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Meetings Redesigned: Centara Hotel one-stop MICE service

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Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is bringing fresh thinking and new approaches to deliver better meetings with the launch of New Agenda: Meetings Redesigned. Centara introduces a newly innovative ‘Meeting Redesigned’ concept, providing a one-stop MICE service and enhance customer experience.

Winfried Hancke, Corporate Director of Operations Food & Beverage, Centara Hotels & Resorts, says the new programme was conceived in response to customer feedback and a desire to take full advantage of the company’s outstanding venues and prime locations.


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“Our clients told us they were open to bold ideas and innovative ways to engage meeting participants, and we listened,” he says. “We are confident that the ideas and resources at the core of New Agenda: Meetings Redesigned will deliver more stimulating and effective meetings for our clients and their organisations.”

For too long, offsite meetings have followed a cookie-cutter approach that makes one meeting feel identical to another, resulting in bored participants and low engagement. New Agenda is designed to put an end to that, with a one-stop MICE service and enhanced customer experience and helps business to achieve the essential part of MICE: the spread of knowledge and professional practices and a key factor in building better understanding and relations amongst professionals.

The New Agenda programme is built around three main elements:

1. A one-stop Meeting Guru to serve as a single onsite resource and point-of-contact for end-to-end event management, ensuring seamless communication, planning and execution.

2. A redefined approach to team-building led by Centara’s in-house team-building specialists and in partnership with the professionals at Asia Ability, to develop effective new team-building techniques and energising activities.

3. Creative catering to reinforce engagement and strengthen participant involvement, with new ideas brought to life by Centara’s talented Food & Beverage teams such as ‘dinner in the dark’ concept by having Thai dancers enter with each course with dimmed LED Candles in hand or with blindfolds provided to create an ultimate sensory experience for all guests.

New Agenda is being progressively rolled out to a total of 25 operating Centara’s properties through 1st March 2019.

A Record £3.4 Billion in Travel Industry Deals at WTM London

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WTM London 2018, the event where ideas arrive, will generate a record £3.4 billion in travel and tourism industry deals, surpassing the figure of £3.1 billion from WTM London 2017.

The global travel and tourism industry continues to grow with more than £1.4 billion trips predicted to taking place globally in 2019, with the number predicted to rise to £1.8 billion by 2030. Inbound tourism to the UK is approaching 40 million trips annually, while Brits make almost 73 million outbound trips each year.

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WTM London 2018 reflected this growth with an increase in visitors of more than 4% to a record 32,462, with the event seeing a total of almost 89,000 (88,742) visits from 51,409 participants. In total 4,664 exhibitors from 182 countries and regions took part in the event.

Independent research of WTM London’s exhibitors reveals WTM London 2018 will generate a massive £3,353,042,708 in travel industry deals, either through contracts signed at the event or from negotiations with WTM Buyers’ Club members – the buyers with the greatest purchasing responsibility in the travel industry – which will lead to deals signed before WTM London 2019.

The record number of visitors and business conducted demonstrates the success of WTM London 2018’s new Ideas Arrive Here concept, which included the introduction of five regional Inspiration Zones – UK&I and International Hub, Europe, Asia, Americas and Middle East and Africa. These Inspiration Zones led to an increase in content, ideas and inspiration for participants to take back to their business and implement to help fuel the growth of the travel and tourism industry.

This strategy saw a greater number of senior CEOs and tourism ministers take part in the content programme – including easyJet’s CEO Johan Lundgren and UK tourism minister Michael Ellis. Meanwhile, more research was added to the programme – including dedicated regional research sessions – from respected research organisations including Euromonitor International, Mintel, ForwardKeys and Nielsen.

Furthermore, two new launches in Travel Forward and the International Travel & Tourism Awards (ITTAs) grew WTM London’s reach further. Travel Forward – the event to inspire the travel and hospitality industry with the next generation of technology – was a great success with more exhibitors and visitors than its predecessor The Travel Tech Show at WTM. The inaugural ITTAs saw almost 500 audience celebrate excellence within the travel and tourism industry.

WTM London, Senior Director, Simon Press said: “I am delighted with the record amount of business conducted at WTM London 2018. This success firmly positions WTM London as the event where ideas arrive and a must-attend for national and regional tourist boards, global brands, luxury and technology companies.

“The record visitor numbers at WTM London 2018 alongside the £3.4 billion in business generated shows that WTM London – as it approaches its 40th event in 2019 – and the travel and tourism industry are both in good health.”

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises six leading B2B events across four continents, generating more than $7 billion of industry deals. The events are: 

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. About 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating about £3.4 billion of travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/. Next event: 4-6 November 2019 – London.

Travel Forward is a new travel technology event co-located with WTM London 2018 and part of the WTM portfolio of events. The inaugural Travel Forward conference, exhibition and buyer programme will take place on 4–6 November 2019 at ExCeL London, showcasing next-generation technology for travel and hospitality. http://travelforward.wtm.com/.

WTM Latin America attracts about 9,000 senior executives and generates about US$374 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 8,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/. Next event: 2-4 April 2019 – Sao Paulo.

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/.

Next event: 10-12 April 2019 – Cape Town.

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market 2019 will take place in Dubai from Sunday, 28th April to Wednesday, 1st May 2019. To find out more, please visit: www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com.

CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa is a new route development forum co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019. The inaugural event – taking place on 30th April and 1st May 2019 in Dubai – will include unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel discussions and airline & industry briefings as well as an exhibition area dedicated to airport and suppliers. For more information, visit: www.connect-aviation.com/2019-meia/

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face-to-face through data and digital tools at more than 500 events a year, in more than 43 countries, attracting more than seven million participants. Reed’s events are held in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 41 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism events organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether they are global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have more than 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.

Arabian Travel Market launches inaugural consumer event ‘ATM Holiday Shopper’

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Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) showcase in Dubai, which will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May 2019, has announced that it will host its first consumer day – ATM Holiday Shopper – as part of its line-up of special focus events.

Taking place on Saturday 27th April – the day before the official opening of ATM – the event will showcase over 30 travel and hospitality exhibitors from both regional and international destinations who will be offering a wide range of attractive travel and tourism discounts and deals for consumers attending the show.

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Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “In direct response to industry feedback and consumer demand, we are proud to introduce a new and exclusive consumer event to ATM 2019. Whether simply looking for a deal on the Eid break or planning a long-haul getaway, ATM Holiday Shopper is designed to offer the very best discounts and deals. Talking to the experts face to face will also allow attendees to learn about a range of emerging and unexplored destinations and activities from destinations around the world.”

Travellers today do not want to be part of the crowd – they crave new destinations to explore which offer unique experiences, personalised to their tastes and expectations, according to research published by Colliers International.

Adding to this, a study by digital payment firm Visa revealed residents in the UAE are among the world’s top spenders when they travel abroad, with an average spend of around US$2,722 (AED10,000) during their last international trip.

The research by Visa on spending for future trips, including the booking stage as well as expenditure at their chosen destination, revealed residents from Saudi Arabia came out on top with a predicted average spend of US$4,800 (AED 17,600) on their next trip. Kuwait also featured in the top spenders, with a projected average spend of US$3,474 (AED 12,760), while travellers from the UAE plan to spend US$3,430 (AED 12,600) – more than the global median which is estimated at US$2,443 (AED 8,975).

“We are increasingly seeing the majority of outbound travel from the GCC countries taking place during summer as travellers actively seek cooler climates. European countries as well as destinations such as Georgia, Serbia, Azerbaijan and Thailand have been cited as some of the most popular destinations for UAE residents,” Curtis said.

“What we are seeing today, is a focus on great deals, however, it is important to note that GCC travellers are unlikely to compromise on the quality of the offering or the activities catering for both children and adults.”

While international travel will be a key focus, ATM Holiday Shopper will also offer a range of discounts and deals from within the UAE and of course the wider GCC region – with a number of hotels, leisure and cultural activities, spas and F&B outlets within Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates as well as Oman and Saudi Arabia scheduled to exhibit.

The event will also feature a number of talks and presentations designed to provide travellers with an in-depth knowledge on a range of travel destinations and tour packages that cover all major attractions within any one country – as well as information on visa compliance and travel insurance.

Attendees can immerse themselves in faraway cultures with VR activations and enjoy a range of family entertainment throughout the day including cultural displays, theme park characters to meet, calligraphy, henna and falconry amongst many other activities.

Curtis, added: “ATM Holiday Shopper is a great addition to ATM 2019 and we look forward to welcoming consumers with a range of attractive discounts and incentives as well as providing a complete overview of some of the world’s leading travel destinations to further whet the appetite!”

ATM – considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 people to its 2018 event, showcasing the largest exhibition in the history of the show, with hotels comprising 20% of the floor area.

ATM 2019 will build on the success of this year’s edition with a host of seminar sessions discussing the ongoing unprecedented digital disruption, and the emergence of innovative technologies that will fundamentally alter the way in which the hospitality industry operates in the region.

ATM Holiday Shopper will take place from noon – 8pm in Hall 1 of Dubai World Trade Centre on 27 April 2019. Tickets are priced at AED 50 per person with free entry for children under the age of 12.

About ATM Holiday Shopper

ATM Holiday Shopper is the brand new travel event for consumers offering the very best travel and tourism discounts and deals plus the chance to learn about a range of emerging and unexplored destinations and activities from destinations around the world.  The inaugural event will take place in Hall 1 of the Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday, 27th April 2019 from 12:00 – 20:00.  For more information visit: www.atmholidayshopper.com 

About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre.  Arabian Travel Market 2019 will take place in Dubai from Sunday, 28th April to Wednesday, 1st May 2019. To find out more, please visit: www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.

Evintra.com offers free online tools for the MICE industry

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Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions, also known as MICE, is one of the most profitable sectors of the travel and tourism economy. Bringing buyers and sellers in this segment together means big business. 

EVINTRA is the gateway to bringing the MICE and Tourism industry together on several levels. That includes a state-of-the-art online and print directory as well as “face to face” as they are involved at over 30 exhibitions every year. This basically covers it all – online, offline, and live events where EVINTRA brings buyers and suppliers to a fair and together at its booth. 

“We believe in transparency and simplicity,” said Andreas Thölken, CEO of EVINTRA. “With just one click, you can find suppliers worldwide with direct contact details. There is no commission to pay, there is no charge, just great and reliable information giving buyers the tools needed to connect to industry suppliers.”

The directory is a diverse solution for the MICE and Tourism industry as it benefits buyers who are searching for suppliers, saving them time which means money, as well helping suppliers to gain exposure and new leads. These facts are critical to success in the MICE and Tourism industries and actually are benefits EVINTRA offers. 

DMCs – Destination Management Companies – are known to be the first point of contact for a buyer when it comes to an international MICE project, which also explains the fast growth in the numbers of DMCs registered on EVINTRA. Currently there are over 2,900 DMCs worldwide that are registered. 

The MICE industry is global and growing fast, as is EVINTRA with over 100,000 industry professionals connected in more than 180 countries. This sector is known to be innovative and worldwide, and with free-of-charge tools like EVINTRA.com, even small companies can easily access and operate in international markets.

MEDIA CONTACT: Andreas Thölken, CEO, EVINTRA, Frankfurt, Germany , E: at@evintra.com

Chinese visitors to GCC will increase 81% by 2022 says ATM report

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The number of Chinese tourists travelling to the GCC is expected to increase 81% from 1.6 million in 2018 to 2.9 million in 2022, according to data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May 2019.

The latest research from Colliers International, in partnership with ATM 2019, reveals that the GCC countries currently attract just 1% of China’s total outbound market, however positive trends are expected over the coming years as 400 million Chinese tourists are expected to go abroad in 2030 – up from 154 million in 2018.

Looking at the economic drivers, China’s links with the GCC have strengthened in recent years due to the introduction of additional and direct airline routes; the strong growth of the Chinese economy and Chinese tourists’ increasing disposable income.

Keen to capitalise on this potential, figures from ATM 2018 show 25% of delegates, exhibitors and attendees were interested in doing business with China.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “China is set to account for a quarter of international tourism by 2030 – and owing to its many business and investment opportunities, as well as a new generation of leisure attractions and retail destinations, the GCC is set to capitalise on this growth with millions of Chinese tourists about to make their first international trip.

“Last year, the number of Chinese exhibitors participating at ATM almost doubled and this trend looks set to continue as we look ahead to ATM 2019.

“Over the years, sentiment at ATM has reflected the growth in Chinese tourists to the GCC and today we have seen more hotel and travel professionals than ever before eager to capitalise on the significant opportunities presented by the Chinese market.”

The Colliers data shows Saudi Arabia will experience the highest proportionate increase in arrivals from China, with a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 33% between 2018 and 2022. Both the kingdom and China’s cultural and educational exchanges have been cited as one of the key elements driving this influx.

Looking at the remainder of the GCC, the UAE will follow with a forecasted CAGR of 13%, Oman at 12% and both Bahrain and Kuwait will steadily increase their Chinese visitor arrivals with a growth of 7%.

In the UAE, China is the fifth largest source market behind India, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Oman. Over the last 12 months, the UAE has stepped up its efforts to attract more Chinese visitors with Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) recently signing an agreement with Chinese internet giant Tencent to promote the emirate as a preferred destination for Chinese travellers.

Meanwhile, in Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait passport holders from the People’s Republic of China can now receive a thirty-day visa on arrival.

“It is interesting to note that just 7% of the total Chinese population possess a passport, compared to approximately 40% of Americans and 76% of British. The outbound Chinese market therefore represents a vast, untapped pool of affluent and adventurous travellers and the GCC is stepping up its efforts to ensure it remains a destination of choice,” Curtis added.

Over the last 10 years, airports in the Middle East and China have shown the fastest increase in hub connectivity worldwide with Emirates, Etihad, Saudia, Gulf Air, China Eastern and Air China all providing direct flights between the GCC and various destinations in China.

Emirates, the leading passenger service provider from the GCC to China, now offers 38 weekly flights between both destinations.

During 2018, China Eastern announced plans to launch three-times weekly direct flights between Shanghai and Dubai – further complementing the airline’s three existing flights between Shanghai and Dubai, which have a stopover in Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province.

ATM – considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 people to its 2018 event, showcasing the largest exhibition in the history of the show, with hotels comprising 20% of the floor area.

ATM 2019 will build on the success of this year’s edition with a host of seminar sessions discussing the ongoing unprecedented digital disruption, and the emergence of innovative technologies that will fundamentally alter the way in which the hospitality industry operates in the region.

ENDS

 

About Arabian Travel Market (ATM)

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre.  Arabian Travel Market 2019 will take place in Dubai from Sunday, 28th April to Wednesday, 1st May 2019. To find out more, please visit: http://arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com/

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants.

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.