Category: Latest Travel News

Madrid (Spain) – September 25, 2017 – The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) officially approved Travelindex affiliate membership application, adding to a group whose members include such prestigious institutions as CNN, World Tourism Forum Lucerne, Club Med, European Travel Commission, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Hong Kong Tourism Board, Amadeus, George Washington University, Colorado State University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University – School of Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM).

The Travelindex application for UNWTO Affiliate Membership has been approved by the Executive Council at its 106th session, and has been ratified at the 22nd Session of the UNWTO General Assembly held in September 2017 in Chengdu, China. The UNWTO Affiliate Members Programme recognizes the great potential in collaborating with organizations in generating global sustainable wealth through enhanced tourism knowledge, ethical and responsible principles and joint initiatives.

“We’re truly honored to have been approved as a UNWTO Affiliate Member and to become part of an incredible array of passionate organizations, destinations, NGOs and educational institutions all committed to the UNWTO Mission of promoting responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.” said Mr Bernard Metzger, Founder of Travelindex.

Bernard added “We’re thrilled to be a part of the UNWTO family which will provide an unrivalled opportunity to share and exchange best practice with other members, as well as jointly participate in projects, events and other mutual learning activities. At the same time, through active participation, we’ll be able to share our expertise and experience helping destinations and organizations across the world develop and evolve digital cultures.”

About the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO):
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

UNWTO generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and instruments, fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for development through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world. UNWTO’s membership includes 156 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities. For more, visit www.unwto.org

About Travelindex:
Our vision is to become the de-facto digital connectivity node for the travel and tourism industry. The Travelindex portfolio of products includes over 70 destination reference tools and one of the world’s largest, open and curated, database on travel and tourism covering 241 countries and territories. Our integrated platform is fast emerging as the central channel in destination and travel knowledge. Travelindex puts a priority on the integration of sustainability into distribution and management systems to bring tangible benefits to its partners and clients helping them to improve reputation and goodwill. For more, visit www.travelindex.com

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 25, 2017 (travelindex.com) – As the LVMH Environment Department prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, including a livestream on Facebook, discover the ambitious new objectives in the LIFE (LVMH Initiatives For the Environment) 2020 program. This roadmap will further boost the environmental performance of the LVMH Group and each of its Maisons.

The LVMH Group created the LVMH Initiatives for the Environment, or LIFE, program in 2012, accelerating an environmental and sustainable development strategy deployed since 1992. The cornerstone of the Group’s commitment to protecting the environment, this comprehensive program spans production, procurement, retail and design across all 70 LVMH Maisons. LIFE is a broad initiative that engages every one of the Group’s 135,000 employees.

Today LVMH reasserts its commitment to making protection of the environment a key growth driver, expanding the LIFE program with ambitious new objectives for 2020. This strong commitment is based on four pillars that engage all the Group’s business sectors and activities: products, supply chain, CO2 and sites. For each pillar, concrete objectives have been set:

– Product objective: To mitigate the environmental footprint of product creation, by 2020 the Group aims to improve the environmental performance of all its products, covering the entire lifecycle.
– Supply Chain objective: More closely monitor the traceability and conformity of the raw materials used to create our exceptional products while at the same time preserving natural resources and applying the highest standards across 70% of procurement chains.
– CO2 objective: Reduce CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020, pursuing initiatives introduced to fight climate change. The LVMH Group pioneered a trend among businesses in 2002 by introducing carbon reporting at its Maisons. In 2015 LVMH again proved a trailblazer by creating an in-house Carbon Fund, announced during the COP21 conference.
– Site objective: All sites will target an improvement of at least 10% in environmental performance indicators including water and energy consumption and waste production. The Maisons are also committed to improving their energy efficiency by 15%.

LIFE 2020 marks an important new phase, giving LVMH Maisons a clear vision and strengthening the capacity for initiative. This roadmap has unlocked creative energies by opening up opportunities and driving innovation and growth while unifying teams around shared goals.

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 22, 2017 (travelindex) – India’s most popular festival is being celebrated at the luxury Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok from 11 – 19 October, 5.00pm – midnight, withmouth-watering cuisine from the Rang Mahal, the most acclaimed Indian restaurant in Thailand.

Created by 5-star chefs using farm fresh meats, seafood and produce infused with delicious spices and rare regional ingredients, the multi-award winning Rang Mahal is the ideal location to celebrate Diwali.

To encourage the celebrations, a THB 1,400 net set dinners is featured with nonvegetable and vegetable menus such as Murgh Makhanwala, Dal-Maa-Rang Mahal, Jheenga Kadhai, Sarson Macchli Tikka, Hara Kebab, Paneer Makhanwala, Vegetable Jaipuri and Cucumber Raita.

A romantic locale for couples and families, the Rang Mahal features live Indian music, traditional beverages, superb service, and majestic, panoramic views across the Bangkok skyline…the perfect complement for the biggest, brightest festival of the Bharat world.

The “Diwali Festival” or the “Festival of Lights” is held annually in India from October to November. It is the most important festival in the Hindu calendar promoting happiness and joy for people of all ages, caste and religions. It is also believed to be a celebration to start a new life or begin something new.

The Rang Mahal is located on Level 26 of The Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, Sukhumvit 18, Open daily. For reservation or more information please contact 02 261 7100 or click www.rembrandtbkk.com/restaurants/

About the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok
The Rembrandt Hotel is centrally located in the heart of Bangkok off Sukhumvit Road. Guests may access our hotel either from Sukhumvit Soi 18 or Sukhumvit Soi 20 as our property extends the length of the block. We offer luxury, outstanding services, and facilities for all travelers to Bangkok, Thailand. The property is conveniently located near the central business district as well as shopping attractions, city landmarks and vibrant nightlife. Our guests also have the benefit of all major public transportation stations in Bangkok as both skytrain (BTS Asoke Station) and metro (MRT Sukhumvit Station) are just a short 5-minute walk from the hotel or guests may ride on a complimentary 24-hour ‘tuk tuk’ shuttle service to the main road. This quality hotel is a great location for both tourists and business travelers, who will find easy access to Sukhumvit and the Bangkok CBD.

For reservations, please contact 02-261-7100 or book via facebook.com/rembrandtbkk or please visit www.rembrandtbkk.com

Contact:
Paemika Mungclasiri (Ms.)
Marketing Communications Manager
E-mail: pr@rembrandtbkk.com
Phone +66 (0) 2261 7100 Ext. 7443
Sirorat Jaroontham (Ms.)
Marketing Communications Executive
E-mail: pr@rembrandtbkk.com
Phone +66 (0) 2261 7100 Ext. 7444

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 22, 2017 (travelindex) – Best Western Hotels & Resorts announced today that its new, highly-anticipated hotel, BluPhere Pattaya, BW Premier Collection, was honored at the Thailand Property Awards 2017.

BluPhere Pattaya, BW Premier Collection received three honors at the Thailand Property Awards 2017, which took place in a glittering gala ceremony in Bangkok this month. This contemporary seafront property was named as the winner of the ‘Best Low-Rise Condo Architectural Design (Resort)’ title, and was also “highly commended” in the ‘Best Condo Interior Design’ and ‘Best Condo Landscape Architectural Design’ categories.

A successful partnership with the Habitat Group has seen the development of two exciting new upscale properties on Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard that are close to the popular beach resort of Pattaya: BluPhere Pattaya, BW Premier Collection, and Best Western Premier BayPhere Pattaya.

Olivier Berrivin, Best Western’s Managing Director of International Operations – Asia, was present at the award ceremony.

“We are proud to be working with the Habitat Group, which has proven to be an excellent partner for Best Western,” Olivier said. “We have collaborated closely with the Habitat Group for several years and I have been hugely impressed with their professionalism and the quality of their properties.”

“To have been honored at the Thailand Property Awards 2017 is testament to the excellence of their developments, and also a great reflection of the exciting new era of Best Western hotels that are now rising all across Asia,” continued Olivier.

“Following the celebration of these awards, we can’t wait to welcome our guests to Best Western Premier BayPhere Pattaya and BluPhere Pattaya, BW Premier Collection, so that they can see why it received the ‘Best Low-Rise Condo Architectural Design (Resort)’ title,” Olivier concluded.

Habitat Group also won the ‘Best Housing Development (Eastern Seaboard)’ award and was highly commended in the ‘Best Housing Architectural Design’ category for its X2 Pattaya Oceanphere development.

Located close to the beach in Na Jomtien, overlooking the glistening waters of the Gulf of Thailand, BluPhere Pattaya, BW Premier Collection, will open its doors to guests in 2020. Best Western Premier BayPhere Pattaya is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018.

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:
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

Madrid (Spain) – September 22, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), representing thirty of the main donor countries, has included the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the List of ODA- eligible International Organizations.

UNWTO’s inclusion in this list implies that countries´ financial contributions to the Organization such as membership fees can now be considered Official Development Assistance (ODA), which is funding that aims to advance economic development and welfare in developing countries. As such, contributions to the UNWTO can be part of the commitment of OECD DAC Members to dedicate 0,7% of Gross National Income to ODA. Furthermore, voluntary contributions for UNWTO activities and technical cooperation projects in any of the 146 ODA- beneficiary countries continue to be considered as well as ODA.

This landmark decision coincides with the celebration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly.

The inclusion of UNWTO in the List, as well as the International Year 2017, are a clear recognition of the important contribution of sustainable tourism to development, peace and prosperity and thus to the universal 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

UNWTO very much welcomes this decision as it opens new opportunities to increase ODA flows for tourism, which currently only represents 0,14% of total ODA, despite representing 10% of world’s GDP and 1 in 10 jobs.

“This is a strong encouragement to UNWTO’s work in and commitment to advance sustainable, responsible and universally accessible tourism as a major contributor to economic development, environmental and cultural preservation and peace” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

“Spain congratulates UNWTO and its Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai, for this outstanding achievement, which is an example of the fruitful collaboration of our country with the Organization”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, Mr. Alfonso Dastis.

The proposal was presented to OECD by Spain, UNWTO’s host country, and co-sponsored by Germany and the United Arab Emirates.

Contacts:
UNWTO Media Officer
Rut Gomez Sobrino
rgomez@unwto.org
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
comm@UNWTO.org
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218
UNWTO Geneva Office
geneva-representative@unwto.org
54-56 Rue de Montbrillant, 1201
Geneva, Switzerland

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – September 21, 2017 (travelindex.com) – British Airways has announced that it will be resuming scheduled flights to Seychelles as from March 2018.

The United Kingdom’s flag carrier, also one of the world’s leading scheduled international passenger airlines, will launch direct flights to Seychelles as of March 24, 2018.

British Airways will be resuming flights to Seychelles, after over a decade of not flying to the Indian Ocean island destination. It will operate non-stop twice-weekly flights from the London Heathrow airport to Seychelles from March to October, offering more choice to sun-seeking holidaymakers.

The flights will depart Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on Wednesdays and Saturdays and will be operated by the airline’s newest fleet of aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The return flights to Heathrow will be on Thursdays and Sundays.

The British carrier says the route timetable is perfectly positioned for honeymooners and holidaymakers keen on extending their break in the Seychelles.

“The Seychelles is one of the most beautiful places on earth and we’re delighted to be adding this collection of islands to our extensive route network,” said British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, Sean Doyle.

Customers can now get into ‘holiday mode’ even earlier with British Airways’ direct flights from London taking 10 hours, instead of over 13 hours with a connection in the Middle East. As one of the leading luxury holiday destinations, the Seychelles offers customers a wide range of accommodation and activities in stunning natural surroundings,” he added.

British Airways will become the only airline offering non-stop service between Seychelles and the UK, which is an important market for Seychelles. Visitor arrivals from the UK & Ireland, which is currently the Seychelles’ fifth largest market, stands at 15,427 to-date for 2017, representing a 22 percent increase over last year.

The Seychelles authorities including the Seychelles High Commissioner in the UK, Derick Ally, and the Seychelles Tourism Board through its Chief Executive Sherin Francis and the STB UK office as well as the Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Ministry through Minister Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, have been instrumental in securing British Airways’ engagement to resume flights to Seychelles.

Welcoming Tuesday’s announcement, Minister Loustau-Lalanne said this is the best news for the Seychelles’ tourism industry both for its short term and long term viability.

“We were all devastated when British Airways pulled out in 2004. The return of British Airways to the Seychelles with two non-stop flights from London Heathrow in 2018 will provide a boost, especially to our 5 Star establishments. It will also help to further develop our USA market and elsewhere,” Minister Loustau-Lalanne added.

For her part Mrs Francis said: “We were all delighted to learn a few months ago that Seychelles was finally on the planning chart of British Airways amongst a handful of other destinations that were being considered. Seychelles has in the past years at every given opportunity expressed its interest to see British Airways serving the destination again and the invitation were even extended from the highest office in Seychelles. We are happy that this long awaited day has arrived. The UK is a very important market for Seychelles and the team at British Airways can count on our support for this route.”

British Airways has launched over 30 new routes across the globe this year and flights to its new Indian Ocean route, Seychelles, as of March 2018 are already available for booking.

The airline will be offering a 4-class cabin product on the Seychelles route with its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner having a 216 seat capacity, which signifies over 400 additional seats weekly, for visitors travelling to the Seychelles islands.

“Return fares start from £699 in World Traveller, £999 in World Traveller Plus, £2499 in Club World and from £3499 for First, and are available to book now on ba.com,” British Airways said in a press statement issued on Tuesday.

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 21, 2017 (travelindex) – Collaborating with luxurious brands, JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok is hosting a wedding fair filled with exclusive highlights for happy couples on 1st October, 2017. With its 20-year history of creating memorable experiences for guests, the hotel will showcase its versatile banquet venues, legendary service and award-winning culinary excellence.

In this highly-crafted wedding fair, a dedicated team of wedding planners will give one-on-one consultations to assist with all the fine details in creating a sophisticated occasion and to provide professional advice to ensure a flawless wedding day. To complete the visit, couples will be inspired by a selection of bespoke experiences, including sample culinary creation by Chef Kevin Thomson, Executive Chef, discuss the perfect wedding cake with Executive Pastry Chef, Giovanni Iurig and Pastry Chef Chotiphat Laisuwan, signature cocktails tasting, a relaxing 15-minutes hand treatment at Spa by JW, consult with the famous BOX Wedding photography and cinematography and discover the latest bridal collection from Thailand’s homegrown brand Amata.

This event will be the first time Jimmy Choo and Tiffany & Co. joins the JW’s soiree. The iconic brand Tiffany & Co., the dream of every bride-to-be since 1886, will bring to the fair their rich heritage, trust, integrity and craftsmanship. The Craft masters from the brand will walk guests through the history of the world’s most famous engagement rings, showcase some of their finest pieces and consult couples who are still looking for that sparkle something when tying the knot.

Meanwhile Jimmy Choo will make brides feel like princesses with their bridal shoes collection. Expect to see the most gorgeous wedding shoes from the brand, from dainty and minimal strappy sandals, traditional satin and lace, glitter peep toes, simple diamante cage shoes, stilettos, and more, brides can say “I Do” in the most stylish way. Especially, bride-to-be can walk away from the fair with their very own’ s Jimmy Choo pair when confirming their marriage celebration at the event.

Our dedicated team whose role is to make wedding dreams come true, and you are assure to make your wedding a day to remember together. Register your attendance by calling + 02 656 7700 ext. 4347 or email kamonnat.s@marriott.com.

Contact:
Grace Hoang
Director of Marketing Communications
JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok
Grace.Hoang@marriott.com

Singapore (Singapore) – September 21, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Cementing its status as ‘Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show’, ITB Asia 2017 will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an exciting view to the future of travel and tourism. Under the conference theme “The Future of Travel”, ITB Asia 2017 will showcase an extensive programme of key presentations and discussions by industry heavyweights from the travel and tourism sector. This includes global brand names as well as promising travel startups.

“We are proud to have put together such a rich and diverse conference programme, which is only possible with the continued support from the global travel industry. This is testament to the show’s expanding role as an important platform to bring all the different stakeholders in the travel and tourism sector together. We believe everyone attending this year’s show will enjoy and benefit from engaging with the influential and exciting speakers on the most current and pressing topics in the industry”, said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

Artificial Intelligence and OTAs to be focus of ITB Asia 2017 keynotes

To kick off the show, headlining keynote speakers on Day 1 include Tony Menezes, Vice President of Industrial and Distribution Sectors at IBM Asia Pacific, Rob Torres, Managing Director of Advertising and Marketing at Google, and Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip. Both speakers from IBM and Google will focus on Artificial Intelligence while Ms Sun from Ctrip will speak on its global strategy.

On Day 2, the highlight of the keynote panel will focus on the trends and market conditions of the travel trade market and how Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are transforming travel through technology, particularly in Korea, Japan and India. Moderated by Nick Vivion, Editorial Director of Tnooz, the panel will include Ike Anand, Vice President at Expedia, Min Yoon, CEO of Tidesquare, Amit Taneja, Chief Revenue Officer of Cleartrip, Ken Mishima, VP of eCommerce Strategy at iJTB, and Jose Murta, Global Head of Hospitality at trivago.

Showcasing the most current trends and opportunities in virtual reality, Cruise and travel innovation

While VR has mainly been used in promotional and marketing materials, hotel and accommodation visualization and training, disruptive startups Hiverlab and Zebra Design will share their experiences on the exciting realities and opportunities for augmented reality and virtual reality in hospitality and tourism. Savioke, a Silicon Valley startup that makes autonomous indoor delivery robots, will also present key takeaways from its pilot project at M Social, Asia’s first deployment of front-of-house service robots.

With younger generations, including the millennials and Generation X, forecast to embrace cruise travel more than ever before , ITB Asia 2017 will feature its first Cruise panel. The line-up will feature global cruise operators who will discuss the rise of cruise in Asia Pacific and the growing market and opportunities. Moderated by Christina Siaw, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Cruises Centre, confirmed panelists include companies such as SkySea Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, Princess Cruises, Carnival Asia and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

ITB Asia will also for the first time, launch an innovation travel tech track hosted by Israeli startup InnoVel that will connect travel companies with cutting-edge startups. The crosssharing is designed to address concrete pains in areas such as revenue management, customer engagement, online marketing and more.

Strong global support from Corporate and MICE partners

Corporate and MICE participants at ITB Asia have grown in the past years. To reflect this strong support, ITB Asia will see its first ever Corporate Day on 26 October, with confirmed partners such as the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Egencia, Corporate Travel Management, UOB Travel and Airbnb who will deliver presentations and workshops on the corporate sector at ITB Asia.

Following the success and launch in 2016, MICE Day will return for the second edition in 2017 on 25 October. Confirmed partners include American Express, Incentive Conference and Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP), International SOS, Meetings Professional International (MPI), The Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers, Inc. (PACEOS), Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), and United Networks of International Corporate Events Organisers (UNICEO).

ITB Asia 2017 is expected to top the success of ITB Asia in 2016, where almost 900 buyers attended the show, leading to a 1:1 ratio between exhibitors and buyers whilst over 50% of buyers signed deals with exhibitors after the event. 43% of attending buyers had purchasing power of USD 500K – USD 1m and 85.7% of attending buyers were direct decision makers.

For more information on ITB Asia 2017, visit www.itb-asia.com

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. 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.

Macau (Macao SAR) – September 21, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) is one of the most representative associations of the exhibition industry. UFI has recently published its 13th edition of the annual report on the Trade Fair Industry in Asia, analysing the development of the trade fair market in Asia in 2016. During the year, a total of 26 B2B trade fairs held in Macao were included in the UFI statistics. Revenues from exhibitions were estimated at around USD53.55 million, with 215,250m2 of net spaces sold, showing a rise of 2.9% as compared to 2015.

The Macao SAR Government is committed to promote moderate economic diversification and plans to strengthen its efforts to foster the development of the convention and exhibition industry, according to the policy of giving priority to conventions. As the exhibition sector is an important component of the MICE industry and subsequent to the active co-operation and exchanges between the Macao SAR Government and MICE operators in recent years, local branded trade fairs continue to develop steadily. Among which, six of the local branded trade fairs have already become UFI-approved events, covering various sectors including business and trade, environmental protection, automobile, yacht and the aviation industries.

According to the 13th edition of its annual reporton theTrade FairIndustry in Asia, published by UFI, Macao was one of the trade fair markets with the shortest development history and also one of the smallest in Asia, as well as the one with the best performance in the region over the past five years. When compared with the growth of the overall exhibition industry in Asia, Macao´s net spaces sold grew from 72,500m2 in 2012 to 215,250m2 in 2016, showing an increase of almost 200%, and become the region with the largest growth in Asia. Although Macao´s economy was constantly affected by the external economic environment, however, the net exhibition spaces sold continued to grow, with an average revenue per exhibition recorded as approximately USD2.1 million, indicating that Macao´s exhibition market performed better than the overall economic performance.

Furthermore, the report also indicated that the strong support of the Macao SAR Government for the exhibition industry, along with the ancillary facilities, contributed to the stable development of Macao´s exhibition industry. For example, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which is set to open at the end of this year, and the gradual expansion of the flight network of the Macau International Airport, will significantly improve regional transportation, creating a new economic perspective for the Pearl River Delta Region. The Macao SAR Government has always supported the development of the exhibition industry and has continuously improved its infrastructure to enhance the connectivity of regional transport. It is expected that Macao´s exhibition industry will maintain a good development trend. It is predicted that, over the next two to three years, the exhibition industry will maintain an average growth rate of 5% in the region.

UFI brings together exhibition managers and professional exhibition organisers from around the world, to jointly promote the development of the regional and global exhibition industry. Every year, UFI commissions professional consultants to conduct analysis and study on exhibitions targeted at professional visitors (B2B), and publishes its annual report on the trade fair industry in Asia. The report is an important reference material for international exhibition organisers and managers. The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) became an official member of UFI in October 2005, and has been actively participating in activities organised by UFI, as a means of conducting bilateral exchanges with exhibition-related organisations. In addition, IPIM has launched the “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support service in Macao which aimed at attracting more international convention and exhibition organisers to hold their activities in Macao.

Bangkok (Thailand) – September 21, 2017 (travelindex.com) – For the first time live in Bangkok, Stephen M.R. Covey, Trust expert, Executive Thought Leader, and best-selling author of “The Speed of Trust”, 1# on New York Times and Wall Street Journal, recently flew into Bangkok especially to conduct a seminar titled “Building Trusted Brands – One Thing That Changes Everything”. According to Mr. Covey, the factor of success in today’s global competitive market, is the trusted brands, but before we can build up a brand to a trustworthy position in the top rank, how was “Trust” created?

“Trust” is something internal, it is built from inside out. The high trust cultures are created inside out, exactly the same as the high trust brands. Hence, to create ‘Trust’, we must start from the inside of our mind. The basement of the strong building of trusted brands must be crafted from the people in the organization. Moreover, from the researches, people or customers tend to trust the employees of the organization more than advertisements and the CEO.

‘Trust’ is financial. How is that supposed to be? Mr. Covey said that ‘Trust’ always impacts two outcomes: SPEED and COST. With the high trust, the faster the speed of working with efficiency in the company the lower the company risks issues regarding fraud, disengagement, and many more. Consequently, the company pays lower risk cost and gets higher speed of success. Moreover, ‘Trust’ is currently number 1 leadership competency in today’s changing environment. It can help improve the results focus, communication, collaboration, leading change, innovation, strategy and as well as problem solving. ‘Trust’ can be learned and measured, it is part of functioning mechanism of CREDIBILITY and BEHAVIOUR, and it is measurable and can be deliberately created.

It is crucial, in today’s world to have ‘Trust’ in the brand, but to build a trusted brand, as mentioned by Stephen, has to start from the basic level of each organization: PEOPLE. But how? How can people create trust and be a leader? There are the so called “The 5 Waves of Trust”, namely, ‘Self Trust’; ‘Relationship Trust’; ‘Organizational Trust’; ‘Market Trust’; leading to the final trust – ‘Societal Trust’. Stephen recommends to model trust through character and competence and compares them to the roots and trunks respectively of a tree. Character or Roots are to be modeled on Integrity and Intent while Competence or Trunks including leaves and fruits are built on Capabilities and Results leading to the TREE of success and the 4 cores of credibility: Integrity, Intent, Capabilities and Results. To sum up, success starts from the basic elements of Self Trust/Self Integrity.

Stephen also helped clarify the 13 behaviours of high trust, to help everybody build trust from inside out and become a leader. Starting from talking straight, demonstrating respect, creating transparency, righting wrongs, showing loyalty, delivering results, getting better, confronting reality, clarifying expectations, practicing accountability, listening first, keeping commitments and lastly, extending trust. From these lists of behaviours, it helps in creating the trusted personality which leads to the success in self trust and relationship trust. When everyone in organizations is
fulfilled with trust, then it creates the next impact or next wave as of the organization waves which moving forward to market trust and finally the societal trust. The same as the trees, if the roots are strong, the trunk and upper parts are all well groomed.

This seminar by Stephen was one of the most impactful approaches for everyone, from the basic level to developing oneself and creating the waves of impact to the upper level in a vast scope. It is the key to success in every society and even at country level.

Khun Porntip Iyimapun, the CEO and Founder of PacRim Group also gave a powerful speech regarding her vision of creating a humble and successful society for the country based on Stephen’s teachings regarding ‘Trust’ as “leaders will be able to better manage change and lead high-performing teams that are agile, collaborative, innovative, and engaged”. By holding this impactful seminar, Khun Pornthip wished to be part of everyone’s strong roots of trusted trees which can lead to the ‘efficient forests’ on a countrywide scale, to help boost and support the current “THAILAND 4.0” scenario.

To learn more on how you can bring the Speed of Trust to your organization or to find out more about great and inspiring seminars and other interesting courses by PacRim Group, visit www.pacrimgroup.com or call +66 278 0200 ext. 1 , email : info@pacrimgroup.com

For further information, please contact:
Neo Target Co., Ltd.
Tiphathai Ngamsiriporn
Mobile: 66 (0) 89 161 1029
E-mail: tiphathai@neotarget.com