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WTM Special!
28Oct,2010
www.travelweekly.com.vnwww.travelweekly.com.vn
07
52-55
50-51
Vietnam ranked among
top growth tourism markets in Asia
WTM2010: Increase In Flying Tax
to Make Holidaymakers Think Twice
Top 5 smoke-free destinations
Dear Travel Weekly readers!
Welcome to the 40 Issues of Travel Weekly!
First of all, on behalf of all the members at Travel Weekly Magazine I would like
to say thank you very much for supporting and sharing with us your ideas since
the early days of our magazine.
Born to bring our readers useful and up-to-date information about Travel Busi-
ness in Vietnam and around the world to your desktop every Thursday, today,
Travel Weekly becomes a part of your daily works for all travel executive as
well as travel lovers those who cares about the tourism industry.
We understand that saving a tree is the responsibility for everyone who inter-
ested in the environmental disaster as what the Business Travel operators call
“Responsible Travel”, therefore, towards the eco-friendly environment, Travel
Weekly call our each issue is Eco-Friendly Magazine because we design and
“print” and/or publish our magazine in PDF format which allows us to send
you immediately via e-mail as well as distribute our magazine to global read-
ers. Moreover, at our website, there is even a better way to read our magazine
without download which let you choose the first read and then deciding to keep
it on your computer for store or further review.
We do hope that everything we do is just to give you everything in travel news
for your works and your care. We are looking forward to receive your supports
and share with us in the coming time.
Thank you for travelling with us!
Editor-in-chief
Anh. Nguyen Hoang
M: +84 904 230 230
E: editor@travelweekly.com.vn
News
Hang. Bui Duc
M: +84 979 051 210
E: news@travelweekly.com.vn
Advertising
Quyen. Nguyen Tu
M: +84 987 622 113
E: advertising@travelweekly.com.vn
Sales
Duong. Nguyen
M: +84 904 884 099
E: duong@travelweekly.com.vn
Add: #130 Pho Duc Chinh Str.,
Ba Dinh District, Hanoi – Vietnam
Tel: +84 4 3715 3558 - Fax: +84 3715 3560
Email: contact@travelweekly.com.vn
Website: www.travelweekly.com.vn
Design
Kien. Nguyen Trung
Minh. Truong Hoang
Phuong. Nguyen
E: design@travelweekly.com.vn
Contact us
Editor-in-Chief
Anh. Nguyen Hoang
WTM Special!
28Oct,2010
www.travelweekly.com.vnwww.travelweekly.com.vn
07
52-55
50-51
Vietnam ranked among
top growth tourism markets in Asia
WTM2010: Increase In Flying Tax
to Make Holidaymakers Think Twice
Top 5 smoke-free destinations
12. Vietnam attracts more West European
tourists
04. Ho Chi Minh City praises excellent
tourist operators
VIETNAM NEWS
08 - 11. Qatar Airways adds two new
routes to Asia
06. 2010 World Travel Awards winners
announced
14. Hong Kong - Vietnam yacht race
canceled
WTM2010: Increase
In Flying Tax to Make
Holidaymakers Think Twice
50 - 51
Almost half of UK holidaymakers will slash their 2011
overseas holiday plans due to next week’s increase in
Air Passenger Duty (APD), reveals a survey by leading
travel trade exhibition World Travel Market. A massive
45% of the 1,000 people polled, all of whom holidayed
this summer, said next Monday’s (1 November) increase
in flying tax APD will see them reduce their overseas
flying. Please see more for detail.
Vietnam ranked among
top growth tourism markets
in Asia
FEATURES04
05
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Thursday 28.10.2010
Travellers looking for smoke-free holidays don’t have to
be afraid – there are several countries fervently fight-
ing against all tobacco products. In this issue, Travel
Weekly brings the top 5 destinations ideal for all non-
smoking tourists according to Skyscanner.
Top 5 smoke-free
destinations
07
52 - 55
17. New culture show to lure visitors to
HCMC
19. TTG Awards Singles Out Vietnam
Hotel
Tourism and hospitality experts have identified Vietnam
as one of the key growth markets in Asia given its
healthy expansion of the economy, population and the
number of internet and mobile phone users.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
22. Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort
and Spa Wins 2010 World Luxury Hotel
Country Award
24. Ayana Won Asia’s Leading luxury
Resort and Luxury Villa at World Travel
Awards 2010
29. Hong Kong arrivals rise 21% in
September
31. Sydney Convention Centre hosts huge
gala dinner
32. Movenpick Hotels & Resorts to enter
the Chinese market
34. Indulge your senses in ILTM’s new
Healing Lounge
TRAVEL EXPO
42. Maximising brand reach at EIBTM
- delivering targeted messages to the
global meetings and events community
39. Arabian Travel Market creates more
business opportunities
37. IMEX turns up the green heat with new
carbon-free European rail tickets
40 - 41. EIBTM Hosted Buyer Programme
- More Benefits for 2010
46. ITB Asia 2010: Bigger ITB Asia Closes
With Diverse Events Strengthening Its
B2B Role
DO YOU KNOW
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS
The air route of Pakse-Ho Chi Minh City
linking the Lao province of Champasak
with Ho Chi Minh City, which was can-
celed in 2003, was resumed on October
19.The air route, also connected to the
Lao capital city of Vientiane, will help
bolster transport of goods and tourists be-
tween Vietnam and Laos, between Ho Chi
Minh City and Champasak in particular.
There have been three flights using ATR
or MA planes on Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday, starting on October 19.
Mining Corporation and management of
industrial parks Dang Huynh, a member of
the Corporation Saigon Thuong Tin Real
Estate (Sacomreal) has started construc-
tion projects Tan Kim industrial park
expansion and Tan Phuoc resettlement
area (Long An). The project is located in
key economic areas to the south, near the
town Giuoc and Tan Kim Industrial Park,
Long Hau (Long An), easily connect to
the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone (Nha Be
district) and district Phu My Hung new
urban (District 7, HCMC). It is expected
to be completed projects in infrastructure,
technology on May 12/2012.
Nghe An province people’s commit-
tee has approved the detailed plan for
construction on Cua Lo PetroVietnam
Tourism Zone to be sited in Nghi Thuy
Ward, Cua Lo Town. PetroVietnam Nghe
An Construction Joint Stock Co was the
main investor for this project. The project
has total investment capital of 1.236 trillion
dong to be built in an area of 27 hectares
with the main purposes of developing the
tourism sites in Cua Lo Town and neigh-
bouring area within the period of 2010-
2020.The construction work was expected
to start in Q1 of 2011.
Pakse-HCMC air route
resumed
VND500 billion to build
Tan Kim industrial park
expansion
Cua Lo PetroVietnam
Tourism Zone project gets
approval
The Ho Chi Minh City’s Department
of Culture, Sport and Tourism held a
ceremony to honor individuals and or-
ganisations that got high positions in the
“National Skill Contest 2010-Cooking and
Restaurant Service”.
23 units and 90 persons received certifi-
cates of merit from the city’s Department
of Culture, Sport and Tourism.
On the occasion, the HCM City People’s
Committee gave certificates of merit to 26
best organizations and people that have
outstanding contribution to tourism skill
contests.
The City People’s Committee also grant-
ed certificate of merit to deputy director
of the Department of Culture, Sport and
Tourism La Quoc Khanh who was award-
ed the “Best destination operator” by the
Tourism Promotion Organization for Asian
Pacific Cities (TPO).
A two-day international fireworks contest
with the theme “Han River” will be held
in the central city of Da Nang from April
29-30, 2011. Da Nang Authorities has an-
nounced the participation of four foreign
teams including the Republic of Korea
(ROK), China , Italy and the United King-
dom (UK) besides the host Da Nang team.
According to the schedule, the UK team
(Jubilee Fireworks company), the RoK
team (Hanwha Group) and the host Viet-
nam ( Da Nang city’s team) will perform
in the first night. The second night will
see fireworks set off by the Italian team
(Parente Fireworks A&C SNC Group) and
the Chinese team (Panda Fireworks Art
Display company limited).
Along with this activity, Da Nang has also
launched a contest of fireworks display on
computer in 2011 with deadline for entries
on December 31 this year.
The awarding ceremony is expected to
take place in January 30, 2011.
Ho Chi Minh City praises excellent
tourist operators
International fireworks contest
debuts in Da Nang
4
In Brief
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS
The Deck, the first and only river-
side restaurant on the banks of the
Saigon River, an atmospheric set-
ting that never fails to inspire, has
been voted “one of Asia’s finest
restaurants” and will be featured in
The Miele Guide 2010-2011.
One of Saigon’s best kept secrets,
The Deck is located only 15 min-
utes drive from the city centre yet
is a haven of tranquility a million
miles away from all urban frenzy
and the humdrum of everyday life.
This is fine dining at its best, com-
bining a stunning location offering
sweeping view that guarantees to
charm the most discerning guests,
with a creative menu that empha-
sizes on the freshest seasonal,
local ingredients.
Set against a soothing backdrop
of shimmering water that turns
to midnight blue as the sun goes
down, The Deck has a brand new
contemporary indoor dining room
with glass windows revealing the
gorgeous view to every table if
you could resist the temptation to
dine on the namesake deck, with
beautifully laid tables spilling out
onto the water under the starlit sky,
reminiscent of an exotic beachfront
holiday. Those reluctant to dine
alfresco because of the notorious
sudden downpour during monsoon
season would be relieved to know
there is a new James Bond- styled
electric retractable roof overhead
that keeps any rain at bay.
One of Vietnam’s pioneers for a
new wave of sophisticated pan-
Asian cooking using the best of
Vietnamese produce, seafood from
Phu Quoc and Nha Trang, veg-
etables from mild-climate Da Lat,
along with an impressive drinks list
with signature cocktails. World-
renowned chef Gary Rhodes once
said, ‘No matter how simple a dish
is, they all hold a little element of
details’, and it is what the culinary
team lead by executive chef Cao
Lam Gia at The Deck believes in.
‘We are delighted that The Deck
has been recognized by this dis-
tinguished guide. This really is a
team effort and we are very proud
and excited to have achieved
such recognition’, says Jonathan
Sourintha, The Deck’s General
Manager. ‘From an intimate and ro-
mantic candlelit dinner to special
events or private parties for up to
250 people, our professional and
friendly team aims to achieve the
ultimate dining experience for our
guests’
The Miele Guide is Asia’s first and
only independent restaurant guide,
which features 450 of Asia’s finest
restaurants and annually ranks the
top restaurants in Asia as voted
by the public and a distinguished
panel of professional food writers
and industry partners.
Dining against a backdrop of
coconut trees and rice paddies
with boats sailing up and down
the Saigon River is a great way to
while away an afternoon. You could
also lounge on comfortable rat-
tan chairs with soft padded seats
watching the wonderful sunset
while sipping a cocktail. Once
you are here, you will understand
why this magnificent yet low-key
restaurant deserves such a presti-
gious award.
The Deck Restaurant	
38 Nguyen U Di, An Phu, District 2,
HCMC
+84 -8 -3 744 6632
info@thedecksaigon.com
www.thedecksaigon.com
5
Elegant riverside dining venue The Deck voted
“one of Asia’s finest restaurants”
The Deck,
the first and
only riverside
restaurant on
the banks of
the Saigon
River, an
atmospheric
setting that
never fails to
inspire, has
been voted
“one of Asia’s
finest restau-
rant” and will
be featured
in The Miele
Guide 2010-
2011.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS6
Organisers of the World Travel Awards have named four hotel and spa properties in Vietnam in the list of Asian
winners for the prestigious industry accolade in 2010 based on the votes cast by travel professionals and con-
sumers worldwide.
Travel professionals have chosen InterContinental Asiana Saigon as Vietnam’s Leading Hotel, Sheraton Hanoi
Hotel as Vietnam’s Leading Business Hotel and Evason Ana Mandara properties including the one in Nha Trang
as Vietnam’s Leading Resort and Leading Spa Resort.
The properties were selected as the winners of the 2010 World Travel Award Winners for Asia based on different
categories, including services and business performance. The survey attracted votes from 183,000 travel profes-
sionals, including travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries
and territories.
Jolyon Bulley, vice president of operations for South East & South West Asia of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
(IHG), said in a statement that the Leading Hotel accolade was great testament to a new property like InterCon-
tinental Asiana Saigon, which was opened on September 9 last year.
Thomas Schmelter, IHG area general manager in Vietnam, said the InterContinental Asiana Saigon hotel and
residences as well as IHG management had successfully dealt with the challenges of opening a new complex
and have delivered good results.
Winners of the regional arena will be qualified to compete in World Travel Awards 2010 Grand Final in London
before World Travel Market kicks off on November 7.
2010 World Travel Awards
winners announced
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
7VIETNAM NEWS
Tourism and hospitality experts have identified Vietnam as one of the
key growth markets in Asia given its healthy expansion of the econo-
my, population and the number of internet and mobile phone users.
“It’s not all China and India… I would say Vietnam is another remark-
able growth story,” Abacus International President and CEO Robert
Bailey said in his opening speech in front of around 450 representa-
tives of the industry at the opening of the 7th Abacus International
Conference in HCMC.
At the international travel and hospitality event, Bailey placed Viet-
nam after China and India, which he said were the powerhouses of
Asia and the key drivers for the regional travel industry because of
their economic growth and population.
“Vietnam is taking off,” Patrick Basset, Accor vice president of opera-
tions for Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea, told the
Daily on the sidelines of the event before he joined a panel discus-
sion on opportunities in Indochina on Thursday afternoon.
At the session, Basset and other panellists Hawkins Pham of Indo-
china Land and Le Quang Nghia of PTG Co. and BCD Travel agreed
Vietnam was emerging as a destination of choice for travellers thanks
to its beautiful beaches, more standard hotels and resorts going up
and simplified procedures for visitors.
Bailey said like the trend in China and India, Vietnam was experienc-
ing a bourgeoning middle class with huge spending on travel and
services, as well as a fast increase in the number of internet users.
“The internet is taking off here,” Bailey said, adding that the number
of internet users in this country is forecast to reach 40 million by 2015.
Vietnam also has a surprising number of mobile phone subscriptions
and penetration.
The country is also investing heavily in airports in an effort to attract
more international carriers and visitors.
Bailey said there would be 26 new airports by 2020 with combined
investment capital of some US$13.2 billion. The pickup in passen-
ger traffic and the growing economy will continue to create a strong
source of travel expenditure for Vietnam.
“Tourism expenditure by 2014 is expected to be around US$8.2 bil-
lion (in Vietnam),” Bailey said.
Basset of Accor said in support of Bailey that more new airports
would attract more planes and that Vietnam started behind Thailand
and Malaysia in terms of tourism but the country had more phenom-
enal potential for future growth.
Basset said Vietnam would be able to attract around five million in-
ternational visitors this year, from nearly 3.8 million last year. “The
number of corporate travellers is increasing more and more as we
see more global companies coming to open factories and find the
opportunities for them.”
Basset said the increase in international travelers in Vietnam was
based mostly on corporate and leisure segments, which account for
about 80% of foreign visitors to Vietnam, and the rest are in this coun-
try for personal reasons.
Vietnam ranked among
top growth tourism
markets in Asia
138 tw 28   10
adds two new
routes to Asia
QatarAirways
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS
Q
atar Airways detailed its commit-
ment to expanding its presence
and offering in the Asian Market at
ITB Asia, the region’s largest travel trade
show taking place in Singapore between
October 20 and 22.
The airline is promoting new routes to
Phuket and Hanoi and increased ser-
vices to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City,
together with exciting stopover packages
for international events in Doha to make a
trip to Asia an even more attractive option
for European travellers, the carrier an-
nounced the plan on October 21st
.
Qatar’s new route to Thailand’s premier
resort island of Phuket offers flights six
times a week, increasing to daily flights in
November via Kuala Lumpur and con-
necting to several of Qatar Airways’ key
markets in Europe. Launched on October
12, this is Qatar’s second route to Thai-
land and the 8th
new international destina-
tion it has launched this year. The Phuket
services are part of an overall capacity
increase to Thailand, which is witnessing
a rapid post-recession recovery in tourism
with arrivals expected to top 14 million in
2010. Qatar Airways boost its Doha - Bang-
kok frequencies from twice daily flights
to triple daily effective from November 1.
Qatar Airways will exercise fifth freedom
traffic rights allowing it to sell tickets be-
tween Phuket and Kuala Lumpur.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer
Akbar Al Baker said that the airline’s route
to Thailand’s largest island reinforced
the airline’s commitment to target under-
served Asian markets. On November 1,
Qatar will commence four flights a week
to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, as well
as increased frequency to Ho Chi Minh
City from three flights a week to daily.
“Visitor numbers to Asian destinations
such as Phuket and Hanoi are on the rise
and Qatar Airways will look to take advan-
tage of our European connections from
countries like Russia, Germany, Denmark,
Sweden, the UK and other parts of Europe
to expand the market. With only a handful
of airlines offering flights from Europe to
these destinations, the opportunity is there
for us to acquire market share,” said Al
Baker.
In Asia-Pacific, Qatar Airways’ route net-
work now extends to 17 destinations and
makes up almost 20 per cent its global
network.
Qatar Airways Stopover Packages
To sweeten the offer further, Qatar is tak-
ing advantage of the many international
events in home-base Doha offering VIP
stopover packages through Qatar Airways
Holidays.
Qatar is launching the VIP deal with the
World Tennis Association Champion-
ships- Doha 2010 and the 2nd Annual
Doha Tribeca Film Festival from October
26 to 31. More event-linked offers will be
rolled out during 2011 providing travelers
with VIP tickets and select hotels to create
exclusive stopover package.
10
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS
Qatar Airways Awarded
Recognising its long-term partnership
with Asia and growing services and
products, Qatar was recently awarded two
major industry accolades: Best Middle
Eastern Airline By TTG Asia Magazine for
the 5th consecutive year and Best Middle
Eastern Airline Business Traveller Asia-
Pacific for the 2nd year running.
Both awards are in recognition of Qatar
Airways’ strong commitment towards
travel excellence as voted by readers of
TTG Asia – a prestigious weekly travel
trade magazine published across Asia –
and the monthly Business Traveller Asia
Pacific, which also has sister titles world-
wide aimed at frequent fliers.
Qatar Airways is the only Middle East
carrier in an elite club of Five Star-ranked
airlines recognising the best in service
excellence by industry audit, Skytrax.
The airline’s Senior Vice President East
Asia and South West Pacific, Marwan Ko-
leilat, who picked up the awards on behalf
of the airline, said: “Qatar Airways con-
tinues to set high benchmarks to remain
competitive. Across Asia Pacific, we have
made significant inroads with our flights
and increased capacity that provide us
with extensive reach in one of the world’s
most important vibrant regions.”
“The awards are further evidence of Qatar
Airways’ success in offering innovative
products and services to our passengers,”
he said adding, “We are proud that the
exceptional standards we set have been
recognised by our valuable customers, as
well as the travel industry.”
Since February this year, Qatar Airways
has launched flights from its Doha hub to
Bangalore, Tokyo, Ankara, Copenhagen,
Barcelona, Sao Paulo, Buenes Aires and
Phuket.
Over the next five months Qatar Airways
will introduce scheduled flights to Hanoi,
Nice, , Bucharest, Budapest, Brussels and
Struttgart. With a growing international
network, Qatar Airways is able to offer
passengers from across Asia with excel-
lent connections to destinations around
the world via Doha.
Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of
89 aircraft to 93 key business and leisure
destinations across Europe, Middle East,
Africa, Asia Pacific and North and South
America. The carrier has outstanding or-
ders for more than 200 aircraft worth over
US$40 billion.
11
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS12
In Germany, a road-show presenting Vietnam’s
tourism was organized in Berlin to celebrate the
35th
anniversary of diplomatic relations between
the two countries. This event attracted the attention
of nearly 100 representatives of tourism compa-
nies, media organizations of Germany and a large
number of international tourists, Berlin residents
and Vietnamese living in Germany.
Vietnamese travel companies and hotels have or-
ganized many events to present their products and
the image of Vietnam’s tourism to foreign tourists.
Tourism companies of Vietnam and Germany have
had meetings to exchange information and estab-
lish partner relations. Some German travel compa-
nies have signed contracts with Vietnamese travel
companies and hotels to send tourists to Vietnam
in the fourth quarter of 2010. The tours to Vietnam
have left deep impressions in the minds of German
tourists and visitors from other countries.
A road-show presenting Vietnam’s tourism was or-
ganized in Brussels, Belgium, by VNAT in associa-
tion with the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium. This
was the first Vietnamese tourism event of its kind
to take place in Belgium, so it attracted special at-
tention of many travel companies such as Thomas
Cook and Tui Travel, and Belgian companies. The
road-show presented information about Vietnam’s
tourism and the products of Vietnamese tourism
companies. Many principle contracts were signed
to promote the exchange of tourists between travel
companies of Vietnam and Belgium during the
event.
In the Republic of France, on the occasion of the
80th founding anniversary of L’Humanite (Human-
ity) Newspaper, an organ of the French Communist
Party, Vietnam held a 150sq.mn exhibition to pres-
ent the French with images of Vietnamese culture
and tourism opportunities. With the assistance of
the Vietnamese Association in France and other
concerned organizations, the exhibition was a
success. It not only provided visitors with diverse
information about Vietnamese tourism products
but also presented many of the literary and artistic
works of Vietnamese authors and French people
who love and take photos of Vietnam. At the exhibi-
tion site, a nice, modern stage was arranged for
Vietnamese artists to perform presentations of
traditional Vietnamese dances and musical instru-
ments. The performances of Vietnamese artists
attracted a large audience, and performers were
warmly welcomed by international friends. Within
just three days, the exhibition attracted several
hundred thousand visitors.
Events designed to attract tourists from West Euro-
pean countries to Vietnam have left good impres-
sions in the minds of international friends and have
contributed to the expanding cooperation between
Vietnamese tourism companies and foreign part-
ners. The domestic tourism sector hopes that it will
attract more visitors from West Europe and other
parts of the world to Vietnam throughout the rest of
2010 and well into the future.
Western Europe has been considered as a major market of Vietnam’s tourism for
a long time. Following numerous activities designed to popularize the image of
Vietnam’s tourism in West European countries, the Vietnam National Administra-
tion of Tourism (VNAT) recently organised a series of events aiming to attract
more tourists from Germany, France and Belgium.
As a result, the number of international tourists to Vietnam increased greatly this
September and the last months. After the 26 percent increase this autumn com-
pared with last year, tourism is expected to continue to grow in the later months
of 2010, especially from West European countries.
Vietnam attracts more
West European tourists
Tourist in the Valentine boat
138 tw 28   10
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS14
Twenty-two travel companies, mostly in central Vietnam, have formed a club to ensure better
services for Thai travellers to the region, instead of unfairly competing with one another.
The mandate for the club is to cooperate to improve services, prevent price undercutting,
boost tourism promotion, and set minimum tour prices for Thai visitors to the country.
Cao Tri Dung, chairman of the club, said the member companies mainly served Thai tourists
who usually travel to the country via the border gates in the central region, such as Cau Treo,
Cha Lo, Lao Bao and Nam Can.
They will contribute funds to promotion programs to polish the image of the region’s tourism
so as to attract more tourists from Thailand.
“Unfair competition is happening here,” said Dung, who is also director of Vitours based in
Danang. “It has marred the tourism image. Some companies are ready to sell tours at reduced
prices, which also mean poor quality, so cooperation is a way out for such a situation.”
The current minimum prices for three popular overland tours designed for Thais in the central
region range from US$105 to VND170 per person. They will come into force on January 1.
An increasing number of Thais have been travelling overland to central Vietnam in recent
years.
The organiser of an international yacht race
from Hong Kong to Vietnam has shelved
the competition scheduled to take place on
October 20.
The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club said the
VinaCapital Hong Kong to Vietnam Race
had been cancelled due to the approaching
super typhoon Megi, which has battered the
Philippines on its course to the East Sea.
The organiser said it regarded safety as the
first priority for all its events, particularly for
its international Category 1 Offshore events.
It would be unthinkable to send the boats to
stormy high seas, it said in a statement.
However, the organiser said that competitors
and the club are fully supportive of running
the race in the middle of next October. The
date is expected to be set soon to allow
international competitors to plan their racing
calendars.
Vu Duy Vu, deputy director of the race’s local
partner Saigontourist Travel Service Co., has
confirmed the cancellation.
“We completed all preparatory activities for
the race but we had to cancel it for safety
reasons,” he told the Daily on Tuesday.
Earlier, the central Government had allowed
Saigontourist Holding Company, the parent
company of Saigontourist Travel Service
Co., to combine with the foreign partner to
organise the 656km race from Wednesday to
next Wednesday.
The event has been taking place every two
years since 2004.
Travel firms club to better serve
Thai tourists
Hong Kong - Vietnam
yacht race canceled
Illustrated picture
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS
The Nam Hai, Vietnam’s premier seaside
resort, is turning the lights on a series of
special events over the festive period to
engage and brighten the Christmas spirit
in all members of the family.
In the typically friendly and family oriented
Vietnamese style inherent at The Nam Hai,
staff members at all levels will be involved
in celebrating this Christmas in a style to
remember.
From Dec. 1 until Jan. 6, the hotel’s ex-
tensive children’s club program will also
include the following activities, available
free of charge to all guests:
• Christmas cookies cooking class in the
pastry shop.
• Weekly Christmas painting competi-
tion to be judged by staff at The Nam Hai.
(Winning entries will receive a Vietnamese
family dinner for the entire family.)
• Christmas treasure hunt where families
compete to hunt the clues hidden on
property.
• Family game night.
Over Christmas itself guests will be
invited to join in the festivities with:
• Decoration of The Nam Hai Christmas
Tree.
• Christmas story reading by the general
manager and senior management (in Eng-
lish and German).
• Christmas family movie night with
cookies, stollen and mulled wine.
• Santa Claus in the restaurant during din-
ner Dec. 24 and 25.
Lavish menus have been developed for the
holiday period, including a wine-centric
bill of fare created specifically for Dec. 27
and 30. That’s when the resort will conduct
Grand Wine Dinners with lauded winemak-
er Sybille Kuntz, of Sybille Kuntz Estate in
southwest Germany’s Riesling-rich Mosel
region.
In addition to introducing the wine she’s
selected for each dish, Ms. Kuntz will also
offer private wine tastings throughout the
week leading up to New Year’s.
To further entertain guests, The Nam Hai
Festive Choir will be performing for the
second consecutive year. Headed by
resident pianist Rain, the Choir consists of
staff at all levels who have auditioned and
trained to delight guests with their rendi-
tions of favorite Christmas carols.
Seven nights’ accommodation for a family
of four (two adults and two children) from
Dec. 21-28 starts at US $890++ per villa
per night, including airport breakfast and
return airport transfers. A Grand Wine Din-
ner costs US $150++ per person, includ-
ing a five-course contemporary set menu
with paired wines.
To book, contact The Nam Hai at (+84)
510 394 0000 or afomre@thenamhai.com.
For more information about the resort, visit
www.thenamhai.com.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS14
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS 17
Starting this December, locals and tourists
will have a chance to experience a cultural
show organized by the Xin Chao Art per-
formance Co. Ltd, featuring cultural traits
of Vietnam to attract tourists.
Entitled “Xin Chao” (Hello), the premier
with 50 artists will kick off on December
3 and will continue every night at 6.30pm
at the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Theater at
September 23 Park in District 1. Sunday
shows are meant for kids and family with
discount fares.
There will be three parts featuring the tale
of Lac Long Quan and his wife Au Co, who
are believed to be the first ancestors of
Vietnam, heroines Trung Sisters and the
contemporary life in Vietnam.
“Xin Chao” is the same genre as Cirque
du Soleil, a dramatic mix of circus arts and
performances originated from Canada
that has been widely spread to Japan and
Macau.
The script is written by Laura Burke, an
American producer and director who have
been living, working and researching on
Vietnamese culture and history over the
last 8 years. She has also participated in
different art activities such as her recent
staging a traditional musical show called
Ho Xuan Huong at HCMC’s Opera House.
For this new project, Laura expects to em-
ploy Binh Dinh martial art and Vietnamese
traditional and cultural habits into the show
to attract international audience.
This is also a chance for young artists in
different fields like circus, martial arts, aer-
obat and dancing to show off their talents
in a big stage for long term.
“There are many tourists coming to HCMC
every year. However, they are only hanging
around bar, cinema or restaurant because
there is no entertainment place with Viet-
namese culture,” said Augustus Greaves,
representative of the show.
“Vietnam is a beautiful country with a rich
culture. We need to exploit the cultural
traits to attract tourists and they will spend
more and have more reasons to stay in
Vietnam.”
New culture show to
lure visitors to HCMC
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS18
Vietnam wants to join efforts with Cuba in exploring new and effec-
tive methods of cooperation to benefit their people, Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung has said.
While receiving Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Enrique Prieto Jime-
nez in Hanoi on Oct. 20, PM Dung promised to support and create
favourable conditions for Vietnam’s concerned agencies to expand
and boost cultural cooperation with the island country.
Together with bilateral cooperation in politics, diplomacy and trade,
the enhancement of cultural relations would make the two nations
more close-knit, the leader said.
Jimenez said the Cuban delegation’s visit was aimed at accessing
Vietnam’s experiences in developing and preserving cultural values,
thereby contributing to the building of relevant policies in Cuba.
The two sides are to sign a cultural cooperation programme for the
2011-2013 period, which would help the Cuban and Vietnamese peo-
ple better understand each other’s cultures, he said.
The same day, Politburo member Truong Tan Sang received Minister
Prieto Jimenez, who was also a Politburo member of the Communist
Party of Cuba Central Committee.
Sang, a permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Cen-
tral Committee’s Secretariat, said Vietnam always stood side by side
with Cuba and would do its utmost to promote the bilateral relation-
ship.
The Party official conveyed the best regards from Party General Sec-
retary Nong Duc Manh and State President Nguyen Minh Triet to
Cuban President Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro.
Jimenez said Vietnam’s renewal achievements have proved the Viet-
namese revolution was advancing forward firmly and that its experi-
ences were very useful to Cuba.
Having thanked the Party, State and people for their valuable support
and assistance, the minister affirmed that Cuba would spare no ef-
forts to strengthen and step up the traditional and loyal relationship
between the two nations.
Later in the day, Jimenez held talks with Vietnamese Minister of
Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh, during which they re-
viewed the results of cultural cooperation over the recent past and
signed a cultural cooperation programme for the next three years.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two sides pledged to increase
cultural exchanges such as art performances, exhibitions of paint-
ings, photos and books and film screenings.
The two sides will boost the sharing of experiences in cultural man-
agement, heritage preservation and management and facilitate co-
operation between labs, museums, film studios and training estab-
lishments.
Cuba also vowed to participate in international cultural events which
will be held regularly in Vietnam, including the Hue Festival, the 4th
International Circus Festival, the 3rd International Puppetry Festival
and the 2nd
International Film Festival.
Vietnam, Cuba move
to step up cultural
cooperation
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
VIETNAM NEWS 19
Vietnam’s airlines, hotels, operators and agents scored but a single victory in
TTG’s annual Travel Awards this year.
In the 21st
annual awards presentation this month, the Sofitel Legend Metropole
Hanoi took home the top spot in the ‘Best City Hotel - Hanoi’ category. Only the
capital cities of countries across the region were evaluated.
The criteria for the Best Hotel award included an appraisal of services, facilities,
value-added benefits and most professional sales and marketing team. None of
the other 77 awards went to an organization based in Vietnam.
More than 48,000 readers of TTG across the Asia-Pacific contributed assess-
ments across four main categories. The awards are widely recognized as one of
the most prestigious in Southeast Asia.
“There’s something immensely satisfying about this title – Best City Hotel,” said
Kai Speth, general manager of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. “We have
a reputation as a great heritage hotel, and we’ve worked hard to sharpen our
credentials as a destination for business travelers and as a destination for so-
phisticated night life. There’s a well-roundedness to Best City Hotel that we plan
to savor.”
In the past year, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has scooped a number of
coveted awards from around the globe, including a spot on the Conde Nast Hot
List and, most recently, PATA’s top award in the Heritage category.
In the 2010 TTG awards program, the trade publication conferred 53 awards
to travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, MICE, travel service), 15 awards to travel
agents, four awards for oustanding achievement, such as destination of the year,
and seven awards in the Travel Hall of Fame.
The voting process spanned three months, from early June to early August, and
was completed online or through printed forms.
TTG Awards Singles Out Vietnam Hotel
138 tw 28   10
138 tw 28   10
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa,
Kota Kinabalu won the 2010 World Luxury
Hotel Country Award under the “Luxury
Beach Resort” category in Malaysia at the
recent World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala
Ceremony Dinner in Hua Hin, Thailand on
8 October 2010.
The World Luxury Travel Awards are the
world’s most prestigious awards ex-
clusive to the luxury hotel industry and
recognises the best facilities and service
excellence the industry has to offer. Es-
tablished in 2006, the awards recognise a
selection of the finest hotels situated in 54
countries and is committed to raising the
bar of excellence within the luxury hotel
industry.
“This comes as such a wonderful sur-
prise. We are very excited to receive this
prestigious award,” said Andrew Steele,
general manager of Shangri-La’s Tanjung
Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu.
The criterion to be successfully nomi-
nated and included in the official World
Luxury Hotel Awards voting process is
overall service excellence. Only hotels,
lodges and resorts operating in a luxury
niche market are able to participate in the
World Luxury Hotel Awards. The World
Luxury Hotel Award does not recognise
any other areas of the travel industry.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and
Resorts currently owns and/or manages
68 hotels under the Shangri-La and Trad-
ers brands with a rooms inventory of over
30,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star de-
luxe properties featuring extensive luxury
facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels
are located in Australia, Canada, mainland
China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines,
Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan,
Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
The group has substantial development
pipeline with projects in Austria, Canada,
mainland China, France, India, Macau,
Malaysia, Philippines, Mongolia, Rus-
sia, Qatar, Seychelles, Turkey and United
Kingdom.
22
Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and
Spa Wins 2010 World Luxury Hotel
Country Award
Six Senses Resorts & Spas announces
a new name for its Destination Spa - Six
Senses Sanctuary Phuket. This is the first
part of a wider company rebranding for
Six Senses, to be unveiled in full next year.
The new name, Six Senses Sanctuary
Phuket, captures the spa’s core purpose
of delivering integrated wellness experi-
ences along with peace, tranquillity, fitness
and wellbeing. Not only a spa, Six Senses
Sanctuary Phuket offers a stress-free, idyl-
lic environment where guests can retreat
from today’s frenetic world.
STA Travel is on top of the world for the
second consecutive year, after being voted
Australasia’s Leading Travel Agency at the
World Travel Awards. STA Travel claimed
the title for Australia, New Zealand and
the Pacific in a gala event at the five-star
Claridges Surajkund in Delhi. Described as
the ‘Oscars’ of the global travel and tour-
ism industry by the Wall Street Journal, the
awards recognise excellence in all aspects
of travel services including product range,
customer service, company culture and
technology. Over 5000 travel companies
were nominated in more than 1000 differ-
ent categories for the 2010 World Travel
Awards.
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has
emerged the most celebrated hotel brand
in Australasia in the 17th World Travel
Awards, as voted by the international travel
agent community.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
was recognised as Fiji’s Leading Golf
Resort. The only international resort on Viti
Levu’s spectacular Natadola Beach, offers
an 18-hole links course. Another inaugural
World Travel Award winner was InterCon-
tinental Melbourne The Rialto, which was
named Australasia’s Leading Business Ho-
tel and it is the only international high-end
hotel in the city’s central financial district.
This year marked the third time InterCon-
tinental Wellington has been recognised
as New Zealand’s Leading Business Hotel,
making the hotel one of the most consistent
winners of the Australasian World Travel
Awards in recent years.
Six Senses renames Phuket
destination spa
STA Travel Back On Top of
the World
Intercontinental
Australasia’s most
celebrated hotel brand
In Brief
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 23
T
he Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra
announced today that the 201-room,
riverside property will open on
December 11, as the city’s first new 5-star
debut in a decade.
Located in an upscale residential quarter
just downstream of Phnom Penh’s Royal
Palace, and close to both the Australian and
Russian embassies, the hotel’s debut will
introduce eight new restaurants and bars to
the city, Southeast Asia’s first, Sofitel-brand-
ed So SPA and So FIT, as well as the top floor
executive lounge, Club Millésime, and an
1,800-square-meter grand ballroom anchor-
ing one of the most ambitious new meetings
venues in the region.
The December launch immediately rede-
fines the city’s upscale appeal, positioning
the Sofitel as the most sophisticated new
hospitality opportunity not only in Phnom
Penh but in the region at large. The hotel’s
emergence here, in one of Asia’s most
compelling new destinations, is evidence of
rising enthusiasm for Phnom Penh.
More than 6,000 candidates applied for work
at the new hotel, buoyed by the brand’s
reputation and the bold strokes of a USD 50
million investment by a consortium of Cam-
bodian, Thai and French investors.
The Sofitel Luxury Hotels brand offers a
unique blend of local culture and the French
“Art de Vivre”, and has been progressively
moving to claim leading high-end market
positioning in major destinations and capital
cities. As a new generation Sofitel, the Sofitel
Phnom Penh Phokeethra aims to rapidly gain
a leading position in the destination.
“For many people, Phnom Penh is one of
Asia’s great new destinations, generating
an enthusiasm that we’ve seen in the past
for places like Vietnam and the Maldives,”
said Didier Lamoot, General Manager of
the hotel. “The Sofitel is opening as a grand
manifestation of all that enthusiasm.”
Despite the recent economic slump world-
wide, visitors to Cambodia have continued
to increase, albeit by a small margin. In 2008,
the country’s tourist authorities reported 2.12
million in-bound arrivals. In 2009, that num-
ber inched up to 2.16 million. Last month, the
country’s Ministry of Tourism reported that
in-bound arrivals were up 14% over last year,
a pace that’s likely to accelerate with the
development of the nation’s infrastructure.
The 12-storey hotel occupies four hectares
in a prime, riverside location, near the British
International School and amidst a burgeon-
ing neighborhood of upscale villas. The
airport is 15 kilometers away. Within five
years, the city’s evolving centre is expected
to be fixed right around the Sofitel.
Its fitness complex, the Phokeethra Sports
Club, features tennis courts and squash
courts, as well an outdoor swimming pool,
a kid’s club and fitness equipment. Sofitel
So SPA enjoys expansive quarters on the
hotel’s third floor, overlooking the pool and
the river.
Its five state-of-the-art meeting rooms, the
magnificent grand ballroom and a 1,200-
square-meter pre-function space are set
to tap a growing interest in Phnom Penh as
a land of entrepreneurial opportunity. The
Sofitel will deploy its InspiredMeetings
programme in the new facility, setting the
stage for events that coordinate dedicated
personnel and technology and that deliver
one-of-a-kind affairs, from intimate parties to
large scale conferences.
“As we look ahead to the next few years,
Phnom Penh is likely to emerge as an attrac-
tive new venue among meetings and confer-
ence planners,” said Lamoot. “The destina-
tion is fresh, and the ability to hop from here
to Angkor is a major draw.”
Lamoot previously served as General Man-
ager at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf
and Spa Resort from September 2004.
Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French
Elegance
Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand
with a presence on five continents with 120
addresses, in almost 40 countries (more than
30 000 rooms). Sofitel offers contemporary
hotels and resorts adapted to today’s more
demanding and more versatile consumers
who expect and appreciate beauty, qual-
ity and excellence. Whether situated in the
heart of a major city like Paris, London, New
York or Beijing, or nestled away in a country
landscape in Morocco, Egypt, Fiji Islands
or Thailand, each Sofitel property offers a
genuine experience of the French “ art de
vivre”.
Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra set
for December Debut
Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra set
for December Debut
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS24
A
yana Resort and Spa Bali has been awarded Asia’s
Leading Luxury Resort for the second year running as
well as Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa (AYANA Villa) in the
World Travel Awards 2010.
The awards, announced at the Asia Final in India, automatically
qualify AYANA for nomination as the World’s Leading Luxury Re-
sort and World’s Leading Luxury Villa. The winners of the World
Grand Final will be announced next month.
Tagged ‘the Oscars of the travel industry’ by the Wall Street Jour-
nal, the World Travel Awards recognize leaders from all sectors
of the tourism and travel industry who demonstrate excellence in
service and product.
“The hotel industry is extremely competitive and it is a great
honor to win one accolade at the World Travel Awards. We are
overwhelmed to have won two,” said AYANA’s General Manager
Charles de Foucault. “We are very humbled by the support of our
guests, who continually inspire us to reach new heights in quality
of service, facilities and overall experience. Today’s savvy
Ayana Won Asia’s
Leading luxury Resort
and Luxury Villa at
World Travel Awards 2010
Ayana Won Asia’s
Leading luxury Resort
and Luxury Villa at
World Travel Awards 2010
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 25
travellers do not accept anything but the best, and we are privi-
leged to be ranked amongst the world’s most luxurious resorts.”
The award as Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort reaffirms AYANA’s
position as a leader in the global hotel industry, after it won the
same award in 2009 just months after rebranding to an indepen-
dent property. The original owner has invested millions of dollars
in upgrades including the Rock Bar, located on natural rocks
abutting the ocean, and renovations of Padi restaurant, Damar
Terrace restaurant and AYANA Ballroom.
Other awards to be bestowed upon AYANA this year include:
• World’s #1 Spa in the Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Survey
• Conde Nast Traveller Gold List (Best Hotels in Asia)
• Top 20 Hotels for Value Overall in TRAVEL + LEISURE Read-
ers’ Awards
• Indonesia’s Leading Independent Resort in the Indonesian
Tourism Awards
Meanwhile, Rock Bar has won several awards as Bali’s Best New
Bar and was recently named first in a list of the World’s Best
Hotel Bars by CNNGo, the travel portal of CNN.
The award as Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa – a new category in
the World Travel Awards just introduced this year – recognizes
AYANA’s three-bedroom presidential villa as the most lavish
venue for an exclusive escape, honeymoon for two, wedding cel-
ebration or other private event. Situated on 3000sqm (32,292sqf
) of landscaped tropical gardens, AYANA Villa includes an 11-
meter-long infinity-edged pool, heated Jacuzzi, private spa treat-
ment room, private gym, yoga and meditation classes, Wedding
Gazebo on the cliff-edge, and of course 24-hour personalized,
dedicated yet discreet service from butlers certified by the Guild
of Professional Butlers’ in the UK.
AYANA Villa is one of 78 villas spread out across the resort, the
other 77 being one-bedroom and two-bedroom dwellings. All
villa guests enjoy exclusive privileges and maximum privacy, yet
convenient access to hotel facilities including Thermes Marins
Bali Spa, 13 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, golf-
putting course, tennis pavilion, fitness center, and white-sand
beach.
Tailor-made Travel Specialist
in
VIETNAM - CAMBODIA - LAOS
Add: 130 Pho Duc Chinh - Ba Dinh District
Hanoi - Vietnam
Tel: +84-4 37153538
Fax: +84-4 3715 3540
Email: info@littleorienttravel.com
www.littleorienttravel.com
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 27
Singapore, Malaysia and Australia
travellers continue to pick Indonesia
as their top destination in the next two
years, according to Visa and PATA
Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey
2010.
Based on past and future travel plans
for the next two years, the online
survey conducted by Nielsen in-
volved 6,714 respondents from 13 key
Asia-Pacific markets. It indicated that
among respondents most likely to
head to Indonesia, 29 per cent were
from Malaysia, 18 per cent from Aus-
tralia and 15 per cent from Singapore.
Taiwan was next at nine per cent,
followed by Japan and South Korea at
eight per cent each. Both countries
had been important markets for Indo-
nesia, but showed declining figures
due to the economic crisis.
Fifty-nine per cent of respondents who
would go to Indonesia within the next
two years were repeat travellers who
were drawn by the destination’s dining
and shopping options as well as the
natural scenery.
First-time travellers who would
consider visiting Indonesia cited new
attractions, the natural scenery and
affordability as deciding factors. They
were likely to visit with spouses, stay
in four- and three-star hotels for three
to five nights and spend an average of
US$1,538 per person per trip, includ-
ing airfare.
Indonesia remains
top destination for
Singapore, Malaysia
and Australia
travellers
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Luxury hotel Harbour Grand Hongkong
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced today (22 October) that a total of
2,728,107 visitor arrivals to Hong Kong were recorded in September 2010, 21.2% more
than the previous September. Cumulatively, arrivals in the first three quarters of 2010
reached 26,175,950, which is a 23.7%-increase year-on-year.
The table below summarises visitor arrivals from different market regions in Septem-
ber and the first three quarters in 2010:
In September 2010, Mainland arrivals increased by 22.7% to more than 1.62 million,
driving further gain in overall visitor arrivals. Such momentum of growth, which sus-
tained after the summer holidays, showed that since the implementation of measures
under the Individual Visit Scheme in Shenzhen, Mainland visitors no longer travel to
Hong Kong only during the peak travel seasons and festive holidays, but that they also
come for consumption visits over the weekends.
For short-haul markets, expanded flight capacity between Hong Kong and South
and Southeast Asia brought along remarkable growth in arrivals from these markets,
which increased by 20.3% compared to September 2009. As for North Asia, apprecia-
tion of the WON currency continued to stimulate travel among South Koreans, causing
arrivals from the country to more than double (+106.9%) and overall arrivals from
North Asia to rise by 20.4% year-on-year. Arrivals from Taiwan also grew by 14.8%,
reflecting an increasing number of vacation travellers from the island.
Further away, double-digit growth was registered in all three regional long-haul mar-
kets, with a satisfactory increase of 18.5% in overall long-haul arrivals. In particular,
North American arrivals went up by more than 20%, indicating a growing number of
both business and vacation travellers as the economy stabilises.
For emerging markets, benefitting from such favourable factors as economic improve-
ments and expanded flight capacity, continual growth was registered in arrivals from
Russia (+107.2%) and the Middle East (+31.7%). In India, the country’s fast-growing
economy has led to strong demand for outbound travel, especially among both family
and business segments, causing overall arrivals to Hong Kong to increase by 27.7% in
September 2010.
Overnight Visitors
In September 2010, overnight visitor arrivals to Hong Kong totalled 1.44 million, rep-
resenting 53.0% of the total arrival figure and a 17.6%-increase from the 2009 figure.
Most key market regions, especially Taiwan (+28.4%) and the Americas (+26.4),
showed prominent growth in overnight visitor arrivals.
For the first three quarters of 2010, overnight visitor arrivals cumulated to 14.71 million.
This number represents 56.2% of all visitor arrivals in the same period and is 21.8%
more than the figure last year.
Hong Kong arrivals
rise 21% in September
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 29
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS30
Egypt plans to embark on a survey to study the trends and re-
quirements of the Asian market as part of its plan to increase ar-
rivals from the region.
“We believe MICE and adventure travel has great potential to ap-
peal to Asian visitors but we need to have an in-depth study of
Asian travellers so we know the specific needs of Asian visitors,”
said Mr Hisham Zaazou, First Assistant Minister of the Egypt Min-
istry of Tourism, during a press conference at ITB Asia 2010 on
20 October.
“Egypt is no longer just a destination known for its cultural attrac-
tions. It is now multifaceted destination. These days we have very
good MICE facilities not only in Cairo, but also in Luxor and other
destinations in the Red Sea area,” he added.
Mr Zaazou said that Egypt was considering increasing its pres-
ence in the region by opening tourism offices in addition to exist-
ing offices in Beijing, Tokyo and India. Although no decision had
been made yet, Malaysia was a possibility as it had the advantage
of direct flights on Egyptian Airlines.
Mr Zaazou expressed his happiness with Egypt’s partnership
role as Official Partner Country for ITB Asia 2010. He said that he
hoped to continue the partnership in Berlin in 2012 and possibly,
ITB Asia 2012 as well.
Egypt to Survey Asian Travel TrendsEgypt to Survey Asian Travel Trends
Group picture at the stand of Egypt - ITB Asia 2010
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 31
T
he Sydney Convention and
Exhibition Centre staged one
of its largest dinners on record
this month, with more than 3200
participants in the Air New Zealand
Golden Oldies Rugby Festival filling
the venue to celebrate the end of
their week-long event.
Held in two of the Centre’s exhibition
halls spanning 10,000 square metres,
the dinner was serviced by six satel-
lite kitchens, with 36 chefs and 220
waitstaff in attendance.
Using more than 460 kgs of beef, 578
kgs of lamb and 1310 kgs of veg-
etables, the chefs created a gourmet
three-course dinner featuring grilled
beef tenderloin on caramelised red
onion and olive hash, and braised
lamb shanks with a smoked bacon
and onion galette.
Themed with 80 giant illuminated
inflatable stars and spheres, the din-
ner venue featured one of the largest
ever dance areas created at the
Centre, with delegates filling the 750
square metre dance floor as they en-
joyed the sounds of five great cover
bands throughout the evening.
Festivities continued well into the
night at the Centre, which was also
home to the event’s opening party a
week earlier, attended by more than
3000 delegates.
Staged every two years, the Air
New Zealand Golden Oldies Rugby
Festival celebrates the global rugby
fraternity, with 4500 rugby players
aged 35 years and over from around
the world playing in this year’s
Festival’s games from September
26-October 3.
Festival Director Allan Forno said
Sydney had been a big hit with at-
tendees.
“Our delegates loved the city and its
harbour and they also really appreci-
ated the safety of the city, which is
important,’ Mr Forno said.
Mr Forno said the Centre events had
been very successful, from the cali-
bre of the food through to the superb
service and the management of the
large number of guests.
Staging Dimensions Managing Di-
rector Mark Keegan, who produced
the festival’s welcome party and gala
awards dinner, also complimented
the venue.
“We really enjoyed working with ev-
eryone at the Centre – from the event
managers through to the food and
beverage and security staff. Noth-
ing was too much for them and they
were incredibly professional.
“In the spirit of rugby, it was a big
team effort and they were all sensa-
tional.”
Centre Chief Executive Ton van Am-
erongen said the Centre was proud
to be selected as the venue for such
a major event.
“Delivering a gourmet three-course
dinner for 3200 people is not a
simple task. It takes considerable
planning, skill and style, so our team
is to be congratulated,” Mr van Am-
erongen said.
The Golden Oldies gala dinner is
one of a string of major events be-
ing held at the Centre in 2010-2011,
including the 12,000-delegate Lions
Convention in July 2010 and the 4000-
delegate Asia Pacific Congress of
Ophthalmology in March 2011.
Sydney Convention Centre
hosts huge gala dinner
Sydney Convention Centre
hosts huge gala dinner
This is the
largest
dinners on
record with
more than
3200 partici-
pants in the
Air New Zea-
land Golden
Oldies Rugby
Festival filling
the venue to
celebrate the
end of their
week-long
event.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The Westin Sydney has again been recognized by Conde Nast
Traveler as one of the Best Hotels in Australia and the Pacific in
the 23rd
annual Readers’ Choice Awards
Conde Nast Traveler is one of the most trusted sources for all
aspects of luxury travel and their readers are the most frequent
and affluent travelers in the world. They are discerning about
travel as well as about culture, fashion and design, and are in
the forefront of spending on luxury items from clothes to cars to
holiday houses.
The Conde Nast Readers Choice Survey was available to read-
ers on a secure website and the hotels were rated in food/dining,
overall design and room service. A total of 25,915 readers partici-
pated in 2010 which was tabulated by Global Market Insite, Inc.
of Boston.
General Manager, Mark Burns commented, “we are absolutely
thrilled to be included in this prestigious list. Our associates
work tirelessly to deliver personal and instinctive service to
guests, ensuring they depart feeling better than when they ar-
rived”.
The Westin Sydney is located in the heart of Sydney at No. 1 Mar-
tin Place, and its facilities include 416 luxurious accommodation
rooms and suites, Mosaic Restaurant offers modern Australian
cuisine with a Mediterranean influence and a stylish Lobby Bar,
Lounge and Room.
New Zealand could lose its Middle Earth alias with reports the
Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit may be filmed in the UK.
In a statement, filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson and his wife Fran
Walsh said Warner Bros would be flying to New Zealand later in
the month to arrange the relocation of the USD500 million proj-
ect, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Tourism New Zealand General Manager Public Affairs Suzanne
Carter said losing the films would be a disappointment consid-
ering the positive impact the previous productions had on New
Zealand tourism.
“From a tourism perspective the flow on effects of these films
reach communities across the country with visitors coming to
enjoy our unique scenery and lifestyle and using our tourism
services as they travel,” she said.
“People are still travelling to New Zealand today because of the
exposure gained through the Lord of the Rings trilogy.”
The announcement to relocate production came after New
Zealand Actors’ Equity union asked actors to boycott The Hobbit
due to strict contract provisions.
Despite retracting the strike within a few days, Mr Jackson said
Warner Bros had lost confidence in New Zealand as a stable en-
vironment for its multi-million dollar production and has started
looking towards the UK for a possible replacement.
“They have a huge studio there that Harry Potter have vacated,
that they own, their ex Rolls Royce factor, that they say would be
perfect for us,” Ms Walsh said.
“It appears we now cannot make films in our country, even when
substantial financing is available,” Mr Jackson said.
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts to enter the
Chinese market
The Westin Sydney placed
among the Top 5 Hotels in
Australia and the Pacific
32
Movenpick Hotel & Resort, Phuket, Thailand
Movenpick Hotel & Resort, Hanoi, Vietnam
138 tw 28   10
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO34
Indulge your senses in ILTM’s new Healing Lounge
‘Healing Body, Mind and Soul, Healing Beauty’ will be the
theme of the new Healing Lounge sponsored by Healing Ho-
tels of the World at this year’s International Luxury Travel Mar-
ket (ILTM), 6-9 December in Cannes.
Debbie Joslin, Exhibition Director at ILTM comments:
“We are aware of the enormous popularity of spas as well
as high end wellbeing and medical tourism within the luxury
tourism industry. ILTM’s Healing Lounge represents the
crème de la crème of the world’s spas and therefore a high-
point for those luxury travel specialists seeking the ultimate
in rejuvenation for their elite clients.”
Healing Hotels of the World is an exclusive partnership of
some 50 superior hotels and resorts located across the world
offering an exclusive holistic wellbeing service i.e. physical,
emotional, intellectual and spiritual care. The partnership is
also best positioned to educate guests regarding caring for
themselves in the future.
Treatments in the ILTM Healing Lounge include mini facials
onsite by Babor, a power nap corner hosted by Samina Insti-
tute; holistic massages provided by Fonteverde Natural Spa
Resort; shoulder, neck and head treatments from Haki by Har-
ald Kitz and Lanserhof Austria who will provide 15 minute con-
sultations on men’s health.
Healing Hotels’ extensive catalogue of criteria has to be ful-
filled by each partner hotel and focuses on the entire hotel, in-
cluding the holistic treatments offered in the spa, responsible
hotel and room design, appropriate food, sustainable commit-
ment, overall philosophy and much more. Each programme is
specifically tailored for each guest.
The following member hotels and resorts will be represented
at Healing Hotels of the World’s stand at ILTM: Villa Faros,
Greece; La Clairière Bio & Spahotel, France; Hotel Vitznauer-
hof Vitalresort, Switzerland; Alpen Karawanserei Time Design
Hotel, Austria; Lanserhof, Austria; Engel Spa & Resort, Italy;
Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Italy; Chiva-Som, Thailand; Gaia
Retreat & Spa, Australia; The Lyall Hotel & Spa, Australia and
The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Malaysia.
Now in its ninth year, ILTM is an exclusive ‘by invitation only’
event where selected definitive international luxury travel ex-
periences and prestigious luxury travel products are invited to
meet with the top buyers of elite travel from across the globe.
ILTM Asia is the leading annual business-to-business event for
the Asia Pacific luxury travel community: 13-16 June 2011 in
Shanghai.
For further information on ILTM and ILTM Asia,
visit www.iltm.net .
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
27
Countdown News Week
IMEX Group and Cvent
sign major marketing alliance
One year out from the inaugural show, the
organizers behind new global meetings
industry trade show IMEX America have
signed a major marketing agreement with
Cvent, the world’s largest meetings man-
agement software company.
Through the alliance, Cvent and the IMEX
Group will jointly market IMEX America,
which will launch at the Sands Expo/Vene-
tian Palazzo in Las Vegas on October 11,
2011, to an extensive, high-level audience
of qualified buyers and suppliers from
within the United States and other global
markets. A series of joint promotions and
marketing programs is set to start in Janu-
ary 2011.
IMEX America will offer a unique model
of trade show, new to the US market, that
will enable exhibitors to meet and make
business appointments at their booths
with over 2,000 hosted buyers. 80 per cent
of buyers will be from North America, 20
per cent from other world markets; a fac-
tor which defines IMEX America as a truly
international show on US soil. Thousands
more US buyers are also expected to at-
tend.
Working with Cvent to identify possible at-
tendees and buyers, particularly from the
US and Canada, will significantly increase
IMEX’s brand awareness and visibility, al-
though the company’s authority is already
fully proven as a result of its award-win-
ning trade show, IMEX in Frankfurt, which
has been running for eight years.
Says Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO: “We
are thrilled to be working with Cvent. This
new alliance gives us extraordinary reach
into the US meetings, incentive travel and
events market and also partners IMEX
America with a very strong, stable and
respected brand name that shares similar
values to our own. IMEX has always been
dedicated to technological innovation and
we have invested heavily in this side of our
business for the benefit of our buyers and
exhibitors. Cvent shares our client focus
and passion for excellence.”
Cvent already partners with Meeting Pro-
fessionals International (MPI), the Society
of Incentive and Travel Executives (Site)
and the Professional Convention Manage-
ment Association (PCMA), all of which are
also in partnership with IMEX America.
MPI is both strategic partner and major
educational provider for the new show.
Cvent’s strong reputation among govern-
ment, corporate, association and educa-
tion organizations and more than 6,500
customers will give IMEX added reach to
promote the launch of IMEX America, and
the company’s client base complements
the profile of other hosted buyer groups
already coming to the show. For example,
MPI’s 24,000 members worldwide com-
prise decision-makers from 80 per cent
of Fortune 100 companies and Carlson
Marketing’s top corporate clients repre-
sent some of the world’s biggest Fortune
1000 companies. Maritz Travel will also be
running its annual senior-level Customer
Event during the show, which is set to at-
tract up to 100 Fortune 500 corporate cli-
ents.
“Year after year, IMEX in Frankfurt has
proven to be a tremendously valuable
show for Cvent as well as our custom-
ers, and we are excited to help bring one
of the most powerful shows in the global
meetings and events industry to the US,”
said Chuck Ghoorah, Cvent’s Co-Founder
and Executive Vice President of Sales and
Marketing. “We know IMEX America will
deliver the top-notch business and educa-
tional opportunities the industry has come
to expect from the IMEX Group, and look
forward to helping make the inaugural
show a success.”
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO34
About IMEX America
The new trade show for the worldwide meetings, events and incentive travel industry; the inaugural IMEX America will take place October
11-13, 2011 at the Sands Expo at the Venetian/Palazzo Hotel. The show’s strategic partner and major educational provider is MPI. It is endorsed
by DMAI and Site and has an Industry Partnership with PCMA. IMEX America also has major partnerships in place with all the other leading
industry associations across the world.
IMEX America will offer a unique model of trade show, new to the US market. It will assure exhibitors of meeting and making business appoint-
ments on their booths with in excess of 2,000 highly qualified hosted buyers. The majority (80 per cent) of these hosted buyers will come from
North America, with the balance from the rest of the world. In addition thousands more US buyer attendees are expected to attend from across
North America. Entrance to the show and its educational program is entirely free of charge.
About Cvent
Founded in 1999, Cvent is the world’s largest meetings management software company and has over 670 employees worldwide. Cvent offers
web-based software with features including meeting site selection, online event registration, event management, e-mail marketing, and web
surveys. Cvent helps over 80,000 users in 35 countries manage hundreds of thousands of events, surveys and e-mail campaigns. Cvent has
processed over $1.5 billion in online payments and has managed over 30 million event registrations and survey responses for its clients. For
more information, please visit www.cvent.com.
Exhibitors and buyers can register their interest in IMEX America and access great accommodation discounts at
http://www.imex-america.com/users_prereg_interest.php
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO
IMEX turns up the green heat
with new carbon-free European rail tickets
A new ticket initiative from German rail com-
pany and IMEX in Frankfurt travel partner,
Deutsche Bahn (DB), will allow the trade
show to provide carbon free train travel to all
of its European hosted buyers in 2011.
The tickets will be available to all hosted
buyers travelling to the Frankfurt trade show
from anywhere in continental Europe. The
ticket, called “Umwelt-Plus”, guarantees
that Deutsche Bahn will only use renewable
energy for all hosted buyer rail tickets. Un-
like compensatory measures, “Umwelt Plus”
avoids carbon dioxide emissions altogether
since the electricity used is produced exclu-
sively from renewable energy sources in Ger-
many. DB purchases the amount of renewable
energy required for journeys in advance. This
additional energy replaces the energy from
other sources in the rail power grid.
Once the show is over, IMEX will receive a
certificate showing the total carbon dioxide
saving made as a result of the new green tick-
ets. Last year nearly 900 hosted buyers trav-
elled to IMEX in Frankfurt by rail, coming in
from Germany, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich
and Paris.
Deutsche Bahn’s commitment to using green-
er energy and investing in ecological and car-
bon free power plants is behind the new tick-
et option. IMEX will pay a small levy on top of
its normal ticket price to support carbon free
travel. The new ticket further reinforces the
IMEX Group’s ongoing efforts to reduce the
show’s environmental impact and, in particu-
lar, to reduce waste wherever possible.
Two years ago IMEX introduced the first ever
biodegradable visitor badges made from re-
cycled and recyclable paper badges coated
in corn-starch laminate. The company also
runs the only Green Awards in the interna-
tional meetings industry and last year offered
the option of hydroelectric power to all of its
exhibitors.
Each year IMEX in Frankfurt sets new recy-
cling targets for the show. In 2010, following a
concerted campaign to educate stand-build-
ers and exhibitors, 87 per cent of the show’s
waste was recycled and total waste output
was reduced by 30 tonnes compared to 2009.
In all, 32 tonnes of paper and 29 tonnes of
cardboard waste were recycled during IMEX
in Frankfurt 2010.
A new initiative called The Green Team also
encouraged exhibitors to follow two out of
three ‘green’ steps in return for wearing a
green lapel ribbon that demonstrated their
environmental commitment.
The IMEX Group intends to extend its green
track record next year when IMEX America
opens on October 11 in Las Vegas. The com-
pany recently appointed MeetGreen as Offi-
cial Sustainability Partners for the new show.
37
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO38
W
The AIBTM/PCMA Co-Location:
Here’s How It’s Going to Work
While the Americas Meetings and Events
Exhibition, which debuts June 21-23, 2011,
at the Baltimore Convention Center, an-
nounced last spring that it will co-locate
with the Professional Convention Manage-
ment Association’s 2011 Education Confer-
ence, the specifics of that arrangement are
just emerging.
According to Reed Travel Exhibition’s AI-
BTM Project Manager Steve Knight, PC-
MA’s meeting will begin on Monday, June
20, rather than its traditional Sunday. On
Tuesday, while the PCMA meeting is in full
swing, AIBTM will open with an education
day, with sessions presented in conjunction
with partner groups such as the Convention
Industry Council and the International As-
sociation of Exhibitions and Events. These
sessions will not be connected with PCMA’s
educational events. However, Knight says
“we are looking at ways to intermingle.”
Tuesday is also expected to be the day
Meeting Professionals International pres-
ents the findings of new AIBTM-sponsored
research for its Value of Meetings Initiative.
And on Tuesday evening, CIC holds its Hall
of Leaders gala, a black-tie event honoring
innovators and leaders in the meetings and
conventions industry.
On Wednesday, AIBTM’s exposition opens.
PCMA’s meeting continues all day, but its
attendees will be served lunch on the show
floor and given time to walk the aisles.
Wednesday evening, the AIBTM welcome
party will be a joint venture between AI-
BTM, PCMA, and Visit Baltimore.
PCMA’s conference wraps up on Thursday
at 11 a.m., and buyers from that event will be
welcome to attend the AIBTM expo’s final
afternoon.
Knight says AIBTM’s Baltimore location is
likely to draw a strong showing from the as-
sociation market. “Is our biggest audience
sector going to be the association market?
Yes,” said Knight, “but the hosted-buyer
program will bring in corporate buyers as
well.” Knight is expecting to draw 2,000
hosted buyers, about 35 percent of whom
will be U.S. planners who do international
meetings, 60 percent U.S. planners who do
domestic meetings, and about 5 percent in-
ternational planners who bring groups to the
U.S. AIBTM registration opens in January.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO
creates more business opportunities
Arabian Travel Market, the leading travel
exhibition in the Middle East, has unveiled a
new format to its four-day event, by introduc-
ing an additional day of business, while still
maintaining a dedicated session for consum-
ers.
The 2011 show which takes place at the Dubai
International Convention and Exhibition Cen-
tre will open a day earlier running from Mon-
day to Thursday (May 2-5), with new opening
times creating an extra day of business on
Thursday followed by a dedicated consumer
session later the same day between 3pm and
9pm.
“We have decided to change the format of the
show after a survey revealed that the majority
of participants wanted more time to explore
business opportunities, while also retaining
a consumer element. The new format ac-
commodates that request,” said Mark Walsh,
Group Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhi-
bitions.
“Although business will always be the key
driver of the event consumers still provide
valuable end-user feedback and key insight
for industry professionals,” added Walsh.
Held under the patronage of His Highness
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice President and Prime Minister of the
UAE, Ruler of Dubai and approaching its eigh-
teenth year, the show has grown to become
the largest showcase of its kind in the region
and one of the biggest in the world. This year
2,236 exhibitors covering over 20,000 square
metres, attracted more than 22,000 visitors.
“This is a logical move for Arabian Travel
Market as the Middle East region is one of
the fastest growing inbound and outbound
markets in the world,” said Saleh Mohammed
Al Geziry, Director, Overseas Promotions and
Inward Mission.
“Dubai will continue to provide a platform
to support key industry events like Arabian
Travel Market, which help to shape the future
of the region’s tourism landscape, not only in
terms of infrastructure, but also in terms of
social, environmental and cultural develop-
ment, ” added Al Geziry.
According to the World Travel Organisation
(WTO), the travel industry has witnessed
seven consecutive months of growth to the
end of April this year. Indeed the number of
international tourist arrivals worldwide from
January to April 2010 grew to over 258 mil-
lion, which is a 7% year-on-year increase and
during the same period the International Air
Transport Association (IATA) reported a 6%
growth in air transport.
The WTO’s 2020 tourism vision forecasts
that the Middle East region which currently
receives 36 million visitors, will attract 69 mil-
lion tourists by 2020, an average growth rate
of 6.7%.
As such, the GCC region and in particular
Dubai, has continued to invest heavily in tour-
ism infrastructure. According to Dubai-based
research company, Proleads, there are cur-
rently over 470 active hotel projects (those
not completed, on-hold or cancelled) in the
GCC countries, 258 of which are in the UAE.
In fact $1.7 billion will be spent on hospitality
projects throughout the Gulf this year.
“Through strategic investment, Dubai’s tour-
ism industry has grown exponentially over
the past decade and will continue to be a
key economic driver in the future,” said Al
Geziry.
For more information on Arabian Travel Mar-
ket 2011, please log on to www.arabiantrav-
elmarket.com
New structure to accommodate extended business sessions, as largest travel event
in Middle East announces 2011 dates
39
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO40
EIBTM Hosted Buyer Programme – More Benefits for
2010FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY
Places are still available for EIBTM’s 2010
Hosted Buyer programme running from 30
November - 2 December in Barcelona (www.
eibtm.com), which has already attracted an
increased number of Buyers from Hungary,
Poland, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, South
Africa, US and Russia.
With time, cost and resource foremost in the
minds of buyers, interested parties are urged
to make their Hosted Buyer applications, with
only a few weeks left until EIBTM 2010.
June Clark, Manager for the Hosted Buyer
Programme, comments: “We know that our
Hosted Buyers believe EIBTM is a key indus-
try event but they also know that our quali-
fication process is tough. The quality is our
prime concern, but once accepted onto the
programme, the flexible buyer-driven ap-
pointment system and all of the additional
benefits truly delivers a return on business.
We urge anyone still considering attending to
apply now, to ensure they receive maximum
benefit from the pre-scheduled appointments
system with exhibitors, that is due to open im-
minently.”
For those accepted on to the programme,
they can expect to receive; complimentary
flights to Barcelona, 4/5* accommodation,
and a personal diary of pre-scheduled ap-
pointments chosen by the Hosted Buyer from
over 3,300 exhibiting companies. The EIBTM
professional education programme offers
over 50 sessions, with three specific streams
dedicated to Hosted Buyers who represent
the Association, Corporate and Agency sec-
tors and there is also the opportunity to take
part in all of the networking events.
A further benefit is the option to participate
in a post event fam trip this year hosted by
destinations including; Bilbao, Costa Doura-
da, Costa del Sol/Malaga, Florence/Tuscany,
Madrid, Valencia, Huelva and Rotterdam.
Jeffrey Adam, Director of Global Accounts at
HelmsBriscoe, said: “The benefits of attend-
ing EIBTM are immense. I have found count-
less new properties to work with, learned
about destinations, developed new contacts
and solidified existing relationships. The sum
total of the experience has made me a more
valuable asset to my clients. Knowledge
equals effectiveness.”
Graeme Barnett, Exhibition Director for
EIBTM comments: “Our Hosted Buyer Pro-
gramme is considered the ‘gold standard’ for
the meetings industry. In order to maintain
the quality of the selection process we con-
tinually research both buyers and suppliers
post show to monitor the value to both stake-
holders.
“For example, last year 3,827 Hosted Buyers
attended, and 99% of them confirmed that
they were “satisfied that EIBTM met their
commercial objectives. Equally, 96% of ex-
hibitors said that they were “satisfied with the
quality of the pre-scheduled appointments
with Hosted Buyers. Last year also saw one
of the largest numbers of business appoint-
ments – 54,255 and up 4% on the previous
year.”
Those wishing to apply for Hosted Buyer
status should submit their applications as
soon as possible, to maximise their chances
of qualifying for a place. The programme is
open to all those who organise, influence
or make budgetary decisions for meetings,
incentive travel, international conventions,
product launches, staff training or events.
For further information about becoming a
Hosted Buyer and the criteria of qualification,
please visit www.eibtm.com/hostedbuyer. Al-
ternatively, you can contact the EIBTM Host-
ed Buyer team directly on +44 (0)20 8271
2127 or at eibtm-hosted@reedexpo.co.uk
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO 39
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO42
W
Maximising brand reach at
EIBTM – delivering targeted messages to the
global meetings and events community
With over 14,000 industry professionals expected to attend this
year’s EIBTM event (30th November to 2nd December), the or-
ganiser, Reed Travel Exhibitions has signed a record number
of sponsors, underlining the events ability to maximise brand
reach amongst the global meetings and events community.
Recognising the importance of highly targeted marketing
achievable through sponsorship and brand association, EIBTM
has developed a range of packages that include online, offline
and live marketing elements that enable exhibitors to direct
highly focussed messages to specified target groups.
Targeting the Association Market, Qatar National Convention
Centre, Vienna Convention Bureau and Madrid Convention
& Visitor Bureau have sponsored EIBTM’s Association Pro-
gramme, providing promotional opportunities and access to
this highly sought after group. Expoforum has signed to spon-
sor EIBTM’s Annual Industry Trends and Market Survey report
to be published on Day 1 of the show.
Sponsorship of EIBTM’s website has proved particularly at-
tractive as exhibitors look to generate additional interest and
stand traffic during the pre-show phase. Sponsors include
Hong Kong, Cyprus tourism, Iceland and port Aventura who
have sponsored the Industry Poll.
Montse Garcia, sales coordinator at PortAventura Business &
Events comments: “This year we are proud to sponsor the In-
dustry Poll on the EIBTM website, in addition to sponsoring the
Show Daily, for the second year running. As the leading global
event for the meetings and events industry, EIBTM provides us
with the opportunities to raise the profile of PortAventura Busi-
ness & Events among our target audience. We are confident
that the increased visibility that we gain as both exhibitor at and
sponsors of EIBTM will help drive our future success.”
High profile on site branding opportunities have also attracted
strong interest from those exhibitors looking to ensure their
brands stand out. Madrid Convention and Visitor Bureau, Can-
ada Tourism, I&MI, Korea Tourism Organisation, Busan Con-
vention Bureau, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Ecuador, Qatar
Tourism Authority, Oman Ministry of Tourism and Porto Con-
vention Bureau will utilise pre-designed and bespoke packag-
es to achieve specific objectives, including increasing market
awareness or launching new products.
EIBTM Event Director, Graeme Barnett comments: “As the lead-
ing global event for the Meetings and Events industry, sponsors
at EIBTM are guaranteed to reach their key audience. They are
able to raise their company profiles and enhance their brands
in a unique and creative way. Furthermore, EIBTM’s sponsor-
ship packages help businesses stand out from the competition
and add value to their event strategy in a highly targeted and
cost effective way.”
There are a number of sponsorship opportunities, as well as
branding and advertising options still available at EIBTM.
For further information, please visit www.eibtm.com or contact
Mercedes Alonso, Sponsorship Sales Manager at +44 20 8 910
7183or Mercedes.alonso@reedexpo.co.uk.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO44
GIBTM 2011: The Five Star Event
for the Meetings & Events Industry
in the Middle East
The fifth edition of GIBTM will once again take place at AD-
NEC in Abu Dhabi from 28 – 30 March 2011
(www.gibtm.com).
Since the inaugural event, GIBTM has seen attendance
grow exponentially, as the show becomes the region’s an-
nual event for the meetings industry. A record 260 Hosted
Buyers from 40 countries attended GIBTM 2010, up 10% on
2009, according to an independent audit, and contributed
to an overall attendance of 1,916 at the 2010 event. A total
of some 7,500 meetings took place with the 220 exhibitors,
again an increase on the 2009 show.
The event is now established as an important business plat-
form for international and regional suppliers from national
tourist organisations, destinations, convention bureaux,
destination management companies, independent hotels
and hotel groups as well as specialist service providers rep-
resenting the Gulf and Middle East region, South and South
East Asia, Europe, North Africa and beyond.
The 2011 Hosted Buyer programme aims to bring high qual-
ity pre-qualified buyers from regions such as Europe, Africa,
Asia, the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East and it is
projected that some 2000 trade visitors will attend.
The three day education programme, that includes the an-
nual presentation of the Middle East Meetings Research
Report, also attracted a record audience and in 2011 the
content will once again help to give delegates a global and
regional update on the industry from those who are the in-
dustry’s thought leaders.
Visitors and Buyers to GIBTM are professionals involved in
the planning or organisation of incentive travel programmes,
congresses or events including: Conventions, Conferences
& Meetings, Corporate Hospitality, Incentive Travel, Interna-
tional Congresses, Product Launches, Special Events, Staff
Motivation, Training Programmes and Business Travel.
Full information on GIBTM is available on www.gibtm.com
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO 43
Thursday 28.10.2010
TRAVEL EXPO44
ITB Asia 2010:
Bigger ITB Asia Closes With Diverse Events
Strengthening Its B2B Role
The third ITB Asia closed today in Singapore with 6,605 attendees, a 7.4%
increase on last year. Organizers, Messe Berlin (Singapore), attributed
growth to three forces: the diversity of specialist travel forums within ITB
Asia, resurgent Asian outbound demand, and enhanced buyer quality.
“The feedback on Association Day, Web in Travel, the Luxury Meetings
Forum and the Responsible Tourism Forum at ITB Asia shows that ITB
Asia has created unstoppable momentum through diversity,” said Dr
Martin Buck, Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore).
Some 580 buyers attended the three-day event, many of them joining the
inaugural Association Day interactive forum which aimed to expand the
quality and quantity of large association events in Asia.
“ITB Asia and Association Day provided excellent networking to make
new contacts and to clarify issues -- all in a very friendly atmosphere,”
said Mr Manojit Das Gupta, Secretary General, the Indian Tea Associa-
tion.
Ms Sharyati, Datuk Shuaib, Director Destination Management, World Gas
Conference 2012, said: “Association Day was an eye opener on how as-
sociations manage their membership and run events – a fascinating ex-
hibition with many networking opportunities.”
Association Day, a first of its kind in Asia, attracted over 100 attendees.
“We created a new platform based on the exchange of high quality in-
formation that never existed before,” said Buck.
Innovative formatting characterised Web in Travel (WIT) which attracted
nearly 400 attendees. Two WIT Clinics were created to let travel industry
‘doctors’ consult with IT Asia attendees on how to make money from their
website and how they should better use social media.
Successful formats geared to the exchange of rich content characterised
specialist sectors such as luxury meetings. The ITB Asia Luxury Meet-
ings Forum attracted leaders from brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, the
Event Company, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Egypt was the official partner country of ITB Asia 2010. It held a travel
agent workshop just prior to ITB Asia and organized an exotic Egypt
Night extravaganza on the opening day of the show.
“Our activities in and around ITB Asia were excellent,” said Mr Hisham
Zaazou, First Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Tourism in Egypt. “We
want to build on the success of this year with increased space next year.
I will report to the industry in Egypt to ensure even greater participation
in 2011.”
Other exhibitors had similar sentiments: Peter Blumengstel, Director of
the German National Tourist Office Japan, said: “Our schedule has been
very busy from day one and there’s hardly time in between meetings
with buyers from all over Asia.”
Momentum and specialist forums have induced a high number of early
bookings for ITB Asia 2011. “We have received a higher than usual num-
ber of super-early bird bookings for ITB Asia next year,” said Mr Nino
Gruettke, Executive Director, ITB Asia.
“With exciting new branding for ITB Asia 2011 about to be announced,
we are looking forward to building on the momentum, quality and spe-
cialist success of this year in 2011,” he said.
About ITB Asia 2010
ITB Asia took place at the Suntec Singapore Exhibition & Conven-
tion Centre, 20-22 October, 2010. It was organised by Messe Berlin
(Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition &
Convention Bureau. Egypt was the official partner country of ITB
Asia 2010. The event featured hundreds of exhibiting companies
from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the
Middle East, covering not only the leisure market, but also corpo-
rate and MICE travel. ITB Asia 2010 included exhibition pavilions
and tabletop presence for small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) providing travel services. Exhibitors from every sector of
the industry, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels
and resorts, theme parks and attractions, inbound tour operators,
inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities
and travel technology companies attended. www.itb-asia.com.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO 45
ITB Berlin 2011:
Germans keen to travel once again
more than 70 per cent are
planning a lengthy
holiday trip in 2011
Germany’s resurgent economy sees its citizens keen to travel again –
the latest ADAC Reisemonitor survey is upbeat about travel prospects
in 2011
According to the latest representative survey by ADAC, 71.2 per cent of
the population are firmly intent on booking a lengthy holiday trip next
year, nearly six per cent more than in 2009. Parallel with an improving
German economy, the nation’s citizens are once more eager to go on
trips for several weeks at a time. Dr. Martin Buck, Director of the Compe-
tence Centre Travel & Logistics of Messe Berlin: “Backed by a resurgent
economy the tourism industry is picking up speed once again. The worst
of the recession is now over and German citizens are again living up to
their reputation as the world’s most travelled nation. In this context two
categories are emerging: in the first category the principal focus is on the
choice of destination, and in the other it is the travel budget that mainly
decides where holidays will take place.“
Almost 60 per cent of the members polled are planning to take a trip even
before the year is out. According to the survey, holiday decisions continue
to be strongly influenced by individual economics. Nevertheless, holiday
travel has become a priority again, regardless of social class. Thus, 41.1
of those polled who said their economic situation was “bad to very bad”
are planning to go on a holiday trip before the end of the year, over six per
cent more than in 2009.
According to the ADAC survey holidaymakers are anticipating a number
of price rises. More than 50 per cent of the members polled believe that
package tours, hotels and cruises will become more expensive. In partic-
ular, the introduction of an air fare surcharge is expected to raise the cost
of chartered flights (63.2 per cent) and scheduled flights (72 per cent).
79.1 per cent expect train fairs to rise in the future.
For Germans, their home country is by far the most popular holiday des-
tination. More than 28 per cent of those polled are planning to take next
year’s holidays somewhere between Flensburg and Garmisch-Parten-
kirchen. Italy as a destination ranks second (at marginally over 11 per
cent), followed by Spain (at close to 10 per cent).
In July 2010 the ADAC polled approximately 4,000 of its members to find
out their holiday plans for the coming months and for 2011.
About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention
ITB Berlin 2011 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 to 13 March.
From the Wednesday to the Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors
only. The ITB Berlin Convention is held parallel with the trade fair, from
Wednesday to Friday, 9 to 11 March 2011. It is the world’s largest special-
ist convention for the industry. Check out www.itb-convention.com for a
wealth of information about the convention. ITB Berlin is the leading trade
fair for the worldwide travel industry. In 2010 a total of 11,127 companies
and organisations from 187 countries exhibited their products and ser-
vices to 179,351 visitors, who included 110,953 trade visitors.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO48
World’s Largest Global LGBT Research Study
Uncovers Large and Untapped Gay Markets in
Latin America
The Latin American region represents a very large - and untapped
– lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) marketing oppor-
tunity for the travel and tourism industry, reveals research released
today.
Findings from the 2010 Out Now Global LGBT Study, which will be
released in full at World Travel Market on November 10, reveals Latin
America is home to more than 25 million LGBT people. This group of
people represent a valuable multi-billion value market opportunity
for a broad range of companies, including tourism brands, destina-
tions and a diverse range of industries.
Undertaken by Out Now Global - the leading LGBT marketing strat-
egy and research agency - the new research surveys LGBT people
living across the Latin American region on a wide range of topics,
including spending habits, education, parenting, relationships, age,
income, travel, lifestyle, workplace discrimination and harassment
issues.
The study has uncovered vast untapped market opportunities rele-
vant to a large number of companies. In tourism, the research reveals
significant tourism spends made by millions of LGBT consumers liv-
ing in countries in the region.
The Out Now study shows that in 2010, LGBT consumers living in Ar-
gentina spent a total of USD$4 billion on leisure travel expenditures.
In Mexico, 5 million LGBT customers spent USD$8 billion on tourism
spending, while in Brazil local LGBT consumers spend more than
USD$20 billion on leisure travel annually.
Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn
TRAVEL EXPO
Founder and CEO of Out Now Global,
Ian Johnson, said the new study reveals
a wealth of data about Latin America, as
well as 16 other major markets across the
world.
“Out Now is really pleased to be bring-
ing the first global LGBT research project
to so many countries around the world,”
said Johnson. “We are especially pleased
to be revealing the results of the first large scale study of the Latin
American region - one of the world’s growth hotspots and until now a
region where LGBT customers were largely ignored by the tourism
industry and other companies. This new Out Now research is set to
change all that.”
“One country in the research that particularly stands out is Brazil,”
Johnson added. “Not only is Brazil the clear number one destination in
the Latin American region for inbound LGBT travellers from countries
including the US, UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands - it is also
the largest LGBT outbound tourism market in the region, with Brazil-
ian LGBT people spending more than USD$20 billion every year on
travel and tourism expenditures.”
The study’s wealth of new research data is being released at next
month’s World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel
industry.
WTM Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “This new Out Now Global research
is a truly groundbreaking study. Never before has there been a study
of such reach and depth of gay and lesbian consumers, and we are
delighted Out Now has chosen to pre-
miere such a significant new body of
research study at WTM.”
Johnson added:
“LGBT consumers around the world
are increasingly the focus of attention
from global marketers. After years of
being ignored, this is a largely welcome
development, however the response of consumers to any corporate
overtures will depend very much on how companies conduct them-
selves in their marketing efforts. Those companies that seek only to
exploit a profit opportunity, without taking the trouble to understand
LGBT consumers as people, are unlikely to succeed.”
In 2011 Brazil will become the focus of increasing LGBT marketing ac-
tivities. Out Now is commencing work with leading brands to bring its
industry-leading LGBT marketing expertise to the country. The Inter-
national Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) will convene its
Annual Convention in Florianopolis, Brazil in mid-2011.
A business conference on LGBT marketing and tourism is to take place
mid-2011 in São Paulo ‘Expo Business LGBT Mercosul’
http://www.expobusinesslgbt.com.br/o_que_e.html
Brazilian organisation for promoting LGBT tourism - has just begun an
arrangement with the Brazilian Tourism Ministry to promote tourism to
the country.
49
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138 tw 28 10

  • 1. WTM Special! 28Oct,2010 www.travelweekly.com.vnwww.travelweekly.com.vn 07 52-55 50-51 Vietnam ranked among top growth tourism markets in Asia WTM2010: Increase In Flying Tax to Make Holidaymakers Think Twice Top 5 smoke-free destinations
  • 2. Dear Travel Weekly readers! Welcome to the 40 Issues of Travel Weekly! First of all, on behalf of all the members at Travel Weekly Magazine I would like to say thank you very much for supporting and sharing with us your ideas since the early days of our magazine. Born to bring our readers useful and up-to-date information about Travel Busi- ness in Vietnam and around the world to your desktop every Thursday, today, Travel Weekly becomes a part of your daily works for all travel executive as well as travel lovers those who cares about the tourism industry. We understand that saving a tree is the responsibility for everyone who inter- ested in the environmental disaster as what the Business Travel operators call “Responsible Travel”, therefore, towards the eco-friendly environment, Travel Weekly call our each issue is Eco-Friendly Magazine because we design and “print” and/or publish our magazine in PDF format which allows us to send you immediately via e-mail as well as distribute our magazine to global read- ers. Moreover, at our website, there is even a better way to read our magazine without download which let you choose the first read and then deciding to keep it on your computer for store or further review. We do hope that everything we do is just to give you everything in travel news for your works and your care. We are looking forward to receive your supports and share with us in the coming time. Thank you for travelling with us! Editor-in-chief Anh. Nguyen Hoang M: +84 904 230 230 E: editor@travelweekly.com.vn News Hang. Bui Duc M: +84 979 051 210 E: news@travelweekly.com.vn Advertising Quyen. Nguyen Tu M: +84 987 622 113 E: advertising@travelweekly.com.vn Sales Duong. Nguyen M: +84 904 884 099 E: duong@travelweekly.com.vn Add: #130 Pho Duc Chinh Str., Ba Dinh District, Hanoi – Vietnam Tel: +84 4 3715 3558 - Fax: +84 3715 3560 Email: contact@travelweekly.com.vn Website: www.travelweekly.com.vn Design Kien. Nguyen Trung Minh. Truong Hoang Phuong. Nguyen E: design@travelweekly.com.vn Contact us Editor-in-Chief Anh. Nguyen Hoang WTM Special! 28Oct,2010 www.travelweekly.com.vnwww.travelweekly.com.vn 07 52-55 50-51 Vietnam ranked among top growth tourism markets in Asia WTM2010: Increase In Flying Tax to Make Holidaymakers Think Twice Top 5 smoke-free destinations
  • 3. 12. Vietnam attracts more West European tourists 04. Ho Chi Minh City praises excellent tourist operators VIETNAM NEWS 08 - 11. Qatar Airways adds two new routes to Asia 06. 2010 World Travel Awards winners announced 14. Hong Kong - Vietnam yacht race canceled WTM2010: Increase In Flying Tax to Make Holidaymakers Think Twice 50 - 51 Almost half of UK holidaymakers will slash their 2011 overseas holiday plans due to next week’s increase in Air Passenger Duty (APD), reveals a survey by leading travel trade exhibition World Travel Market. A massive 45% of the 1,000 people polled, all of whom holidayed this summer, said next Monday’s (1 November) increase in flying tax APD will see them reduce their overseas flying. Please see more for detail. Vietnam ranked among top growth tourism markets in Asia FEATURES04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 21 22 24 26 28 31 33 37 42 46 50 52 54 Thursday 28.10.2010 Travellers looking for smoke-free holidays don’t have to be afraid – there are several countries fervently fight- ing against all tobacco products. In this issue, Travel Weekly brings the top 5 destinations ideal for all non- smoking tourists according to Skyscanner. Top 5 smoke-free destinations 07 52 - 55 17. New culture show to lure visitors to HCMC 19. TTG Awards Singles Out Vietnam Hotel Tourism and hospitality experts have identified Vietnam as one of the key growth markets in Asia given its healthy expansion of the economy, population and the number of internet and mobile phone users. INTERNATIONAL NEWS 22. Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa Wins 2010 World Luxury Hotel Country Award 24. Ayana Won Asia’s Leading luxury Resort and Luxury Villa at World Travel Awards 2010 29. Hong Kong arrivals rise 21% in September 31. Sydney Convention Centre hosts huge gala dinner 32. Movenpick Hotels & Resorts to enter the Chinese market 34. Indulge your senses in ILTM’s new Healing Lounge TRAVEL EXPO 42. Maximising brand reach at EIBTM - delivering targeted messages to the global meetings and events community 39. Arabian Travel Market creates more business opportunities 37. IMEX turns up the green heat with new carbon-free European rail tickets 40 - 41. EIBTM Hosted Buyer Programme - More Benefits for 2010 46. ITB Asia 2010: Bigger ITB Asia Closes With Diverse Events Strengthening Its B2B Role DO YOU KNOW
  • 4. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS The air route of Pakse-Ho Chi Minh City linking the Lao province of Champasak with Ho Chi Minh City, which was can- celed in 2003, was resumed on October 19.The air route, also connected to the Lao capital city of Vientiane, will help bolster transport of goods and tourists be- tween Vietnam and Laos, between Ho Chi Minh City and Champasak in particular. There have been three flights using ATR or MA planes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, starting on October 19. Mining Corporation and management of industrial parks Dang Huynh, a member of the Corporation Saigon Thuong Tin Real Estate (Sacomreal) has started construc- tion projects Tan Kim industrial park expansion and Tan Phuoc resettlement area (Long An). The project is located in key economic areas to the south, near the town Giuoc and Tan Kim Industrial Park, Long Hau (Long An), easily connect to the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone (Nha Be district) and district Phu My Hung new urban (District 7, HCMC). It is expected to be completed projects in infrastructure, technology on May 12/2012. Nghe An province people’s commit- tee has approved the detailed plan for construction on Cua Lo PetroVietnam Tourism Zone to be sited in Nghi Thuy Ward, Cua Lo Town. PetroVietnam Nghe An Construction Joint Stock Co was the main investor for this project. The project has total investment capital of 1.236 trillion dong to be built in an area of 27 hectares with the main purposes of developing the tourism sites in Cua Lo Town and neigh- bouring area within the period of 2010- 2020.The construction work was expected to start in Q1 of 2011. Pakse-HCMC air route resumed VND500 billion to build Tan Kim industrial park expansion Cua Lo PetroVietnam Tourism Zone project gets approval The Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism held a ceremony to honor individuals and or- ganisations that got high positions in the “National Skill Contest 2010-Cooking and Restaurant Service”. 23 units and 90 persons received certifi- cates of merit from the city’s Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism. On the occasion, the HCM City People’s Committee gave certificates of merit to 26 best organizations and people that have outstanding contribution to tourism skill contests. The City People’s Committee also grant- ed certificate of merit to deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism La Quoc Khanh who was award- ed the “Best destination operator” by the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asian Pacific Cities (TPO). A two-day international fireworks contest with the theme “Han River” will be held in the central city of Da Nang from April 29-30, 2011. Da Nang Authorities has an- nounced the participation of four foreign teams including the Republic of Korea (ROK), China , Italy and the United King- dom (UK) besides the host Da Nang team. According to the schedule, the UK team (Jubilee Fireworks company), the RoK team (Hanwha Group) and the host Viet- nam ( Da Nang city’s team) will perform in the first night. The second night will see fireworks set off by the Italian team (Parente Fireworks A&C SNC Group) and the Chinese team (Panda Fireworks Art Display company limited). Along with this activity, Da Nang has also launched a contest of fireworks display on computer in 2011 with deadline for entries on December 31 this year. The awarding ceremony is expected to take place in January 30, 2011. Ho Chi Minh City praises excellent tourist operators International fireworks contest debuts in Da Nang 4 In Brief
  • 5. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS The Deck, the first and only river- side restaurant on the banks of the Saigon River, an atmospheric set- ting that never fails to inspire, has been voted “one of Asia’s finest restaurants” and will be featured in The Miele Guide 2010-2011. One of Saigon’s best kept secrets, The Deck is located only 15 min- utes drive from the city centre yet is a haven of tranquility a million miles away from all urban frenzy and the humdrum of everyday life. This is fine dining at its best, com- bining a stunning location offering sweeping view that guarantees to charm the most discerning guests, with a creative menu that empha- sizes on the freshest seasonal, local ingredients. Set against a soothing backdrop of shimmering water that turns to midnight blue as the sun goes down, The Deck has a brand new contemporary indoor dining room with glass windows revealing the gorgeous view to every table if you could resist the temptation to dine on the namesake deck, with beautifully laid tables spilling out onto the water under the starlit sky, reminiscent of an exotic beachfront holiday. Those reluctant to dine alfresco because of the notorious sudden downpour during monsoon season would be relieved to know there is a new James Bond- styled electric retractable roof overhead that keeps any rain at bay. One of Vietnam’s pioneers for a new wave of sophisticated pan- Asian cooking using the best of Vietnamese produce, seafood from Phu Quoc and Nha Trang, veg- etables from mild-climate Da Lat, along with an impressive drinks list with signature cocktails. World- renowned chef Gary Rhodes once said, ‘No matter how simple a dish is, they all hold a little element of details’, and it is what the culinary team lead by executive chef Cao Lam Gia at The Deck believes in. ‘We are delighted that The Deck has been recognized by this dis- tinguished guide. This really is a team effort and we are very proud and excited to have achieved such recognition’, says Jonathan Sourintha, The Deck’s General Manager. ‘From an intimate and ro- mantic candlelit dinner to special events or private parties for up to 250 people, our professional and friendly team aims to achieve the ultimate dining experience for our guests’ The Miele Guide is Asia’s first and only independent restaurant guide, which features 450 of Asia’s finest restaurants and annually ranks the top restaurants in Asia as voted by the public and a distinguished panel of professional food writers and industry partners. Dining against a backdrop of coconut trees and rice paddies with boats sailing up and down the Saigon River is a great way to while away an afternoon. You could also lounge on comfortable rat- tan chairs with soft padded seats watching the wonderful sunset while sipping a cocktail. Once you are here, you will understand why this magnificent yet low-key restaurant deserves such a presti- gious award. The Deck Restaurant 38 Nguyen U Di, An Phu, District 2, HCMC +84 -8 -3 744 6632 info@thedecksaigon.com www.thedecksaigon.com 5 Elegant riverside dining venue The Deck voted “one of Asia’s finest restaurants” The Deck, the first and only riverside restaurant on the banks of the Saigon River, an atmospheric setting that never fails to inspire, has been voted “one of Asia’s finest restau- rant” and will be featured in The Miele Guide 2010- 2011.
  • 6. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS6 Organisers of the World Travel Awards have named four hotel and spa properties in Vietnam in the list of Asian winners for the prestigious industry accolade in 2010 based on the votes cast by travel professionals and con- sumers worldwide. Travel professionals have chosen InterContinental Asiana Saigon as Vietnam’s Leading Hotel, Sheraton Hanoi Hotel as Vietnam’s Leading Business Hotel and Evason Ana Mandara properties including the one in Nha Trang as Vietnam’s Leading Resort and Leading Spa Resort. The properties were selected as the winners of the 2010 World Travel Award Winners for Asia based on different categories, including services and business performance. The survey attracted votes from 183,000 travel profes- sionals, including travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries and territories. Jolyon Bulley, vice president of operations for South East & South West Asia of InterContinental Hotels & Resorts (IHG), said in a statement that the Leading Hotel accolade was great testament to a new property like InterCon- tinental Asiana Saigon, which was opened on September 9 last year. Thomas Schmelter, IHG area general manager in Vietnam, said the InterContinental Asiana Saigon hotel and residences as well as IHG management had successfully dealt with the challenges of opening a new complex and have delivered good results. Winners of the regional arena will be qualified to compete in World Travel Awards 2010 Grand Final in London before World Travel Market kicks off on November 7. 2010 World Travel Awards winners announced
  • 7. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn 7VIETNAM NEWS Tourism and hospitality experts have identified Vietnam as one of the key growth markets in Asia given its healthy expansion of the econo- my, population and the number of internet and mobile phone users. “It’s not all China and India… I would say Vietnam is another remark- able growth story,” Abacus International President and CEO Robert Bailey said in his opening speech in front of around 450 representa- tives of the industry at the opening of the 7th Abacus International Conference in HCMC. At the international travel and hospitality event, Bailey placed Viet- nam after China and India, which he said were the powerhouses of Asia and the key drivers for the regional travel industry because of their economic growth and population. “Vietnam is taking off,” Patrick Basset, Accor vice president of opera- tions for Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea, told the Daily on the sidelines of the event before he joined a panel discus- sion on opportunities in Indochina on Thursday afternoon. At the session, Basset and other panellists Hawkins Pham of Indo- china Land and Le Quang Nghia of PTG Co. and BCD Travel agreed Vietnam was emerging as a destination of choice for travellers thanks to its beautiful beaches, more standard hotels and resorts going up and simplified procedures for visitors. Bailey said like the trend in China and India, Vietnam was experienc- ing a bourgeoning middle class with huge spending on travel and services, as well as a fast increase in the number of internet users. “The internet is taking off here,” Bailey said, adding that the number of internet users in this country is forecast to reach 40 million by 2015. Vietnam also has a surprising number of mobile phone subscriptions and penetration. The country is also investing heavily in airports in an effort to attract more international carriers and visitors. Bailey said there would be 26 new airports by 2020 with combined investment capital of some US$13.2 billion. The pickup in passen- ger traffic and the growing economy will continue to create a strong source of travel expenditure for Vietnam. “Tourism expenditure by 2014 is expected to be around US$8.2 bil- lion (in Vietnam),” Bailey said. Basset of Accor said in support of Bailey that more new airports would attract more planes and that Vietnam started behind Thailand and Malaysia in terms of tourism but the country had more phenom- enal potential for future growth. Basset said Vietnam would be able to attract around five million in- ternational visitors this year, from nearly 3.8 million last year. “The number of corporate travellers is increasing more and more as we see more global companies coming to open factories and find the opportunities for them.” Basset said the increase in international travelers in Vietnam was based mostly on corporate and leisure segments, which account for about 80% of foreign visitors to Vietnam, and the rest are in this coun- try for personal reasons. Vietnam ranked among top growth tourism markets in Asia
  • 9. adds two new routes to Asia QatarAirways
  • 10. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS Q atar Airways detailed its commit- ment to expanding its presence and offering in the Asian Market at ITB Asia, the region’s largest travel trade show taking place in Singapore between October 20 and 22. The airline is promoting new routes to Phuket and Hanoi and increased ser- vices to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, together with exciting stopover packages for international events in Doha to make a trip to Asia an even more attractive option for European travellers, the carrier an- nounced the plan on October 21st . Qatar’s new route to Thailand’s premier resort island of Phuket offers flights six times a week, increasing to daily flights in November via Kuala Lumpur and con- necting to several of Qatar Airways’ key markets in Europe. Launched on October 12, this is Qatar’s second route to Thai- land and the 8th new international destina- tion it has launched this year. The Phuket services are part of an overall capacity increase to Thailand, which is witnessing a rapid post-recession recovery in tourism with arrivals expected to top 14 million in 2010. Qatar Airways boost its Doha - Bang- kok frequencies from twice daily flights to triple daily effective from November 1. Qatar Airways will exercise fifth freedom traffic rights allowing it to sell tickets be- tween Phuket and Kuala Lumpur. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said that the airline’s route to Thailand’s largest island reinforced the airline’s commitment to target under- served Asian markets. On November 1, Qatar will commence four flights a week to the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, as well as increased frequency to Ho Chi Minh City from three flights a week to daily. “Visitor numbers to Asian destinations such as Phuket and Hanoi are on the rise and Qatar Airways will look to take advan- tage of our European connections from countries like Russia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the UK and other parts of Europe to expand the market. With only a handful of airlines offering flights from Europe to these destinations, the opportunity is there for us to acquire market share,” said Al Baker. In Asia-Pacific, Qatar Airways’ route net- work now extends to 17 destinations and makes up almost 20 per cent its global network. Qatar Airways Stopover Packages To sweeten the offer further, Qatar is tak- ing advantage of the many international events in home-base Doha offering VIP stopover packages through Qatar Airways Holidays. Qatar is launching the VIP deal with the World Tennis Association Champion- ships- Doha 2010 and the 2nd Annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival from October 26 to 31. More event-linked offers will be rolled out during 2011 providing travelers with VIP tickets and select hotels to create exclusive stopover package. 10
  • 11. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS Qatar Airways Awarded Recognising its long-term partnership with Asia and growing services and products, Qatar was recently awarded two major industry accolades: Best Middle Eastern Airline By TTG Asia Magazine for the 5th consecutive year and Best Middle Eastern Airline Business Traveller Asia- Pacific for the 2nd year running. Both awards are in recognition of Qatar Airways’ strong commitment towards travel excellence as voted by readers of TTG Asia – a prestigious weekly travel trade magazine published across Asia – and the monthly Business Traveller Asia Pacific, which also has sister titles world- wide aimed at frequent fliers. Qatar Airways is the only Middle East carrier in an elite club of Five Star-ranked airlines recognising the best in service excellence by industry audit, Skytrax. The airline’s Senior Vice President East Asia and South West Pacific, Marwan Ko- leilat, who picked up the awards on behalf of the airline, said: “Qatar Airways con- tinues to set high benchmarks to remain competitive. Across Asia Pacific, we have made significant inroads with our flights and increased capacity that provide us with extensive reach in one of the world’s most important vibrant regions.” “The awards are further evidence of Qatar Airways’ success in offering innovative products and services to our passengers,” he said adding, “We are proud that the exceptional standards we set have been recognised by our valuable customers, as well as the travel industry.” Since February this year, Qatar Airways has launched flights from its Doha hub to Bangalore, Tokyo, Ankara, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Sao Paulo, Buenes Aires and Phuket. Over the next five months Qatar Airways will introduce scheduled flights to Hanoi, Nice, , Bucharest, Budapest, Brussels and Struttgart. With a growing international network, Qatar Airways is able to offer passengers from across Asia with excel- lent connections to destinations around the world via Doha. Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of 89 aircraft to 93 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and North and South America. The carrier has outstanding or- ders for more than 200 aircraft worth over US$40 billion. 11
  • 12. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS12 In Germany, a road-show presenting Vietnam’s tourism was organized in Berlin to celebrate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This event attracted the attention of nearly 100 representatives of tourism compa- nies, media organizations of Germany and a large number of international tourists, Berlin residents and Vietnamese living in Germany. Vietnamese travel companies and hotels have or- ganized many events to present their products and the image of Vietnam’s tourism to foreign tourists. Tourism companies of Vietnam and Germany have had meetings to exchange information and estab- lish partner relations. Some German travel compa- nies have signed contracts with Vietnamese travel companies and hotels to send tourists to Vietnam in the fourth quarter of 2010. The tours to Vietnam have left deep impressions in the minds of German tourists and visitors from other countries. A road-show presenting Vietnam’s tourism was or- ganized in Brussels, Belgium, by VNAT in associa- tion with the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium. This was the first Vietnamese tourism event of its kind to take place in Belgium, so it attracted special at- tention of many travel companies such as Thomas Cook and Tui Travel, and Belgian companies. The road-show presented information about Vietnam’s tourism and the products of Vietnamese tourism companies. Many principle contracts were signed to promote the exchange of tourists between travel companies of Vietnam and Belgium during the event. In the Republic of France, on the occasion of the 80th founding anniversary of L’Humanite (Human- ity) Newspaper, an organ of the French Communist Party, Vietnam held a 150sq.mn exhibition to pres- ent the French with images of Vietnamese culture and tourism opportunities. With the assistance of the Vietnamese Association in France and other concerned organizations, the exhibition was a success. It not only provided visitors with diverse information about Vietnamese tourism products but also presented many of the literary and artistic works of Vietnamese authors and French people who love and take photos of Vietnam. At the exhibi- tion site, a nice, modern stage was arranged for Vietnamese artists to perform presentations of traditional Vietnamese dances and musical instru- ments. The performances of Vietnamese artists attracted a large audience, and performers were warmly welcomed by international friends. Within just three days, the exhibition attracted several hundred thousand visitors. Events designed to attract tourists from West Euro- pean countries to Vietnam have left good impres- sions in the minds of international friends and have contributed to the expanding cooperation between Vietnamese tourism companies and foreign part- ners. The domestic tourism sector hopes that it will attract more visitors from West Europe and other parts of the world to Vietnam throughout the rest of 2010 and well into the future. Western Europe has been considered as a major market of Vietnam’s tourism for a long time. Following numerous activities designed to popularize the image of Vietnam’s tourism in West European countries, the Vietnam National Administra- tion of Tourism (VNAT) recently organised a series of events aiming to attract more tourists from Germany, France and Belgium. As a result, the number of international tourists to Vietnam increased greatly this September and the last months. After the 26 percent increase this autumn com- pared with last year, tourism is expected to continue to grow in the later months of 2010, especially from West European countries. Vietnam attracts more West European tourists Tourist in the Valentine boat
  • 14. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS14 Twenty-two travel companies, mostly in central Vietnam, have formed a club to ensure better services for Thai travellers to the region, instead of unfairly competing with one another. The mandate for the club is to cooperate to improve services, prevent price undercutting, boost tourism promotion, and set minimum tour prices for Thai visitors to the country. Cao Tri Dung, chairman of the club, said the member companies mainly served Thai tourists who usually travel to the country via the border gates in the central region, such as Cau Treo, Cha Lo, Lao Bao and Nam Can. They will contribute funds to promotion programs to polish the image of the region’s tourism so as to attract more tourists from Thailand. “Unfair competition is happening here,” said Dung, who is also director of Vitours based in Danang. “It has marred the tourism image. Some companies are ready to sell tours at reduced prices, which also mean poor quality, so cooperation is a way out for such a situation.” The current minimum prices for three popular overland tours designed for Thais in the central region range from US$105 to VND170 per person. They will come into force on January 1. An increasing number of Thais have been travelling overland to central Vietnam in recent years. The organiser of an international yacht race from Hong Kong to Vietnam has shelved the competition scheduled to take place on October 20. The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club said the VinaCapital Hong Kong to Vietnam Race had been cancelled due to the approaching super typhoon Megi, which has battered the Philippines on its course to the East Sea. The organiser said it regarded safety as the first priority for all its events, particularly for its international Category 1 Offshore events. It would be unthinkable to send the boats to stormy high seas, it said in a statement. However, the organiser said that competitors and the club are fully supportive of running the race in the middle of next October. The date is expected to be set soon to allow international competitors to plan their racing calendars. Vu Duy Vu, deputy director of the race’s local partner Saigontourist Travel Service Co., has confirmed the cancellation. “We completed all preparatory activities for the race but we had to cancel it for safety reasons,” he told the Daily on Tuesday. Earlier, the central Government had allowed Saigontourist Holding Company, the parent company of Saigontourist Travel Service Co., to combine with the foreign partner to organise the 656km race from Wednesday to next Wednesday. The event has been taking place every two years since 2004. Travel firms club to better serve Thai tourists Hong Kong - Vietnam yacht race canceled Illustrated picture
  • 15. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS The Nam Hai, Vietnam’s premier seaside resort, is turning the lights on a series of special events over the festive period to engage and brighten the Christmas spirit in all members of the family. In the typically friendly and family oriented Vietnamese style inherent at The Nam Hai, staff members at all levels will be involved in celebrating this Christmas in a style to remember. From Dec. 1 until Jan. 6, the hotel’s ex- tensive children’s club program will also include the following activities, available free of charge to all guests: • Christmas cookies cooking class in the pastry shop. • Weekly Christmas painting competi- tion to be judged by staff at The Nam Hai. (Winning entries will receive a Vietnamese family dinner for the entire family.) • Christmas treasure hunt where families compete to hunt the clues hidden on property. • Family game night. Over Christmas itself guests will be invited to join in the festivities with: • Decoration of The Nam Hai Christmas Tree. • Christmas story reading by the general manager and senior management (in Eng- lish and German). • Christmas family movie night with cookies, stollen and mulled wine. • Santa Claus in the restaurant during din- ner Dec. 24 and 25. Lavish menus have been developed for the holiday period, including a wine-centric bill of fare created specifically for Dec. 27 and 30. That’s when the resort will conduct Grand Wine Dinners with lauded winemak- er Sybille Kuntz, of Sybille Kuntz Estate in southwest Germany’s Riesling-rich Mosel region. In addition to introducing the wine she’s selected for each dish, Ms. Kuntz will also offer private wine tastings throughout the week leading up to New Year’s. To further entertain guests, The Nam Hai Festive Choir will be performing for the second consecutive year. Headed by resident pianist Rain, the Choir consists of staff at all levels who have auditioned and trained to delight guests with their rendi- tions of favorite Christmas carols. Seven nights’ accommodation for a family of four (two adults and two children) from Dec. 21-28 starts at US $890++ per villa per night, including airport breakfast and return airport transfers. A Grand Wine Din- ner costs US $150++ per person, includ- ing a five-course contemporary set menu with paired wines. To book, contact The Nam Hai at (+84) 510 394 0000 or afomre@thenamhai.com. For more information about the resort, visit www.thenamhai.com.
  • 17. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS 17 Starting this December, locals and tourists will have a chance to experience a cultural show organized by the Xin Chao Art per- formance Co. Ltd, featuring cultural traits of Vietnam to attract tourists. Entitled “Xin Chao” (Hello), the premier with 50 artists will kick off on December 3 and will continue every night at 6.30pm at the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Theater at September 23 Park in District 1. Sunday shows are meant for kids and family with discount fares. There will be three parts featuring the tale of Lac Long Quan and his wife Au Co, who are believed to be the first ancestors of Vietnam, heroines Trung Sisters and the contemporary life in Vietnam. “Xin Chao” is the same genre as Cirque du Soleil, a dramatic mix of circus arts and performances originated from Canada that has been widely spread to Japan and Macau. The script is written by Laura Burke, an American producer and director who have been living, working and researching on Vietnamese culture and history over the last 8 years. She has also participated in different art activities such as her recent staging a traditional musical show called Ho Xuan Huong at HCMC’s Opera House. For this new project, Laura expects to em- ploy Binh Dinh martial art and Vietnamese traditional and cultural habits into the show to attract international audience. This is also a chance for young artists in different fields like circus, martial arts, aer- obat and dancing to show off their talents in a big stage for long term. “There are many tourists coming to HCMC every year. However, they are only hanging around bar, cinema or restaurant because there is no entertainment place with Viet- namese culture,” said Augustus Greaves, representative of the show. “Vietnam is a beautiful country with a rich culture. We need to exploit the cultural traits to attract tourists and they will spend more and have more reasons to stay in Vietnam.” New culture show to lure visitors to HCMC
  • 18. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS18 Vietnam wants to join efforts with Cuba in exploring new and effec- tive methods of cooperation to benefit their people, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said. While receiving Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Enrique Prieto Jime- nez in Hanoi on Oct. 20, PM Dung promised to support and create favourable conditions for Vietnam’s concerned agencies to expand and boost cultural cooperation with the island country. Together with bilateral cooperation in politics, diplomacy and trade, the enhancement of cultural relations would make the two nations more close-knit, the leader said. Jimenez said the Cuban delegation’s visit was aimed at accessing Vietnam’s experiences in developing and preserving cultural values, thereby contributing to the building of relevant policies in Cuba. The two sides are to sign a cultural cooperation programme for the 2011-2013 period, which would help the Cuban and Vietnamese peo- ple better understand each other’s cultures, he said. The same day, Politburo member Truong Tan Sang received Minister Prieto Jimenez, who was also a Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee. Sang, a permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Cen- tral Committee’s Secretariat, said Vietnam always stood side by side with Cuba and would do its utmost to promote the bilateral relation- ship. The Party official conveyed the best regards from Party General Sec- retary Nong Duc Manh and State President Nguyen Minh Triet to Cuban President Fidel Castro and President Raul Castro. Jimenez said Vietnam’s renewal achievements have proved the Viet- namese revolution was advancing forward firmly and that its experi- ences were very useful to Cuba. Having thanked the Party, State and people for their valuable support and assistance, the minister affirmed that Cuba would spare no ef- forts to strengthen and step up the traditional and loyal relationship between the two nations. Later in the day, Jimenez held talks with Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh, during which they re- viewed the results of cultural cooperation over the recent past and signed a cultural cooperation programme for the next three years. Under the terms of the agreement, the two sides pledged to increase cultural exchanges such as art performances, exhibitions of paint- ings, photos and books and film screenings. The two sides will boost the sharing of experiences in cultural man- agement, heritage preservation and management and facilitate co- operation between labs, museums, film studios and training estab- lishments. Cuba also vowed to participate in international cultural events which will be held regularly in Vietnam, including the Hue Festival, the 4th International Circus Festival, the 3rd International Puppetry Festival and the 2nd International Film Festival. Vietnam, Cuba move to step up cultural cooperation
  • 19. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn VIETNAM NEWS 19 Vietnam’s airlines, hotels, operators and agents scored but a single victory in TTG’s annual Travel Awards this year. In the 21st annual awards presentation this month, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi took home the top spot in the ‘Best City Hotel - Hanoi’ category. Only the capital cities of countries across the region were evaluated. The criteria for the Best Hotel award included an appraisal of services, facilities, value-added benefits and most professional sales and marketing team. None of the other 77 awards went to an organization based in Vietnam. More than 48,000 readers of TTG across the Asia-Pacific contributed assess- ments across four main categories. The awards are widely recognized as one of the most prestigious in Southeast Asia. “There’s something immensely satisfying about this title – Best City Hotel,” said Kai Speth, general manager of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. “We have a reputation as a great heritage hotel, and we’ve worked hard to sharpen our credentials as a destination for business travelers and as a destination for so- phisticated night life. There’s a well-roundedness to Best City Hotel that we plan to savor.” In the past year, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has scooped a number of coveted awards from around the globe, including a spot on the Conde Nast Hot List and, most recently, PATA’s top award in the Heritage category. In the 2010 TTG awards program, the trade publication conferred 53 awards to travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, MICE, travel service), 15 awards to travel agents, four awards for oustanding achievement, such as destination of the year, and seven awards in the Travel Hall of Fame. The voting process spanned three months, from early June to early August, and was completed online or through printed forms. TTG Awards Singles Out Vietnam Hotel
  • 22. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu won the 2010 World Luxury Hotel Country Award under the “Luxury Beach Resort” category in Malaysia at the recent World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala Ceremony Dinner in Hua Hin, Thailand on 8 October 2010. The World Luxury Travel Awards are the world’s most prestigious awards ex- clusive to the luxury hotel industry and recognises the best facilities and service excellence the industry has to offer. Es- tablished in 2006, the awards recognise a selection of the finest hotels situated in 54 countries and is committed to raising the bar of excellence within the luxury hotel industry. “This comes as such a wonderful sur- prise. We are very excited to receive this prestigious award,” said Andrew Steele, general manager of Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Kota Kinabalu. The criterion to be successfully nomi- nated and included in the official World Luxury Hotel Awards voting process is overall service excellence. Only hotels, lodges and resorts operating in a luxury niche market are able to participate in the World Luxury Hotel Awards. The World Luxury Hotel Award does not recognise any other areas of the travel industry. Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 68 hotels under the Shangri-La and Trad- ers brands with a rooms inventory of over 30,000. Shangri-La hotels are five-star de- luxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services. Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The group has substantial development pipeline with projects in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Mongolia, Rus- sia, Qatar, Seychelles, Turkey and United Kingdom. 22 Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa Wins 2010 World Luxury Hotel Country Award Six Senses Resorts & Spas announces a new name for its Destination Spa - Six Senses Sanctuary Phuket. This is the first part of a wider company rebranding for Six Senses, to be unveiled in full next year. The new name, Six Senses Sanctuary Phuket, captures the spa’s core purpose of delivering integrated wellness experi- ences along with peace, tranquillity, fitness and wellbeing. Not only a spa, Six Senses Sanctuary Phuket offers a stress-free, idyl- lic environment where guests can retreat from today’s frenetic world. STA Travel is on top of the world for the second consecutive year, after being voted Australasia’s Leading Travel Agency at the World Travel Awards. STA Travel claimed the title for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in a gala event at the five-star Claridges Surajkund in Delhi. Described as the ‘Oscars’ of the global travel and tour- ism industry by the Wall Street Journal, the awards recognise excellence in all aspects of travel services including product range, customer service, company culture and technology. Over 5000 travel companies were nominated in more than 1000 differ- ent categories for the 2010 World Travel Awards. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has emerged the most celebrated hotel brand in Australasia in the 17th World Travel Awards, as voted by the international travel agent community. InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa was recognised as Fiji’s Leading Golf Resort. The only international resort on Viti Levu’s spectacular Natadola Beach, offers an 18-hole links course. Another inaugural World Travel Award winner was InterCon- tinental Melbourne The Rialto, which was named Australasia’s Leading Business Ho- tel and it is the only international high-end hotel in the city’s central financial district. This year marked the third time InterCon- tinental Wellington has been recognised as New Zealand’s Leading Business Hotel, making the hotel one of the most consistent winners of the Australasian World Travel Awards in recent years. Six Senses renames Phuket destination spa STA Travel Back On Top of the World Intercontinental Australasia’s most celebrated hotel brand In Brief
  • 23. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS 23 T he Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra announced today that the 201-room, riverside property will open on December 11, as the city’s first new 5-star debut in a decade. Located in an upscale residential quarter just downstream of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace, and close to both the Australian and Russian embassies, the hotel’s debut will introduce eight new restaurants and bars to the city, Southeast Asia’s first, Sofitel-brand- ed So SPA and So FIT, as well as the top floor executive lounge, Club Millésime, and an 1,800-square-meter grand ballroom anchor- ing one of the most ambitious new meetings venues in the region. The December launch immediately rede- fines the city’s upscale appeal, positioning the Sofitel as the most sophisticated new hospitality opportunity not only in Phnom Penh but in the region at large. The hotel’s emergence here, in one of Asia’s most compelling new destinations, is evidence of rising enthusiasm for Phnom Penh. More than 6,000 candidates applied for work at the new hotel, buoyed by the brand’s reputation and the bold strokes of a USD 50 million investment by a consortium of Cam- bodian, Thai and French investors. The Sofitel Luxury Hotels brand offers a unique blend of local culture and the French “Art de Vivre”, and has been progressively moving to claim leading high-end market positioning in major destinations and capital cities. As a new generation Sofitel, the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra aims to rapidly gain a leading position in the destination. “For many people, Phnom Penh is one of Asia’s great new destinations, generating an enthusiasm that we’ve seen in the past for places like Vietnam and the Maldives,” said Didier Lamoot, General Manager of the hotel. “The Sofitel is opening as a grand manifestation of all that enthusiasm.” Despite the recent economic slump world- wide, visitors to Cambodia have continued to increase, albeit by a small margin. In 2008, the country’s tourist authorities reported 2.12 million in-bound arrivals. In 2009, that num- ber inched up to 2.16 million. Last month, the country’s Ministry of Tourism reported that in-bound arrivals were up 14% over last year, a pace that’s likely to accelerate with the development of the nation’s infrastructure. The 12-storey hotel occupies four hectares in a prime, riverside location, near the British International School and amidst a burgeon- ing neighborhood of upscale villas. The airport is 15 kilometers away. Within five years, the city’s evolving centre is expected to be fixed right around the Sofitel. Its fitness complex, the Phokeethra Sports Club, features tennis courts and squash courts, as well an outdoor swimming pool, a kid’s club and fitness equipment. Sofitel So SPA enjoys expansive quarters on the hotel’s third floor, overlooking the pool and the river. Its five state-of-the-art meeting rooms, the magnificent grand ballroom and a 1,200- square-meter pre-function space are set to tap a growing interest in Phnom Penh as a land of entrepreneurial opportunity. The Sofitel will deploy its InspiredMeetings programme in the new facility, setting the stage for events that coordinate dedicated personnel and technology and that deliver one-of-a-kind affairs, from intimate parties to large scale conferences. “As we look ahead to the next few years, Phnom Penh is likely to emerge as an attrac- tive new venue among meetings and confer- ence planners,” said Lamoot. “The destina- tion is fresh, and the ability to hop from here to Angkor is a major draw.” Lamoot previously served as General Man- ager at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort from September 2004. Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents with 120 addresses, in almost 40 countries (more than 30 000 rooms). Sofitel offers contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today’s more demanding and more versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, qual- ity and excellence. Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, London, New York or Beijing, or nestled away in a country landscape in Morocco, Egypt, Fiji Islands or Thailand, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the French “ art de vivre”. Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra set for December Debut Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra set for December Debut
  • 24. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS24 A yana Resort and Spa Bali has been awarded Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort for the second year running as well as Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa (AYANA Villa) in the World Travel Awards 2010. The awards, announced at the Asia Final in India, automatically qualify AYANA for nomination as the World’s Leading Luxury Re- sort and World’s Leading Luxury Villa. The winners of the World Grand Final will be announced next month. Tagged ‘the Oscars of the travel industry’ by the Wall Street Jour- nal, the World Travel Awards recognize leaders from all sectors of the tourism and travel industry who demonstrate excellence in service and product. “The hotel industry is extremely competitive and it is a great honor to win one accolade at the World Travel Awards. We are overwhelmed to have won two,” said AYANA’s General Manager Charles de Foucault. “We are very humbled by the support of our guests, who continually inspire us to reach new heights in quality of service, facilities and overall experience. Today’s savvy Ayana Won Asia’s Leading luxury Resort and Luxury Villa at World Travel Awards 2010 Ayana Won Asia’s Leading luxury Resort and Luxury Villa at World Travel Awards 2010
  • 25. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS 25 travellers do not accept anything but the best, and we are privi- leged to be ranked amongst the world’s most luxurious resorts.” The award as Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort reaffirms AYANA’s position as a leader in the global hotel industry, after it won the same award in 2009 just months after rebranding to an indepen- dent property. The original owner has invested millions of dollars in upgrades including the Rock Bar, located on natural rocks abutting the ocean, and renovations of Padi restaurant, Damar Terrace restaurant and AYANA Ballroom. Other awards to be bestowed upon AYANA this year include: • World’s #1 Spa in the Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Survey • Conde Nast Traveller Gold List (Best Hotels in Asia) • Top 20 Hotels for Value Overall in TRAVEL + LEISURE Read- ers’ Awards • Indonesia’s Leading Independent Resort in the Indonesian Tourism Awards Meanwhile, Rock Bar has won several awards as Bali’s Best New Bar and was recently named first in a list of the World’s Best Hotel Bars by CNNGo, the travel portal of CNN. The award as Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa – a new category in the World Travel Awards just introduced this year – recognizes AYANA’s three-bedroom presidential villa as the most lavish venue for an exclusive escape, honeymoon for two, wedding cel- ebration or other private event. Situated on 3000sqm (32,292sqf ) of landscaped tropical gardens, AYANA Villa includes an 11- meter-long infinity-edged pool, heated Jacuzzi, private spa treat- ment room, private gym, yoga and meditation classes, Wedding Gazebo on the cliff-edge, and of course 24-hour personalized, dedicated yet discreet service from butlers certified by the Guild of Professional Butlers’ in the UK. AYANA Villa is one of 78 villas spread out across the resort, the other 77 being one-bedroom and two-bedroom dwellings. All villa guests enjoy exclusive privileges and maximum privacy, yet convenient access to hotel facilities including Thermes Marins Bali Spa, 13 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, golf- putting course, tennis pavilion, fitness center, and white-sand beach.
  • 26. Tailor-made Travel Specialist in VIETNAM - CAMBODIA - LAOS Add: 130 Pho Duc Chinh - Ba Dinh District Hanoi - Vietnam Tel: +84-4 37153538 Fax: +84-4 3715 3540 Email: info@littleorienttravel.com www.littleorienttravel.com
  • 27. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS 27 Singapore, Malaysia and Australia travellers continue to pick Indonesia as their top destination in the next two years, according to Visa and PATA Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010. Based on past and future travel plans for the next two years, the online survey conducted by Nielsen in- volved 6,714 respondents from 13 key Asia-Pacific markets. It indicated that among respondents most likely to head to Indonesia, 29 per cent were from Malaysia, 18 per cent from Aus- tralia and 15 per cent from Singapore. Taiwan was next at nine per cent, followed by Japan and South Korea at eight per cent each. Both countries had been important markets for Indo- nesia, but showed declining figures due to the economic crisis. Fifty-nine per cent of respondents who would go to Indonesia within the next two years were repeat travellers who were drawn by the destination’s dining and shopping options as well as the natural scenery. First-time travellers who would consider visiting Indonesia cited new attractions, the natural scenery and affordability as deciding factors. They were likely to visit with spouses, stay in four- and three-star hotels for three to five nights and spend an average of US$1,538 per person per trip, includ- ing airfare. Indonesia remains top destination for Singapore, Malaysia and Australia travellers
  • 28. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS Luxury hotel Harbour Grand Hongkong
  • 29. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced today (22 October) that a total of 2,728,107 visitor arrivals to Hong Kong were recorded in September 2010, 21.2% more than the previous September. Cumulatively, arrivals in the first three quarters of 2010 reached 26,175,950, which is a 23.7%-increase year-on-year. The table below summarises visitor arrivals from different market regions in Septem- ber and the first three quarters in 2010: In September 2010, Mainland arrivals increased by 22.7% to more than 1.62 million, driving further gain in overall visitor arrivals. Such momentum of growth, which sus- tained after the summer holidays, showed that since the implementation of measures under the Individual Visit Scheme in Shenzhen, Mainland visitors no longer travel to Hong Kong only during the peak travel seasons and festive holidays, but that they also come for consumption visits over the weekends. For short-haul markets, expanded flight capacity between Hong Kong and South and Southeast Asia brought along remarkable growth in arrivals from these markets, which increased by 20.3% compared to September 2009. As for North Asia, apprecia- tion of the WON currency continued to stimulate travel among South Koreans, causing arrivals from the country to more than double (+106.9%) and overall arrivals from North Asia to rise by 20.4% year-on-year. Arrivals from Taiwan also grew by 14.8%, reflecting an increasing number of vacation travellers from the island. Further away, double-digit growth was registered in all three regional long-haul mar- kets, with a satisfactory increase of 18.5% in overall long-haul arrivals. In particular, North American arrivals went up by more than 20%, indicating a growing number of both business and vacation travellers as the economy stabilises. For emerging markets, benefitting from such favourable factors as economic improve- ments and expanded flight capacity, continual growth was registered in arrivals from Russia (+107.2%) and the Middle East (+31.7%). In India, the country’s fast-growing economy has led to strong demand for outbound travel, especially among both family and business segments, causing overall arrivals to Hong Kong to increase by 27.7% in September 2010. Overnight Visitors In September 2010, overnight visitor arrivals to Hong Kong totalled 1.44 million, rep- resenting 53.0% of the total arrival figure and a 17.6%-increase from the 2009 figure. Most key market regions, especially Taiwan (+28.4%) and the Americas (+26.4), showed prominent growth in overnight visitor arrivals. For the first three quarters of 2010, overnight visitor arrivals cumulated to 14.71 million. This number represents 56.2% of all visitor arrivals in the same period and is 21.8% more than the figure last year. Hong Kong arrivals rise 21% in September INTERNATIONAL NEWS 29
  • 30. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS30 Egypt plans to embark on a survey to study the trends and re- quirements of the Asian market as part of its plan to increase ar- rivals from the region. “We believe MICE and adventure travel has great potential to ap- peal to Asian visitors but we need to have an in-depth study of Asian travellers so we know the specific needs of Asian visitors,” said Mr Hisham Zaazou, First Assistant Minister of the Egypt Min- istry of Tourism, during a press conference at ITB Asia 2010 on 20 October. “Egypt is no longer just a destination known for its cultural attrac- tions. It is now multifaceted destination. These days we have very good MICE facilities not only in Cairo, but also in Luxor and other destinations in the Red Sea area,” he added. Mr Zaazou said that Egypt was considering increasing its pres- ence in the region by opening tourism offices in addition to exist- ing offices in Beijing, Tokyo and India. Although no decision had been made yet, Malaysia was a possibility as it had the advantage of direct flights on Egyptian Airlines. Mr Zaazou expressed his happiness with Egypt’s partnership role as Official Partner Country for ITB Asia 2010. He said that he hoped to continue the partnership in Berlin in 2012 and possibly, ITB Asia 2012 as well. Egypt to Survey Asian Travel TrendsEgypt to Survey Asian Travel Trends Group picture at the stand of Egypt - ITB Asia 2010
  • 31. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS 31 T he Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre staged one of its largest dinners on record this month, with more than 3200 participants in the Air New Zealand Golden Oldies Rugby Festival filling the venue to celebrate the end of their week-long event. Held in two of the Centre’s exhibition halls spanning 10,000 square metres, the dinner was serviced by six satel- lite kitchens, with 36 chefs and 220 waitstaff in attendance. Using more than 460 kgs of beef, 578 kgs of lamb and 1310 kgs of veg- etables, the chefs created a gourmet three-course dinner featuring grilled beef tenderloin on caramelised red onion and olive hash, and braised lamb shanks with a smoked bacon and onion galette. Themed with 80 giant illuminated inflatable stars and spheres, the din- ner venue featured one of the largest ever dance areas created at the Centre, with delegates filling the 750 square metre dance floor as they en- joyed the sounds of five great cover bands throughout the evening. Festivities continued well into the night at the Centre, which was also home to the event’s opening party a week earlier, attended by more than 3000 delegates. Staged every two years, the Air New Zealand Golden Oldies Rugby Festival celebrates the global rugby fraternity, with 4500 rugby players aged 35 years and over from around the world playing in this year’s Festival’s games from September 26-October 3. Festival Director Allan Forno said Sydney had been a big hit with at- tendees. “Our delegates loved the city and its harbour and they also really appreci- ated the safety of the city, which is important,’ Mr Forno said. Mr Forno said the Centre events had been very successful, from the cali- bre of the food through to the superb service and the management of the large number of guests. Staging Dimensions Managing Di- rector Mark Keegan, who produced the festival’s welcome party and gala awards dinner, also complimented the venue. “We really enjoyed working with ev- eryone at the Centre – from the event managers through to the food and beverage and security staff. Noth- ing was too much for them and they were incredibly professional. “In the spirit of rugby, it was a big team effort and they were all sensa- tional.” Centre Chief Executive Ton van Am- erongen said the Centre was proud to be selected as the venue for such a major event. “Delivering a gourmet three-course dinner for 3200 people is not a simple task. It takes considerable planning, skill and style, so our team is to be congratulated,” Mr van Am- erongen said. The Golden Oldies gala dinner is one of a string of major events be- ing held at the Centre in 2010-2011, including the 12,000-delegate Lions Convention in July 2010 and the 4000- delegate Asia Pacific Congress of Ophthalmology in March 2011. Sydney Convention Centre hosts huge gala dinner Sydney Convention Centre hosts huge gala dinner This is the largest dinners on record with more than 3200 partici- pants in the Air New Zea- land Golden Oldies Rugby Festival filling the venue to celebrate the end of their week-long event.
  • 32. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn INTERNATIONAL NEWS The Westin Sydney has again been recognized by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the Best Hotels in Australia and the Pacific in the 23rd annual Readers’ Choice Awards Conde Nast Traveler is one of the most trusted sources for all aspects of luxury travel and their readers are the most frequent and affluent travelers in the world. They are discerning about travel as well as about culture, fashion and design, and are in the forefront of spending on luxury items from clothes to cars to holiday houses. The Conde Nast Readers Choice Survey was available to read- ers on a secure website and the hotels were rated in food/dining, overall design and room service. A total of 25,915 readers partici- pated in 2010 which was tabulated by Global Market Insite, Inc. of Boston. General Manager, Mark Burns commented, “we are absolutely thrilled to be included in this prestigious list. Our associates work tirelessly to deliver personal and instinctive service to guests, ensuring they depart feeling better than when they ar- rived”. The Westin Sydney is located in the heart of Sydney at No. 1 Mar- tin Place, and its facilities include 416 luxurious accommodation rooms and suites, Mosaic Restaurant offers modern Australian cuisine with a Mediterranean influence and a stylish Lobby Bar, Lounge and Room. New Zealand could lose its Middle Earth alias with reports the Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit may be filmed in the UK. In a statement, filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh said Warner Bros would be flying to New Zealand later in the month to arrange the relocation of the USD500 million proj- ect, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Tourism New Zealand General Manager Public Affairs Suzanne Carter said losing the films would be a disappointment consid- ering the positive impact the previous productions had on New Zealand tourism. “From a tourism perspective the flow on effects of these films reach communities across the country with visitors coming to enjoy our unique scenery and lifestyle and using our tourism services as they travel,” she said. “People are still travelling to New Zealand today because of the exposure gained through the Lord of the Rings trilogy.” The announcement to relocate production came after New Zealand Actors’ Equity union asked actors to boycott The Hobbit due to strict contract provisions. Despite retracting the strike within a few days, Mr Jackson said Warner Bros had lost confidence in New Zealand as a stable en- vironment for its multi-million dollar production and has started looking towards the UK for a possible replacement. “They have a huge studio there that Harry Potter have vacated, that they own, their ex Rolls Royce factor, that they say would be perfect for us,” Ms Walsh said. “It appears we now cannot make films in our country, even when substantial financing is available,” Mr Jackson said. Movenpick Hotels & Resorts to enter the Chinese market The Westin Sydney placed among the Top 5 Hotels in Australia and the Pacific 32 Movenpick Hotel & Resort, Phuket, Thailand Movenpick Hotel & Resort, Hanoi, Vietnam
  • 34. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO34 Indulge your senses in ILTM’s new Healing Lounge ‘Healing Body, Mind and Soul, Healing Beauty’ will be the theme of the new Healing Lounge sponsored by Healing Ho- tels of the World at this year’s International Luxury Travel Mar- ket (ILTM), 6-9 December in Cannes. Debbie Joslin, Exhibition Director at ILTM comments: “We are aware of the enormous popularity of spas as well as high end wellbeing and medical tourism within the luxury tourism industry. ILTM’s Healing Lounge represents the crème de la crème of the world’s spas and therefore a high- point for those luxury travel specialists seeking the ultimate in rejuvenation for their elite clients.” Healing Hotels of the World is an exclusive partnership of some 50 superior hotels and resorts located across the world offering an exclusive holistic wellbeing service i.e. physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual care. The partnership is also best positioned to educate guests regarding caring for themselves in the future. Treatments in the ILTM Healing Lounge include mini facials onsite by Babor, a power nap corner hosted by Samina Insti- tute; holistic massages provided by Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort; shoulder, neck and head treatments from Haki by Har- ald Kitz and Lanserhof Austria who will provide 15 minute con- sultations on men’s health. Healing Hotels’ extensive catalogue of criteria has to be ful- filled by each partner hotel and focuses on the entire hotel, in- cluding the holistic treatments offered in the spa, responsible hotel and room design, appropriate food, sustainable commit- ment, overall philosophy and much more. Each programme is specifically tailored for each guest. The following member hotels and resorts will be represented at Healing Hotels of the World’s stand at ILTM: Villa Faros, Greece; La Clairière Bio & Spahotel, France; Hotel Vitznauer- hof Vitalresort, Switzerland; Alpen Karawanserei Time Design Hotel, Austria; Lanserhof, Austria; Engel Spa & Resort, Italy; Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Italy; Chiva-Som, Thailand; Gaia Retreat & Spa, Australia; The Lyall Hotel & Spa, Australia and The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Malaysia. Now in its ninth year, ILTM is an exclusive ‘by invitation only’ event where selected definitive international luxury travel ex- periences and prestigious luxury travel products are invited to meet with the top buyers of elite travel from across the globe. ILTM Asia is the leading annual business-to-business event for the Asia Pacific luxury travel community: 13-16 June 2011 in Shanghai. For further information on ILTM and ILTM Asia, visit www.iltm.net .
  • 35. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn 27 Countdown News Week IMEX Group and Cvent sign major marketing alliance One year out from the inaugural show, the organizers behind new global meetings industry trade show IMEX America have signed a major marketing agreement with Cvent, the world’s largest meetings man- agement software company. Through the alliance, Cvent and the IMEX Group will jointly market IMEX America, which will launch at the Sands Expo/Vene- tian Palazzo in Las Vegas on October 11, 2011, to an extensive, high-level audience of qualified buyers and suppliers from within the United States and other global markets. A series of joint promotions and marketing programs is set to start in Janu- ary 2011. IMEX America will offer a unique model of trade show, new to the US market, that will enable exhibitors to meet and make business appointments at their booths with over 2,000 hosted buyers. 80 per cent of buyers will be from North America, 20 per cent from other world markets; a fac- tor which defines IMEX America as a truly international show on US soil. Thousands more US buyers are also expected to at- tend. Working with Cvent to identify possible at- tendees and buyers, particularly from the US and Canada, will significantly increase IMEX’s brand awareness and visibility, al- though the company’s authority is already fully proven as a result of its award-win- ning trade show, IMEX in Frankfurt, which has been running for eight years. Says Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO: “We are thrilled to be working with Cvent. This new alliance gives us extraordinary reach into the US meetings, incentive travel and events market and also partners IMEX America with a very strong, stable and respected brand name that shares similar values to our own. IMEX has always been dedicated to technological innovation and we have invested heavily in this side of our business for the benefit of our buyers and exhibitors. Cvent shares our client focus and passion for excellence.” Cvent already partners with Meeting Pro- fessionals International (MPI), the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives (Site) and the Professional Convention Manage- ment Association (PCMA), all of which are also in partnership with IMEX America. MPI is both strategic partner and major educational provider for the new show. Cvent’s strong reputation among govern- ment, corporate, association and educa- tion organizations and more than 6,500 customers will give IMEX added reach to promote the launch of IMEX America, and the company’s client base complements the profile of other hosted buyer groups already coming to the show. For example, MPI’s 24,000 members worldwide com- prise decision-makers from 80 per cent of Fortune 100 companies and Carlson Marketing’s top corporate clients repre- sent some of the world’s biggest Fortune 1000 companies. Maritz Travel will also be running its annual senior-level Customer Event during the show, which is set to at- tract up to 100 Fortune 500 corporate cli- ents. “Year after year, IMEX in Frankfurt has proven to be a tremendously valuable show for Cvent as well as our custom- ers, and we are excited to help bring one of the most powerful shows in the global meetings and events industry to the US,” said Chuck Ghoorah, Cvent’s Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We know IMEX America will deliver the top-notch business and educa- tional opportunities the industry has come to expect from the IMEX Group, and look forward to helping make the inaugural show a success.”
  • 36. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO34 About IMEX America The new trade show for the worldwide meetings, events and incentive travel industry; the inaugural IMEX America will take place October 11-13, 2011 at the Sands Expo at the Venetian/Palazzo Hotel. The show’s strategic partner and major educational provider is MPI. It is endorsed by DMAI and Site and has an Industry Partnership with PCMA. IMEX America also has major partnerships in place with all the other leading industry associations across the world. IMEX America will offer a unique model of trade show, new to the US market. It will assure exhibitors of meeting and making business appoint- ments on their booths with in excess of 2,000 highly qualified hosted buyers. The majority (80 per cent) of these hosted buyers will come from North America, with the balance from the rest of the world. In addition thousands more US buyer attendees are expected to attend from across North America. Entrance to the show and its educational program is entirely free of charge. About Cvent Founded in 1999, Cvent is the world’s largest meetings management software company and has over 670 employees worldwide. Cvent offers web-based software with features including meeting site selection, online event registration, event management, e-mail marketing, and web surveys. Cvent helps over 80,000 users in 35 countries manage hundreds of thousands of events, surveys and e-mail campaigns. Cvent has processed over $1.5 billion in online payments and has managed over 30 million event registrations and survey responses for its clients. For more information, please visit www.cvent.com. Exhibitors and buyers can register their interest in IMEX America and access great accommodation discounts at http://www.imex-america.com/users_prereg_interest.php
  • 37. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO IMEX turns up the green heat with new carbon-free European rail tickets A new ticket initiative from German rail com- pany and IMEX in Frankfurt travel partner, Deutsche Bahn (DB), will allow the trade show to provide carbon free train travel to all of its European hosted buyers in 2011. The tickets will be available to all hosted buyers travelling to the Frankfurt trade show from anywhere in continental Europe. The ticket, called “Umwelt-Plus”, guarantees that Deutsche Bahn will only use renewable energy for all hosted buyer rail tickets. Un- like compensatory measures, “Umwelt Plus” avoids carbon dioxide emissions altogether since the electricity used is produced exclu- sively from renewable energy sources in Ger- many. DB purchases the amount of renewable energy required for journeys in advance. This additional energy replaces the energy from other sources in the rail power grid. Once the show is over, IMEX will receive a certificate showing the total carbon dioxide saving made as a result of the new green tick- ets. Last year nearly 900 hosted buyers trav- elled to IMEX in Frankfurt by rail, coming in from Germany, Brussels, Amsterdam, Zurich and Paris. Deutsche Bahn’s commitment to using green- er energy and investing in ecological and car- bon free power plants is behind the new tick- et option. IMEX will pay a small levy on top of its normal ticket price to support carbon free travel. The new ticket further reinforces the IMEX Group’s ongoing efforts to reduce the show’s environmental impact and, in particu- lar, to reduce waste wherever possible. Two years ago IMEX introduced the first ever biodegradable visitor badges made from re- cycled and recyclable paper badges coated in corn-starch laminate. The company also runs the only Green Awards in the interna- tional meetings industry and last year offered the option of hydroelectric power to all of its exhibitors. Each year IMEX in Frankfurt sets new recy- cling targets for the show. In 2010, following a concerted campaign to educate stand-build- ers and exhibitors, 87 per cent of the show’s waste was recycled and total waste output was reduced by 30 tonnes compared to 2009. In all, 32 tonnes of paper and 29 tonnes of cardboard waste were recycled during IMEX in Frankfurt 2010. A new initiative called The Green Team also encouraged exhibitors to follow two out of three ‘green’ steps in return for wearing a green lapel ribbon that demonstrated their environmental commitment. The IMEX Group intends to extend its green track record next year when IMEX America opens on October 11 in Las Vegas. The com- pany recently appointed MeetGreen as Offi- cial Sustainability Partners for the new show. 37
  • 38. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO38 W The AIBTM/PCMA Co-Location: Here’s How It’s Going to Work While the Americas Meetings and Events Exhibition, which debuts June 21-23, 2011, at the Baltimore Convention Center, an- nounced last spring that it will co-locate with the Professional Convention Manage- ment Association’s 2011 Education Confer- ence, the specifics of that arrangement are just emerging. According to Reed Travel Exhibition’s AI- BTM Project Manager Steve Knight, PC- MA’s meeting will begin on Monday, June 20, rather than its traditional Sunday. On Tuesday, while the PCMA meeting is in full swing, AIBTM will open with an education day, with sessions presented in conjunction with partner groups such as the Convention Industry Council and the International As- sociation of Exhibitions and Events. These sessions will not be connected with PCMA’s educational events. However, Knight says “we are looking at ways to intermingle.” Tuesday is also expected to be the day Meeting Professionals International pres- ents the findings of new AIBTM-sponsored research for its Value of Meetings Initiative. And on Tuesday evening, CIC holds its Hall of Leaders gala, a black-tie event honoring innovators and leaders in the meetings and conventions industry. On Wednesday, AIBTM’s exposition opens. PCMA’s meeting continues all day, but its attendees will be served lunch on the show floor and given time to walk the aisles. Wednesday evening, the AIBTM welcome party will be a joint venture between AI- BTM, PCMA, and Visit Baltimore. PCMA’s conference wraps up on Thursday at 11 a.m., and buyers from that event will be welcome to attend the AIBTM expo’s final afternoon. Knight says AIBTM’s Baltimore location is likely to draw a strong showing from the as- sociation market. “Is our biggest audience sector going to be the association market? Yes,” said Knight, “but the hosted-buyer program will bring in corporate buyers as well.” Knight is expecting to draw 2,000 hosted buyers, about 35 percent of whom will be U.S. planners who do international meetings, 60 percent U.S. planners who do domestic meetings, and about 5 percent in- ternational planners who bring groups to the U.S. AIBTM registration opens in January.
  • 39. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO creates more business opportunities Arabian Travel Market, the leading travel exhibition in the Middle East, has unveiled a new format to its four-day event, by introduc- ing an additional day of business, while still maintaining a dedicated session for consum- ers. The 2011 show which takes place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Cen- tre will open a day earlier running from Mon- day to Thursday (May 2-5), with new opening times creating an extra day of business on Thursday followed by a dedicated consumer session later the same day between 3pm and 9pm. “We have decided to change the format of the show after a survey revealed that the majority of participants wanted more time to explore business opportunities, while also retaining a consumer element. The new format ac- commodates that request,” said Mark Walsh, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhi- bitions. “Although business will always be the key driver of the event consumers still provide valuable end-user feedback and key insight for industry professionals,” added Walsh. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai and approaching its eigh- teenth year, the show has grown to become the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world. This year 2,236 exhibitors covering over 20,000 square metres, attracted more than 22,000 visitors. “This is a logical move for Arabian Travel Market as the Middle East region is one of the fastest growing inbound and outbound markets in the world,” said Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, Director, Overseas Promotions and Inward Mission. “Dubai will continue to provide a platform to support key industry events like Arabian Travel Market, which help to shape the future of the region’s tourism landscape, not only in terms of infrastructure, but also in terms of social, environmental and cultural develop- ment, ” added Al Geziry. According to the World Travel Organisation (WTO), the travel industry has witnessed seven consecutive months of growth to the end of April this year. Indeed the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide from January to April 2010 grew to over 258 mil- lion, which is a 7% year-on-year increase and during the same period the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a 6% growth in air transport. The WTO’s 2020 tourism vision forecasts that the Middle East region which currently receives 36 million visitors, will attract 69 mil- lion tourists by 2020, an average growth rate of 6.7%. As such, the GCC region and in particular Dubai, has continued to invest heavily in tour- ism infrastructure. According to Dubai-based research company, Proleads, there are cur- rently over 470 active hotel projects (those not completed, on-hold or cancelled) in the GCC countries, 258 of which are in the UAE. In fact $1.7 billion will be spent on hospitality projects throughout the Gulf this year. “Through strategic investment, Dubai’s tour- ism industry has grown exponentially over the past decade and will continue to be a key economic driver in the future,” said Al Geziry. For more information on Arabian Travel Mar- ket 2011, please log on to www.arabiantrav- elmarket.com New structure to accommodate extended business sessions, as largest travel event in Middle East announces 2011 dates 39
  • 40. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO40 EIBTM Hosted Buyer Programme – More Benefits for 2010FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY Places are still available for EIBTM’s 2010 Hosted Buyer programme running from 30 November - 2 December in Barcelona (www. eibtm.com), which has already attracted an increased number of Buyers from Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, US and Russia. With time, cost and resource foremost in the minds of buyers, interested parties are urged to make their Hosted Buyer applications, with only a few weeks left until EIBTM 2010. June Clark, Manager for the Hosted Buyer Programme, comments: “We know that our Hosted Buyers believe EIBTM is a key indus- try event but they also know that our quali- fication process is tough. The quality is our prime concern, but once accepted onto the programme, the flexible buyer-driven ap- pointment system and all of the additional benefits truly delivers a return on business. We urge anyone still considering attending to apply now, to ensure they receive maximum benefit from the pre-scheduled appointments system with exhibitors, that is due to open im- minently.” For those accepted on to the programme, they can expect to receive; complimentary flights to Barcelona, 4/5* accommodation, and a personal diary of pre-scheduled ap- pointments chosen by the Hosted Buyer from over 3,300 exhibiting companies. The EIBTM professional education programme offers over 50 sessions, with three specific streams dedicated to Hosted Buyers who represent the Association, Corporate and Agency sec- tors and there is also the opportunity to take part in all of the networking events. A further benefit is the option to participate in a post event fam trip this year hosted by destinations including; Bilbao, Costa Doura- da, Costa del Sol/Malaga, Florence/Tuscany, Madrid, Valencia, Huelva and Rotterdam. Jeffrey Adam, Director of Global Accounts at HelmsBriscoe, said: “The benefits of attend- ing EIBTM are immense. I have found count- less new properties to work with, learned about destinations, developed new contacts and solidified existing relationships. The sum total of the experience has made me a more valuable asset to my clients. Knowledge equals effectiveness.” Graeme Barnett, Exhibition Director for EIBTM comments: “Our Hosted Buyer Pro- gramme is considered the ‘gold standard’ for the meetings industry. In order to maintain the quality of the selection process we con- tinually research both buyers and suppliers post show to monitor the value to both stake- holders. “For example, last year 3,827 Hosted Buyers attended, and 99% of them confirmed that they were “satisfied that EIBTM met their commercial objectives. Equally, 96% of ex- hibitors said that they were “satisfied with the quality of the pre-scheduled appointments with Hosted Buyers. Last year also saw one of the largest numbers of business appoint- ments – 54,255 and up 4% on the previous year.” Those wishing to apply for Hosted Buyer status should submit their applications as soon as possible, to maximise their chances of qualifying for a place. The programme is open to all those who organise, influence or make budgetary decisions for meetings, incentive travel, international conventions, product launches, staff training or events. For further information about becoming a Hosted Buyer and the criteria of qualification, please visit www.eibtm.com/hostedbuyer. Al- ternatively, you can contact the EIBTM Host- ed Buyer team directly on +44 (0)20 8271 2127 or at eibtm-hosted@reedexpo.co.uk
  • 42. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO42 W Maximising brand reach at EIBTM – delivering targeted messages to the global meetings and events community With over 14,000 industry professionals expected to attend this year’s EIBTM event (30th November to 2nd December), the or- ganiser, Reed Travel Exhibitions has signed a record number of sponsors, underlining the events ability to maximise brand reach amongst the global meetings and events community. Recognising the importance of highly targeted marketing achievable through sponsorship and brand association, EIBTM has developed a range of packages that include online, offline and live marketing elements that enable exhibitors to direct highly focussed messages to specified target groups. Targeting the Association Market, Qatar National Convention Centre, Vienna Convention Bureau and Madrid Convention & Visitor Bureau have sponsored EIBTM’s Association Pro- gramme, providing promotional opportunities and access to this highly sought after group. Expoforum has signed to spon- sor EIBTM’s Annual Industry Trends and Market Survey report to be published on Day 1 of the show. Sponsorship of EIBTM’s website has proved particularly at- tractive as exhibitors look to generate additional interest and stand traffic during the pre-show phase. Sponsors include Hong Kong, Cyprus tourism, Iceland and port Aventura who have sponsored the Industry Poll. Montse Garcia, sales coordinator at PortAventura Business & Events comments: “This year we are proud to sponsor the In- dustry Poll on the EIBTM website, in addition to sponsoring the Show Daily, for the second year running. As the leading global event for the meetings and events industry, EIBTM provides us with the opportunities to raise the profile of PortAventura Busi- ness & Events among our target audience. We are confident that the increased visibility that we gain as both exhibitor at and sponsors of EIBTM will help drive our future success.” High profile on site branding opportunities have also attracted strong interest from those exhibitors looking to ensure their brands stand out. Madrid Convention and Visitor Bureau, Can- ada Tourism, I&MI, Korea Tourism Organisation, Busan Con- vention Bureau, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Ecuador, Qatar Tourism Authority, Oman Ministry of Tourism and Porto Con- vention Bureau will utilise pre-designed and bespoke packag- es to achieve specific objectives, including increasing market awareness or launching new products. EIBTM Event Director, Graeme Barnett comments: “As the lead- ing global event for the Meetings and Events industry, sponsors at EIBTM are guaranteed to reach their key audience. They are able to raise their company profiles and enhance their brands in a unique and creative way. Furthermore, EIBTM’s sponsor- ship packages help businesses stand out from the competition and add value to their event strategy in a highly targeted and cost effective way.” There are a number of sponsorship opportunities, as well as branding and advertising options still available at EIBTM. For further information, please visit www.eibtm.com or contact Mercedes Alonso, Sponsorship Sales Manager at +44 20 8 910 7183or Mercedes.alonso@reedexpo.co.uk.
  • 44. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO44 GIBTM 2011: The Five Star Event for the Meetings & Events Industry in the Middle East The fifth edition of GIBTM will once again take place at AD- NEC in Abu Dhabi from 28 – 30 March 2011 (www.gibtm.com). Since the inaugural event, GIBTM has seen attendance grow exponentially, as the show becomes the region’s an- nual event for the meetings industry. A record 260 Hosted Buyers from 40 countries attended GIBTM 2010, up 10% on 2009, according to an independent audit, and contributed to an overall attendance of 1,916 at the 2010 event. A total of some 7,500 meetings took place with the 220 exhibitors, again an increase on the 2009 show. The event is now established as an important business plat- form for international and regional suppliers from national tourist organisations, destinations, convention bureaux, destination management companies, independent hotels and hotel groups as well as specialist service providers rep- resenting the Gulf and Middle East region, South and South East Asia, Europe, North Africa and beyond. The 2011 Hosted Buyer programme aims to bring high qual- ity pre-qualified buyers from regions such as Europe, Africa, Asia, the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East and it is projected that some 2000 trade visitors will attend. The three day education programme, that includes the an- nual presentation of the Middle East Meetings Research Report, also attracted a record audience and in 2011 the content will once again help to give delegates a global and regional update on the industry from those who are the in- dustry’s thought leaders. Visitors and Buyers to GIBTM are professionals involved in the planning or organisation of incentive travel programmes, congresses or events including: Conventions, Conferences & Meetings, Corporate Hospitality, Incentive Travel, Interna- tional Congresses, Product Launches, Special Events, Staff Motivation, Training Programmes and Business Travel. Full information on GIBTM is available on www.gibtm.com
  • 46. Thursday 28.10.2010 TRAVEL EXPO44 ITB Asia 2010: Bigger ITB Asia Closes With Diverse Events Strengthening Its B2B Role The third ITB Asia closed today in Singapore with 6,605 attendees, a 7.4% increase on last year. Organizers, Messe Berlin (Singapore), attributed growth to three forces: the diversity of specialist travel forums within ITB Asia, resurgent Asian outbound demand, and enhanced buyer quality. “The feedback on Association Day, Web in Travel, the Luxury Meetings Forum and the Responsible Tourism Forum at ITB Asia shows that ITB Asia has created unstoppable momentum through diversity,” said Dr Martin Buck, Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore). Some 580 buyers attended the three-day event, many of them joining the inaugural Association Day interactive forum which aimed to expand the quality and quantity of large association events in Asia. “ITB Asia and Association Day provided excellent networking to make new contacts and to clarify issues -- all in a very friendly atmosphere,” said Mr Manojit Das Gupta, Secretary General, the Indian Tea Associa- tion. Ms Sharyati, Datuk Shuaib, Director Destination Management, World Gas Conference 2012, said: “Association Day was an eye opener on how as- sociations manage their membership and run events – a fascinating ex- hibition with many networking opportunities.” Association Day, a first of its kind in Asia, attracted over 100 attendees. “We created a new platform based on the exchange of high quality in- formation that never existed before,” said Buck. Innovative formatting characterised Web in Travel (WIT) which attracted nearly 400 attendees. Two WIT Clinics were created to let travel industry ‘doctors’ consult with IT Asia attendees on how to make money from their website and how they should better use social media. Successful formats geared to the exchange of rich content characterised specialist sectors such as luxury meetings. The ITB Asia Luxury Meet- ings Forum attracted leaders from brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, the Event Company, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Egypt was the official partner country of ITB Asia 2010. It held a travel agent workshop just prior to ITB Asia and organized an exotic Egypt Night extravaganza on the opening day of the show. “Our activities in and around ITB Asia were excellent,” said Mr Hisham Zaazou, First Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Tourism in Egypt. “We want to build on the success of this year with increased space next year. I will report to the industry in Egypt to ensure even greater participation in 2011.” Other exhibitors had similar sentiments: Peter Blumengstel, Director of the German National Tourist Office Japan, said: “Our schedule has been very busy from day one and there’s hardly time in between meetings with buyers from all over Asia.” Momentum and specialist forums have induced a high number of early bookings for ITB Asia 2011. “We have received a higher than usual num- ber of super-early bird bookings for ITB Asia next year,” said Mr Nino Gruettke, Executive Director, ITB Asia. “With exciting new branding for ITB Asia 2011 about to be announced, we are looking forward to building on the momentum, quality and spe- cialist success of this year in 2011,” he said. About ITB Asia 2010 ITB Asia took place at the Suntec Singapore Exhibition & Conven- tion Centre, 20-22 October, 2010. It was organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. Egypt was the official partner country of ITB Asia 2010. The event featured hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, covering not only the leisure market, but also corpo- rate and MICE travel. ITB Asia 2010 included exhibition pavilions and tabletop presence for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) providing travel services. Exhibitors from every sector of the industry, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels and resorts, theme parks and attractions, inbound tour operators, inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities and travel technology companies attended. www.itb-asia.com.
  • 47. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO 45 ITB Berlin 2011: Germans keen to travel once again more than 70 per cent are planning a lengthy holiday trip in 2011 Germany’s resurgent economy sees its citizens keen to travel again – the latest ADAC Reisemonitor survey is upbeat about travel prospects in 2011 According to the latest representative survey by ADAC, 71.2 per cent of the population are firmly intent on booking a lengthy holiday trip next year, nearly six per cent more than in 2009. Parallel with an improving German economy, the nation’s citizens are once more eager to go on trips for several weeks at a time. Dr. Martin Buck, Director of the Compe- tence Centre Travel & Logistics of Messe Berlin: “Backed by a resurgent economy the tourism industry is picking up speed once again. The worst of the recession is now over and German citizens are again living up to their reputation as the world’s most travelled nation. In this context two categories are emerging: in the first category the principal focus is on the choice of destination, and in the other it is the travel budget that mainly decides where holidays will take place.“ Almost 60 per cent of the members polled are planning to take a trip even before the year is out. According to the survey, holiday decisions continue to be strongly influenced by individual economics. Nevertheless, holiday travel has become a priority again, regardless of social class. Thus, 41.1 of those polled who said their economic situation was “bad to very bad” are planning to go on a holiday trip before the end of the year, over six per cent more than in 2009. According to the ADAC survey holidaymakers are anticipating a number of price rises. More than 50 per cent of the members polled believe that package tours, hotels and cruises will become more expensive. In partic- ular, the introduction of an air fare surcharge is expected to raise the cost of chartered flights (63.2 per cent) and scheduled flights (72 per cent). 79.1 per cent expect train fairs to rise in the future. For Germans, their home country is by far the most popular holiday des- tination. More than 28 per cent of those polled are planning to take next year’s holidays somewhere between Flensburg and Garmisch-Parten- kirchen. Italy as a destination ranks second (at marginally over 11 per cent), followed by Spain (at close to 10 per cent). In July 2010 the ADAC polled approximately 4,000 of its members to find out their holiday plans for the coming months and for 2011. About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention ITB Berlin 2011 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 to 13 March. From the Wednesday to the Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. The ITB Berlin Convention is held parallel with the trade fair, from Wednesday to Friday, 9 to 11 March 2011. It is the world’s largest special- ist convention for the industry. Check out www.itb-convention.com for a wealth of information about the convention. ITB Berlin is the leading trade fair for the worldwide travel industry. In 2010 a total of 11,127 companies and organisations from 187 countries exhibited their products and ser- vices to 179,351 visitors, who included 110,953 trade visitors.
  • 48. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO48 World’s Largest Global LGBT Research Study Uncovers Large and Untapped Gay Markets in Latin America The Latin American region represents a very large - and untapped – lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) marketing oppor- tunity for the travel and tourism industry, reveals research released today. Findings from the 2010 Out Now Global LGBT Study, which will be released in full at World Travel Market on November 10, reveals Latin America is home to more than 25 million LGBT people. This group of people represent a valuable multi-billion value market opportunity for a broad range of companies, including tourism brands, destina- tions and a diverse range of industries. Undertaken by Out Now Global - the leading LGBT marketing strat- egy and research agency - the new research surveys LGBT people living across the Latin American region on a wide range of topics, including spending habits, education, parenting, relationships, age, income, travel, lifestyle, workplace discrimination and harassment issues. The study has uncovered vast untapped market opportunities rele- vant to a large number of companies. In tourism, the research reveals significant tourism spends made by millions of LGBT consumers liv- ing in countries in the region. The Out Now study shows that in 2010, LGBT consumers living in Ar- gentina spent a total of USD$4 billion on leisure travel expenditures. In Mexico, 5 million LGBT customers spent USD$8 billion on tourism spending, while in Brazil local LGBT consumers spend more than USD$20 billion on leisure travel annually.
  • 49. Thursday 28.10.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn TRAVEL EXPO Founder and CEO of Out Now Global, Ian Johnson, said the new study reveals a wealth of data about Latin America, as well as 16 other major markets across the world. “Out Now is really pleased to be bring- ing the first global LGBT research project to so many countries around the world,” said Johnson. “We are especially pleased to be revealing the results of the first large scale study of the Latin American region - one of the world’s growth hotspots and until now a region where LGBT customers were largely ignored by the tourism industry and other companies. This new Out Now research is set to change all that.” “One country in the research that particularly stands out is Brazil,” Johnson added. “Not only is Brazil the clear number one destination in the Latin American region for inbound LGBT travellers from countries including the US, UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands - it is also the largest LGBT outbound tourism market in the region, with Brazil- ian LGBT people spending more than USD$20 billion every year on travel and tourism expenditures.” The study’s wealth of new research data is being released at next month’s World Travel Market, the premier global event for the travel industry. WTM Chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “This new Out Now Global research is a truly groundbreaking study. Never before has there been a study of such reach and depth of gay and lesbian consumers, and we are delighted Out Now has chosen to pre- miere such a significant new body of research study at WTM.” Johnson added: “LGBT consumers around the world are increasingly the focus of attention from global marketers. After years of being ignored, this is a largely welcome development, however the response of consumers to any corporate overtures will depend very much on how companies conduct them- selves in their marketing efforts. Those companies that seek only to exploit a profit opportunity, without taking the trouble to understand LGBT consumers as people, are unlikely to succeed.” In 2011 Brazil will become the focus of increasing LGBT marketing ac- tivities. Out Now is commencing work with leading brands to bring its industry-leading LGBT marketing expertise to the country. The Inter- national Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) will convene its Annual Convention in Florianopolis, Brazil in mid-2011. A business conference on LGBT marketing and tourism is to take place mid-2011 in São Paulo ‘Expo Business LGBT Mercosul’ http://www.expobusinesslgbt.com.br/o_que_e.html Brazilian organisation for promoting LGBT tourism - has just begun an arrangement with the Brazilian Tourism Ministry to promote tourism to the country. 49