Category: Latest Travel News

Vientiane (Lao PDR) October 28, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith launches the “Visit Lao Year 2018” at the opening of the annual That Luang Festival in Vientiane. Lao PDR officially launched the “Visit Lao Year 2018” on Saturday, October 28, 2017 aiming to promote tourism and preserve the unique and fine traditional culture of Laos.

Laos launched its “Visit Laos Year 2018” to promote the tourism industry and revive interest in the country at a time when visits are declining. According to the Director General of the Tourism Marketing Department, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, Sounh Manivong, the Visit Laos Year 2018 campaign will be hosting a number of high ranking officials and journalists from other countries.

Colorful festivals and events depicting Laos’ diverse cultural, traditional and natural charms are set to be highlighted through Visit Laos Year 2018.

In his speech H.E. Professor Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Vice President of National Committee for Visit Laos Year 2018 said: “…The festival does not only reflect the fine traditional culture of Laos but also commemorates the success of the fourth restoration project of That Luang Stupa and That Luang Stupa consecration ceremony.

Tourism is an economic sector which has expanded rapidly in several countries around the world. At present, many nations in the world attach special attention to develop and promote their tourism as well as consider tourism a priority economic sector for the socio-economic development of their nations. Over the past years, the government of Lao PDR likewise come to regard tourism as a priority sector for driving the socio-economic development of the country.

Tourism brings spending on goods and services that can boost currency reserves and circulation of money in the country and create more job opportunities for people in service and production sectors, particularly agriculture and handicraft production.

Tourism is a form of export and generates income to local and rural communities in remote regions.

Additionally, tourism pushes for direct and indirect investments and businesses including tour business, hotels, restaurants, transport, souvenirs and so on.
Tourism also pushes investments in infrastructure development such as roads, airports, ports, telecommunication systems, electricity, water supply and so on.

Moreover, the government considers tourism development and promotion as a means for expanding and enhancing cooperation between Laos and foreign countries.
The government has determined the directive for developing and growing natural tourism, historical and cultural tourism based on the Slogan of ‘Visit Laos Year 2018’: “Visit Laos, Experience the Diversity of Nature and History.

The Minister further added: “…The content of the ‘Visit Laos Year 2018’ is designed to:
1 – Push for the implementation of Party’s policies, laws, regulations for managing, developing and promoting natural tourism, cultural and historical tourism;
2 – Concentrate on tourism development in our country to be able to accommodate the number of visitors today and in the future;
3 – Raise awareness and upgrade knowledge of society and people regarding the role and importance of tourism sector in contributing to socio-economic development of the nation and localities;
4 – Tap tourism opportunities and trends of the world, regions and sub-regions into
strongly developing and promoting Lao tourism; regards tourism promotion as a means to enhance under standing and friendships between nations; promote cultural exchange and tourism connectivity between Laos and nations in sub-regions and the world;
5 – Promote the development of small and medium enterprises.

The Visit Laos Year 2018 will comprise activities to be organised in Laos and overseas. These will include festivals in various provinces across the country. Additionally, the Visit Laos Year activities will include festivals which are organised annually by provinces. Exceptional historical, natural and cultural tourism sites in each province are opened for tourists throughout the year.”

Vientiane (Lao PDR) – October 30, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith invited people from around the world to visit the nation in remarks he delivered to officially launch “Visit Laos Year 2018” in front of the capital”s revered That Luang Stupa on Saturday.

A ceremonial gong was struck nine times by the prime minister to mark the official opening of “Visit Laos Year 2018”.

“On this occasion, I”d like to invite all tourists from Laos and overseas to visit Laos, with joy and happiness throughout the year and forever,” Mr Thongloun said.

The launch of “Visit Laos Year 2018” coincided with the start of the annual That Luang festival which features a trade fair, a display of traditional houses, cultural performances and activities relating to traditional worship rituals at That Luang Stupa as well as cultural, religious and spiritual events. The launch highlights included performances of songs and dances.

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Professor Dr Bosengkham Vongdara also delivered a speech at the event, which was attended by hundreds of people including government leaders, foreign media and invited guests from Laos and abroad. The minister underscored the importance of the tourism industry which has expanded rapidly in countries around the world.

“In recent years, the government of the Lao PDR has likewise come to regard tourism as a priority sector for driving socio-economic development,” he said.

“Tourism brings spending on goods and services that can boost currency reserves and money flow and create more job opportunities for people in the service and production sectors, particularly agriculture and handicraft production.”

Professor Dr Bosengkham said tourism is a form of export and generates income to local and rural communities in remote regions.

But critics raised questions about how the government can best promote Laos to the rest of the world when the amount of information available is limited. Editor-in-Chi ef of e-Global Travel Media, Mr. Stephen Morton, said Laos has great potential to offer experiences to international visitors, but needs to improve accessibility (visa facilitation) and ensure more information is available. For instance, the event calendar related to festivals and activities must be readily available so that more tourists can plan on attending those events.

Improvement of infrastructure and services including road access to tourist attractions and internet speed is also critical. The government has organised Visit Laos Year on two previous occasions, once in 1999-2000 and again in 2011-12 to encourage more tourists at home and abroad to visit sites within the country.

In 2000, tourist arrivals amounted to 737,208 people and generated income of US$113,898,285

By 2015 the figure had risen to 4,684,429 people, generating some US$725,365,681 in revenue. It is projected that tourist arrivals will reach about 6,206,423 people by 2020 and generate revenue amounting to US$993,427,000.

During ‘Visit Laos Year 2018’, the nation will seek to attract at least 5 million arrivals generating revenue of about US$900 million.

To better promote the ‘Visit Laos Year 2018’ campaign, the government approved six slogans: ‘Warmly Welcome to Visit Laos Year 2018″; “Laos Jewel of the Mekong”; “Laos Simply Beautiful”; “Be the Good Host for Visit Laos Year 2018″; ”Visit, Enjoy, Safety, Environmentally Friendly”; ”Visit Laos, Experience the Diversity of Nature, Culture and History”.

The trade fair features more than 1,000 booths at two venues: Lao ITECC (460 booths) and That Luang Esplanade (640 booths).

By Somsack Pongkhao
First published: Vientiane Times, Monday, October 30, 2017 Issue 253
Online: www.vientianetimes.org.la

Singapore (Singapore) – October 27, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Asia’s leading travel trade show, ITB Asia 2017 has completed its milestone anniversary event with record-breaking numbers. The tenth edition of ITB Asia came to a close today at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

Over three days, the event hosted about 940 exhibitors from 113 countries, an 11% increase over the previous year. ITB Asia 2017 also welcomed its strongest ever buyer participation across the Corporate, MICE and Leisure sectors. Since 2014, ITB Asia has experienced a 1:1 ratio for exhibitors and buyers. This year, there were over 22,000 business appointments recorded during the show.

Unveiling its largest exhibitors showcase yet, ITB Asia 2017 reported a spectacular 77% growth from its inaugural edition, featuring new exhibitors such as the Rwanda Development Board, Tourism Tunisia, Promote Iceland, Tourism & Foreign Affairs Department of Almaty City, Republic of Kazakhstan, Jeju Convention and Vistor Bureau, amongst others. Exhibitors also invested more in the quality of their booths, with Greece, Japan, Russia and Korea putting up impressive and engaging experiences.

This year’s conference programme looked at the role of technology, setting the tone for the changes that the industry is likely to see in the next ten years. Speakers from big names IBM Asia Pacific and Google delivered insights on the potential of Artificial Intelligence, Ctrip presented its global strategy, while fast-growing start-ups Hiverlab, Zebra Design and Savioke shared on the exciting realities and opportunities for augmented reality and virtual reality in hospitality and tourism.

“In view of ten years of ITB Asia, we’ve taken every effort to celebrate the past as well as to provide attendees with a useful view to the future. While we are very pleased with our achievements in terms of the quality and numbers, what brings us most satisfaction is bringing together all the different stakeholders across the industry to network and inspire each other. The relationships built and strengthened will continue to boost our efforts in making ITB Asia the region’s go-to event and a hub for unforgettable content and enriching experiences for many years to come”, said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

ITB Asia will continue to be held in Singapore, following the past ten years of consistent support from the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Exhibition Convention Bureau. Following this year’s successful show, ITB Asia has received the highest exhibitor rebookings for ITB Asia 2018. As early as now, the surge in interest for next year’s show has been seen from destinations such as Greece, Middle East, Africa, Spain and the Scandinavian region as well as continued strong support from Asian markets such as Thailand and the Philippines. Melia Hotels International and Global DMC Network by the JTB Group have also confirmed their stand bookings for the 2018 show.

ITB Asia 2018 will be held from 17-19 October 2018 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. Interested exhibitors may email exhibitor@itb-asia.com.

 

About ITB Asia
ITB Asia is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The event will feature 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 corporate and MICE travel. 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 are all expected to attend.

Contact information:
ITB Berlin
PR Manager
Julia Wegener
(+49) 30 3038-2269
j.wegener@messeberlin.de
www.messe-berlin.com

Berlin (Germany) – October 27, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Luxury travel is booming: high-price trips grew nearly twice as much as global travel did in general over the past years – most luxury travelers come from the USA and China – Germany and France are the most popular luxury travel destinations in Europe – ITB Berlin and IPK International analyze global luxury travel.

More and more holidaymakers are spending heavily on the best weeks of the year. With an increase of around 18 per cent since 2014, luxury travel has grown nearly twice as much as international travel in general, which grew by about 9 per cent since 2014. This is the result of a special evaluation of the World Travel Monitor®, conducted by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin. For this analysis, international luxury trips were defined as all outbound short trips of up to three nights with a spending of more than 750 euros per night as well as all outbound long trips of four nights and more and a spending of more than 500 euros per night. In 2016, the world population undertook about 54 million international luxury trips. The market share of these trips rose to around 7 per cent in 2016.

Germany most popular luxury travel destination in Europe:
The largest source markets for luxury travel are the USA, with 13.7 million foreign luxury trips, and China, with 10 million. Other major source markets are Japan, Great Britain and Taiwan. In Europe, most luxury trips are undertaken by the British with 3.6 million trips, ahead of the French and the Germans. On the other hand, the most popular luxury travel destination by far was the USA, with 8.1 million trips, ahead of Canada and Germany. In Europe, Germany received nearly 4 million luxury travel visitors in 2016 and hence replaced Italy as the number one luxury travel destination in Europe compared to 2014, followed by France, Italy and Great Britain.

City trips are the most important luxury holiday type:
Holidays abroad together with trips to visit friends and family and other leisure trips represent the dominant share of all luxury trips with nearly 75 per cent, while business trips account for every fourth trip. The most popular types of luxury holidays are city trips with a share of 29 per cent, followed by touring holidays as well as Sun&Beach holidays.

Higher importance of travel agencies among luxury travelers:
For luxury travel planning the Internet is used by around 83 per cent, which is very similar to all international travelers. On the other hand, 51 per cent of international luxury travelers use travel agencies as an information source, while the worldwide average is much lower with 33 per cent. The same occurs when it comes to travel agencies as a booking site. While on average 27 per cent of all international outbound trips are booked through a travel agency, 40 per cent of all international luxury trips are booked via a travel agency.

More detailed information on destinations and source markets as well as the characteristics of the outbound travel behavior of Luxury Travelers can be found in the “World/European Luxury Travel Report”, which can be ordered from IPK International.

The World Travel Monitor® Forum is an exclusive industry gathering which discusses the latest travel trends and forecasts of tourism development, taking place on the 9th and 10th of November 2017 in Pisa, Italy. A summary of the Forum’s main findings will be published in the ITB World Travel Trends Report (for last year’s edition click here: www.bit.ly/2tvgbN2).

About ITB Berlin and the ITB Berlin Convention
ITB Berlin 2018 will be taking place from Wednesday, 7 to Sunday, 11 March, and from Wednesday to Friday will be open to trade visitors only. ITB Berlin is the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. In 2017 a total of 10,000 companies and organizations from 184 countries exhibited their products and services to around 169,000 visitors, who included 109,000 trade visitors. Parallel with the show the ITB Berlin Convention, the largest event of its kind, will be held from Wednesday, 7 to Saturday, 10 March. Admission to the ITB Berlin Convention is free for trade visitors and exhibitors. For more information please visit www.itb-berlin.com

 

Singapore (Singapore) – October 25, 2017 (travelindex) – The annual Hotel Management Singapore Summit (HMS), presented by Hotel Management and Questex Hospitality Group, welcomed 31 international speakers and over 150 delegates at the newly built luxurious Sofitel Singapore City Centre on 12 Oct 2017.

HMS received rave reviews as it drew a record-breaking number of audiences and fully-packed the ballroom under the theme,”͞Inspire Viable Strategies to Boost Revenue and Profit for Vibrant Hoteliers.͟”

Inside this closed-door forum, delegates and speakers discussed all operational and management challenges that Singapore hoteliers have experienced throughout the year from multiple new hotel openings that have put pressure on financial performance to implementing hotel technology from changing food and beverage business models to shrinking hotel room sizes.

Acacia Leroy, Asia Pacific Trend Strategist, TrendWatching, kicked off the Summit with a presentation entitled ͞Consumer Trends Shaping the Future of Travel,͟ in which she highlighted four essential trends for hoteliers.

Moreover, the agenda included controversial and intriguing topics that unveiled an exciting day that included seven interactive panel discussions from Envisioning the future of guest experiences; Leveraging future-looking demand intelligence to drive better revenue and stronger competitive position; Navigating the blurred line of B2B and B2C; Driving direct bookings to enhance yields and loyalty; Adopting latest technologies to boost productivity and efficiency; Boosting profitability through technology while maintaining quality and consistency; and, reviewing space allocation for higher profitability.

“͞Excellent topic and it is very on the trend now. Keep up with what in the trend would definitely more interesting”,͟ said Sandra Widjaja, VP – Finance, YTL Hotels

“͞Good platform for networking and set to know the technology that other hotels have adopted,͟” said Sylvia Chua, Procurement Director, Resorts World Sentosa. ͞

“The pre-registration was well handled with very personalized follow-up. The event overall was carried out in well-organized manner,͟” said Nick Ng, General Manager, Ambassador Row Hotel Suites by Lanson Place.

HMS Summit 2017 is part of the Hotel Management Asia summit Series, Asia’s only truly regional hotel management conference series. The series will rotate through Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia this year by leveraging regional experiences, insights, and innovations to address market-specific challenges.

About Questex Hospitality + Travel
The Questex Hospitality + Travel Group of Questex LLC serves the worldwide hospitality, travel and related industries that together contribute over $6 trillion to the global gross domestic product. Through an innovative platform of targeted solutions, the group serves the sector’s entire ecosystem, from tourism and hotel development and investment to hotel design, purchasing, management and operations.

The Questex Hospitality + Travel Group supports every B2B segment of the industry, from investment and development to management operations, sales and marketing of hospitality and travel products to destination development and marketing, via proven demand generation, learning, loyalty and rewards solutions as well as a network of live events.

This division of Questex is aligned around three broad market segments – hospitality, travel, and meetings – and supported by its digital media staff.

About Hotel Management Singapore Summit (HMS Summit)
The leading conference in Singapore that directly addresses all operational/management challenges, the Hotel Management Singapore Summit provides a platform for hotel executives from both corporate level and property level to discuss key operational, branding and financial issues directly impacting corporate and property P&L.

CEO, COO, CFO, VPs, GMs, Financial Controllers, and executive committee members will gather to strategize and debate on essential topics including brand equity, cash-flow management, cost control, innovation and staff retention and development. Industry leaders will share their best practices and recommendations with their peers.

For further information, please contact:
Jefferson Mendoza
Marketing Executive
Questex Hospitality + Travel
Tel: +852 2589 1331
E-mail: jmendoza@questexasia.com
Website: www.questexevents.net/hmssummit

Bangkok (Thailand) – October 24, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The first Mekong Trends Aviation Seminar, organised by Destination Mekong in partnership with Amadeus and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), shows regional aviation growth continues at an impressive pace to meet demand.

The event took place on 10 October at the Amadeus Executive Briefing Centre in Bangkok and was attended by leading travel and tourism professionals as well as members of the media and academics.

The dynamics of the aviation sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) as well as highlights in the first Mekong Trends Snapshot on Air Transport in the GMS were underlined by experts in the aviation and tourism sectors, including Bangkok Airways’ Peter Wiesner; Oman Air’s Joseph Cusmano; Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s (VNAT) Le Tuan Anh; Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, MTCO’s Jens Thraenhart and Amadeus’ Marco Weigang.

Industry experts agreed that one the most dramatic regional trend was Vietnam’s accenting into a new aviation powerhouse.

“Although Bangkok remains the leading hub in the region, it has lost opportunities to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which have evolved into gateways for the Mekong region”, said Peter Wiesner, special advisor to Bangkok Airways CEO.

Le Tuan Anh, VNAT’s Deputy Director General in the International Cooperation Department & Marketing Manager, added that: “We are pleased to see Vietnam aviation is now being considered as a major player in the region. For Vietnam tourism authorities, the most tremendous change is opening secondary destinations to international airlines with Danang but also Cam Ranh/Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and now Haiphong being linked to regional capitals.”

According to the Mekong Trends Snapshot on Air Transport in the GMS, the region aviation sector has grown rapidly over the last two decades. In 2015, GMS airports received more than 250 million passengers. Across the region, there are a dozen airports with an annual carrying capacity of more than 10 million passengers. In addition, there are about 30 smaller airports with annual capacity of one million passengers.

The GMS is also home to some 20 airlines, including legacy carriers such as Thai Airways International and Vietnam Airlines and low-cost-carriers including Thai AirAsia, Vietjet, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air.

The Mekong Trends Snatpshot on Air Transport in the GMS study was authored by Luc Citrinot, Editor-in-chief of ASEAN Travel. He also moderated the seminar and reported that new air routes have opened annually with a trend for new flight serves between secondary destinations and major aviation hubs both internationally and regionally.

According to Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning, the major shift in trends has been the emergence of low cost airlines.

“We recognise the importance role the low-cost carriers play in linking secondary destinations that we also want to promote to spearhead tourism income. So we launched strategic campaigns with these airlines to highlight our new marketing promotion such as paining a Thai AirAsia aircraft with ‘Amazing Thailand’ destinations.

“Although ground transportation is improving, the fastest and easiest way to travel point-to-point is to fly. When we conduct surveys, most travellers mentioned that flying remains their first travel option”, Mr Chattan, added.

Airlines in turn want active common promotion from travel and tourism leaders to capture increased demand. Despite challenges, the panel agreed that GMS aviation will continue to grow and will still witness tremendous changes over the coming years.

The report was presented during the Mekong Tourism Forum in Luang Prabang for the first time and can be downloaded for free at www.mekongtrends.com. Mekong Trends is an insight platform to highlight key issues and trends in the GMS under the Destination Mekong public-private partnership framework.

Bangkok (Thailand) – October 24, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Ministry of Energy of Thailand has the honor to be the host of the 7th ASIAN Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER7), which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand on 1-3 November 2017. This prestigious biennial event will be a platform for 36 Energy Ministers from energy producing and consuming countries in Asia and 20 Heads of leading International Organizations to meet and discuss the energy security implications of potential energy market transition pathways through comprehensive policy dialogue. AMER7 shall ultimately underpin the development of the increasingly complex and dynamic relationships between energy producers and consumers in Asia and beyond. Varieties of visions and implications of energy markets, natural gas, renewable energy transition with advanced technology options are subject to be expressed in hoping these could advance the Asian future energy landscapes.

H.E. Gen. Anantaporn Kanjanarat, Minister of Energy of Thailand revealed that “the 7th ASIAN Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER7) hosted by the Ministry of Energy of Thailand will take place in Bangkok, at Shangri-la hotel, from 1 – 3 November 2017. In this milestone meeting, Honorable Energy Ministers throughout Asia will meet to discuss the energy security implications of potential energy transition pathways focusing on global energy markets in transition: from vision to action. The AMER will serve as one of the biggest international platform for energy producers and energy consumers to share views and highlight the focus and interest in three main aspects: oil markets, gas markets, and disruptive technologies”.

This gathering will discuss the issues with update on current energy situation in Asia especially oil market and its impacts. How global issues and challenges influence oil markets in ASIA. For example, extensive agglomeration and closer cooperation among OPEC member countries and the recent unrest in many parts of the world that may effecting oil price.

As for gas market, the session will discuss current LNG development. Nowadays, LNG markets is being developed in a broader of market segment. Moreover, the development of LNG pricing index will make LNG markets getting more closer to oil market. Hence AMER7 will provide a floor of policy dialogue between exporting economies such as Western Asian Countries and energy importing economies such as China, Japan, Korea and ASEAN member countries to discuss and explore the way forward towards more secure, stable and sustainable future for both oil and gas market.

Last but not least, the AMER7 will look into the importance of the spread of disruptive energy technologies inevitably from fossils to cleaner and renewable energy. Certainly, the current trend is moving towards green energy while technology in the energy sector nowadays is evolving as its consequence. Highlights are the rise of Solar Rooftop, Electric Vehicle uses and Energy Storage System development. Today’s critical challenge is to ensure the momentum of such innovative energy technology and its transformation and to speed its progress.Participating countries will benefit from this session, For example Thai government continuously plays a role in ensuring predictable, long-term support in all stages of innovation to cope with future disruptive technology. Thailand is one of a few countries in Asia that has an explicit development of such a disruptive technology policy.

“Once again, the Government of Thailand is pleased to host this prestigious biennial event, which is a key feature of the global energy dialogue promoted under the neutral banner of the International Energy Forum (IEF). It is not only a forum for cooperating and sharing either vision or trends on energy situation across Asia but also for strengthening image of Thailand Integrated Energy Blue Print (TIEB). Currently, Thailand has been recognized to be the Leader of ASEAN in Renewables Energy and Energy Efficiency. Thailand has an effective and predictable energy strategies and policies with clear goals and targets under Thailand‘s Energy 4.0 policy and Thailand Integrated Energy Blueprint (TIEB). Therefore, this is a great honor for all Thais as a host to welcome all Asian Ministers, Delegates, participants and guests to Thailand to attend the AMER7”, as stated by H.E. Minister of Energy of Thailand.

Background of AMER:
The purpose of the ASIAN Ministerial Energy Roundtable or AMER is to discuss on energy Future between the energy producing countries and the energy consuming countries in Asia. The key discussions are the current energy situation, the future of energy supply and demand, the challenges of energy security emphasizing on oil and natural gas, and the implications for energy efficiency and sustainability. The 3rd AMER took place in Tokyo, Japan from 25-27 April 2009, Minister of Energy of Thailand accepted the invitation of the meeting to be the co-host with the government of Qatar for the 6th AMER, and to be the host of the 7th AMER which is co-hosted by United Arab Emirates.

In the 6th AMER in Doha, Qatar from 7-10 November 2015, Minister of Energy of Thailand H.E.Gen Anantaporn Kanjanarat was the head of delegation of Thailand as invited by Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Salen Al-Sada, The upcoming of the 7th AMER hosted by Thailand in Bangkok will be held in Bangkok from 1-3 November 2017.

Singapore (Singapore) – October 25, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is celebrating its long-standing 10-year partnership with Messe Berlin. To mark the occasion, Singapore will be the Official Partner Country for ITB Asia 2017, Messe Berlin’s regional flagship tradeshow. STB’s new brand, Passion Made Possible, will feature prominently across the exhibition show floor, with STB hosting the Singapore Pavilion (Booth F05) and Happy Corner (Booth F50) from 25 to 27 October at ITB Asia 2017, held at the Sands Expo and Convention Hall.

“This year marks the 10th anniversary of ITB Asia being anchored in Singapore, a testament to the country’s position as a leading travel and tourism hub of Asia. The success of ITB Asia over the years has also helped entrench Singapore’s strength as a platform that catalyses the growth of business events, and a destination that provides opportunities for delegates to network, collaborate and share insights. We are excited to continue partnering with Messe Berlin to expound the latest travel trends and deliver exceptional experiences at ITB Asia, and for Singapore to lead the way as a springboard for the region’s travel industry to grow,” said Mr Andrew Phua, Director of Exhibitions and Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board.

“We are immensely proud to be celebrating our tenth anniversary this year. ITB Asia 2017 will feature our strongest-ever line-up of conference speakers, our largest exhibition showcase yet and our highest-ever buyer participation numbers. Overall, we expect more than 11,000 attendees from over 113 countries to come together to network and do business, putting Singapore at the centre of all this activity. We are grateful for ten years of consistent support from STB, which has allowed us to continually make ITB Asia the region’s go-to event,” said Ms Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

ITB Asia was launched in 2008 in Singapore, a destination in the heart of Southeast Asia, one of the world’s fastest-growing regions for travel and tourism. Well-positioned to grow in tandem with the dynamic travel and tourism ecosystem of this region, it is today Asia’s Leading Travel Tradeshow, hosting a comprehensive spectrum of conference tracks and education sessions on various categories across leisure and corporate travel. ITB Asia has continually proffered stronger content and more exciting experiences for delegates each year, with 2016 welcoming 10,876 attendees, a 75 per cent growth from its inaugural edition.

Singapore, Home of ITB Asia
2017 is a milestone year for STB, with Singapore as the home of ITB Asia for the 10th time, coupled with the recent launch of STB’s unified brand with EDB, Passion Made Possible. In line with Passion Made Possible, STB is reinventing the way it presents the city with a blockbuster line-up of activities to share Singapore’s spirit and passions with delegates, and inspire them to discover the city and deepen their own passions.

Singapore Pavilion, Hall F, Booth F05
The Singapore Pavilion brings the best of the city directly onto the exhibition show floor, celebrating the core values of Passion Made Possible through a spatial experience comprising live performances, art showcases and interactive workshops. It weaves together multiple Singapore stories into a multi-sensory experience, to appeal to the varied interests of delegates whilst serving as a platform to showcase Singapore’s talents and their passions. Delegates can view a selection of collectibles and products by homegrown designers and artists including Edwin Low (Supermama) and Hafiz Osman, or enjoy an audio-visual performance by the Syndicate collective and a custom cocktail by mixologist Vijay Mudaliar. They can also interact with Singapore makers at the booth and try their hand at letterpress printing with The Gentlemen’s Press or create their own perfumes with Scent, and bring their handmade creations home.

Happy Corner: Passion Kitchens, Hall F, Booth F50
At the Happy Corner, STB is bringing Singapore’s people and their passions to life through virtual reality to inspire delegates to step out and savour the flavours of Singapore. Delegates can go behind the scenes and experience the craft of cooking through four virtual reality “Passion Kitchens”, each featuring a different restaurant and cuisine offered in Singapore – Peach Blossoms (Chinese), Mamanda (Malay), Muthu’s Curry (Indian) and Xiao Ya Tou (Mod-Sin). There will also be a display showcase for delegates to touch, feel and smell the spices and ingredients used in preparing the dishes featured in the “Passion Kitchens”.

For delegates and business partners hoping to find out more about Singapore and how STB is reinventing the way it is approaching travel marketing today, Ms Lim Shoo Ling, Director of Brand at STB will also be sharing more on how “Singapore Disrupts Conventional Tourism Branding” at the Presentation Hub on 26 October, 10am.

About the Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore’s key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions. For more information, visit www.stb.gov.sg or www.visitsingapore.com or follow us on Twitter @STB_sg(

About ITB Asia 2017
ITB Asia 2017 will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, from 25 – 27 October. It is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, a group of the Singapore Tourism Board that champions the business events industry in Singapore. The event will feature 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 corporate and MICE travel. 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 are all expected to attend.

For more information on Singapore, please visit: www.VisitSingapore.org

Geneva (Switzerland) – October 25, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects 7.8 billion passengers to travel in 2036, a near doubling of the 4 billion air travelers expected to fly this year. The prediction is based on a 3.6% average Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) noted in the release of the latest update to the association’s 20-Year Air Passenger Forecast.

“All indicators lead to growing demand for global connectivity. The world needs to prepare for a doubling of passengers in the next 20 years. It’s fantastic news for innovation and prosperity, which is driven by air links. It is also a huge challenge for governments and industry to ensure we can successfully meet this essential demand,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Eastward shift, Developing Market Focus
The biggest driver of demand will be the Asia-Pacific region. The region will be the source of more than half the new passengers over the next two decades. The point at which China will displace the United States as the world’s largest aviation market (defined as traffic to, from and within the country) has moved two years closer since last year’s forecast. We now anticipate this will occur around 2022, through a combination of slightly faster Chinese growth and slightly reduced growth in the US. The UK will fall to fifth place, surpassed by India in 2025, and Indonesia in 2030. Thailand and Turkey will enter the top ten largest markets, while France and Italy will fall in the rankings to 11th and 12th respectively.

Risks, Opportunities and Sustainability
A number of risks to the forecast have been identified. Maximizing the potential benefits of aviation growth will depend on current levels of trade liberalization and visa facilitation being maintained. If trade protectionism and travel restrictions are put in place, the benefits of air connectivity will decline as growth could slow to 2.7%, meaning 1.1 billion fewer passenger journeys annually in 2036. Conversely, if moves towards liberalization increase, annual growth could be more than two percentage points faster, leading to a tripling in passengers over the next 20 years.

Planning for growth will require partnerships to be strengthened between the aviation industry, communities and governments to expand and modernize infrastructure. Runways, terminals, and ground access to airports will come under increasing strain. Innovative solutions to these challenges, as well as to the baggage and security processes, cargo handling, and other activities, will also be needed. And air traffic management needs urgent reform to cut delays, costs and emissions.

“Increasing demand will bring a significant infrastructure challenge. The solution does not lie in more complex processes or building bigger and bigger airports but in harnessing the power of new technology to move activity off-airport, streamline processes and improve efficiency. Through partnerships within the industry and beyond, we are confident that sustainable solutions for continued growth can be found,” said de Juniac.

The aviation industry has adopted a robust strategy to reduce its environmental impacts, particularly its carbon emissions. “No industry has done more to meet its environmental obligations than aviation. Our tough targets to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to cut our CO2 emissions to half-2005 levels by 2050 are backed by a comprehensive strategy. Our immediate aims are to work with governments to increase the production of sustainable aviation fuels, and to deliver air traffic management efficiencies, which promise significant emissions savings. And from 2020, a Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) will play a major role in meeting our carbon-neutral target,” said de Juniac.

Key facts (all figures based on central growth forecast)

Fast-Growing Markets
The five fastest-growing markets in terms of annual additional passengers in 2036 compared to 2016 will be
– China (921 million new passengers for a total of 1.5 billion)
– US (401 million new passengers for a total of 1.1 billion)
– India (337 million new passengers for a total of 478 million)
– Indonesia (235 million new passengers for a total of 355 million)
– Turkey (119 million new passengers for a total of 196 million).

Many of the fastest-growing markets are achieving a compound growth rate of more than 7.2% per year, meaning their market will double in size each decade. Most of these markets are in Africa, including: Sierra Leone, Benin, Mali, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Malawi, Chad, Gambia and Mozambique.

Regional Growth
– Routes to, from and within Asia-Pacific will see an extra 2.1 billion annual passengers by 2036, for an overall market size of 3.5 billion. Its annual average growth rate of 4.6% will be the third-highest, behind Africa and the Middle East.
– The North American region will grow by 2.3% annually and in 2036 will carry a total of 1.2 billion passengers, an additional 452 million passengers per year.
– Europe will also grow at 2.3%, and will add an additional 550 million passengers a year. The total market will be 1.5 billion passengers.
– Latin American markets will grow by 4.2%, serving a total of 757 million passengers, an additional 421 million passengers annually compared to today.
– The Middle East will grow strongly (5.0%) and will see an extra 322 million passengers a year on routes to, from and within the region by 2036. The total market size will be 517 million passengers.
– Africa will grow by 5.9%. By 2036 it will see an extra 274 million passengers a year for a total market of 400 million passengers.

For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: + 41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org

Singapore (Singapore) – October 24, 2017 (travelindex) – Best Western Hotels & Resorts is celebrating this week after it completed an impressive hat-trick at Travel Weekly Asia’s 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards.

The world famous hotel group won the title of “Asia’s Best Mid-Range Hotel Chain” for the third consecutive year, as voted for by the readers of Travel Weekly Asia – one of the largest travel trade publications in the Asia Pacific region.

The award was presented to Best Western at a glittering award ceremony, which took place in Singapore on Monday, October 23, 2017.

Olivier Berrivin, Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ Managing Director of International Operations – Asia, said he was delighted to have won the award for the third time in a row.

“We’re incredibly proud of this achievement; to have been named as Asia’s Best Mid-Range Hotel Chain for three consecutive years is a great honor,” Berrivin said. “The readers of Travel Weekly Asia represent the region’s travel trade, so it is incredibly gratifying to know that the Best Western brand is resonating strongly with so many of our highly-respected industry partners. We would like to thank Travel Weekly Asia and their readers for this award, and for their continued support.”

“In recent years, Best Western has undertaken a major international expansion strategy, including the launch of several new brand concepts and exciting new hotels in Asia. We will continue to set the bar for innovative, industry-leading midscale accommodation across the region in future,” he added.

Winning its third consecutive Travel Weekly Asia Reader’s Choice Award continues Best Western’s recent winning streak, as last month the hotel group was named as Asia’s “Best Mid-Range Hotel Brand” at the TTG Travel Awards for the 11th year in a row.

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of 4,100* hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Best Western offers 10 hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market: Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Vīb®, GLō®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, and BW Premier Collection®; as well as its recently launched franchise offerings: SureStay®, SureStay Plus® and SureStay Signature Collection®. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including 64 percent of the brand’s North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award in 2017, Business Travel News® ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western in the top three upper-mid-price and mid-price hotel brands for three years in a row, and Best Western receiving seven consecutive Dynatrace® Best of the Web awards for its leading hotel website. Best Western has also won eight consecutive AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand’s commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA’s 56 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Over 30 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. Best Western’s partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google® Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.

– Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.

Contact information:
Marketing Communications Department
Best Western Hotels and Resorts – Asia
Tel: +66 2 656 1260
Sirimanas Maungrod
Email: sirimanas.maungrod@bestwestern.com
Orapan Sornnuwat
Email: orapan.sornnuwat@bestwestern.com