Hilton Ngapali Resort & Spa has appointed Win Kyaw Zaw, also known as Eugene Win, as hotel manager.
Win joined Hilton in 2015 as operations manager for Hilton Ngapali Resort & Spa, bringing with him a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry amassed over more than two decades from international hotels in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the UAE and Singapore.
He first began his career as a receptionist at the Andaman Club Hotel in Kawthaung.
A growing appreciation for a healthy body and mind among consumers has led to similar expectations when they are travelling for business.
Corporate events are no longer satisfied with simply incorporating low-sugar meals crafted to keep delegates’ mind alert during meetings, or utilising venues with natural light or fun layouts to encourage lively interaction.
Some planners and hoteliers are observing a growing demand for wellness programmes to be incorporated into meetings, incentive and teambuilding events.
In Japan, a land famed for its mineral-rich onsens, wellness-themed incentive and teambuilding events are on the rise and evolving.
“We are seeing an increase in demand for wellness programmes from corporate groups recently, with our zazen meditation and yoga sessions the most frequently requested,” said Yayoi Awashima, director of sales for Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel on the banks of the Hozu River in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district.
“But we are also finding increasing interest in indigenous wellness programmes – something that is different from what is available elsewhere and unique to the location,” she said, adding that groups in the past have generally been made up of women in their 40s and 50s from companies in the luxury fashion and cosmetics sectors. An ideal group size is between 20 and 30 people.
As well as onsen bathing, Suiran can arrange moonlit or early-morning yoga in its leafy gardens, zazen meditation within a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site or forest bathing in a bamboo grove.
The monks at Shunko-in Temple, Kyoto also provide lodging and wellness programmes for visitors to the ancient Japanese capital, with demand rising sharply in the last three years, said reverend Taka Kawakami.
The venue benefits from its location in the heart of a city rich in religious, imperial and traditional accents at every turn.
“A year ago, people really only wanted mindfulness programmes to meditate and reduce stress.
“Now, the most popular course examines emotions and biases, with participants learning how emotions can influence their attention, behaviour and ways of thinking. If people can identify their biases, then they can adapt to new conditions in diverse office environments quickly,” Kawakami said.
The temple’s courses are popular among high-tech companies and venture businesses, as well as among business schools such as Harvard, Wharton and INSEAD, to develop mental wellness and broader well-being.
Shunko-in Temple’s courses are ideal for people in their mid-20s to 40s, opined Kawakami, with typically a 50-50 gender ratio in groups of between 20 and 40.
Some 6,000km away, in Sri Lanka, the same wellness trend in the business events space is taking hold.
The destination is seen as a relatively new contender for teambuilding and wellness programmes but the market is growing, found destination experts.
This is a market that can grow exponentially, believes Jetwing Travels’ managing director, Shiromal Cooray. The company is part of Jetwing Group whose subsidiary Jetwing Adventures specialises in adventure travel and corporate wellness programmes, apart from others.
Since moving into this niche 19 months ago, Jetwing Adventures has completed about six programmes for clients mostly from Europe, with the largest group being 18 executives.
While Sri Lanka has an assortment of yoga and Ayurvedic treatment providers, most hotels and resorts do not specialise in corporate wellness programmes. Instead, it is often companies like Ayurva Traveller – a wellness travel specialist – that support overseas planners.
Ayurva Travels got its first big client in December 2017, when a Singapore-based multinational company flew 40 executives from different parts of the world into Sri Lanka.
Nilusha Kodituwakku, Ayurva Travels’ founder, opined that Sri Lanka could well be the next Bali, a destination also renowned for its wellness restreats, should it be promoted right and have proper guidelines in place to ensure “that the right people get into the (wellness) business”.
In Sri Lanka, popular wellness treatments include sound baths (an ancient sound-healing practice using a special gong), meditation, and acro-yoga (a combination of yoga and acrobatics). These would be worked into a programme that includes teambuilding games.
– Additional reporting by Feizal Samath
This story was first published in TTGmice May 2018 issue, as part of the cover feature. Access TTGmice electronic magazines by clicking here.
Bintan Resorts, which has traditionally relied on Singapore and its hub status for arrivals, is now playing up its beach destinations and ability to host large family and corporate groups to attract more travellers from Indonesia’s domestic market.
This was revealed at a sales mission that Bintan Resorts organised last Friday, which marked the start of the company’s major marketing activities this year across six cities in Indonesia (Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Batam and Medan). A new destination video showcasing the best of Bintan Island was also unveiled.
Donny Tan, manager marketing, Bintan Resorts International, said: “We realised that Indonesians enjoy beach resorts now. Ten years ago, we did not see Indonesians travelling to places like Raja Ampat or Belitung. Now, they go to these places. We have a big market here at home, so why not tap into it?”
Tan believes that with latest developments such as the Crystal Lagoon – the biggest recreational seawater body in South-east Asia – Bintan has much to offer to the domestic market.
Other new attractions that opened in 1Q2018 include Rumah Imaji, a trick-eye museum with more than 50 optical illusions of the Riau Islands’ culture and heritage; and Food Gram, a F&B outlet in Plaza Lagoi shopping centre.
As for Tom Panggabean, sales manager of Banyan Tree Angsana and Cassia, the Indonesian market, mainly the corporate sector, makes up around five per cent for the resort. “We are now opening ourselves to the leisure, family and FIT markets, too, apart from growing our existing corporate market,” he said.
“We believe that our new Cassia Bintan, which has a serviced apartment concept, suits the Indonesian market well,” he added. “They like to travel together (with friends or families) and share a room, enjoy cooking their own meals, and it is the most affordable (compared to Laguna Bintan’s Banyan Tree and Angsana).”
Dylis Low, sales manager of Treasure Bay Bintan, which also participated at the Bintan Resorts sales missions, shared that current Indonesian visitors to Bintan mainly hail from nearby Tanjung Pinang and Batam, and they head to the island for attractions such as The Chill Cove @ Treasure Bay Bintan and Crystal Lagoon on the weekends.
“However, we want to grab the markets from other cities in Indonesia like Jakarta. The resort has ongoing marketing campaigns to reach out to the Indonesian corporate groups, families and adult travellers,” Low added.
Convention venues in larger Malaysian cities city are banking on Ramadan break fast offerings to make up for leaner meetings business during the holy month of Ramadan which starts mid-May.
Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) general manager, sales operation, Oh Kin Tat, said the centre was dependent on its Ramadan break of fast spreads as there were no government and corporate meetings confirmed as of press time.
He said: “Last year we had almost 5,000 guests enjoying our breaking of fast buffet spreads. This year we are looking at an additional 2,000 pax.”
The higher target is aimed at government spending which Oh thinks will increase after the national general election on May 9. This is because PICC is located at the administrative capital of Putrajaya, home to many government ministries and departments.
In the city centre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre recently held a media preview of their break of fast spread this year which featured traditional favourites from various states in Malaysia. Its general manager, Alan Pryor, said the break of fast offerings provides additional business revenue for the centre.
“It’s harder to capture business during the fasting month. Local meeting sizes tend to be smaller, of less than 150 people. This year, the Centre is offering a new meeting package that starts at 15.00 and ends with the breaking of fast buffet,” shared Pryor.
As for Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), it is hoping to draw more foreign meetings during the Muslim fasting month, as government and local corporate meetings are also slow.
Rajiv Kapoor, general manager of LICC and The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, said: “Ramadan is a slow month for the entire island. There will still be some corporate groups coming from Kuala Lumpur to have their meetings, but the number of such meetings and group sizes will be small.
“During this period, we are banking on international business from Singapore, Australia, India and China.”
Hainan will from May 1 offer 30-day visa-free access to 59 countries including Russia, Britain, France, Germany and the US, a move that is expected to bolster tourism to China’s southernmost province.
Under the new policy, group or individual tourists can visit Hainan visa-free and stay up to 30 days provided they book their tour through travel agencies.
The province has implemented a 15-day visa waiver policy for group visitors from 21 countries since 2000, and added another five countries to the list in 2010.
Last year, Hainan received nearly 320,000 tourists from the 26 countries with visa-free access, 3.5 times the number recorded in 2016. Tourists from Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, South Korea and Russia accounted for more than 90 per cent of the total.
Meanwhile, more direct flights are being planned to countries with visa-free access. Hainan already has 57 international flights to countries including Germany, Malaysia and Thailand, with plans for at least 16 new overseas routes this year. It aims to have at least 100 overseas routes by 2020.
Australia-headquartered travel management solution provider Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has launched Lightning, an online booking solution for the Asian business travel market.
Some key features include booking and managing air, hotel and car hire in a single platform; the provision of Asia-specific travel content and support including visa/permit; access to full service carriers, low cost carriers and hotels in a single search; and an integrated one-click approval process with multi-tiered authorisation.
The tool also replicates the user-experience of leisure travel websites and is specifically configured to meet the needs of complex travel policies.
CTM’s CEO, Larry Lo, said in a statement: “CTM’s understanding of the Asian business travel market has allowed our locally-based technology team to build an online booking tool that supports the specific needs of our customers in the region.”
“Combined with our local market expertise and exemplary service, Lightning empowers local Asian businesses with a comprehensive and flexible travel solution that will drive efficiency, savings and safety to their travel programmes.”
Airbnb has launched its first-ever tool for meeting planners, promising to make it easier for attendees to find a place to stay should there be an accommodation shortage during major events.
Called Airbnb for Events, the tool allows meeting planners to create an interactive map of Airbnb listings that are located near their venue, which they can then share with attendees to help them find alternative lodging.
All planners have to do is share a few details about their meeting, such as when and where it’s taking place. Airbnb will then create a customised event landing page on Airbnb.com, which attendees can access.
While this was designed for meeting planners, the company also is marketing its event-based maps to other industry players, including event registration and ticketing platforms, event management platforms, trip planners, and city guides. Sites already on board with the maps include Insider, Inspirock, Picatic, RSVPify, Taquilla, and WeddingWire.
UNESCO has designated about half of Satun province as Thailand’s first Global Geopark for its renowned natural beauty and geological significance.
Satun UNESCO Global Geopark is located in the Satun province of southern Thailand, comprising four districts (Thungwa, La-ngu, Manang, and part of Mueang Satun) including two national parks and one wildlife sanctuary. Altitudes reach up to 732m, with mountains and foothills characterising the eastern and northern areas, while beaches and coastal islands dominate the Andaman Sea part of the Geopark.
The UNESCO website describes the Satun Geopark area as “a peaceful place with renowned natural beauty”, renowned for its abundance and high diversity of fossil species as well as for the oldest succession of fossils.
Prasat Hin Panyod, characterised by a spectacular pinnacle karst landscape, including a stunning sea cave and hidden lagoon that can be visited by kayak, is singled out as the most important geosite.
Yuthasak Supasorn, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governer, said in a statement: “UNESCO designation is a great honour that can only help ensure sustainable tourism growth, which the TAT feels is definitely something worth supporting and celebrating.”
In total, the UNESCO executive board in Paris endorsed 13 new sites worldwide as new UNESCO Global Geoparks, eight of which are in Asia including Cao Bang (Vietnam), Izu Peninsula (Japan) and Rinjani Lombok (Indonesia).
The full list can be found here.
AVANI Hotels & Resorts in Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos have introduced AVANIFIT Meeting packages that combine meeting facilities for business with Honest Food and AVANIFIT programmes for a balanced lifestyle.
The package offers workout options that range from fully equipped fitness centres to customised classes unique to each location, while Honest Food highlights meals featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Book 10 rooms or more for at least one group meeting at any AVANI hotel or resort in Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos and receive full technical assistance for each scheduled meeting along with complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi and available business centre support. In addition, there will be coffee breaks and a luncheon or dinner at the property’s signature restaurant, all featuring local specialities inspired by AVANI Honest Food programme.
Meeting participants can also register, with seven days’ advance notice, for AVANIFIT experiences unique to each AVANI. Activities include sunset yoga at AVANI Riverside Bangkok Hotel, a muay thai session at Hua Hin Resort & Villas, and glow-in-the-dark volleyball at Sunset Coast Samui, an AVANI managed resort.
AVANIFIT Meeting packages are available for bookings until December 28, 2018. For more information, visit www.avanihotels.com/meeting.
Hilton Manila has rounded off its management team by appointing veteran hotelier Simon McGrath as general manager, in time for the brand’s return to the Philippines in 3Q2018.
McGrath was previously general manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru.
Joining McGrath are Joanne Gomez, director of business development in charge of sales and marketing. She was previously general manager of Ascott Makati.
The 357-key Hilton Manila will be located within the Resorts World Manila complex.
