Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara has appointed Luis Garcia as executive assistant manager of F&B, drawing him from Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort in Thailand where he was director of F&B.

Garcia has over 25 years of experience in hotel operations and F&B.

In his new role, he will be part of the hotel’s pre-opening team and will take charge of developing various menu concepts for the luxury hotel’s five outlets and oversee its budget management and employee training programme.

“I am excited to be part of pre-opening team and I look forward to working with our talented team to develop unique food concepts that will enhance the overall dining experience at Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara,” said Garcia.

Set to open in 2Q2017, Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara features 312 guestrooms including 23 suites, five restaurants and bars, six meeting rooms and leisure facilities such as an outdoor pool, the signature So Spa and So Fit.

For group stays between April 1 and December 15, 2017, Angsana Bintan will offer a package with retreat, meeting and CSR inclusions.

The Angsana Bintan Retreats package includes three complimentary privileges for those booking a minimum of 15 materialised rooms, and four for those booking 20 rooms.

Planners can choose from one Island Suite upgrade; one Island Chill room per group night; one breakout room (Island Suite) for up to 10 pax (subject to availability); 60-minute free-flow soft drinks in conjunction with a dinner event; drinks and Indonesian crackers throughout the meeting; two hours of tele match activities; 60-minute spa treatment and 30-minute refreshment and relaxation for a maximum of two guests; and a CSR activity.

For bookings and further details, contact sales-bintan@banyantree.com or call (65) 6849 5747.

Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is stepping up promotion efforts in second- and third-tier cities in China, a shift from its previous sole focus on only tier one cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The decision was encouraged by a growing interest in Thailand among Chinese business event planners from second- and third-tier cities, according to Nooch Homrossukhon, director of Meeting and Incentive Promotion Department at TCEB.

Citing examples, Nooch said Thailand attracts direct selling companies from Shenzhen and Qingdao, and IT and finance companies from Hangzhou.

She noted that businesses in third-tier cities, including Suzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu and Nanjing, are making tremendous advancements, resulting in plump budgets for incentives.

“Over the years, we have also developed a good relationship with Chinese clients and this helps to bring repeat business,” Nooch said.

Infinitus (China) Company will return to Thailand for the 14th time this year and hold its incentive event in Bangkok and Pattaya in May. Around 8,000 delegates are expected, and at press time, it is the largest business event group from China.

TCEB’s campaign, Thailand Big Thanks, which runs up to end December 2017, is particularly popular with Chinese direct selling and multilevel marketing firms in China – organisers of massive incentive movements – as it provides a financial subsidy of up to two million baht (US$58,153) for group sizes of at least 2,000 delegates and a minimum stay of three nights.

Nooch said: “The subsidy enhances delegate experience in Thailand as organisers can use the money to upgrade menus (and) entertainment. It also makes Thailand more attractive for organisers.”

China has overtaken India to remain in the top spot since 2013, and in 2016 the tourism source market contributed 10.25 billion baht (US$298 million) in revenue from 1,273,465 Chinese business event delegates.

JTB Global DMC Network has now set its sights on the Philippine outbound travel market, in particular business travel and events, and is hoping to raise the profile of its members as well as grow bookings through an upcoming roadshow on July 10 in Manila.

In an email interview with TTGmice, Abrar Uppal, senior manager global inbound business
with JTB Corp’s Global Business Unit Headquarters, pointed out that a recent MasterCard survey on the future of outbound travel in Asia-Pacific found that travel from the Philippines between 2016 and 2021 would surpass those from other developed countries in the region by 1.5 times.

Uppal added that his company is encouraged to groom the Philippine outbound market because “it is currently ranked eighth in the top 10 list of growing Asia-Pacific markets by international trips from 2016 to 2021, with outbound travels currently at about 3.4 million”.

“We consider that after China and Indonesia, the Philippines is one of the fastest growing and most dynamic in the Asia region,” he said.

He also noted that Philippine outbound to Japan alone is “now at its peak”, aided by Japan’s relaxation of tourist visa. Quoting national arrival figures from the Philippines, Uppal said there were 108,000 tourists in 2013, 180,000 in 2014, 270,000 in 2016 and approximately 350,000 in 2016.

While JTB Corp. has branch offices in Manila and Cebu, the company hopes to encourage travel agencies in the country to also work directly with its extensive collection of DMC partners worldwide. As such, the July roadshow will feature participation by Travel Plaza International (representing the US), Tumlare Destination Management and Europamundo Vacaciones (representing Europe), JTB Global Marketing & Travel Inc. (representing Japan), and Tour East (representing Asia-Pacific).

“This will be our very first roadshow in the Philippines and our main target is to work closely with the B2B markets ( and) to focus on increasing MICE business,” he said, adding that 150 individuals representing 75 agencies will be invited for the event.

Uppal shared that the company’s regional headquarters has set a gross sales target of US$4.5 million for the Philippines this year and aims to grow that figure to US$8 million by 2019.

The 142-unit BreakFree Adelaide hotel is heading into the final stages of its A$800,000 (US$) transformation, which includes significant upgrades to guestrooms, conference facilities and common areas.

All guestrooms have been given a modern kitchen as well as fresh, new furniture in their lounge and dining room.

The Hindmarsh Conference Room has also been upgraded to become a fresh and chic space for meetings and events.

The lobby received a local-facelift with a bright mural by local artist Vans The Omega.

Well-known for offering great value for money, BreakFree Adelaide offers guests a choice of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and is a short walk from the CBD and 500m from the Adelaide Convention Centre.

BreakFree Adelaide’s renovation is conducted just as Adelaide’s West End entertainment district, where it is located, is being redeveloped to raise its vibrancy.

Singapore Airlines and regional subsidiary SilkAir have signed an MoU with Air France-KLM to codeshare on each other’s flights with effect from April 27, 2017.

Upon regulatory approval, Singapore Airlines will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Air France-operated flights beyond Paris to 10 European destinations – Aberdeen, Bordeaux, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Newcastle, Nice and Toulouse.

Air France will in turn add its ‘AF’ designator code to Singapore Airlines-operated flights beyond Singapore to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, as well as on SilkAir-operated flights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand.

Singapore Airlines and Air France-KLM will later explore the opportunity to expand the codeshare to other airlines within their respective groups, as well as the possibility for their loyalty club members to earn and enjoy miles redemption when travelling on codeshare flight segments.

The agreement is intended to provide customers more options and seamless connectivity when travelling between Australia, South-east Asia and Europe.

Tan Kai Ping, Singapore Airlines’ senior vice president marketing planning, said: “This new agreement provides a strong foundation for future commercial co-operation opportunities between our two airline groups. It is also another example of our commitment to the Singapore hub and the European market.”

Patrick Roux, senior vice-president alliances, Air France-KLM group, said: “This new agreement…will significantly improve the connections for Air France customers from Singapore to Australia. This kind of partnership is part of our aim to expand our market position and increase our range of destinations for our customers all around the world.”

Simon Nowroz has been named chief marketing officer at Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

He will be based in Minneapolis and report to Patrick Andersen, chief strategy and commerce officer.

Nowroz joins from Anderson Capital Advisors, a specialist advisory firm he co-founded. Prior to that he was head of new ventures with Travelport for two and a half years, and president and managing director APAC with the firm for nine years before that.

He has over 25 years of travel industry expertise covering consultancy, distribution, car hire and air.

Taj Hotels’ Jai Mahal Palace Jaipur, a 270-year-old Indo-Saracenic structure once open only to those on the Maharaja’s guest list, is now availing a Conference Special Package to planners.

Included in the package are rooms on twin sharing basis, airport transfer by coach, use of a meeting room from 09.00 to 18.00, buffet breakfast, conference lunch, tea breaks, buffet dinner, and evening entertainment.

The offer applies until August 31, 2017 for a minimum block of 20 rooms for two nights.

Jai Mahal Palace Jaipur is set amid Mughal gardens in the heart of the Pink City, and in close proximity of historical sites such as Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal and City Palace.

To book, call (91) 978 324 4497 or e-mail shakti.kavia@tajhotels.com.