EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW right now, as we are in Tokyo, so it is really just ensuring that within the Asian region in the short term we have covered all of our bases of bringing the brand to life in those cities. How difficult is finding staff and training them? I noted that you were elected one of the best mentors in the business. I work a lot with the schools of hospitality, particularly the Hong Kong Poly-U School of Hotel and Tourism Management, as the chairperson of their advisory board. I am also on the advisory board for Griffith University, and the advisory board for Bond University, so I interact with a lot of the future hoteliers and graduates and I see a great energy that comes out of them in thinking processes and creativity. We have to look at what the new career journey will be in the future and if we have a star, let’s make them an even brighter star, and put that star even higher in the sky, by working with them. So yes, talent is hard to secure now, but I don’t think we are the only industry. I think you’ll find that in many other industries as well, it’s not just the hotel sector. How do you work with travel agents and how important are they to your business? They are extremely important to our business, and making sure all technology is right and that they are able to connect directly into our systems for instant availability is a key priority for them, and for us, just like ensuring that we are part of a travel agent’s commission plan. This year, we have introduced an automated system which reflects the importance that we give to business from travel agents. So while OTA’s are an important part of everyone’s market and I don’t think we can ignore that, travel advisors are increasingly creating great travel experiences, and we need to incentivise them through the fact that we can pay them fast thanks to our new automated system. What would you say are the three key points of differentiation that set Wharf Hotels apart? Owner-manager-operator, therefore we understand and think like an owner. That’s important. Being a focused regional group means that we are able to have very tight strategies that can be nimble and change quickly. And I think the personalisation for our associates – that we can interact with them and they can interact with me at any level at any time, meaning personalised attention to all people. Those are the three I would pick out at the moment Harbour view from Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel WE HAVE INTRODUCED AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM WHICH REFLECTS THE IMPORTANCE THAT WE GIVE TO BUSINESS FROM TRAVEL AGENTS.
NEWS Hotel & TourismSMARTreport#39 2018 Summer Edition 7 The World Tourism Alliance (WTA) has been created as a global, non-government, non-profit international tourism organisation. Its membership covers national tourism associations, influential tourism businesses, academia, cities and media, as well as heads of international organizations, former political leaders, retired tourism officials, heads of tourism businesses and renowned scholars. Its headquarters and Secretariat are located in China. Upholding the vision of “Better Tourism, Better World, Better Life” as its ultimate goal, the WTA is “committed to promoting tourism for peace, development and poverty-reduction based on mutual trust, mutual respect, mutual support and win-win outcome”. In an official announcement, Li Jinzao, Chairman of China’s National Tourism Administration and founder of the Alliance, said that the WTA aims to provide professional services to its members by setting up platforms of dialogue, exchanges and cooperation for business match-making and experience sharing and be open to cooperation with international organizations to promote global tourism. It will establish high-level tourism research institutions and consultancies to study the trend of international tourism development and to collect, analyse and release global and regional tourism data. It will provide planning, policy-making consultancy and professional training for governments and businesses. It will set up a mechanism of reciprocity among its members to share tourism markets and resources and engage in tourism promotional activities. By holding annual meetings, summits, expos and other events, it will facilitate exchanges and cooperation between government and private sector, to advance integrated development of the international tourism with other industries. According to Li Jinzao, for presentday tourism, five major factors have become indispensable: governments, enterprises, industrial associations, think tanks and tourists. These five elements are irreplaceable, playing unique roles in their own ways. The effects of the five factors would be crippled, if they were isolated and worked in their own ways. To integrate the five factors means we will have to work on a new platform. The new platform is exactly the World Tourism Alliance (WTA). It is the responsibility and function as well as the founding principle of the WTA to integrate the five factors and optimise them on the basis of the integration. Hence, be Li Jinzao, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration and founder of the World Tourism Alliance (left), with Gerard Lefebvre, President of Cleverdis (publisher of the Hotel & TourismSMARTreport), at the launch of the WTA – on the occasion of the 22nd general assembly of the UNWTO in Chengdu, China. PROMOTION OF DEVELOPMENT, POVERTY REDUCTION, AND PEACE WITH TOURISM Born in China, the World Tourism Alliance emerges as a major new force to guide the industry it the governments, enterprises, associations, think tanks or tourists, every entity will find its place on the platform of the WTA and voice its opinions. We hope that tourism cities and enterprises, associations, think tanks and tourists can make good use of the platform and engage in mutual learning
