I NEWS IEDITORIALRichard
I NEWS IEDITORIALRichard BarnesEditor-in-Chief,ITB Asia NewsReinventing Travel in The New NormalWith ITB Asia just around the corner, it’s worthmentioning the official “theme” for this year’svirtual edition: “Reinventing Travel in the NewNormal”. The three-day, over 100-sessionthemed agenda has been specially curatedto help travel industry professionals navigatethrough the current challenges and preparefor the industry’s recovery. The virtualevent next week will see travel industryprofessionals around the world connect toshare ideas and plans that will shape the nextdecade of travel in a post-pandemic world.It will be hosted on the ITB Community inAsia (ITB Community) platform. The themeof this year’s virtual event will provide thefoundation for the travel industry as it movestowards recovery. We truly believe that ITBAsia will play a fundamental role in shapingthe future of travel in the new normal.Enabling participants to connect virtuallyallows for seamless knowledge sharing at apivotal point in the travel industry’s historyITB ASIA NEWS is a CLEVERDIS Publication.65 av. Jules Cantini - Tour Méditerranée,13006 Marseille, France• Tel: + 33 442 77 46 00• SAS capitalised at €155,750 • VAT FR 95413604471• RCS Marseille 413 604 471 • info@cleverdis.com •www.cleverdis.com.• info@itb-berlin-news.com• www.itb-berlin-news.com• Publisher: Jean-François Pieri• Project Manager: Bettina Badon• Editor-in-chief: Richard Barnes• Editorial team: Luc Citrinot• Art Director: Hélène Beunat• With the participation of: Benjamin Klene,Huidi Wu>>> To contact them: first name.last name@itb-berlin-news.comCover: © Messe Berlin GmbH© CLEVERDIS 2020 - Registration of Copyright october 2020. 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Any copy, whether by photography, photography film, magnetictape, disc or other means constitutes a forgery, liable to punishment underFrench law according to the legislation of 11 th March 1957 covering copyright.All brands cited in this publication are registered trade marks and/or belong tocompanies which are their respective proprietors. The publishers and editorialstaff decline all responsibility as to opinions formulated in this publication bythose interviewed or cited therein. Their opinions are entirely their own, andare included with the understanding that they contain, to our knowledge, nomalicious intent. The inclusion of all texts, photographs and other documentssupplied by those included in this publication imply the acceptance by theirauthors of their free publication therein. Documents and photographs will not bereturned. It should be understood that this publication contains forward-lookingstatements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statementsother than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemedforward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions includeassumptions relating to the timing of the recorded date. If any of these risks oruncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, actualresults could differ materially from the expectations outlined in these statements.Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forwardlookingstatements during the period of publication. Photo Credits and Copyright:All Rights Reserved.Thinking outside the box iscritical when it comes to thefuture of corporate travel,and the series of conferenceswe have organised at thisyear’s virtual event will urgeparticipants to challengetheir approach to “businessas usual”. Key speakers willinclude Tobias Ragge, CEOof HRS Group, who willcover the new prospects forCorporate Travel, and BrettThomson, General Manager,Corporate Travel, TAG, whowill discuss Building a bettersolution for InternationalMobility.MICE Show Asia: Rethinking the MICE industrywill be encouraged in this series of conferences,and participants will be challenged to questiontheir familiar and comfortable approach toeverything MICE. Key speakers will includeMatthias Schultze, Managing Director, GermanConvention Bureau (GCB) who will share What’snext in the constantly changing business eventsindustry, and Edward Koh, Executive Director,Upcoming ShowHighlightsby KatrinaLeungKatrina LeungManaging Directorof Messe Berlin (Singapore),the organiser of ITB AsiaConventions, Meetings &Incentive Travel, SingaporeTourism Board (STB), whowill also discuss Doing MICEbusiness in the New Normal.Travel Tech Asia: The roleof technology in travel is moreimportant than ever before.This conference series willexplore what technologieswill define the future of travel,as well as those tech trendsthat are taking off now andhelping to keep the industrymoving. Oliver Dlouhy, Co-Founder & CEO, Kiwi.comwill consider COVID-19 asa fast track to fully digitaltravel distribution and Richard Harris, Founder& CEO, who will discuss the future ofAI in travel in his keynote “You can’t predict thefuture of travel. But the machine can”.Destination Marketing Organisations, thehospitality sector and tours, attractions andactivities will also have very full schedules at thevirtual event. Stay tuned!2 ITB ASIA NEWS • FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 2020www.itb-asia-news.com
I NEWS IBEST WESTERNPRESENTS FIRSTPATTAYA PROPERTYAT ITB ASIA 2020VIRTUALThe Best Western Plus Nexen, Pattayaopened this month as the first BWH entryinto this buzzing Thai holiday destination.Best Western is one of Thailand’s leading internationalhotel groups, with 14 hotels and resorts now operatingacross the Kingdom, including key destinations suchas Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and up-and-cominglocations in Buriram and Prachinburi.Nestled in Pattaya’s Naklua district, surrounded bylocal attractions, the new Best Western Plus Nexen is amodern midscale hotel that blends “eye-catching designand exceptional amenities with warm, genuine service”.BWH hopes to open two more hotels in Pattaya in Q12021: Best Western Premiere Bayphere, Pattaya, & BWPremier Collection hotel, BluPhere Pattaya.Meanwhile, the group’s upscale Bangkok property, TheCarlton Hotel Bangkok, the first World Hotel to openin Thailand, closed during the Covid-19 lockdown, reopenedin July 2020. Carlton Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvitis one of the most luxurious new five-star hotels inBangkok. Stylish and contemporary, the hotel offers338 rooms and suites, a choice of renowned diningvenues including the signature Cantonese restaurant,Wah Lok, and a chic rooftop bar with panoramic viewsof the cityscape.BWH's business development team has signed 11 newproperties in Asia so far this year: one in Japan, three inPakistan, three in the Philippines, and four in VietnamFor thrill seekers: Wyndhamopens Asia’s first hotel withrooftop ziplineWyndham is back at ITB Asia this yearwith a large number of new properties.Opened in July 2020, the Ramada Plazaby Wyndham Dolsan Yeosu, located onDolsan Island overlooking Hallyeosudo,is the first hotel in Asia to offer a zip-linefrom the top of its building.Located on the hotel’s rooftop on the24th floor, 120m above the sea, guestscan take the plunge and zip down the1.2km wire for an exhilarating adventurewhile admiring breath-taking views of theYeosu Sea.The 427-room hotel offers stunning viewsof Hallyeosudo and boasts an excellentarray of facilities for travellers with threedining outlets, including a rooftop loungeserving international cuisine and anextensive selection of wines and spirits, aheated infinity pool boasting spectacularocean view, as well as spacious banquethalls with state-of-the-art facilities formeetings and events. Around the hotel,guests can also discover many attractionssuch as the marine aquarium, sky tower,Expo Digital Gallery and Yeosu ExpoOcean ParkFirst global hotel chain openingin Gumi: Ramada by WyndhamHaving opened in September, the 213-room Ramada by Wyndham Gumi iscentrally located in Gumi, South Korea’slargest inland industrial complex, and isthe first global hotel chain offering in thecity.This year, the group opened two newhotels in Japan, located in Awashima andNaigaizumi, and in Thailand, upcomingopenings include four new hotels acrossfour brands in Bangkok – all centrallylocated in SukhumvitSituated close to corporate offices, thehotel is an ideal location for travellerson business, and will provide a range ofcomfortable accommodation including36 spacious suites, and a businesslounge.In the first half of the year, WyndhamHotels & Resorts directly signed 59 newhotels – more than the same period in 2019– a clear signal from industry partnersand hotel owners in their continuedconfidence in the hospitality business.Ramada Gumi GuestroomITB ASIA NEWS • FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 2020 3
