The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) is collaborating with Tourism Malaysia offices in Delhi and Chennai to jointly organise a roadshow to Kathmandu, Delhi and Colombo.

To be held from June 12-17, 2017, this is an attempt to boost visitor numbers from the business events and medical segments from South Asia.

MATTA vice president inbound & domestic, KL Tan said: “This is the third time we are collaborating with Tourism Malaysia and conducting a roadshow to these three cities, as revenue from the business events and medical segments is three times more than the average leisure segment.”

“Kathmandu and Nepal are new markets for business events but we believe it has the potential. Delhi is more mature, and we’re also looking at other Indian cities to hold similar roadshows next year,” added MATTA’s exco member for India, Ganneesh Ramaa.

He pointed out that it was time to promote Malaysia as the government had recently introduced an e-visa facility and waived the visa fee of 1,000 rupees (US$16), and reduced the visa processing fee from 5,500 to 1,600 rupees.

Richard Vuilleumier, managing director at Panorama Holidays Malaysia, said his company was participating in the roadshow as he wanted a bigger share of the South Asian leisure and business events segments.

He elaborated: “We have a representative in Jalandhar to help us build the leisure and MICE markets in India. However, Kathmandu and Colombo are both new markets which we want to tap.”

The roadshow will involve 22 suppliers from Malaysia including 17 DMCS, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, and key attractions such as Resorts World Genting and Perak’s Movie Animation Parks Studio.

Spooked by massive, modern convention centres emerging in neighbouring Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Hong Kong stakeholders have urged the government to quickly expand its existing exhibition and convention space.

Speaking at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association’s annual conference last week, Adsale Exhibition Services’ chairman, Stanley Chu, stressed: “We do not favour the idea of a third venue in the city as this will not solve the problem of trade organisers that want to hold a large-scale event under one roof.

“Instead, the government should expand existing spaces such as the AsiaWorld-Expo and Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in order to sustain growth. The city will lack about 132,000m² of space during the high season in the coming 15 years, so if we don’t expand, somebody like Shenzhen, will do it for us.”

Chu cautioned that the rapid development in the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou will gradually erode Hong Kong’s role in the tradeshow business. For instance, the 500,000m² Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center – touted as the world’s biggest exhibition venue – will complete its first phase (400,000m²) in December 2018.

This sentiment is echoed by HKCEC (Management)’s managing director, Monica Lee-Müller, who hopes that existing venues can be expanded within the next two decades.

“The adding of infrastructure for exhibitions – to improve effectiveness and buyers’ experience – requires more government support and a clarity of vision. Visitors enjoy (Hong Kong’s) convenience, standard of facility and infrastructure, so we have to keep improving on this,” said Global Sources’ CEO, Craig Pepples.

According to HKECIA, 56 international event applications were turned down in 2013, due to a shortage of space. The combined total space of AsiaWorld-Expo and HKCEC currently stands at 136,000m².

Changi Airport has unveiled the latest features in its upcoming lifestyle complex Jewel, with designer play attractions, dining outlets and walking trails crowning the 14,000m² Canopy Park at the topmost level.

CEO of Jewel Changi Airport Development, Hung Jean, shared that Jewel hopes to attract transit passengers – which make up 30 per cent of Changi Airport’s traffic – as well as travellers from various FlyFerry, FlyCruise and CoachFly trips.

Sky Nets

She revealed that Jewel will also provide early check-in services for passengers across all carriers and terminals, including for airlines whose counters have not yet opened for check-in.

“Jewel is meant to elevate the tourism mindshare that (Changi Airport is) getting internationally,” Hung said. “If you have a longer transit, there’s so much more to do at Jewel.”

The main draw will be the Canopy Park’s three main play areas, open to visitors of all ages. The Sky Nets will consist of a 50m-long walking net suspended at 25m and a 250m-long bouncing net at eight metres above ground.

They are respectively designed by European consultants Officium and Chien Noir, both known for their net and rope installations around the world.

Canopy Mazes

The opposite end will feature a sprawl of two Canopy Mazes created by international maze designer Adrian Fisher. The first will be Singapore’s largest hedge maze with 1.8m-high hedges, changeable paths and a lookout tower; the second is an outdoor mirror maze complete with an infinity chamber.

Finally, Singapore consultancy Playpoint is collaborating with Dutch design company Carve to create the Discovery Slides, a massive art sculpture that doubles up as four play slides. This structure will also provide a 6.5m-high observatory deck for visitors to enjoy views over the rest of Jewel.

Other features that were also announced include four Foggy Bowls for young children to play in mist and a 50m-long glass-floored Canopy Bridge suspended 23m above ground.

The Canopy Park will also have a communal Canopy Plaza of F&B offerings that can be converted to host events for up to 1,000 attendees.

Jewel is slated to open in early 2019.

St Regis Hotels and Resorts’ ongoing brand repositioning is promising more exquisite and experiential guest programmes that will benefit the intimate-sized, C-level meetings its properties tend to attract.

Central to the new branding campaign is the “Live Exquisite” tagline and a positioning built “all around living exquisitely” while retaining the heritage, traditions and rituals the brand is known for, according to Lisa Holladay, vice president and global brand leader for St Regis.

Holladay pointed to the St Regis-sponsored 2017 Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup, held the past Monday at The Singapore Polo Club, as an example of how the new Live Exquisite promise is delivered. She said that the polo game in the afternoon featured a lifestyle event that is a firm tradition with the St Regis brand – and one that is appreciated by St Regis followers and guests – while the charity ball that evening was held in an unexpected botanical paradise setting in The St Regis Singapore’s John Jacob Ballroom.

“It means so much to us when Prince Harry (the guest of honour) remarked in his speech how impressed he was with the theme and the ballroom’s setup. The hotel delivers our positioning of living exquisitely,” she told TTGmice.

Supporting the repositioning is a new print campaign which uses beautiful lifestyle photographs in different settings as well as a stronger reliance on the St Regis Connoisseur programme which calls upon trend setters who share the same lifestyle as St Regis guests, to provide ideas on how impressive travel experiences should be delivered at St Regis properties.

The programme, which now counts professional polo player Nachos Figueras and singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum among its ambassadors, will soon be joined by Chinese millionaire and jewellery designer Wan Bao Bao. Wan will also design a unique piece of jewellery that will be retailed in limited quantity at St Regis hotels and online boutique.

More unique guest experiences “created through the lens of the St Regis Connoisseur programme” are in the pipeline, revealed Holladay.

Presently, the St Regis experience includes inviting guests to world-class polo events and Jazz Legends performances at its properties worldwide, and these have proven popular with both leisure and business travellers, according to Yeoh Fay Linn, senior director, brand management & marketing Asia Pacific, Marriott International.

The focus on exquisite experiences will also benefit C-level meetings held at St Regis properties.

“When executives come together for a meeting, they also want a memorable experience. I see opportunities for our properties to help curate unique experiences for meeting groups (and) that is another initiative we are focused on going into the end of 2017 and next year,” said Holladay. “Whether the traveller is here for leisure or business, the Live Exquisite promise should be communicated through all the (hotel’s) touchpoints.”

Sydney will host the Global Summit of Women in 2018, an event that showcases progressive government and private sector strategies that level the playing field for women, addressing bias.

This was announced at the recently-concluded 2017 Summit in Tokyo, by the CEO of Business Events Sydney (BESydney), Lyn Lewis-Smith.

“Hosting events like the Global Summit of Women will be a catalyst for greater economic empowerment of Australian women by shining a spotlight on underperforming areas, eliciting tangible commitments from our leaders to change the status quo. A recent EY report suggests that tapping into women’s global potential could be the equivalent of having another one billion people in the workforce, driving economic growth around the world,” said Lewis-Smith.

The 2018 Summit is expected to attract more than 1,000 leaders across private and public sectors from 80 countries, and inject over US$2 million into the New South Wales (NSW) economy.

“Australia can showcase our world leading initiatives such as the Male Champions of Change program, the impact of advocacy organisations like Chief Executive Women, and our record supporting women in the Indo-Pacific to enter the global supply chain. World leaders can learn from Australia, and we, in turn, still have much to learn from the rest of the world,” said Ann Sherry, executive chairman of Carnival Australia.

BESydney is tasked with securing global business events for NSW, and is supported by the NSW Government including Destination NSW, and private sector partners.

AccorHotel’s Novotel brand has been selected for a four-star hotel to be developed next to the new wing of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

The 347-key Novotel Melbourne South Wharf will sit close to the expanded exhibition space of the MCEC, providing business and leisure guests more high-quality accommodation options on the Yarra River’s south bank.

Scheduled to open by 1Q2018, the new-build encompasses Novotel signatures such as Live N’ Dream bedding, interactive TVs and FairTrade bathroom amenities as well as free barista coffee at breakfast.

AccorHotels’ Pacific chief operating officer Simon McGrath: “Significant investment in infrastructure such as this Novotel hotel will further increase the capacity for Melbourne to attract significant events, conferences and exhibitions and cater to the domestic and international travel markets.”

Novotel Melbourne South Wharf will complement other Novotel properties in the city – Novotel Melbourne on Collins, Novotel Melbourne Glen Waverley and Novotel Melbourne St Kilda.

The embattled Philippine travel trade is using every avenue to improve the destination’s image, following the latest attack of a heavy indebted gambler at the casino of Resorts World Manila (RWM) last Friday after a series of unfortunate events in recent months.

The RWM casino attack, which claimed 38 lives including the gambler’s, came on the heels of ongoing clashes between the military and ISIS affiliated terrorists in Marawi that led to the imposition of martial law in Mindanao. An earlier failed terrorist attack in Bohol and terrorist threats in central Visayas had also led to travel advisories from various countries.

Marlene Insigne, tours division manager, Southeast Travel Corp, said they immediately sent assurance to their clients and counterparts abroad, attaching the letter of Benjamin Santiago, director, National Capital Region (including Manila) on the Department of Tourism addressed to tourism stakeholders.

Santiago in his letter urged Philippine stakeholders to assure their counterparts abroad that Manila and the nearby regions remain a safe destination for visitors, emphasising accurate information dissemination is critical.

“We continue to work closely with you by providing you with reliable updates on matters that may affect tourism and your businesses and assist in minimising any adverse effect that may arise because of lack of information or worse, inaccurate reporting in the media,” he wrote.

Insigne said that a group of eight from the US has not cancelled their booking for this week at Belmont Hotel, part of the RWM complex, which she expects to have tighter security.

Bernadette de Leon, general manager, Amiable Intertours, said that while they can only “wait and see until things get better”, the Philippines still has time to recover its image.

De Leon said that the RWM attack is “an isolated case” and not an act of terrorism, adding that martial law in Mindanao is only for 60 days and will be lifted once the terrorists are defeated in Marawi.

Fe Abling-Yu, one of the founders of the Asia Premium Travel Mart (APTM) which will be held in Manila on June 20, said the mart is hit by some cancellations “but that this is also the best time to promote the Philippines”. She is also encouraged that there are over 10 APTM buyers and media who will go on a Davao fam trip.

On Facebook, travel agents began challenging their friends here and abroad to post pictures of the Philippines to show it as a great place. “Let’s counteract the negativity and help ourselves,” said Rajah Tours president Jojo Clemente.

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, always a slow period for business events, has turned out particularly bad this year for business hotels in Malaysia, the situation exacerbated by reduced corporate budgets on the back of a weak corporate environment and the national currency slump.

Susan Yap, director of sales and marketing at The Westin Kuala Lumpur, told TTGmice: “It is more difficult to convert leads from corporate companies this year. They tell us they are not sure about having the meeting, or it might be postponed.

“The lead time for small meetings is also very short. We’re getting bookings coming in three days prior to the event. In the past, it used to be at least 10 days for small groups of 20 pax or less.”

To compensate the slowdown, the hotel has designed one-stop breaking of fast packages in its function spaces for corporate organisers. The packages include food, traditional music, decorations and prayer facilities.

Zoe Seow, director of sales with Four Points by Sheraton Puchong, another business hotel, noted that local meeting organisers tend to be more price sensitive this year and are looking for better meeting package rates, rather than add-ons.

Seow elaborated: “They know this is a good time to get better rates. Our Ramadan full-day meeting packages are 20 per cent cheaper than the normal packages. We still offer two coffee breaks but those who choose not to have lunch can exchange for a dinner voucher which they can utilise during the fasting month.”

Four Points by Sheraton Puchong is also generating revenue from the breaking of fast spreads to balance out lower revenue from meetings.

When contacted last week, The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa’s director of sales and marketing, Sally Fadjrina, revealed that meetings were only coming from domestic account, many of which were from Kuala Lumpur. While business was slow, Fadjrina said clients are attracted to the more affordable rates now available.

Fadjrina expects business events from Asia-Pacific to pick up in 4Q2017.

Also seeing a tough month of corporate event business is Syed Razif Al-Yahya, group managing director of Sutra Group of Companies, who revealed that government agencies and government linked companies had slashed budgets last year and had trimmed it down further this year.

Concur will join SAP’s Seoul office in its latest expansion announcement, allowing it to offer expense solutions to large conglomerates, enterprise businesses and multinational companies with operations in South Korea.

“South Korea is an important part of Concur’s global growth strategy,” said Won Joon Hyoung, president, SAP Korea.

“We currently have strong business interest and momentum in South Korea, despite not having a local office. The outdated expense and travel management solutions widely deployed in the market today are not capable of providing data and insights that help businesses make more informed decisions. By investing in Concur’s operations in South Korea, our goal is to lead the domestic market in travel and expense management.”

Barry Long has been appointed as vice president of global sales, Asia Pacific for Concur, and Jaesung Kim is head of sales for Concur Korea. Concur will be building additional sales, solution consulting, marketing, service delivery and business development teams in the coming months.

In 4Q2016, among its current customer base in Korea, Concur saw more than 125 per cent YOY growth in expense transactions, and more than 113 per cent growth in reimbursed expense spend.

According to GBTA’s BTI Outlook, total South Korean business travel spend was US$32.6 billion in 2015. The BTI Outlook projects spend volume will grow at a rate of 4.4 per cent per year through 2020, outpacing the 2.6 to 2.8 per cent economic growth.

South Korea currently ranks among the top 10 countries for business travel spend, according to GBTA. With the launch, Concur is now operating in all 10 of the top global markets for business travel.

Nick Evered, senior vice president and general manager for Concur Asia Pacific, hopes to continue Concur’s strong performance in South Korea through the SAP partnership.

Concur, which was acquired by SAP in 2014, offers a fully connected travel, expense and invoice platform ecosystem that integrates its products, suppliers and partners.