – as another key area of opportunity for Thailand’s cities to curb congestion and pollution.
“Smart mobility is still in its infancy in Thailand, but its potential to improve inner-city travel is enormous,” said Akeroyd. “Using transport data to inform travel management systems like traffic lights in real-time, or to inform how ‘sharing economy’ services like Grab and Get are deployed, are just two significant applications. But this won’t be possible without greater public-private sector partnerships.”
According to the report, one major challenge is that Thailand’s public sector doesn’t currently know which companies to partner with, whilst private firms, especially smaller businesses, start-ups and overseas investors, often don’t know how to engage, so third-party advisers may be important in bringing key players together.
Meanwhile, DEPA identifies access to capital as another barrier in Thailand and recommends that cities will need to form ‘City Development Companies’ with private sector partners in the future – to better bid for funding and to formalise the nature of their partnership.
“Right now, we’re only just scratching the surface of what’s possible with smart mobility. More provinces need to follow the City Development Company model being piloted by Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen to access vital funding and plan for the long term,” said Pracha Asawateera, vice president southern district office, DEPA.
Phuket, which is largely reliant on tourism as an economic generator, commenced the Smart City Project four years ago to use data in tourism management and development in the city, according to Pracha.
Finally, the report also identifies the need for more action to be taken to protect Thailand’s tourist hotspots from the risks of overtourism.
As the Phuket Smart City Project has shown, data can be used for real-time analysis and predictive modelling to manage tourism more sustainably, said Akeroyd.
The “enormous amount of data” that Amadeus has of travel booking patterns and correlations around the world will be a valuable tool for tourism boards, local authorities and hospitality businesses in managing visitor flow and the promotion of second-tier cities, e.g. driving travellers to less crowded places at the right time.
On its part, Amadeus has stepped up its focus on Thai and Asian startups and initiatives that tackle sustainable tourism issues, including supporting enterprises such as Syngerera, which is developing enterprise applications in carbon offsetting and sustainable jet fuel, in its Amadeus Next initiative.
A full copy of the Thailand Towards 2030: Future of Travel & Tourism report can be downloaded here.
More visitors to Singapore need not fill out paper cards upon arrival at Changi Airport if they submit electronic arrival cards beforehand
More visitors to Singapore will be able to submit electronic arrival cards online or through a mobile app up to 14 days before their arrival, as part of an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) trial, according to The Straits Times.
The move is an extension of a trial ICA has been conducting on electronic arrival cards since last October, said the report.
More visitors to Singapore need not fill out paper cards upon arrival at Changi Airport if they submit electronic arrival cards beforehand
ICA said in a statement that only foreign travellers with selected transport operators can submit electronic arrival cards in place of the paper-based disembarkation/embarkation cards that they are currently required to submit on arrival.
The transport operators included in the trial are AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Transtar Travel, BatamFast Ferries, Bintan Resort Ferries, Horizon Fast Ferry and Majestic Fast Ferry.
Under the new system, they will need to produce only their passports for immigration clearance upon arrival, as the ICA’s system would already have their electronic arrival cards which were submitted in advance, according to a statement by the ICA.
All other visitors are still required to complete the paper-based disembarkation/embarkation cards. This includes those arriving at sea checkpoints via cruise liners, land checkpoints via rail, cars, motorcycles and lorries, and those entering Singapore to assume work pass status, said the authority.
ICA said that it will study the results of this trial and progressively extend the SG Arrival Card e-service to all foreign visitors.
The electronic arrival card is expected to replace the paper-based cards by 2021, said the Straits Times report.
Malaysia will be the first country in the region to host Radiodays Asia (RDA) 2019 when the conference takes place from August 27 to 28.
To be held at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur, the conference will bring around 500 delegates, alongside an estimated RM5.4 million (US$1.3 million) to the country’s economy.
View of Kuala Lumpur from Lake Titiwangsa
Themed “Meet the Future of Radio and Audio”, Radiodays Asia 2019 will focus on the future of radio and audio businesses, exposing broadcasters in Asia to advanced strategies and ideas. The conference will also focus on the challenges and developments of the industry through a series of talk sessions and knowledge exchange platforms.
The event stems from Radiodays Europe (RDE), an international conference for radio professionals in Europe and across the world. First introduced in 2010, the event has been held annually, rotating to different host cities. The bid was first made in 2017, where Malaysia ousted competitors such as Dubai, Singapore and Sydney.
“We are honoured to have Radiodays Asia 2019 for the first time in Asia, and here in Kuala Lumpur. I was informed that RDA planned to hold their event annually in Kuala Lumpur for a three-year period, starting next year.
“Having Radiodays Asia here in our country will benefit the radio broadcasters in Malaysia, and offer the opportunity to showcase Malaysia to an international audience,” said Zulkefli Sharif, CEO of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau.
In response to increasing conversations on sustainability within the business events community and beyond, knowledge sessions across five educational tracks and components at this year’s IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific will tackle environmental and community preservation and support.
The three-day event will feature over 20 knowledge sessions and more than 40 speakers.
A panel session during the inaugural Asian MICE Cruise Conference last year; the event will return this September
The second Asian MICE Cruise Conference on September 24, one of the five educational tracks, will include a session that discusses cruise companies’ commitment to sustainable efforts.
Angie Stephen, managing director – Asia Pacific of Royal Caribbean Cruises, and panelist of the sustainability session, Leaving Minimal Trail Behind, said: “As a collective, cruise lines have a huge role to play in reducing their environmental footprint, given the revitalisation of cruise appeal and demand. Royal Caribbean International is firmly committed to reducing waste and emissions of greenhouse gases in favour of sustainable practices. We are eager to share our current initiatives and work more closely with multiple stakeholders to make a more positive impact.”
Joining Stephen on the panel will be Jiali Wong, regional manager – Asia, Cruise Lines International Association.
Following the Asian MICE Cruise Conference, the Keynote Lecture for IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific will take on the theme, Sustainability – Future Proofing Your Business.
To be held from 15.20 to 16.20, the lecture is organised in collaboration with Chiang MICE, and moderated by sustainability advocate, MICE strategist and hospitality consultant, David Barrett. The compelling push for sustainability will be told through the eyes and perspectives of four iconic professionals from diverse backgrounds: Richard Jones, senior vice president of corporate communications, human resources and sustainability of Indorama Ventures; Marissa Jablonski, USAID FFP environmental advisor of USAID Washington DC Office; Supawan Teerarat, senior vice president of Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB); and Pairach Piboonrungroi, director of MICE Excellence Centre, Faculty of Economics of Chiang MICE University.
The engaging session will explore the multiple angles of sustainability and their indelible significance on future proofing businesses for the long term. Talking points include digitising businesses for the future, environmental conservation, community-based tourism, and investment in sustainable businesses.
Said keynote moderator, Barrett: “The prevailing notion of sustainability in industry practices are underwhelming. Recognising that incorporating sustainability takes time and substantial effort to cultivate, the very first step is to be heard and understood. A good platform with decision-makers and industry players from MICE and corporate travel is essential and IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific is just that.”
Sustainability, in the form of future-proofing associations and their activities, will be discussed during the Association Day Forums on September 25 and 26.
GainingEdge will host the session, Association Development – Investing in a Sustainable Future; IAPCO will host Keeping International Association Meetings Relevant; ICCA & WPCOA will host Face Off: Should CVBs And PCOs Work Together For Greater Success?; and SITE will host The Future of Incentives – 10 Things You Need to Know.
ASEAN MICE Forum will return this year on September 26, from 10.40 to 15.00.
Building A Sustainable MICE City and SMART Cities – Leveraging MICE to Diversify and Support Economic Growth are part of this year’s conversations led by notable speakers and moderators from GainingEdge, Indonesia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Meetings International, MICE Excellence Centre – Chiang Mai University, Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and more.
The fifth educational track, CTW Asia-Pacific Conference on September
25 and 26, from 13.50 to 18.00hrs daily, will shine the spotlight on corporate travel management trends and best practices such as cybersecurity risks, effective supplier relationships in travel procurement, travel policy disruption – managing compliance and traveler satisfaction, and duty of care – blurring the lines in bleisure travel.
Supported by the CTW Asia-Pacific Advisory Panel comprising of experienced industry practitioners from Accenture Philippines, Amway Thailand, Herbalife Singapore, CBRE – MCR India, Luxoft Poland, ByteDance China, and Osram China, this community-led event also features collaborative sessions in partnership with CWT, JTB and Cvent.
Other concurrent educational highlights taking place at IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific include:
The IMEX-MPI-MCI IT&CMA Future Leaders Forum 2019 (24 and 25 September) welcomes students from across the country to a 1.5-day programme that nurtures and inspires the next generation of industry professionals through conversations and game challenges.
IT&CMA Passionate Breakfast By ICCA and TTGmice, back for a second consecutive run, gives early risers a dose of motivational goodness amid a networking breakfast.
“Every year, our knowledge programme is carefully curated to support the educational goals of different delegate segments and interest groups. For the first time, the conversations that take place across distinct tracks will come together as part of this year’s overarching theme on sustainability, lending both cohesion and integration to a common talking point,” said Cheryl Tan, head of TTG Events.
Apart from the knowledge sessions, delegates are invited to look out for other sustainability spotlights taking place at the show, such as the daily complimentary coffee by Philippine Tourism Promotions Board, featuring a special line of blends from La Trinidad, Benguet, sourced from suppliers practising Fair Trade as part of the Foundation for Sustainable Coffee (FSCE) programme.
Co-located with CTW Asia-Pacific, IT&CMA is part of the IT&CM Events series organised by TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media. IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific is Asia-Pacific’s Only Doublebill Event in MICE and Corporate Travel. Both events have been co-locating since 2004, offering its delegates an unparalleled platform to do business, learn and network.
Encouraging open and honest communication is worth investing time and resources into when it comes to a company’s travel policy. More practically, giving employees the permission to query directives, even when they come from senior leaders, can enhance compliance across an entire organisation, including within a travel programme.
Employees can easily find themselves in the situation where, eager to show their abilities and with the desire to impress, they resist asking for guidance or questioning an approach, especially if a direction comes from a senior manager.
Clear communication between employees goes a long way into ensuring compliance when on the road
As an example, a junior travel manager may be asked to create an itinerary for a senior director that he or she knows is inconsistent with policy. If this travel manager doesn’t have the confidence or support to raise a concern, a violation will likely occur.
When such travel bookings are inevitably reviewed, the issue will be identified. This can have repercussions for all parties involved, and potentially even concerns for the organisation.
The question is how to stop this from happening?
New technology will continue to make it easier for employees to follow rules and comply with various policies. But, clear communication across an organisation, combined with individual accountability, remains of utmost importance.
Here are just three ideas which might help:
Employee accountability: Ensure employees understand that it is their obligation to raise questions or concerns. In parallel, build a communication process that supports and encourages employees to satisfy this obligation.
Leader accountability: Senior management must champion the importance of compliance; Tone from the Top is critical. One way to do this is to include Compliance as a regular agenda item at leadership meetings.
Communication issue raising process: Establish and publicise a reporting hotline or a whistle-blower process, where employees can raise concerns without having to worry about any repercussions.
Finally, as a senior manager, hold yourself accountable. If you have a question about your company’s internal policies, such as your travel policy, familiarise yourself with requirements, or speak to someone who can help.
One good thing about encouraging workplace communication, is that compliance is just one of many areas that will improve in your work environment. Start the process now and reap the rewards in the future.
Sasha Kalb is the Asia Pacific vice president for compliance & risk with American Express GBT. In this role, she leads all aspects of the development, implementation and ongoing maintenance of all areas of Compliance and Risk disciplines. She works closely with business leaders in a customer-facing role to address customer questions and concerns as they navigate the complexity of today’s regulatory environment, leveraging GBT’s compliance expertise as a competitive advantage within the business travel industry.
NYC’s Seaport District unveils new rooftop space
Event planners now have more function spaces available in New York City’s Lower Manhattan, where the re-envisioned Seaport District NYC has just declared its Pier 17 complex open.
The four-storey Pier 17 building is topped by a spacious open-air rooftop entertainment space with an innovative glass-and-carbon canopy, and offers panoramic views of New York City’s waterfront and skyline.
With over 6,000m2 of usable space, the crown jewel of the Seaport District is ideal for hosting health and wellness events, movie screenings and corporate outings. It can take 3,400 standing, or 2,400 seated.
Throughout the winter season, the rooftop will also be transformed into a Winterland offering ice skating and warming stations, making it a perfect setting for holiday parties, fashion shows and gala dinners.
Pier 17 also houses several other event venues, such as The Green Room, Seaport Square, and Skyline Hall.
Reykjavík Convention Bureau appoints new MD
Sigurjóna Sverrisdóttir has taken over as managing director of Meet in Reykjavík – Reykjavík Convention Bureau.
She succeeds Thorsteinn Orn Gudmundsson, who led the bureau from its foundation in 2012. Sigurjóna has been with Meet in Reykjavík since 2012, most recently as director of exhibitions and events.
“Last year, we welcomed an estimated 135,000 international MICE travellers. The number has been growing steadily since the opening of Harpa Conference Hall and Convention Centre in 2011, with a 14.4 per cent average annual growth. We have also been climbing the ICCA country and city rankings; this year, Reykjavík moved up 30 places on the worldwide ranking,” she noted.
Terraevents France joins the DMC Network
The DMC Network has announced the entry of Terraevents France as an Affiliate Partner.
The addition of Terraevents France to the DMC Network comes on the heels of Terraevents’ offices in Italy, Portugal and Spain. The French office is located in Paris, covering Central and Northern France.
Terraevents’ owner Lorenzo Pignatti, said in a statement: “Being able to offer destinations like Paris, Bordeaux and Lyon, along with hidden gems such as Calais, Lille and Amiens is beyond exciting for us. This is a part of Europe that our clients are constantly requesting, and we are thrilled that our goal to expand into these markets is now a reality.”
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.
Sasha Kalb is the Asia Pacific vice president for compliance & risk with American Express GBT. In this role, she leads all aspects of the development, implementation and ongoing maintenance of all areas of Compliance and Risk disciplines. She works closely with business leaders in a customer-facing role to address customer questions and concerns as they navigate the complexity of today’s regulatory environment, leveraging GBT’s compliance expertise as a competitive advantage within the business travel industry.
