Around 5,000 life insurance practitioners from 13 countries in the Asia Pacific are expected to attend the 16^th Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC) 2017 at Resorts World Genting.

Held from May 17 to 19, 2017, the event will be hosted by the National Association of Malaysian Life Insurance and Family Takaful Advisors (NAMLIFA). Themed Together as One, the congress aims to promote the business development and productivity of financial services professionals.

(From left) NAMLIFA’s Bong and Low, MCEB’s Zulkefli

James Bong, NAMLIFA’s president said: “There will be 30 speakers during the event, sharing their experience and expertise. The programme will cover mix of topics that includes sales and marketing, financial and investment planning, agency management, motivation and personal development.”

On why Resorts World Genting was chosen as the venue, Bong said: “It is a one-stop centre with facilities that can accommodate a large group of 5,000 people. Meeting facilities the organising committee considered in Kuala Lumpur could not accommodate more than 3,500 people.”

Low Kai Foo, marketing director at NAMLIFA who was also on the bid committee, said Malaysia won the bid against Hong Kong and Japan due to NAMLIFA’s past track record of hosting APLIC, the weak ringgit, and warm Malaysian hospitality. It is the third time NAMLIFA has won the bid to host APLIC in Malaysia; the previous two congresses were in 2005 and 1993.

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s CEO, Zulkefli Sharif, said: “Malaysia’s hosting of this important and highly anticipated industry event is testament to the efforts being made to position our country as a premier destination for business events.”

Bintan Resorts and Sriwijaya Air have signed an MoU to jointly promote the destination, and are looking into developing a multi-destination concept connecting the resorts with Jogjakarta, Bali and Manado.

In the long run, Frans Gunara, vice president director of Bintan Resorts Cakrawala, expects between six and eight million arrivals per year into Bintan.

Bintan island

To achieve the goals, Bintan Resorts, supported by its holding company Gallant Venture Group, will develop infrastructure as well as accessibility to and from Bintan as gateway and destination.

Frans added that the resort company is hoping to grow its inventory from 1,700 rooms to 7,000 by 2020 and to 20,000 in the longer run.

As well, Bintan Aviation Investment is developing airport facilities in Bintan expected to finalise in 2018, while Sriwijaya Air is planning to make the airport one of its hubs, deploying some seven aircraft there. The airline is also planning to develop a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility there.

While Bintan is already a “shadow destination” for Singapore, Toto Nursatyo, commercial director of Sriwijaya Air, wants the destination to be known both for leisure and business events.

In fact, Bintan has become a destination for sporting events such as the Bintan Triathlon and the Annual BIE Games. This year, the island will host Ironman 70.3 World Championship Qualifying Race. This not only shows that the island has facilities to support various events, but also that companies can incorporate sporting events into their business event programmes.

Frans added: “We are looking to continue twinning with Singapore but in a different way. Now, travellers need to enter Singapore, go to Bintan and out from Singapore again. Those needing visas to the country, like the Chinese, they need multiple visas if they want to go to Bintan via Singapore.

“With improved access, they can enter Bintan visa free and out from Singapore with a single visa, by ferry – we are building a ferry terminal close to the airport.”

Commenting on the plan, Vincnt Jemadu, director of marketing development of Asia Pacific of the Ministry of Tourism, said: “China is a major market for Sriwijaya Air’s international services. We have suggested that the airline is taps the business event market from China as the market has been growing in the last few years.”

He added that the ministry was ready to support with a joint marketing funding should the airline open new routes between Bintan and China.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism targets for Batam and Bintan to contribute 24 per cent of the total arrivals to Indonesia in 2019, or 4.8 million visitors. Bintan alone last year received nearly 700,000 arrivals, and is targeting up to two million arrivals by 2019.

More Malaysian event houses are building incentive programmes in China around cheaper second- and third-tier cities, especially those served by budget carriers, in a bid to maximise budgets as a result of a weakened ringgit.

Outbound agents in Malaysia told TTGmice that not only are clients suffering a weaker buying power, some have cut incentive budgets due to poor corporate performance.

Kunming

As a result, Desmond Lee, group managing director, Apple Vacations & Conventions, has noted that trips to Europe are giving way to medium-haul options in Asia.

China in general is “easier to sell” due to similarities in F&B, culture and language among Malaysian Chinese, according to Lee. In particular, second- and third-tier cities are winning clients’ favour.

“Places that are getting increasingly popular are Xi’an and Kunming which are serviced by AirAsia X; Changsha, serviced by AirAsia; and Wuhan, serviced by AirAsia X and Malindo Air out of Kuala Lumpur. Their appeal lies in local attractions, authentic culture and food, and interaction with locals through cooking classes, cycling tours and old town walks,” said Lee.

Adam Kamal, CEO, Olympik Holidays, who has seen more clients skipping first-tier cities in 2016, said “ground costs in Xi’an, Kunming and Chengdu are 15 to 20 per cent cheaper”.

They were motivated by cost savings and “interesting offerings” that allow participants to experience local culture, Kamal added.

“Malaysians have become more sophisticated and they want local experiences.”

Mint Leong, managing director at Sunflower Holidays, has observed the same trends, especially among SMEs, while some clients have chosen to cut their stays in China by a night.

The 155-room Wyndham Garden Kuta Beach Bali, previously known as The Kuta Playa Hotel & Villas, has opened across from Kuta Beach on Jalan Pantai Kuta.

As part of the rebranding, the property had its guestrooms refurbished to offer guests stylish and airy living spaces.

The resort features two pools, an all-day dining restaurant, a bar, a day spa, and meeting rooms for seminars and events.

This year the resort will undergo further renovation and expansion to add 151 guestrooms, several of which will be swim-up pool units. A new dining establishment will also be created and the hotel’s public areas will be revamped with modern elements. These works are scheduled to complete by the end of this year.

Wyndham Garden Kuta Beach Bali is the first Wyndham Garden branded property in South-east Asia and the sixth Indonesian property in Wyndham Hotel Group’s portfolio.

Currently handling both leisure and business events, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) has recommended having a separate agency solely for the latter to take better care of this growing inbound segment.

Sources told TTGmice that as the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DoT), TPB’s budget and staff limitations mean shortchanging business events. For example, out of TPB’s 150 staff, only 17 are assigned to business events and they have to scrounge for budget unlike some of their counterparts in Asia which get fat funding directly from the presidential office.

Philippine International Convention Center in Manila

Having a separate agency for business events will mean a return to the old days when there was the Philippine Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) before it became TPB.

However, sources said it would take a “long time” as it would require legislation but as a short term measure, TPB will have “additional manpower” for handling business events.

Vilma De Claro Mendoza, president of Mart Evers Travel and Tours, favours having a CVB given the “insufficient planning and promotions” for business events, especially since such gatherings require advanced preparations of six months to a year.

Agreeing, Gaurav Rai, general manager of Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria and Holiday Inn Manila Galleria, said the presence of a Philippine CVB would bring about a “more focused and tactical” approach to business events.

“It’s time for (business events) to have its own budget and resources”, said Rai, adding that other countries have been able to attraction large-scale events because of CVB support.

Indian travel agents have given a thumbs up to Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) latest version of INSPIRE (In Singapore Incentives and Rewards) programme that was introduced in India recently.

The new INSPIRE for India will help agents tap on smaller corporate groups, with STB qualifying group sizes of less than 50 participants. The maximum incentive group size is 200.

Gardens by the Bay

“We have reduced the minimum group size to 25-50 for companies to be eligible for the INSPIRE 3.0 programme. It will help us reach out to non-metro cities in India,” explained GB Srithar, regional director (SAMEA) for STB.

Praveen Chugh, managing director, Business Travels, pointed out “even in metro cities, there are corporates with smaller incentive groups of less than 50 pax who will be interested to participate”.

He added: “With STB making changes in minimum group size requirement, travel consultants will be able to reach out to more companies and help to further grow the Indian MICE movement to Singapore.”

INSPIRE 3.0 includes customised experiences with attraction partners such as Focus Adventure, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer, Singapore Turf Club, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Mount Faber, Sentosa and Resorts World Sentosa.

Karan Anand, head, relationships at Cox & Kings, told TTGmice: “The programme provides incentive and meeting partners with a ready-made platform to engage with their principals in Singapore. The seven unique attractions, coupled with the reduction in minimum group size requirement, will play the role of a catalyst to reach out to new markets.”

“With an array of activities it offers such as nightlife, amusement parks and adventure activities, Singapore has been one of the top choices for Indian corporates. This is also reflected in the expenditure by Indian corporate travellers in Singapore which has been rising over the last few years,” added Manish Raj, vice president & business head – corporate travel services at VIA.com.

New data from American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has show that the Asia-Pacific region maintains its significance for Singapore’s business travellers, with all 10 of the more frequented international destinations falling within the region.

The latest rankings echo results for the previous two years, with Kuala Lumpur continuing to lead. Despite subdued business travel spend within the financial services sector, key cities such as Hong Kong and Tokyo remain as critical business travel destinations for Singapore’s businessmen.

Sydney has replaced Taipei as the 10^th most popular destination.

Top 10 international destinations by ranking:

1. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2. Jakarta, Indonesia
3. Bangkok, Thailand
4. Hong Kong, China
5. Manila, Philippines
6. Shanghai, China
7. Tokyo, Japan
8. Seoul, South Korea
9. Mumbai, India
10, Sydney, Australia

Source: American Express GBT Singapore point of sale data destination analysis for January – November 2016.

Beyond Asia-Pacific, London leads the destination rankings while San Francisco and New York in the US take second and third positions.

Meanwhile, the study also found that there has been a growing desire among business travellers for alternative means of transportation and accommodation options.

“We are noticing an increased desire for greater traveller choice through more variety in airline options including low cost carrier options, as well as broader hotel choices”, said Carl Jones, vice president, global client management, APAC, American Express GBT.

“While companies are looking at ways to enhance the traveller experience to cater towards younger members of their workforce, it’s important to balance these desires with the realities of travel budgets and what is a realistic policy for your organisation.”

The data, provided by American Express GBT Global Business Consulting, is based on actual bookings through American Express GBT made between January 2016 and November 2016.