ITB Asia News 2019 Preview Edition
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THURSDAY<br />
10 OCTOBER <strong>2019</strong><br />
PREVIEW<br />
EDITION<br />
CONTENTS<br />
2 NEWS<br />
10 TRADE TALK<br />
11 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS<br />
13 SPECIAL FEATURE:<br />
WELLNESS TOURISM<br />
15 SPECIAL FEATURE:<br />
CITY BREAKS<br />
17 SPECIAL FEATURE:<br />
MEDICAL TOURISM<br />
18 REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT:<br />
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN<br />
22 WHERE TO GO IN<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
NEWS<br />
Katrina Leung<br />
Managing Director, Messe Berlin<br />
(Singapore)<br />
Our conference sessions are<br />
designed to get attendees to<br />
rethink how they understand the<br />
industry. See page 7<br />
TRADE TALK<br />
Taking nations to <strong>Asia</strong><br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> returns with highest ever number of<br />
participating National Tourism Organisations<br />
Demand from National and Regional<br />
Tourism Organisations at this year’s <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong><br />
is up around 25% compared to 2018. There<br />
has been unprecedented exhibition demand,<br />
with 110 NTOs and RTOs registered at last<br />
count; a new record. Largest exhibition<br />
spaces registered are from Indonesia, Russia<br />
and South Korea.<br />
“NTOs and RTOs are the backbone for<br />
creating established inbound and outbound<br />
travel. The increased interest and high<br />
confirmed demand for exhibition space from<br />
NTOs and RTOs at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> affirms the<br />
value associated with <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> as the leading<br />
travel trade show for <strong>Asia</strong> and beyond,” said<br />
Katrina Leung, Managing Director, Messe<br />
Berlin (Singapore), organiser of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
The growth in NTO participation comes at a<br />
time when OTAs are also seeing increased<br />
contact with these organisations when it<br />
comes to winning the eyes of more potential<br />
travellers, and the methods of OTAs are<br />
evolving rapidly (see our exclusive interview<br />
with Angel Llull Mancas, Vice President and<br />
Managing Director, <strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific, Booking.<br />
com page 11).<br />
Christopher Lee<br />
Founder of venuexplorer.com.sg<br />
Our acquisition by hotelplanner.<br />
com will definitely broaden our<br />
canvas and we are really thrilled<br />
about this partnership. See page 10<br />
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT:<br />
AMERICAS<br />
& CARIBBEAN<br />
Angel Llull Mancas<br />
Vice President and Managing Director,<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific, Booking.com<br />
Bahruz Hamzaev<br />
Strategy Advisor to the State Committee for<br />
Tourism Development, Uzbekistan<br />
People from Malaysia and<br />
Indonesia are increasingly attracted<br />
to our country. See page 12<br />
In the Americas, with growth<br />
in inbound tourist figures<br />
in the first half of <strong>2019</strong> at<br />
2%, results improved in<br />
the second quarter after a<br />
weak start to the year. The<br />
Caribbean (+11%) benefitted<br />
from strong US demand<br />
and continued to rebound<br />
strongly from the impact of<br />
hurricanes Irma and Maria in<br />
late 2017, a challenge which<br />
the region unfortunately faces<br />
once again. Discover more<br />
about leading players from<br />
the Americas at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> this<br />
year, from page 18.
2 NEWS<br />
PREFACE<br />
Finding the<br />
opportunities<br />
As travel distribution becomes<br />
more complex in a challenging<br />
market, with competition<br />
coming from all angles, at<br />
the same time there are<br />
opportunities opening-up from<br />
others. The industry players<br />
opening the gates to success<br />
will no doubt be those with<br />
the most innovative strategies.<br />
These strategies must be based<br />
on a clear understanding of<br />
industry trends, underlining the<br />
vital nature of the keynotes and<br />
conferences at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
The conference sessions this<br />
year are set to deliver a series<br />
of themes, including Corporate<br />
Travel, Destination Marketing,<br />
Muslim Travel and Travel<br />
Technology. Attendees will have<br />
the opportunity to experience<br />
over 200 sessions led by more<br />
than 260 speakers. Alongside<br />
this event, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> will<br />
share the Sands Expo and<br />
Richard Barnes<br />
Editor-in-chief<br />
Convention Centre at the Marina<br />
Bay Sands with its inaugural<br />
co-event, MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong>. At<br />
MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong>, attendees will<br />
get to hear about forecasts for<br />
the global meeting and events<br />
industries in 2020, and how the<br />
industry is transforming.<br />
Keynote sessions (outlined<br />
on page 7) explore practical<br />
applications for businesses to<br />
keep pace with technological<br />
developments in the travel<br />
industry. In particular, the<br />
Keynote session on Day Three<br />
will also highlight evolving<br />
opportunities presented by the<br />
new Chinese traveller.<br />
This exceptional knowledgebase,<br />
an integral part of <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Asia</strong>, is a not-to-be-missed part<br />
of your visit. The goal is to leave<br />
with more (mental) baggage<br />
than you arrived with – which is<br />
okay, as it’s easy to carry!<br />
New ideas…<br />
new exhibitors…<br />
It’s all about diversity. As with<br />
other <strong>ITB</strong> shows, exhibitors at<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> are drawn from<br />
a wide range of companies<br />
and representatives from<br />
travel agencies and operators,<br />
business travel and MICE, travel<br />
technology, accommodation,<br />
and transport. The eleventh<br />
edition of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> last year<br />
saw more than 127 countries<br />
represented, making this the most<br />
international travel trade show in<br />
the region. The show proved to be<br />
an especially effective business<br />
platform, with one in two buyers<br />
signing contracts with exhibitors.<br />
The strongest participation this<br />
year comes from <strong>Asia</strong>, with<br />
Southeast <strong>Asia</strong> well represented,<br />
and newcomers Myanmar and<br />
RTO, Jakarta, taking part. North<br />
<strong>Asia</strong> will see an expanded South<br />
Korean contingent with RTOs<br />
from Gyeonggi, Jeju and Seoul<br />
securing their own booths.<br />
South <strong>Asia</strong> will also see a larger<br />
presence as new exhibitors such<br />
as Bhutan, the Maldives, and<br />
Sri Lanka join the show, while<br />
Central <strong>Asia</strong> is represented by<br />
Uzbekistan which will be taking<br />
part for the first time.<br />
Europe has seen a 37.8% increase<br />
in the number of exhibitors<br />
buoyed by an increased interest<br />
from Southern and Eastern<br />
Europe. The Balkan states of<br />
Macedonia, Montenegro and<br />
Serbia will be taking part for the<br />
first time along with the Czech<br />
Republic and Estonia. Compared<br />
to previous years, Hungary and<br />
Russia will also bring larger<br />
contingents. New RTOs from East<br />
Bavaria, Franconia, Frankfurt and<br />
Magdeburg will also be part of a<br />
larger German contingent with<br />
existing destinations like Berlin<br />
and Saxony, present at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong><br />
<strong>2019</strong>.<br />
This year will see oneworld,<br />
taking part as the Official Airline<br />
Alliance for the first time.<br />
The stunning growth in exhibitor<br />
demand is fuelled by growth in<br />
tourism globally. The UNWTO,<br />
highlighted that tourism is one<br />
of the most powerful drivers<br />
of economic growth and<br />
development. The predicted<br />
target of 1.4 billion international<br />
tourist arrivals by 2020 was<br />
reached in 2018. The <strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific<br />
region contributed 343 million<br />
international tourist arrivals into<br />
the region for 2018, a growth<br />
of 6% compared to the previous<br />
year<br />
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<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> show floor 2018<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
6<br />
FLOOR PLAN<br />
STAND J19 - BASEMENT 2 STAND G23 - BASEMENT 2<br />
STAND Q26 - BASEMENT 2<br />
STAND B10 - BASEMENT 2<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
NEWS<br />
7<br />
A stellar line up<br />
of industry giants<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> keynote sessions to explore ways to keep pace with<br />
technological developments in the travel industry<br />
Katrina Leung<br />
Managing Director ,<br />
Messe Berlin (Singapore)<br />
Attendees during the Opening<br />
Keynote at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> 2018<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> is set to deliver a series of keynote presentations<br />
this year in line with the theme, “Bold Thoughts, Bold<br />
Moves”.<br />
The keynote sessions will<br />
focus on sharing innovative<br />
ideas, where attendees can<br />
expect to gain knowledge on<br />
practical applications to keep<br />
pace with industry changes.<br />
Recognising the revolutionary<br />
impact of technology on the<br />
travel industry, speakers from<br />
leading online travel agencies<br />
(OTA), travel-related partners<br />
and technology companies will<br />
share their perspectives on how<br />
businesses can innovate and<br />
leverage on technology as they<br />
tackle the challenges of this era.<br />
“By bringing together leading<br />
industry experts in the keynote<br />
sessions, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> will get to the<br />
heart of today’s complex travel<br />
issues. We will discuss major<br />
game-changing issues within<br />
the industry and strategies on<br />
innovating business models in<br />
order to remain competitive.<br />
As the industry continues to<br />
evolve, attendees want to<br />
gain more than just insights of<br />
what leading businesses do to<br />
remain at the top. Through our<br />
sessions, they will be equipped<br />
with actionable steps on how to<br />
drive their business forward,”<br />
said Katrina Leung, Managing<br />
Director of Messe Berlin<br />
(Singapore), the organiser of<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
The show will open with a<br />
keynote session on managing<br />
industry’s biggest pain points.<br />
The session on 16 October<br />
brings together experts from<br />
the biggest pillars in the travel<br />
industry – accommodation,<br />
distribution and technology:<br />
Booking.com and IBM.<br />
Addressing the industry’s<br />
common challenges, topics will<br />
include how businesses can<br />
ready themselves for the next<br />
wave of growth; rethinking<br />
and reinventing distribution<br />
strategies; and how the travel<br />
industry can capitalise on the<br />
digital revolution to succeed.<br />
“Technology plays a critical role<br />
at every phase of a personalised<br />
traveller journey, helping to<br />
deliver a seamless, connected<br />
trip by enabling localisation<br />
and consumer insights,” said<br />
Angel Llull Mancas, Vice<br />
President and Managing<br />
Director for <strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific for<br />
Booking.com. “Constant<br />
innovation in how we optimise<br />
the customer experience will<br />
be key to continued growth<br />
and expansion in the highly<br />
competitive and diverse <strong>Asia</strong>n<br />
Market.”<br />
DAY TWO’S KEYNOTE<br />
PANEL TO DISCUSS<br />
ACTIONS TO ADAPT<br />
TO EVOLVING<br />
INDUSTRY<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong>’s keynote panel<br />
on 17 October, “The Future<br />
of Travel Distribution”, will<br />
identify business solutions for<br />
challenges faced by the sector<br />
during a time of uncertainty.<br />
The discussion will be led<br />
by senior executives from<br />
Agoda, Expedia Group, Google,<br />
TripAdvisor and Wego. They<br />
will answer the big “Where to<br />
next?” question, as they explore<br />
the rapidly changing travel<br />
industry, new technological<br />
advancements, and implement<br />
diverse distribution strategies<br />
to improve the consumer<br />
experience.<br />
“People make up to 50 searches<br />
before deciding on a flight,<br />
and shopping around for value<br />
is the norm for many global<br />
leisure and business travellers.<br />
Making it simpler to compare<br />
fares, understand inclusions,<br />
recognise value adds while also<br />
delivering unique ways to save<br />
remains core to our technology<br />
development. As an industry,<br />
we’re working towards a<br />
more personalised experience<br />
for travellers, and a more<br />
integrated and seamless supplydistribution<br />
relationship ahead,”<br />
said Demi Kavaratzis, Partner<br />
Marketing Director, Commercial<br />
Strategy and Services, Expedia<br />
Group.<br />
MAXIMISING<br />
OPPORTUNITIES<br />
FROM THE NEW<br />
CHINESE TRAVELLER<br />
In addition to the discussions<br />
of the travel industry’s three<br />
pillars, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> will also<br />
feature a keynote panel on 18<br />
October focused on the new<br />
Chinese traveller, of which<br />
their overseas consumption<br />
is predicted to grow as large<br />
as US$120bn as preferences<br />
evolve. Titled, “The New<br />
Chinese Travellers”, industry<br />
leaders will examine the<br />
growing significance of this<br />
market. Amongst notable<br />
industry experts are Booking.<br />
com, OYO China and Tujia, who<br />
will analyse the preference shift<br />
in the range of destinations,<br />
products and brands of<br />
interest, as well as maximising<br />
opportunities from this market<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
8 NEWS<br />
© SPECTRUM images<br />
OUR<br />
CONFERENCE<br />
SESSIONS ARE<br />
DESIGNED TO GET<br />
ATTENDEES TO<br />
RETHINK HOW<br />
THEY UNDERSTAND<br />
THE INDUSTRY<br />
A speaker during<br />
a conference<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> 2018<br />
Winning<br />
the hearts of<br />
MICE buyers<br />
The inaugural MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong><br />
conference aims to redefine industry<br />
practices and identify new trends that<br />
will shape the future of MICE events<br />
As the MICE industry is highly competitive, the long-term<br />
success of MICE players remains contingent on their ability to<br />
understand and anticipate their customers’ needs. To explore<br />
this notion, the first ever MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong>’s featured<br />
panel discussion will see industry experts challenge and<br />
provide new perspectives on archetypal approaches to the<br />
MICE buyer-seller paradigm.<br />
Thus, the inaugural MICE Show<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>, which takes place alongside<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> in Singapore<br />
between 16 - 18 October, has the<br />
theme of “Winning the Hearts of<br />
MICE Buyers”. It is where the<br />
incentive travel, meetings and<br />
events industries come together<br />
to connect and build the future<br />
of MICE. The annual three-day<br />
business-to-business trade show<br />
and convention will feature<br />
industry suppliers, meetings &<br />
events professionals to up-andcoming<br />
MICE innovators from a<br />
wide range of disciplines, sectors<br />
and all levels of seniority.<br />
Across three days, more than<br />
30 speakers from Convention<br />
and Visitor Bureaus (CVB), MICE<br />
buyer organisations, MICE tech<br />
companies and start-ups, will<br />
discuss topics ranging from events<br />
organisation and management,<br />
technological applications to<br />
trends forecasting and challenging<br />
conventional practices.<br />
MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> features<br />
a diverse programme of key<br />
presentations and discussions<br />
touching on ground-breaking<br />
developments and opportunities<br />
that are shaping the industry<br />
such as sustainability and the<br />
role of social media for event<br />
marketing. The show will see<br />
top buyers’ partners and MICE<br />
industry players, such as BestCities<br />
Global Alliance, HelmsBriscoe,<br />
Professional Convention<br />
Management Association (PCMA),<br />
United Networks of International<br />
Corporate Events Organizers<br />
(UNICEO), come together to speak<br />
and share their expertise.<br />
“The mission of MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong><br />
<strong>2019</strong> is to provide industry suppliers<br />
with the insights and strategies to<br />
meet ever-evolving buyers’ needs.<br />
As the MICE scene continues to<br />
grow, there has never been a<br />
greater need to bring together<br />
industry professionals from across<br />
varied disciplines to share their<br />
knowledge and perspectives. Our<br />
conference sessions are designed<br />
to get attendees to rethink how<br />
they understand the industry, and<br />
gain the ability to set themselves<br />
apart,” said Katrina Leung,<br />
Managing Director of Messe Berlin<br />
(Singapore), the organiser of MICE<br />
Show <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
The speaker panel will include top<br />
management leaders from Chiba<br />
Convention Bureau, Elias Events,<br />
Mix – <strong>Asia</strong>’s Creative Meetings<br />
Magazine, Thailand Convention &<br />
Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and The<br />
Project Office of the Moscow City<br />
Tourism Committee.<br />
In addition to the panel, attendees<br />
will hear from buyer organisations,<br />
leading industry players and fastgrowing<br />
MICE tech companies<br />
such as American Express<br />
Meetings & Events, Aventri,<br />
Cvent, Meetingbox bei Succevo<br />
GmbH and PouchNATION. With<br />
discussions focusing on MICE tech,<br />
improving audience engagement<br />
and trends forecasting, attendees<br />
will gain fresh perspectives about<br />
managing events, including<br />
catering to different personality<br />
types, reducing audience attrition,<br />
and responding to shifting industry<br />
trends.<br />
The show will also include a<br />
keynote session on the power of<br />
collective intelligence. Breaking out<br />
from traditional silo-thinking, the<br />
session will demonstrate the value<br />
of collaborative and ‘community’<br />
approaches to navigate the<br />
complex promotion and business<br />
development landscape.<br />
Start-ups and CVBs are<br />
also scheduled to introduce<br />
revolutionary approaches of<br />
adding value to event experiences.<br />
CVBs will discuss methods of better<br />
managing events to cater for the<br />
audience, including multilingual<br />
content and virtual events. Startups<br />
and new players will share<br />
their expertise on how the running<br />
of MICE events is being shaken<br />
up. Highlights will include new<br />
developments in events space,<br />
indoor mapping and working with<br />
Smart Data.<br />
SHARING THE STAGE<br />
WITH <strong>ITB</strong> ASIA <strong>2019</strong><br />
MICE Show <strong>Asia</strong> will share the<br />
Sands Expo and Convention Centre<br />
at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore<br />
with <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong>. Attendees will<br />
have full access to both events<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
NEWS<br />
9<br />
Gran Meliá Chengdu, China<br />
For the first time, four times Special Events 25 Top DMC and one of the largest<br />
DMC Groups in the world – Global DMC Network by JTB Group – will feature all of<br />
its companies during <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong>. This “Global Village” debut in Singapore will<br />
showcase the multi-dimensions and global presence of the Group. The purpose<br />
of this omnipresence is to display unlimited travel possibilities to (potential) <strong>Asia</strong><br />
Pacific partners.<br />
“This is the first time that all of our companies are<br />
present at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> with a shared booth,’’ says<br />
Abrar Uppal, Senior Manager Global Marketing<br />
of the Global DMC Network by JTB Group. “We<br />
really wish to showcase our strength as One<br />
Group in <strong>Asia</strong> Pacific. Are you looking for a<br />
service not available in a certain destination?<br />
No problem, another DMC underneath our<br />
umbrella, which is present in the desired<br />
destination will take care of all your needs. We<br />
are proud to be a Global Village.”<br />
The companies attending are: Tour East<br />
(Tours in Top 10 Experiences TripAdvisor in<br />
Singapore), JTB Global Marketing and Travel<br />
(Japan Inbound), LOTTE JTB (South-Korea<br />
Inbound), Kuoni Global Travel Services,<br />
Tumlare Destination Management (Europe),<br />
Europamundo Vacaciones (Seat-in-Coach Tour<br />
Operator), TPI (Americas) and - for the first<br />
time ever - MC&A, Inc. (Hawaiian Islands and<br />
Handara Golf & Resort Bali was recently<br />
announced as the winner in Best Golf Resort<br />
Destination and Best Wedding Resort in <strong>2019</strong><br />
by the <strong>Asia</strong> Pacific Tourism Travel Awards. The<br />
golf club and resort has already been ranked<br />
among the “Top 50 Golf Courses in The Word”<br />
by Golf Magazine and was chosen as the 2015<br />
winner of the “Best Golf Hotel in Indonesia”<br />
by the prestigious Word Golf Awards. Located<br />
away from the hustle and bustle of Bali’s tourist<br />
areas, up in the mountains of Bedugul, 1400m<br />
above sea level, the Handara Golf Resort Bali is<br />
a great getaway to escape the heat!<br />
STAND G05- BASEMENT 2<br />
The new website for<br />
Global DMC Network<br />
by JTB Group brings<br />
together all players in<br />
one place<br />
Global DMC Network by JTB<br />
Group brings all DMCs to <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Asia</strong> <strong>2019</strong> for first time<br />
USA destination and event management and<br />
conference planning).<br />
The European side of the Network<br />
accommodates to the trend: e.g., Tumlare<br />
Destination Management offers igloo tours and<br />
Small Groups in Chinese in the Eastern European<br />
and Scandinavian regions. The recent possibility<br />
from October 1st <strong>2019</strong> to obtain an e-visa for St.<br />
Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast area for<br />
many APAC travellers will simplify the process<br />
for Guaranteed Departure tours to Russia.<br />
On the East <strong>Asia</strong>n side, JTB Global Marketing &<br />
Travel Inc., focuses on presenting the essence<br />
of Japanese hospitality as well as specialist<br />
knowledge in a Japan getting ready to host two<br />
of the biggest sports events in the world. One<br />
kicked off in late September<br />
STAND J12 - BASEMENT 2<br />
Bali’s Handara Resort arrives at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Asia</strong> with major awards in hand<br />
The Handara Golf & Resort in Bali<br />
TRAVELCARMA<br />
TO SHOWCASE<br />
ITS TRAVEL<br />
TECHNOLOGIES<br />
AT <strong>ITB</strong> ASIA<br />
The booking technology<br />
specialists TravelCarma will<br />
be showcasing a whole suite<br />
of distribution, ERP and TDX<br />
solutions at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
The company will showcase its suite<br />
of travel technology solutions that<br />
includes:<br />
Emperia – A Travel ERP Solution<br />
that helps travel agencies and OTAs<br />
automate reservations, streamline<br />
back office processes and centrally<br />
manage distribution<br />
Adventia – A package booking solution<br />
for tour operators that allows them<br />
to load their tour packages online,<br />
configure B2B markups/commissions<br />
and allow their agents worldwide to<br />
log in and make bookings<br />
E-IMDP – Inventory Distribution<br />
and Channel Management software<br />
allowing wholesalers, DMCs and large<br />
B2B players to manage and distribute<br />
their contracted inventories via API<br />
across multiple sales channels<br />
TDX – A powerful, platform-agnostic<br />
aggregation engine that can bundle<br />
multiple requests/responses through a<br />
unified API. It also enables travel firms<br />
to tie-up with any partner globally<br />
without making any change in their<br />
existing system<br />
In addition to these solutions,<br />
TravelCarma will also be showcasing<br />
exclusive solutions for Umrah<br />
operators, OTAs and other providers<br />
targeting Muslim travellers. According<br />
to a Skift research, Umrah travel is a<br />
US$220bn market, and Saudi Arabia’s<br />
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is exploring<br />
ways of digitizing and automating the<br />
reservation and visa processes<br />
STAND U48 - LEVEL 1<br />
TravelCarma demo site<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
10 TRADE TALK<br />
THE EVENTS INDUSTRY IS<br />
EVOLVING WITH NEW<br />
TECHNOLOGIES AND MORE<br />
PEOPLE ARE COMING IN TO HIRE<br />
VENUES AND UNDERGO NEW<br />
PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCES.<br />
Christopher Lee<br />
Founder, Venuexplorer.com.sg<br />
Meeting MICE demand –<br />
the right way<br />
Venueexplorer.com.sg now under the umbrella of Meetings.com<br />
– at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> to spread the word and “network”<br />
Christopher Lee, Founder of venuexplorer.com.sg, talks about<br />
the recent partnership with Meetings.com, and how the MICE<br />
market is evolving from a demand point of view. We asked<br />
him to tell us a little more about his organisation, and how<br />
he started out in the business.<br />
I’ve been working in the events<br />
and entertainment business<br />
industry for almost 15 years,<br />
servicing hundreds of corporate<br />
clients. We started off with simple<br />
dinners and dance projects, then<br />
slowly moved into other segments<br />
such as exhibitions, meetings,<br />
conferences, weddings and road<br />
shows. Over time, we gained a pool<br />
of regular clients who placed their<br />
trust in us and asked us to manage<br />
their yearly calendars of projects,<br />
from sourcing venues to catering<br />
services and entertainment.<br />
Nowadays, for venue hiring in<br />
Singapore, venuexplorer.com.sg<br />
is emerging as one of the leading<br />
online venue marketplaces.<br />
There are more than 100<br />
venue space options available on<br />
venuexplorer.com.sg including<br />
different restaurants, bars,<br />
country clubs, unique venues like<br />
karting circuits, Singapore Turf<br />
Club and many more. In just a few<br />
clicks, be it corporate or individual,<br />
one can hire the ideal venue.<br />
Our acquisition by hotelplanner.<br />
com will definitely broaden our<br />
canvas and we are really thrilled<br />
about this partnership. It is a win<br />
for both parties. Our target is to<br />
increase the market share by up to<br />
300 event spaces by the end of this<br />
year. By 2020, we are hoping to<br />
broaden our network to <strong>Asia</strong> Pacific<br />
to cover the needs of corporates<br />
as well as individuals to assist<br />
them in getting the right venue<br />
spaces with our highly compatible<br />
products. The events industry is<br />
evolving with new technologies<br />
and more people are coming in<br />
to hire venues and undergo new<br />
personalized experiences. All of us<br />
at venuexplorer.com.sg are really<br />
eager to be at the lead of these<br />
changes.<br />
How hard is it for people to “get<br />
things right” when booking for<br />
weddings, conferences, parties,<br />
product launches, etc., and how<br />
do you help?<br />
In general, it can be a real headache.<br />
But it is very easy and convenient<br />
to use venuexplorer.com.sg.<br />
Options available on the platform<br />
allow consumers to search for<br />
places of their preferences.<br />
They can easily search for an<br />
appropriate place and it lessens<br />
their difficulties in sourcing for<br />
good venues. The venuexplorer.<br />
com.sg platform saves the<br />
customers from the hassle of<br />
calling and getting quotations for<br />
venues. Our platform provides<br />
the facility of instant booking and<br />
consumers can hire venues for<br />
their next events.<br />
If consumers are unable to search<br />
for their ideal venue online, they<br />
can simply ring one of our venue<br />
experts and they will provide a list of<br />
suitable venues according to their<br />
requirements. We are also offering<br />
a number of other services, such<br />
as anger management activities,<br />
bungee jumping, or bike riding for<br />
corporate travellers.<br />
What are you seeing as being<br />
the key trends in terms of<br />
MICE bookings at the moment?<br />
It is quite common for many<br />
corporate travellers and<br />
individuals to seek distinctive<br />
venues for their events as they are<br />
moving away from the traditional<br />
places such as hotels. Everything<br />
is now available online and people<br />
can book hotels, rooms and<br />
restaurants, but there was no<br />
facility that offered a one-stop<br />
online venue booking platform.<br />
Such a platform can ease the life<br />
of many people.<br />
As you are attending <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>,<br />
what are the main things you will<br />
be looking for at the show?<br />
We will share our platform and are<br />
looking forward to partnerships<br />
for the growth of our network in<br />
the <strong>Asia</strong> Pacific region.<br />
How important is it for you to<br />
network at events like this?<br />
It has great importance for us as it<br />
definitely helps us in the growth of<br />
our platform. With this opportunity,<br />
we will come in direct contact<br />
with our partners, or client and we<br />
can personally share the benefits<br />
and features of our platform<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
11<br />
ASIA IS A<br />
REGION IN<br />
WHICH WE’RE<br />
SEEING<br />
CONTINUED<br />
GROWTH AND IT<br />
CONTINUES TO<br />
BE A FOCUS<br />
FOR OUR<br />
BUSINESS.<br />
Angel Llull<br />
Mancas<br />
Vice President and Managing Director,<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific, Booking,.com<br />
The evolution of Booking.com<br />
in APAC<br />
Exclusive interview: Angel Llull Mancas, Vice President and Managing<br />
Director, <strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific, Booking.com<br />
The Dutch Online Travel Agency, Booking.com has been present<br />
in the <strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific region for 11 years. In an interview with<br />
Angel Llull Mancas, Vice President and Managing Director,<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific, Booking.com we asked him about the current<br />
trends in online bookings in the region.<br />
With increasing mobile penetration<br />
globally and consumers in <strong>Asia</strong><br />
being at the forefront of all things<br />
mobile, travellers are looking to<br />
their mobile devices to help them<br />
do more, see more and experience<br />
more before, during and after<br />
their trips. Today, more than 50%<br />
of accommodation reservations<br />
on Booking.com happen through<br />
mobile devices. Intra-region travel<br />
is also burgeoning with the influx<br />
of low-cost carriers, simplified visa<br />
processes and growth in supply.<br />
That being said, we also see similar<br />
online booking trends that transcend<br />
the region. Globally, we continue to<br />
see an increasing overlap between<br />
business and leisure travel, with<br />
people increasingly tying personal<br />
travel into a business trip. We’re<br />
also seeing a demand for more<br />
unique experiences and the appetite<br />
to explore different places to stay.<br />
Which regions are emerging?<br />
<strong>Asia</strong> is a region in which we’re seeing<br />
continued growth and it continues<br />
to be a focus for our business. It is<br />
certainly a region with many unique<br />
aspects and challenges. On the<br />
one hand, you have markets such<br />
as Japan, Singapore and Thailand,<br />
with an extremely strong inbound<br />
booker market and well-developed<br />
tourism industries. There are also<br />
markets that are just opening up to<br />
tourists, like Myanmar, and markets<br />
that are quite fragmented within<br />
themselves such as Indonesia. It is<br />
an extraordinary region with many<br />
complexities and many amazing<br />
destinations for visitors locally and<br />
globally to experience.<br />
How are you working in India?<br />
India is an important market for<br />
us where we see a lot of growth<br />
potential. We opened our first office<br />
in Mumbai in 2012 with just 4<br />
employees, and we now have over<br />
80 employees across 4 offices in<br />
the country. We offer close to 45k<br />
properties in the country, which<br />
represents thousands of listings<br />
across traditional hotels as well<br />
as homes, apartments and other<br />
types of unique places to stay. We<br />
are a meaningful player today in the<br />
market, with Booking.com having<br />
grown at about 68 per cent in 2017-<br />
18 in terms of supply.<br />
You have been moving into the<br />
home and room rental market.<br />
How is that coming along?<br />
What most people don’t realise<br />
is that the first apartment on<br />
Booking.com was listed in 2000,<br />
before Airbnb ever even existed.<br />
Through our rigorous A/B testing,<br />
also known as bucket testing, we<br />
learned early on that travellers want<br />
options in one place. They may not<br />
always want to stay in a home or in<br />
a hotel, so showcasing our breadth<br />
of offerings is what customers want.<br />
Now, we see other sites following<br />
suit. Today this is a big and very<br />
important business for us. We have<br />
seen over 3 billion guest arrivals at<br />
Booking.com across all properties<br />
since 2007, with 750M guest arrivals<br />
in our alternative accommodations<br />
segment alone since 2007. Booking.<br />
com also doesn’t charge customer<br />
fees. What we’re striving towards<br />
is providing travellers with the<br />
widest selection of offerings and<br />
leveraging technologies like AI and<br />
machine learning to narrow down<br />
the options to help them make their<br />
decisions.<br />
How important is <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> for you<br />
as a platform for networking?<br />
I always look forward to <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>.<br />
It’s a great moment to catch up with<br />
many of our key business contacts,<br />
but also to come together with<br />
thought leaders from across the<br />
industry, evaluate the trends that are<br />
shaping the future of our business<br />
and get inspired by the incredible<br />
work that’s being done around <strong>Asia</strong><br />
and throughout the world<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
12 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
Uzbekistan targets “Haj plus”<br />
market<br />
With an enormous wealth of Islamic sites, the nation is reaching<br />
out to the world at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong><br />
Bahruz Hamzaev is Strategy Advisor to the State Committee<br />
for Tourism Development of Uzbekistan. We asked him how<br />
tourism has been progressing in past years in his nation.<br />
Inbound tourism has been<br />
increasing exponentially. In 2016,<br />
we had 1.3 million tourists. For<br />
the end of this year, projections<br />
are for 6.3 million. Every year,<br />
the number of tourists coming<br />
to Uzbekistan is doubling. One<br />
of the main reasons for that is<br />
the easing of the visa process.<br />
By 1 January 2020, the number<br />
of visa-free countries will reach<br />
86, including China. This is the<br />
biggest driver of tourist numbers<br />
in our country. More airlines are<br />
also flying to Uzbekistan.<br />
How are you looking to further<br />
increase tourism figures?<br />
We would like to diversify. At the<br />
moment, the core audience is<br />
generally the baby-boomers. They<br />
stay longer, they stay in better<br />
hotels, and their expenditure<br />
is higher. However, tourism in<br />
Uzbekistan is seasonal, and we<br />
would like to change that, so we<br />
are targeting a younger audience,<br />
including millennials and solo<br />
travellers. Uzbekistan is the<br />
number five safest destination<br />
globally in the solo travel index.<br />
It has been one of the safest<br />
countries for the past ten years.<br />
So, we would like to increase the<br />
capacity for tourism, diversify, and<br />
have more tourists throughout<br />
the year.<br />
WE WOULD<br />
LIKE TO<br />
INCREASE THE<br />
CAPACITY FOR<br />
TOURISM,<br />
DIVERSIFY, AND<br />
HAVE MORE<br />
TOURISTS<br />
THROUGHOUT<br />
THE YEAR.<br />
How important are the Eastern<br />
and Southeast <strong>Asia</strong>n markets<br />
for you?<br />
They are equally as important<br />
as Europe. Uzbekistan is mainly<br />
a Muslim country, with world<br />
renowned Shrines in Silk<br />
Road places like Tashkent and<br />
Bukhara. Samarkand is home<br />
to dozens of magnificent tombs.<br />
Notable figures like the emperor<br />
Tamerlane, the astronomer<br />
Ulughbek and Kusam Ibn<br />
Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet<br />
Muhammad, who brought Islam<br />
to this land in the 7th Century, are<br />
all buried here. There is also the<br />
tomb of the prophet Daniel, or<br />
Daniyar as Uzbeks call him.<br />
For this, people from Malaysia<br />
and Indonesia are increasingly<br />
attracted to our country. Added to<br />
this are the facts that we have a<br />
direct flight from Kuala Lumpur in<br />
Malaysia, and since the beginning<br />
of this year, there are regular<br />
flights from Jakarta, and we have<br />
the visa-free system for these<br />
travellers. Our idea is to attract<br />
more people for Haj “plus”, where<br />
people can prolong their journey<br />
with a visit to our sites. Many add<br />
a third destination after doing<br />
Mecca and Medina. Now, as we<br />
have a direct flight, this makes it<br />
interesting to pass by Uzbekistan.<br />
Another interesting fact is that<br />
Indonesia and Malaysia don’t<br />
have a winter, and Uzbekistan has<br />
four real seasons, with snow in<br />
winter and great ski resorts. Many<br />
of these people have never seen<br />
snow, so that’s an added plus.<br />
How important is <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> for<br />
reaching your potential clients?<br />
It’s one of the shows that our<br />
government has listed as “not<br />
to be missed”. We consider<br />
the region very important as a<br />
potential market<br />
Bahruz Hamzaev<br />
Strategy Advisor to the State<br />
Committee for Tourism Development,<br />
Uzbekistan<br />
NEW<br />
TOURIST<br />
WELCOME<br />
CENTRES IN<br />
TASHKENT<br />
On 22 July, Bekabad and Tashkent districts<br />
of the Tashkent region on the territory of<br />
the “Oybek” and “Gisht-Kuprik” checkpoints<br />
opened two tourist information centres. The<br />
checkpoints are respectively on the borders<br />
the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of<br />
Kazakhstan.<br />
Earlier, during the visit of the President<br />
of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the<br />
Tashkent region a number of tasks were<br />
set, one of which was the creation of tourist<br />
information centres at these points. The<br />
purpose of tourist information centres is to<br />
provide foreign visitors with all the necessary<br />
information about the tourist potential of the<br />
country, accommodation facilities, popular<br />
destinations and domestic routes. Also, the<br />
centres provide tourists with handouts in the<br />
form of booklets, brochures and magazines<br />
about the regions of the Republic, as well as<br />
assistance in calling taxis and buying tourist<br />
SIM cards<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
WELLNESS<br />
13<br />
Yoga at the Handara resort, Bali<br />
Wellness is becoming an essential<br />
part of the travel industry around<br />
the world<br />
Wellness tourism is becoming increasingly important not<br />
only in <strong>Asia</strong> but also in other parts of the world. In recent<br />
years, countries such as Italy, Morocco, Spain or the USA<br />
are turning into popular destinations for wellness. While <strong>Asia</strong><br />
accounts for some of the most prestigious wellness retreats<br />
around the world, Europe is still leading in terms of wellness<br />
trips.<br />
In its annual Global Wellness<br />
Trends ,released at the end of last<br />
year, the Global Wellness Institute<br />
indicates that the wellness industry<br />
was worth US$639.4 billion,<br />
including all the programmes,<br />
services and products dedicated<br />
to the wellbeing of people.<br />
According to GWT, wellness<br />
tourism is a segment that has been<br />
growing by 6.5% annually from<br />
2015-2017 (more than twice the<br />
growth rate for general tourism)<br />
with travellers accounting for 830<br />
million wellness trips in 2017, a<br />
growth of 139 million trips over<br />
2015.<br />
The blossoming of the wellness<br />
sector in the travel industry is<br />
driven by the rapid rise of the<br />
middle class around the world and<br />
particularly in <strong>Asia</strong>. According to<br />
the latest report, Europe remains<br />
the destination for the largest<br />
number of wellness trips, while<br />
North America leads in wellness<br />
tourism expenditures.<br />
According to the Global Wellness<br />
Tourism Economy report,<br />
“Wellness tourism growth is<br />
very much a tale of developing<br />
markets, with <strong>Asia</strong>-Pacific, Latin<br />
America-Caribbean, Middle East-<br />
North Africa, and Sub-Saharan<br />
Africa accounting for 57 per cent<br />
of the increase in wellness trips.<br />
Over the past five years, <strong>Asia</strong> is<br />
the number one growth sector in<br />
both wellness tourism trips and<br />
revenues.”<br />
The report indicates that <strong>Asia</strong><br />
Pacific recorded 258 million trips<br />
with expenditures reaching US$<br />
136.7 bn in 2017. The continent<br />
was second after Europe with 292<br />
million trips and ahead of North<br />
America with 204 million trips.<br />
Growth has been driven by an<br />
expanding global middle class,<br />
growing consumer desire to<br />
adopt a wellness lifestyle, rising<br />
interest in experiential travel, and<br />
increasing affordability of flights<br />
and travel options.<br />
While there is a trend to practice<br />
holistic wellbeing at home or in<br />
a private environment, spas and<br />
hotels in <strong>Asia</strong> continue to attract<br />
travellers looking for a healthy<br />
mind and body. The continent has<br />
indeed some of the best renowned<br />
spas and wellness retreats in the<br />
world.<br />
But many countries are now<br />
looking at promoting wellness<br />
destinations to their visitors. The<br />
wellness thematic is also a good<br />
way for governments to diversify<br />
their tourist market, by carving<br />
out a niche which will can help<br />
reduce seasonality, fighting over<br />
tourism by promoting secondary<br />
destinations.<br />
The well-being factor is also<br />
accompanied by organic-driven<br />
gastronomy and eco-consumption<br />
and the inclusion of the person’s<br />
wishes. As an example, some<br />
luxury hotels offer free yoga<br />
sessions and meditation to their<br />
guests. A new trend is group of<br />
travellers bringing their own yoga<br />
coach.<br />
Wellness retreats are even<br />
expanding into urban destinations<br />
with many brands moving into<br />
metropolises to create “city oases”.<br />
As more consumers incorporate<br />
wellness into their lifestyles, there<br />
are many opportunities for the<br />
travel business to infuse wellness<br />
into their offerings and capture<br />
spending by wellness travellers<br />
ACCORDING<br />
TO THE ANNUAL<br />
REPORT OF<br />
GLOBAL<br />
WELLNESS<br />
TRENDS,<br />
WELLNESS<br />
TOURISM IS A<br />
SEGMENT THAT<br />
HAS BEEN<br />
GROWING BY<br />
6.5% ANNUALLY<br />
SINCE 2015-<br />
2017 WITH<br />
TRAVELLERS<br />
ACCOUNTING<br />
FOR 830<br />
MILLION<br />
WELLNESS<br />
TRIPS IN 2017.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
14 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
WELLNESS<br />
MESASTILA<br />
RESORT & SPA<br />
BLENDS<br />
HISTORY,<br />
CULTURE AND<br />
WELLNESS<br />
Previously known as Losari Coffee<br />
Plantation, MesaStila Resort and Spa is<br />
a unique luxury five-star resort and spa.<br />
Its uniqueness comes from its location<br />
in Magelan. The resort is surrounded<br />
by volcanoes and rice paddies, a few<br />
kilometres away from one of Indonesia’s<br />
most iconic monuments, Borobudur<br />
temple.<br />
Auriga spa, Body Massage<br />
A rich offering of spa<br />
resorts at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong><br />
The resort has been developed within<br />
a former coffee plantation perched<br />
on a hill. Most of the buildings are in<br />
fact historical constructions. There is<br />
the villa of the Dutch plantation owner<br />
which dominates the resort while the<br />
check-in for the guests is done in a<br />
former rail station which has been<br />
rebuilt at the resort. All the rooms are<br />
located in historic Joglo-villas, typical<br />
Javanese style houses made of wood<br />
which were mostly erected in the 19th<br />
century.<br />
Numerous exhibitors with spa products will be present<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> this year, many located in <strong>Asia</strong>, where the<br />
art of massage is part of the culture.<br />
From Onsen spas in Japan to<br />
Indonesian herbal massage,<br />
from Indian Ayurvedic spas<br />
to centuries-old traditional<br />
Thai massages in temples,<br />
<strong>Asia</strong> is a continent where the<br />
spa industry has turned into<br />
one of the most sophisticated<br />
in the world. According to<br />
the Global Wellness Trends<br />
Report, eight countries in the<br />
top 20 wellness destinations<br />
around the world are in<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>. The largest number of<br />
wellness trips were recorded<br />
in 2017 in China with a total<br />
of 70.2 million, followed by<br />
India with 56 million wellness<br />
trips, followed by Japan with<br />
40.5 million.<br />
Many hotel chains in <strong>Asia</strong><br />
even built their reputation<br />
thanks to their spas. And<br />
virtually all resorts present at<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> from the Maldives<br />
are equipped with fabulous<br />
facilities and services.<br />
Today, all luxury international<br />
luxury chains in <strong>Asia</strong> Pacific<br />
have dedicated facilities.<br />
Bali also has its share of resorts<br />
equipped with spas. There<br />
are the Bali Mandira Resort &<br />
Spa, the Jayakarta Bali Beach<br />
Resort & Spa, the Nandini<br />
Jungle Resort and Spa, Nusa<br />
Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, the<br />
Senetan Villas & Spa Resort<br />
and the Ubud Village Resort<br />
& Spa. Also in Indonesia, but<br />
located in Central Java, is the<br />
MesaStila Resort and Spa<br />
in the vicinity of the famed<br />
temple of Borobudur.<br />
Thailand’s spa resorts include<br />
the Phuket Graceland Resort<br />
& Spa, Phuket Marriott Resort<br />
& Spa, Merlin Beach, the<br />
Renaissance Pattaya Resort<br />
& Spa as well as the Kee<br />
Resort & Spa Phuket. From<br />
Malaysia, exhibitors such as<br />
Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota<br />
Kinabalu and Nexus Resort<br />
& Spa Karambunai offer<br />
exceptional services. Both<br />
are in the state of Sabah on<br />
the island of Borneo. Another<br />
property is the Shangri-La’s<br />
Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa in<br />
Penang.<br />
Japan is represented with the<br />
Okinawa Marriott Resort &<br />
Spa which overlooks the East<br />
China Sea. Vietnam is home<br />
to the Hoi-An Resort & Spa in<br />
the vicinity of the old historical<br />
town while the Maldives<br />
presents the Furaveri Island<br />
Resort & Spa<br />
The spa also has a historical background.<br />
Spa therapy at MesaStila takes its<br />
inspiration from the cultural blend<br />
brought by traders from the Arabic<br />
peninsula, China, India and Java. This<br />
translates into the traditional jamu – a<br />
medicine made from local herbs that can<br />
be used for massage but also drunk. With<br />
its origins in Turkey, MesaStila is proud<br />
to house an authentic hammam, where<br />
steam bathing combines functionality<br />
with cleansing rituals<br />
STAND G05 - BASEMENT 2<br />
The infinity pool of the MesaStila<br />
Resort and Spa<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
CITY BREAKS<br />
15<br />
LUXEMBOURG CITY<br />
IS ALSO A PERFECT<br />
CHRISTMAS<br />
DESTINATION<br />
Why not to travel to Luxembourg between<br />
22 November and 5 January to discover the<br />
“Winterlights” festival which celebrates the<br />
Christmas time?<br />
Jakarta spruces<br />
up its image<br />
The Indonesian capital Jakarta is more visitors-friendly than ever.<br />
The opening of the first MRT line and the renovation of the old<br />
town are bringing renewed interest to discover the Indonesian<br />
metropolis.<br />
If Bali is the largest tourism destination<br />
for Indonesia by welcoming over six<br />
million visitors per year, Jakarta is<br />
coming second. According to data<br />
from the Central Office of Statistics<br />
for the Jakarta Region, the capital<br />
welcomed 2.81 million tourist visits<br />
last year from overseas, representing<br />
a market share of 15% of all arrivals.<br />
Jakarta is indeed turning into a more<br />
attractive than ever destination. In the<br />
last decade, Jakarta has seen massive<br />
investments in its infrastructure. The<br />
brand-new Terminal 3 at Jakarta<br />
International Airport, the opening of<br />
the airport rail link to town and the<br />
opening of a 50-km section of the<br />
Jakarta Outer Ring Road 2 are some<br />
recent examples of the government’s<br />
commitment to improve the city’s<br />
mobility.<br />
First mulled out some 25 years ago,<br />
Jakarta’s first MRT line opened last<br />
March. It links the commercial city<br />
centre where most shopping malls<br />
and hotels are located along the<br />
brand new 13 stations on the way to<br />
South Jakarta. In a second phase due<br />
to be completed in 2024, the MRT will<br />
go up to the old town of Jakarta, one<br />
of the main attractions for visitors to<br />
the capital.<br />
Mentioning the old town of Jakarta<br />
(named Kota by locals), a lot of<br />
improvement happened over the last<br />
two years. For a long time, the cradle<br />
of the city- created over 350 years by<br />
the Dutch under the name of Bataviahas<br />
been a huge construction site<br />
with the renovation of the canals and<br />
of many historical houses.<br />
The result was worth the wait. The<br />
canal area has been totally cleaned<br />
and transformed into a river walk.<br />
Museums have been modernized<br />
while renovated Dutch-style houses<br />
have been converted into trendy<br />
coffee shops, eateries as well as art<br />
galleries. A welcomed transformation<br />
for visitors!<br />
STAND G23 - BASEMENT 2<br />
The Jakarta old town along<br />
the Kasi Besar canal<br />
Luxembourg is an excellent alternative for travellers<br />
looking to enjoy a traditional European Christmas. The<br />
small capital city is actually an attractive destination<br />
during the festive season with its atmospheric old<br />
town living to the rhythm of the “Winterlights” festival.<br />
Luxemburg City is invaded by giant Christmas trees, a<br />
Ferris wheel, various carrousels as well as Christmas<br />
markets that smell of mulled wine and cinnamon<br />
biscuits. The highlight of the festive season is a giant iceskating<br />
rink in front of Luxembourg old city hall.<br />
Hosted for a couple of years, the “Winterlights” festival<br />
turns the city into a magical and wonderful setting with<br />
thousands of lights along the streets and avenues of the<br />
city centre. The event is organized by the Luxembourg<br />
City Tourist Office in close collaboration with the City<br />
of Luxembourg. Winterlights is not only about lighting<br />
Luxembourg squares and streets. They are more than<br />
200 concerts and events in the heart of the Christmas<br />
markets of Luxembourg City.<br />
A good motivation to visit Luxembourg Winterlights<br />
Festival is the commitment of authorities for an<br />
environment-friendly event. The lights that illuminate<br />
the city during the Christmas period consists exclusively<br />
of low-energy bulbs. The LEDs manage to reduce the<br />
electricity consumption by 97% while the remaining 3%<br />
is supplied by so-called “green” electricity.<br />
The City is stepping up its efforts to promote and maintain<br />
a clean environment by setting up rules to reduce the<br />
amount of waste produced. Thanks to the commitment<br />
of the festival’s organisers and associations that occupy<br />
Christmas markets booths, meals and drinks offered at<br />
the Christmas market will be served in containers made<br />
of reusable materials, such as glass or porcelain. Visitors<br />
will be able to collect their deposit by returning them to<br />
the stands<br />
STAND L27 - BASEMENT 2<br />
The ‘Winterlights’ festival<br />
in Luxembourg City<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
16 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
CITY BREAKS<br />
The Anchorage skyline<br />
Old Austro-Hungarian<br />
atmosphere lives on<br />
in Zagreb<br />
Zagreb is an increasingly attractive destination for <strong>Asia</strong>n<br />
travellers thanks to excellent flight connections and a<br />
rich history which gives the Croatian capital a lot of<br />
charm.<br />
Wildlife in the city:<br />
Alaska runs wild and<br />
free in Anchorage<br />
Only in Anchorage can you meet a moose, walk on a glacier and<br />
explore a vast, natural park all in a single day. Between mountains<br />
and an inlet, surrounded by national parks and filled with Alaska<br />
wildlife, Anchorage combines the best of Alaska in a city that has<br />
the comforts of home and the hospitality of the Last Frontier.<br />
Alaska’s largest city and<br />
transportation hub excites the<br />
visitors’ senses with urban delights<br />
and wild sights. The city combines<br />
the best of city amenities such as<br />
world-class dining, comfortable<br />
lodging and cultural touchpoints<br />
with the vast beauty and wildness<br />
that is Alaska. Travellers can look<br />
for an urban moose, walk on a<br />
glacier, and escape to a national<br />
park all in one day. Winter fun<br />
includes aurora viewing, downhill<br />
and cross-country skiing, dog<br />
mushing and winter festivals.<br />
Diverse populations such as moose,<br />
Dall sheep, black and brown bear,<br />
grizzlies, lynx, fox, coyote, beluga<br />
whales, salmon, wolves and<br />
fascinating species of birds live in<br />
abundance in Anchorage’s big back<br />
yard.<br />
HOTEL NEWS<br />
The boom in midtown hotel building<br />
is at a crescendo with the opening<br />
of StayBridge Suites and Hyatt<br />
Place. StayBridge Suites opened<br />
December 2018. StayBridge is off A<br />
Street along Calais Drive and has<br />
suites equipped with full kitchens.<br />
Hyatt Place opened in Anchorage in<br />
May of <strong>2019</strong>. The property on Tudor<br />
Road has 133 rooms. The Lakefront<br />
Anchorage brings Lake Hood closer<br />
to guests. Alterations to exterior<br />
landscaping allow the hotel to offer<br />
a new set of lake view rooms. Guests<br />
can watch the sun slowly set as float<br />
planes taxi, take off and land at an<br />
Alaska floatplane base.<br />
NEW VESSELS FOR<br />
GLACIER AND WILDLIFE<br />
CRUISES IN PRINCE<br />
WILLIAM SOUND<br />
Phillips Cruises and tours has<br />
added a new vessel, the Bravest,<br />
to the day cruise offerings from<br />
the port town of Whittier. The new,<br />
high-speed catamaran can carry<br />
285 passengers. The vessel is the<br />
company’s third exploring Prince<br />
William Sound. Meanwhile, Lazy<br />
Otter’s new boat, the Voyager is a<br />
46-foot, 30-passenger catamaran,<br />
specially designed for glacier and<br />
wildlife cruises<br />
STAND P05 - BASEMENT 2<br />
Zagreb is a concentration of<br />
what the Austro-Hubngarian<br />
Empire used to stand for. The<br />
city bears the charm of Croatian<br />
hospitality with its little inns<br />
and cellars offering traditional<br />
Croatian gastronomy and<br />
wines. Its old town offers<br />
striking similarities with Buda<br />
hill in Budapest with its small<br />
baroque-style houses and its<br />
churches. However, it is far<br />
less crowded.<br />
Its 19 th century town reflects<br />
the grandeur of the Austrian<br />
empire. Monuments along<br />
its large avenues such as the<br />
National Theatre, the Croatian<br />
Fine Arts Museum, the<br />
University or the Art Pavilion<br />
all set along large parks<br />
remind us of Vienna. Zagreb is<br />
also an interesting destination<br />
for art lovers thanks to a large<br />
number of local painters and<br />
sculptors.<br />
Visitors should also take time<br />
to visit Zagreb’s Christmas<br />
market, which has been awared<br />
several times as “Europe’s Best<br />
Christmas Market”.<br />
The Croatian capital is easily<br />
accessible for travellers from<br />
overseas. The city is one of the<br />
few in Central Europe to benefit<br />
of a non-stop connection<br />
to <strong>Asia</strong> thanks to Korean Air<br />
and also via Istanbul with<br />
Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa<br />
via Frankfurt or Munich or<br />
Austrian Airlines via Vienna.<br />
From a total of 19.7 million<br />
foreign tourist arrivals in 2018,<br />
1.4 million overseas travellers<br />
visited Zagreb, up by 16.6%.<br />
giving the city a market share<br />
of 7%. Growth is stimulated<br />
by rising numbers from <strong>Asia</strong>,<br />
especially from Korea, Hong<br />
Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.<br />
Overseas visitors from<br />
<strong>Asia</strong> come to Zagreb for<br />
the cultural, historical and<br />
culinary experience that<br />
the city has to offer. In the<br />
Zagreb countryside, they can<br />
enjoy wine routes, biking<br />
tours as well as agritourism<br />
experiences. Shopping is also<br />
turning increasingly popular,<br />
especially with the opening<br />
of the Designer Outlet Croatia<br />
complex in Rugvica, near to<br />
the Croatian capital. Next for<br />
promotion stands now health<br />
tourism destination with spas<br />
and thermal sources<br />
STAND L25 - BASEMENT 2<br />
<br />
Zagreb Ban Jelacic Square<br />
in the city<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
MEDICAL TOURISM<br />
17<br />
THAILAND IS<br />
COURTING TOURISTS<br />
FOR MEDICAL CARE<br />
Penang tops<br />
Malaysia’s list for<br />
medical tourism<br />
With no less than seven private hospitals participating in medical<br />
tourism in Penang, the island destination accounts for the major<br />
share of Malaysia’s medical tourism – which accounts for over a<br />
million annual arrivals in the country.<br />
Hospitals such as Pantai Mutiara<br />
Hospital, Lam Wah Ee Hospital,<br />
Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital,<br />
Loh Guan Lye Specialist Hospital,<br />
Gleneagles Hospital, Penang<br />
Adventist Hospital and Island<br />
Hospital are favourites in Penang<br />
for care-seekers from Thailand and<br />
Australia.<br />
Annual growth in medical tourism<br />
arrivals to Malaysia is expected<br />
to continue at around 15%. But<br />
why is medical tourism so strong<br />
in Malaysia, and in particular in<br />
Penang? Malaysia Healthcare<br />
Travel Council CEO, Sherene Azli<br />
believes the selling proposition that<br />
is strongest on top of the quality of<br />
the medical care is the affordability:<br />
“Due to heavy market regulation<br />
under the Ministry of Health,<br />
with fee schedules and price<br />
capping, our doctors cannot<br />
overcharge patients. This is especially<br />
comforting for patients coming from<br />
abroad, knowing that not only do<br />
we provide world class quality<br />
and immediate accessibility,<br />
but we are also very affordable.<br />
Within this region, the stronger<br />
players are Malaysia, Thailand, and<br />
Sherene Azli<br />
CEO, Malaysia Healthcare<br />
Travel Council<br />
historically, Singapore. Singapore<br />
however have priced themselves<br />
out, as they are three to four times<br />
more expensive than Malaysia.<br />
Thailand is priced higher than us, at<br />
around double our prices.”<br />
According to Azli, a big growth<br />
market is China. “Our largest<br />
market is currently Indonesia,<br />
which accounts for 50% to 60% of<br />
our arrivals. Last year we exceeded<br />
our target of 1 million arrivals and<br />
close to 60% are Indonesians. That<br />
being said, we are seeing growth<br />
from other ASEAN countries like<br />
Myanmar and Vietnam – so<br />
much so that we have started<br />
opening representative offices<br />
in these two countries. At the<br />
same time, we have seen doubledigit<br />
growth from China. China is<br />
growing – especially for fertility,<br />
India is also on the rise. Southeast<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>’s population is 690 million,<br />
combined with 1.4 bn in China and<br />
1.2 bn in India we have quite a large<br />
volume of potential healthcare<br />
travellers”<br />
STAND C05 - BASEMENT 2<br />
Thailand is not only known for its temples or its<br />
beaches but also for its excellent healthcare. The<br />
Tourism Authority of Thailand is aware that medical<br />
tourism brings to the country and has launched<br />
various initiatives to facilitate the development of<br />
medical tourism in line with government’s directive<br />
to promote Thailand as a regional hub for medical<br />
and wellness tourism.<br />
Health and wellness is one of<br />
a number of niche markets<br />
being promoted by TAT<br />
under the marketing concept<br />
of “Amazing Thailand: Open<br />
to the New Shades.” Some of<br />
the promising demographic<br />
segments include senior<br />
citizens, millennials and<br />
working women.<br />
Thailand is indeed one of<br />
the world’s most popular<br />
health and wellness tourism<br />
destinations, ranging<br />
from prevention to cure.<br />
Traditionally, Thailand was<br />
mostly visited for medical<br />
purposes from countries<br />
such as Cambodia, Lao PDR,<br />
India, Indonesia and the Gulf<br />
countries.<br />
“Over the years, demand<br />
has been emerging<br />
from countries such as<br />
Myanmar, Australia and<br />
Russia,” explained Srisuda<br />
Wanapinyosak, TAT Deputy<br />
Governor of International<br />
Marketing -Europe, Africa,<br />
Middle East and Americas<br />
Back in 2017, the Kingdom<br />
introduced a special 90-day<br />
visa for citizens of China,<br />
the Mekong countries<br />
(Cambodia, Lao PDR,<br />
Myanmar and Vietnam)<br />
as well as Gulf countries<br />
(GCC) who come for<br />
medical purposes. The visa<br />
is delivered with a special<br />
confirmation letter sent by a<br />
list of hospitals or healthcare<br />
centres approved by the<br />
Ministry of Public Health to<br />
make an appointment. More<br />
than 100 hospital and health<br />
facilities are listed on the<br />
ministry list.<br />
Recently, Thailand<br />
experienced the opening of<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>’s first hotel resort with<br />
an inhouse medical team.<br />
In the heart of Bangkok,<br />
Mövenpick BDMS Wellness<br />
Resort Bangkok is a very<br />
different style of hotels than<br />
other properties of the group.<br />
The resort hotel features 293<br />
rooms and suites overlooking<br />
a garden with an adjacent<br />
clinic proposing various<br />
wellbeing programs. The<br />
Mövenpick BDMS Wellness<br />
Resort is a brand new concept<br />
of holistic hospitality<br />
STAND E05 - BASEMENT 2<br />
Medical travellers are able to combine visits to local<br />
markets and sites with medical services in local clinics.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
18 REGION<br />
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN<br />
Las Vegas<br />
FACTS & FIGURES<br />
Growth of 2% in international<br />
arrivals for the Americas in first<br />
half <strong>2019</strong><br />
Overall, international tourist arrivals grew 4% from January to<br />
June <strong>2019</strong>, compared to the same period last year, according<br />
to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Growth was<br />
led by the Middle East (+8%) and <strong>Asia</strong> and the Pacific (+6%).<br />
International arrivals in Europe grew 4%, while Africa (+3%)<br />
and the Americas (+2%) enjoyed more moderate growth.<br />
The drivers of these results were<br />
strong economy, affordable air<br />
travel, increased air connectivity<br />
and enhanced visa facilitation.<br />
However, weaker economic<br />
indicators, prolonged uncertainty<br />
about Brexit, trade and<br />
technological tensions and rising<br />
geopolitical challenges, have<br />
started to take a toll on business<br />
and consumer confidence, as<br />
reflected in a more cautious<br />
UNWTO Confidence Index.<br />
In the Americas (+2%), results<br />
improved in the second quarter<br />
after a weak start to the year. The<br />
Caribbean (+11%) benefitted from<br />
strong US demand and continued<br />
to rebound strongly from the impact<br />
of hurricanes Irma and Maria in<br />
late 2017, a challenge which the<br />
region unfortunately faces once<br />
again. North America recorded<br />
2% growth, while Central America<br />
(+1%) showed mixed results. In<br />
South America, arrivals were<br />
down 5% partly due to a decline<br />
in outbound travel from Argentina<br />
which affected neighbouring<br />
destinations.<br />
Statistics from the US National<br />
Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO)<br />
indicate that the biggest growth in<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>n outbound travellers towards<br />
the United States last year came<br />
from Singapore, with a hike of<br />
26.6% from 254,000 travellers in<br />
2017 to 332,000 in 2018. A rise of<br />
16.5% in Indian travellers, up to a<br />
total of 2.756 million in 2018 was<br />
also noted. The biggest outbound<br />
market from <strong>Asia</strong> to the USA<br />
remains Japan, last year with 6.987<br />
million travellers, a rise of 9.9% over<br />
2017. China remains the number<br />
two market from <strong>Asia</strong>, with a rise<br />
of around 4% y/y to a total of 5.744<br />
million arrivals in 2018.<br />
Other key figures for <strong>Asia</strong>n<br />
outbound travellers to the US<br />
include (x million):<br />
South Korea – 4.421 (+8.1%)<br />
Taiwan – 0.956 (+12.3)<br />
Philippines – 0.620 (+15.5%)<br />
Vietnam – 0.245 (+13%)<br />
Outbound travel from the USA, the<br />
world’s second largest spender,<br />
remained solid (+7%), supported by<br />
a strong dollar. In Europe, spending<br />
on international tourism by France<br />
(+8%) and Italy (+7%) was robust,<br />
though the United Kingdom (+3%)<br />
and Germany (+2%) reported more<br />
moderate figures.<br />
The UNWTO outlook for<br />
international tourist arrivals<br />
projects growth of +2% to +3% for<br />
the Americas, against a global<br />
forecast of +3% to +4%. Prolonged<br />
uncertainty about Brexit,<br />
intensified trade and technological<br />
tensions between the United States<br />
and China, and rising geopolitical<br />
challenges may take a toll on<br />
business and consumer confidence<br />
in certain countries or regions<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN<br />
REGION<br />
19<br />
Brand USA woos<br />
Chinese market<br />
The US destination marketing organisation arrives at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>Asia</strong> fresh from its 13 th annual leadership summit in Seattle<br />
Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation<br />
for the United States, joined the Ministry of Culture<br />
and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, to<br />
host the 13 th annual US-China Tourism Leadership<br />
Summit in Seattle, Washington, between 18 and 20<br />
September.<br />
According to most recent<br />
NTTO statistics, the United<br />
States welcomed 3 million<br />
visitors in 2018 from China,<br />
with 85% being repeat<br />
visitors. China ranks as the<br />
number one market for US<br />
tourism exports at US$34.6<br />
bn and remains in the top five<br />
in visitor volume at around 3<br />
million arrivals in 2018.<br />
The summit was an<br />
opportunity to build and<br />
strengthen relationships<br />
between US and Chinese<br />
travel and tourism industry<br />
leadership and government<br />
officials. Participants<br />
emphasised the important<br />
contribution of travel and<br />
tourism to the world’s two<br />
largest economies. Attendees<br />
included executives and<br />
officials at state, provincial,<br />
and city level destination<br />
marketing organisations,<br />
industry association heads,<br />
tour operators and online<br />
travel agents, attractions and<br />
transportation companies.<br />
In a keynote speech at the<br />
summit, Li Yaying, chief of the<br />
Chinese tourism delegation,<br />
said the two countries were,<br />
for each other, important<br />
sources of tourists and<br />
destinations, with Chinese<br />
travellers spending a total of<br />
over US$30bn in the United<br />
States in 2018.<br />
“Over the years, the<br />
discussions that have<br />
taken place at and around<br />
this summit have proven<br />
mutually beneficial to<br />
improve strategies for<br />
tourism marketing in<br />
the United States and<br />
China,” said Christopher L.<br />
Thompson, president and<br />
CEO of Brand USA. “As a<br />
result, the industry has made<br />
significant contributions to<br />
economic development, the<br />
balance of trade and better<br />
cultural understanding in<br />
both countries.”<br />
The theme of “culture<br />
and tourism” resonated<br />
throughout the event.<br />
Attendees were immersed<br />
© WTTC<br />
Christopher<br />
L. Thompson<br />
CEO, Brand USA<br />
in discussions and<br />
presentations centred<br />
around best practices in<br />
marketing, travel and<br />
tourism trends, and current<br />
issues impacting the<br />
industry. Panellists examined<br />
the evolution of the China<br />
market, the importance of<br />
inspiring travellers through<br />
storytelling, and how the<br />
USA is adapting to meet<br />
technological expectations<br />
of Chinese visitors.<br />
Brand USA has several<br />
China-specific consumer<br />
marketing campaigns,<br />
robust travel trade outreach<br />
programs, and cooperative<br />
marketing and features heavy<br />
digital and social presence<br />
across established and<br />
emerging Chinese channels.<br />
Given the importance of<br />
the market, Brand USA<br />
has created a dedicated<br />
Chinese website, GoUSA.<br />
cn. Brand USA also works<br />
closely with the US embassy<br />
and consulates and has<br />
established representation<br />
offices in Beijing, Chengdu,<br />
Guangzhou, and Shanghai,<br />
to assist in reaching the<br />
travel trade<br />
STAND P18 - BASEMENT 2<br />
BRAND USA<br />
RELEASES ROI<br />
STATISTICS<br />
A new study by Oxford Economics<br />
has revealed that Brand USA’s<br />
marketing efforts are generating<br />
a high return on investment (ROI)<br />
and driving significant incremental<br />
international visitation and spend.<br />
The Oxford Economics study includes<br />
an analysis of Brand USA’s work in nine<br />
markets – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,<br />
Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, and<br />
the United Kingdom—and also considers<br />
the organisation’s total impact in other<br />
international markets where Brand USA’s<br />
marketing was active during the year via<br />
consumer, trade outreach, and cooperative<br />
marketing programs.<br />
The report shows the US DMO has driven<br />
strong results over the past six years,<br />
including record results in Fiscal Year 2018<br />
(FY2018) for incremental international visitor<br />
spending, tax revenues generated, and total<br />
economic impact.<br />
Highlights of the study show Brand USA’s<br />
marketing efforts in FY2018 alone (October 1,<br />
2017 – September 30, 2018) helped drive 1.13<br />
million incremental international visitors to<br />
the USA who spent US$4.1 bn on travel and<br />
fare receipts with US carriers, and generated<br />
US$1.17 bn in federal, state, and local taxes<br />
and US$8.9 bn in total economic impact.<br />
The resulting FY2018 marketing ROI was<br />
32:1—meaning that every $1 Brand USA<br />
spent on marketing generated $32 spent by<br />
international visitors<br />
Space Needle<br />
with skyline and Mount<br />
Rainier at sunset<br />
© Seattle archives<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
20 REGION<br />
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN<br />
Downtown, Los Angeles<br />
Artist rendering of the<br />
Automated People Mover<br />
train heading into Los Angeles<br />
International Airport<br />
Massive new transport project<br />
launched in Los Angeles<br />
Combination of an “automatic people mover” and new metro service<br />
will put city and coast more than ever in reach of travellers<br />
Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board arrives at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong><br />
with some major travel trump-cards up its sleeve.<br />
With the US$1.766bn Crenshaw/<br />
LAX transit project due for<br />
completion in 2020, travellers<br />
arriving at LAX will have access to<br />
the Metro Green Line, linking them<br />
to downtown LA or Santa Monica.<br />
The metro line will link to a new<br />
“APM”, or automatic people mover<br />
system, connecting passengers<br />
to an Intermodal Transportation<br />
Facility (ITF) via a Consolidated<br />
Rent-A-Car Center (CONRAC),<br />
on to the Central Terminal Area<br />
of the Los Angeles International<br />
Airport (LAX). The APM will be<br />
approximately three kilometres<br />
long and will include six stations –<br />
three in the Central Terminal Area<br />
and three outside of the airport at<br />
other LAWA facilities such as the<br />
CONRAC and ITF.<br />
The Automated People Mover<br />
(APM) is an electric train system<br />
on a 3.6km elevated guideway with<br />
six stations total – three inside the<br />
Central Terminal Area (CTA) and<br />
three outside.<br />
Los Angeles International Airport<br />
(LAX) broke ground on the APM<br />
project in March of <strong>2019</strong> and<br />
anticipates that the system will<br />
be operational in 2023. The<br />
ongoing US$14bn transformation<br />
to reimagine the LAX airport<br />
experience across all terminals<br />
also sees a new Midfield Satellite<br />
Concourse being opened in 2020,<br />
adding 12 new aircraft gates.<br />
2018 – RECORD<br />
TOURIST NUMBERS<br />
FOR LOS ANGELES<br />
Los Angeles reached an historic<br />
milestone in 2018, welcoming<br />
50 million visitors for the first<br />
time ever and accomplishing the<br />
destination’s ambitious tourism<br />
goal two years early. The new<br />
record is 1.5 million visitors higher<br />
than 2017’s total – a 3.1% increase<br />
– marking the eighth-consecutive<br />
year of tourism growth for Los<br />
Angeles. In surpassing 50 million<br />
total visitors, Los Angeles set new<br />
tourism records for domestic and<br />
international visitation, hosting an<br />
estimated 42.5 million domestic<br />
visitors (3% increase) and 7.5<br />
million international visitors (3.6%<br />
increase).<br />
Chinese visitors – many of whom<br />
stay in the LAX area – continue<br />
to drive international growth.<br />
Los Angeles is their No. 1 US<br />
destination with 1.2 million visitors<br />
who spend US$1.6 bn – by far the<br />
top international spenders. While<br />
LA Tourism has four full-time<br />
offices in China (Beijing, Shanghai,<br />
Guangzhou and Chengdu), it is also<br />
investing in emerging international<br />
markets in Scandinavia, India and<br />
South Korea.<br />
Ernest Wooden Jr., President and<br />
CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism<br />
& Convention Board, stated that<br />
hotels in the LAX corridor continue<br />
to outperform entire LA County<br />
market, with over 85% occupancy<br />
in the first part of <strong>2019</strong>. LA Tourism<br />
positions the Gateway offerings<br />
as a “fun layover” or a home base<br />
before other travels with LA’s<br />
highest concentration of affordable<br />
hotels, including every major hotel<br />
brand.<br />
The transformation of downtown<br />
LA has recently brought accolades<br />
from National Geographic<br />
Traveler magazine as one of the<br />
28 friendliest neighbourhoods in<br />
the United States. Established as<br />
a leisure destination 11 years ago<br />
when L.A. LIVE turned on the lights<br />
at its expansive entertainment<br />
complex, the home of STAPLES<br />
Center is now visited by more than<br />
20 million people a year. In the<br />
past 6 years alone, 14 hotels have<br />
opened or broken ground in DTLA,<br />
including InterContinental Los<br />
Angeles Downtown, NoMad Los<br />
Angeles and forthcoming Hoxton<br />
Hotel.<br />
And there’s more to come. The<br />
Academy Museum, opening<br />
later this year in mid-city, will be<br />
dedicated to the art and science of<br />
movie-making and will boast stateof-the-art<br />
galleries, exhibition<br />
spaces, movie theatres, and special<br />
event spaces.<br />
We are also just months away<br />
from the opening of Los Angeles<br />
Stadium, the new, 70,000 seat<br />
state-of-the-art stadium that will<br />
be the epicentre of the sports<br />
world and will host the 2022<br />
Super Bowl, 2023 College Football<br />
Championship, 2026 World Cup<br />
bid, 2028 Olympic and Summer<br />
Olympic Games<br />
STAND P05 - BASEMENT 2<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN<br />
REGION<br />
21<br />
Paradise for Columbus…<br />
and for today’s travellers as well<br />
The Dominican Republic stands out with varied landscapes,<br />
architectural treasures and cultural richness<br />
The island nation of the Dominican Republic seduces<br />
travellers in every season - just as it seduced Christopher<br />
Columbus more than five centuries ago. He didn’t hesitate<br />
to call it a paradise island when he landed on its shores<br />
in 1492. Present this year at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>Asia</strong>, one of the key<br />
activities being promoted is that of MICE.<br />
Salto Bayaguana<br />
“The Dominican Republic<br />
obviously has everything to<br />
attract MICE groups, from<br />
stunning white sand beaches<br />
stretching over 600 kilometres,<br />
majestic mountains cove- red<br />
with lush forests and historical<br />
and cultural heritage of great<br />
beauty,” explains Tourism<br />
Minister Francisco Javier García.<br />
“But the Dominican Republic<br />
also offers other surprises,<br />
renowned cuisine, some of the<br />
most popular rums, the world’s<br />
best cigars and a wide range of<br />
eco-tourism activities that will<br />
help make your events unique.”<br />
The Dominican Republic’s rich<br />
heritage of Spanish, French and<br />
African influences has told five<br />
centuries of exciting stories to<br />
its visitors immersed in a breathtaking<br />
setting.<br />
To offer visitors the best<br />
welcome, the Dominican<br />
Republic also provides more than<br />
73,000 hotel rooms, consisting<br />
of luxury resorts on the east<br />
coast, historic establishments<br />
in Santo Domingo, charming<br />
hotels on the north coast and the<br />
peninsula of Samaná and ecolodges<br />
in the Barahona region<br />
and in the centre.<br />
In addition to the large hotels<br />
that are well equipped with<br />
meeting and reception rooms,<br />
the capital, Saint-Domingue,<br />
now boasts a new convention<br />
centre opened in summer<br />
2016 within the premises of<br />
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.<br />
Occupying 4,500 sq m, it houses<br />
three large reception halls<br />
measuring 1,300, 1,100 and<br />
900 sq m respectively (for up<br />
to 3,700 people), in a beautiful<br />
environment overlooking the<br />
Caribbean Sea and the capital’s<br />
promenade<br />
STAND P30 - BASEMENT 2<br />
View of the coast near San<br />
Rafael, Barahona<br />
TAKING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE<br />
The country is known to have<br />
the most diverse topography for<br />
a single nation in the Caribbean<br />
region. One can go from a sandy<br />
beach to a cool, mountainous<br />
town over 500 meters above sea<br />
level in less than three hours. The<br />
country’s coastline runs for over<br />
1,600 kilometres in total, with<br />
hundreds of accessible, breathtaking<br />
beaches. More surprisingly,<br />
the country is flanked by a series<br />
of great mountain ranges, the<br />
most important of which–the<br />
Cordillera Central–is home to the<br />
Caribbean’s highest peak: Pico<br />
Duarte, sitting at 3,087 metres.<br />
With 25% of the land consisting<br />
of protected areas, most of which<br />
are easily accessed, there are a<br />
myriad of reasons to venture off<br />
the beach. Explore lush valleys,<br />
cloud forests, national parks on<br />
and off shore, rivers leading to<br />
waterfalls, offshore cayes where<br />
turtles nest, ancient Taino caves<br />
shrouded in thick rainforest,<br />
or pine forests with near zero<br />
temperatures. Discover natural<br />
wonders like Lago Enriquillo,<br />
a saltwater lake so large it<br />
surpasses the size of Manhattan,<br />
home to American crocodiles<br />
and sitting at 40 meters (138 feet)<br />
below sea level, the lowest point<br />
in the Caribbean.<br />
The Dominican Republic is home<br />
to 29 national parks. Located<br />
all around the country–from the<br />
southwest to the north, east, and<br />
center–these lush areas are as<br />
much of a treasure as the island’s<br />
multitude of sandy stretches.<br />
Near the areas of Punta Cana,<br />
La Romana, and Bayahibe, visit<br />
the Cotubanamá National Park –<br />
or Parque Nacional del Este -<br />
home to impressive Taino caves,<br />
and fresh spring waters. The park<br />
includes the offshore islands of<br />
Saona, the most important turtlenesting<br />
site in the Dominican<br />
Republic, Catalina, and the<br />
sandbank of Catalinita, teeming<br />
with coral reefs and frigate bird<br />
colonies.<br />
Off the coast of Samaná, Los<br />
Haitises National Park is one of<br />
the most breath-taking sights<br />
in the country. A series of giant<br />
rocks jut out of the sea, thick<br />
mangroves thrive in surrounding<br />
waters, and brown boobies and<br />
frigate colonies fill the skies. On<br />
land, large Taino caves reveal<br />
centuries-old petroglyphs and<br />
pictographs. The park can be<br />
reached by boat from Samaná or<br />
by road from Sabana de la Mar,<br />
which makes for an even more<br />
unique adventure<br />
STAND P30 - BASEMENT 2<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong>
© JeCCo<br />
HOSPITALITY / RESTAURANTS / BARS<br />
WHERE<br />
TO GO<br />
IN<br />
Singapore<br />
CLUBS / EVENTS / SHOPPING / CULTURE<br />
Singapore, Peranakan culture in Katong<br />
Koon Seng Road with its colourful houses<br />
ADDRESSES<br />
328 Katong Laksa<br />
It is considered as the original place to eat the<br />
famous Katong Laksa. The owner has two<br />
shops along East Coast Road. One Laksa soup<br />
is generally sufficient to fill up a stomach but<br />
they are also possibilities to buy dim sum…<br />
> 216 or 51 East Coast Road<br />
Birds of Paradise Gelato<br />
Boutique<br />
Home-made ice creams with natural flavoured<br />
from herbs, spices, fruits and flowers.<br />
> 63 East Coast Road<br />
Kim Choo Kueh Chang<br />
Famed delicacies on sale as well as a range of<br />
Peranakan souvenirs made as much as possible<br />
in Singapore…<br />
> 60 Joo Chiat Place<br />
More than any other cultures in<br />
Southeast <strong>Asia</strong>, the Peranakan<br />
culture fully embodies Southeast<br />
<strong>Asia</strong>’s ethnic mix. Peranakan<br />
is a word derived from the<br />
Malay language which means<br />
“local-boom”. It generally<br />
describes mostly Chinese<br />
immigrants from Southern<br />
China who settled originally<br />
along the Andaman coast and<br />
married to local people living<br />
in Penang, Melaka, Singapore,<br />
Java and Sumatra and then<br />
to Siam. These communities<br />
adopted local customs strongly<br />
blended with their own Chinese<br />
tradition. They are also often<br />
described as Baba (for men)<br />
and Nyonya (for women).<br />
Singapore is one of the main<br />
settlements of Peranakan<br />
communities. They have been<br />
living for over a century around<br />
the Katong/Joo Chiat district,<br />
a 15 minutes-drive from the<br />
Singapore civic district. Once<br />
filled with coconut plantations<br />
and used as a weekend retreat<br />
by wealthy city dwellers, Katong<br />
developed into a residential<br />
suburb by the early 20th century.<br />
Neighbouring Joo Chiat area is<br />
named after Chew Joo Chiat, a<br />
wealthy Chinese landowner in<br />
the early 20 th century.<br />
All this area is an attractive<br />
destination for visitors with<br />
few tourists here. The district<br />
is characterised by its unique<br />
pre-war architecture. Along<br />
the narrow streets, stand<br />
side by side colourful twostorey<br />
shophouses and<br />
terrace houses with ornate<br />
facades, intricate motifs and<br />
ceramic tiles. Best examples<br />
of Peranakan architecture are<br />
the stucco-decorated twostorey<br />
shophouses along Koon<br />
Seng Road and Joo Chiat Road<br />
among others. Koon Seng Road<br />
is turning into a very beloved<br />
photo and selfie motive with<br />
its imposing houses painted<br />
in bright- even psychedeliccolours.<br />
Over the last decade, local<br />
association of descendants<br />
of Peranakan communities<br />
have been fighting for the<br />
preservation of the area<br />
with a certain success. Large<br />
stretches of roads are now<br />
protected, while houses have<br />
been renovated. Small gardens,<br />
resting areas and signage<br />
boards provide explanations<br />
about landmarks.<br />
Many of the old shop houses<br />
are filled with restaurants<br />
and coffee shops selling<br />
local delicacies including the<br />
famous Katong Laksa- a spicy<br />
coconut milk-based noodle<br />
soup enhanced with a sour<br />
chili paste). It is worth trying<br />
Kueh Chang (rice dumplings)<br />
and other Nonya biscuits filled<br />
with pineapple jelly. Kim Choo<br />
Kueh Chang is one of the shops<br />
where original Peranakan cakes<br />
and Kueh Chang were locally<br />
manufactured for almost 80<br />
years. The Red Katong House<br />
Bakery along East Coast Road is<br />
an easily recognisable structure<br />
with its all-red colour. The<br />
house operated from 1925 to<br />
2003 as a bakery with a Jewish<br />
owner. It only reopened in 2016<br />
but is no longer in the original<br />
house.<br />
If one is interested to buy<br />
Peranakan objects and visiting<br />
a former Baba-Nyona original<br />
house, the Intan House is<br />
a perfect place to visit with<br />
its collection of Peranakan<br />
antiques. However, as it is only<br />
open for private tours, booking<br />
is compulsory (contactus@<br />
the-intan.com- 69 Joo Chiat<br />
Terrace).<br />
A two-hour sightseeing walking<br />
tour is a minimum to enjoy the<br />
area fully including a break<br />
for a laksa, a coffee or an ice<br />
cream. There is a small guided<br />
tour available online under<br />
the Singapore Tourism Board<br />
website www.visitsingapore.<br />
com.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> ASIA NEWS • Thursday 10 October <strong>2019</strong><br />
www.itb-asia-news.com