BUSINESS event visitors to Taiwan can now enjoy easier visa application procedures, following the destination’s introduction of an e-visa system for all foreigners who are invited to attend international conferences and trade fairs.

The new e-visa programme which began on January 12, 2016 was launched to “meet the global trend for electronic travel documents (and) simplified foreigner visa requirements”, according to Taiwan’s Tourism Action Plan 2015-1018.

It offers eligible applicants a one-stop service enabling them to fill in an e-visa application form and pay the visa fee online with a credit card. Successful applicants will be able to print out their e-visa for entry to Taiwan. With this procedure, travellers will no longer need to visit a Republic of China (Taiwan) overseas mission office in person.

The e-visa system is also open to leisure travellers from 27 countries such as Brunei, Paraguay and Turkey.

Furthermore, travellers can now apply for a landing visa at all international airports in Taiwan.

Foreign nationals seeking to apply for an e-visa to participate in international conferences or trade fairs in Taiwan may contact the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs through the event’s organiser in Taiwan a month prior to the arrival date.

For more information, contact the Taiwan MICE Project Office at (886-2) 2392-0788, extension 511 or 513.

TOURISM New Zealand and Singapore-based Dynasty Travel International has inked an agreement to promote The Land of the Long White Cloud for business events to corporates in Singapore.

The partnership will see Tourism New Zealand providing priority support to Dynasty Travel’s destination promotion and sales efforts, in the form of training sessions and fam trips for the travel agency’s MICE specialists, destination marketing materials and sales support during client pitches.

Edward Kwek, Tourism New Zealand’s business events manager South & South East Asia, told TTGmice e-Weekly: “This partnership with Dynasty Travel is a pilot project, with both of us committed to attracting corporate clients to New Zealand over the next one to three years. Because corporate events are less seasonal, this move will help draw events to New Zealand during the shoulder periods of April to June and September to October.”

Alicia Seah, Dynasty Travel’s spokesperson, said New Zealand was its “most improved destination in 2015”.

“Leisure bookings for New Zealand rose 10 to 15 per cent last year, largely due to the increased air capacity from Singapore. We believe that the strong interest in New Zealand among Singapore holidaymakers will translate to the same interest in the destination for meetings, incentives and teambuilding activities. After all, New Zealand is regarded as an aspirational destination,” Seah elaborated.

Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines had launched codeshare flights on January 6 last year, operating one daily return service per day each on the Singapore-Auckland and Singapore-Christchurch route.

Seah expects New Zealand to do even better among business event planners in Singapore this year, thanks to additional capacity from Singapore Airline’s upcoming four times weekly Singapore-Canberra (Australia)-Wellington (New Zealand) service in September.

“More seat capacity is always welcome,” Seah remarked, adding that greater awareness of how New Zealand can enhance business events will provide the additional impetus to travel.

While Kwek was unable to offer a projected increment in Singapore MICE arrivals as a result of the partnership with Dynasty Travel, he said there should be more leads going forward than the current three to four the tourism bureau gets every month out of the Lion City.

COEX convention and exhibition centre in Seoul has become the first venue of its kind in South Korea to offer a prayer room for Muslim visitors.

Explaining the move, Bo Kyung Byun, president and CEO of Coex, said: “As the number of our internationally oriented exhibitions has increased, so too have the numbers of our Muslim guests. We want to make sure our international guests feel at home at Coex, no matter where they are from.”

The new prayer room is located on the third floor of Coex and features separate rooms for men and women. To accommodate daily prayer schedules, the room is open from 03.00 to 22.00.

Other prayer necessities, including Qu’rans, clocks, carpets and a Qibla which indicates the direction towards Mecca, are also provided for the convenience of Muslim guests.

“This prayer room not only offers convenience to (Muslim) buyers and MICE visitors coming to Coex, but also encourages cultural exchange in the fields of trade and tourism,” said Mohammed Chraibi, chief director of the Korea-Arab Society.

THE five-star Meliá Yangon, which is targeting a May opening, is reaching for high level ASEAN and APEC meetings to establish a strong foundation in Myanmar’s MICE industry.

Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly in an interview, Susie Moe Aung, director of sales & marketing with the 430-key hotel’s opening team, said Meliá Yangon will appeal to such high profile meetings with its extensive meeting facilities and luxurious suites that can “support political events and their participants”.

The hotel’s Grand Ballroom, Junior Ballroom and six meeting rooms offer more than 2,000m² of space altogether.

“Meeting planners do not have to worry about service quality and reliability of function space and support equipment because the property comes with the Meliá brand promise and is of international five-star standard,” said Susie Moe Aung, adding that the hotel’s dining facilities are also designed to support large groups.

Its 375-seat all-day dining restaurant, for instance, is said to be the biggest hotel restaurant in Yangon.

Susie Moe Aung believes that event delegates will appreciate the hotel’s location on the main road and 15 minutes by car from the airport and city centre, which allows them to escape the traffic jam.

“Plus, the hotel is linked to Yangon’s largest and newest mall, Myanmar Plaza, and the new office tower, Myanmar Centre,” she added.

“We may be months away from opening, but MICE interest has been strong. We have many enquiries for rates and information from conference organisers, in particular medical ones. So besides aiming for government meetings, we are also paying attention to corporate events,” Susie Moe Aung said.

INCENTIVE groups from Cambodia are increasingly skipping destinations along its borders and choosing to fly to South-east Asian destinations farther afield, encouraged by affordable direct flights.

Ang Kim Eang, president and CEO of Great Angkor Tours and president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, told TTGmice e-Weekly that Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines are gaining in popularity among Cambodian corporate clients.

“These destinations are accessible by many direct flights, so it is easy to move people,” Ang explained, adding that clients’ thirst for new experiences is also driving the new trend.

Most Cambodian incentive groups have been to nearby countries like Vietnam.

Ang has seen a 20 to 30 per cent increase in incentive travellers in 2015 over 2014. Some 60 to 70 per cent of his MICE groups choose to visit South-east Asian destinations.

Mann Ratana, general manager of Worldwide Tours Agency in Cambodia, shares similar observations and believes that the strong presence of LCCs in the region has made flying more affordable.

Malaysia, and especially Singapore, are bestsellers and many of her clients are making repeat visits. She had to charter flights in order to accommodate her groups.

According to Ang, most of the bookings come from the corporate banking, insurance, microfinance, trading and spare part businesses, with group sizes ranging from 30 to 60 people.

While longhaul demand is meagre in comparison, Ang has noted a five to 10 per cent year-on-year increment in 2015.