Tourism in the world of technology

How does it draw the line between technology and personal service? There is no doubt that technology plays an important role in tourism and travel. Most of us are now used to booking our airline reservations on line, dealing with telephone trees and other cost saving devices. These technological advances have allowed corporations to save on manpower while at the same time empowering customers to make their own decisions.

On the other side of the equation, travelers use more technology than ever before and often the tourism industry has taken advantage of this desire (need) to stay in touch with its clientele. Most of us are now used to being almost harassed with on-line surveys or computer driven telephone calls. Now we have entered into the world of e-marketing, a system that may be called an advanced form of "spam."

Although many hotels do provide free internet services, many of the "better" hotels have added additional charges for local calls, for internet access and a per page fee to receive a fax. These additional charges combined with less personalized service often means that travelers have the idea that technology has become a one-way street. Technology is used to provide less personalized service and at the same time to generate additional revenue at hotels, on airplanes, and at transportation hubs.

Despite the misuse of technology, tourism and travel are highly dependent on technology and its use has made life a whole lot easier. There is no doubt that the cell phone has become a major part of our lives. And although technology etiquette may lag behind technology machinery the inconvenience of someone speaking too loud on a cell phone is more than outweighed by the safety, security and convenience that cell phones bring to most of us.

On the other hand, technology's growth has allowed worldwide terrorism to attack the tourism industry. Cell phones can save lives or detonate bombs; air conditioning units serve to make life bearable in hot climates, but also pollute the atmosphere and can be carriers of disease. The dawn of the computer age permits us to know weather forecasts around the world, allows business travelers to stay in touch with their offices and to supersede the problem of cross time zones negotiation, but can be used to destroy air travel.

Technology then has become a mixed bag for the tourism industry. It creates a great deal of conveniences while at the same time has been used as a way to increase revenues and to lessen customer service. The world of technology has made air travel safe and abundant but has also brought about the need to go through long security lines and daily hassles.

Certainly, some parts of the industry have begun to use technology prudently. When used ethically, technology can be a great help in increasing our communication and security. If on the other hand technology is used for selfish or destructive purposes than it can become a nemesis within the travel and tourism industry. Hamlet's question "to be or not to be" has never seemed more poignant in its relationship to travel and tourism.

To help you decide how much or how little technology is right for your tourism business, Tourism Tidbits offers the following suggestions:

Remember that tourism is about people "interfacing" with other people

No matter how good your technology may be, technology does not provide human warmth of take-home experiences. Be mindful that tourism is about the selling of memories and then ask yourself at what point are you willing to sacrifice memories for efficiency.

Make sure that your employees are well trained in the use of technology

Technology is only as good as the people who use it. Often tourism centers hire people who simply are not up to the task, misuse the technology and create more problems than they solve. Train, train and then train your people some more. Do not update so often that your employees' knowledge base lags behind the technology's capabilities.

Use technology wisely

While even the best computer can never substitute the care and love that comes from another human being, technology if used properly can solve many a problem in tourism. Among these are:

Issues of time: Nothing upsets the tourism industry's clientele as much as the misuse of time. The proper use of computers to facilitate both check-ins and check-outs of places such as hotels, allows the person-on-duty to attend to other problems.Clarity and consistency: In an interrelated multi-lingual world a great deal of information can be provided to guests in their own language without linguistic, pronunciation or grammatical errors.

Ease of place: Use technology and social networks to allow visitors to research from home and to gather basic information. However, many hotels and transportation companies seem to hide telephone numbers on their web sites. Combine basic information that can be given on a computer with the human side of information. Remember that if the tourist can never reach you, then you may find that your customer has found a more user-friendly location.

If we like it or not technology touches almost every aspect of the tourism industry. If we are smart enough to use the benefits of technology such as convenience, speed, and accuracy and avoid some of the pitfalls, user friendliness, size of lettering, and lack of human contact, then technology can be a great time and cost saver. But if the tourism industry forgets the importance of the human element and that tourism is all about the experience then it is making a major error.

Laos aims for billion dollar tourism industry by 2020

Around 50 participants attended the 3rd Quarterly Symposium on Tourism Sector Human Resources Development in Laos, which was organised by the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH) in collaboration with the Lao National Tourism Administration through the support of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Project.

Chief Technical Advisor of LANITH Mr Peter Semone said “Attendees will plan future strategies to turn Lao tourism into a billion dollar industry. They will also learn about future changes to tourism in the country and what it will take to achieve them.”He said that in 2010, there were 2.5 million visitors to Laos and the Lao tourism sector received US$400 million in revenue, second only behind the mining sector.

Eighty percent of visitors were from within the region. However, most stayed only a short time in Laos, meaning they accounted for only 45 percent of revenue in the tourism sector, with the rest coming from tourists from other regions, Mr Semone said.

“So, today we will discuss how to manage tourism services and increase tourist stays per diem to achieve one billion dollars in revenue by 2020.”“It is not only up to us, the tourism sector, to achieve the goal, but all communities. Laos also needs to improve its quality of services through education and training programmes,” he added.

LANITH also asked Cornell University Hotel School’s former Associate Dean and Professor of Strategic Management, Human Resources and Management Dr Thomas P. Cullen to pick up his crystal ball and make some predictions about how tourism will look in Laos in the year 2020, he said.Technical Education Advisor of LANITH Ms Maeve O’Brien said the institute plans to open a school for hospitality, tourism and education at Pakpasak Technical College by 2014.

“Our institute currently offers short training programmes on tourism skills in Laos and we will have 18 well-equipped trainers by the end of the year,” she said, adding the short-term programmes take two to 10 days to complete.

World'sTop Value Destinations for Travellers on the Singapore Dollar

Online travel company Expedia has revealed some of the world’s top value destinations for travellers on the Singapore Dollar.According to the Expedia Foreign Exchange Index, which was developed in conjunction with foreign exchange specialist HiFX, Vietnam is currently the best-value destination, with the Singapore Dollar appreciating by more than 22% against the Vietnamese Dong in the past 12 months.

Hong Kong and India are also ranking high in the list, with the Singapore Dollar appreciating about 12% against the Hong Kong Dollar and Indian Rupee year-on-year.Other Asian countries that made the ‘Top 20 Best Value Destinations’ based on the value of the Singapore Dollar are Laos (up 8.7%), Sri Lanka (up 8.38%), the Philippines (up 7.82%), Indonesia (up 7.16%), China (up 6.64%) and South Korea (up 6.58%).

“Asia remains one of the best value-for-money destinations for travellers from Singapore. With the upcoming school and summer holidays, budget conscious travellers such as families and students should plan ahead now to take advantage of the strong currency and great offers available,” said Dan Lynn, Managing Director, Expedia Asia Pacific.

The Index also shows countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Argentina and Turkey in the top 20. The USA ranks as the eighth best value destination due to the Singapore Dollar performing well against the ‘Greenback’, delighting travellers looking to stretch their Singapore Dollars when shopping for popular brands on their overseas trips.

“The Singapore Dollar has been buoyed by strong economic growth, and with policy makers looking to allow the currency to appreciate to combat inflationary pressures, this is likely to continue. As a result, it’s a great time to be taking the Singapore Dollar abroad for shopping and overseas holidays’, explained Nick Brain, Consultant, HiFX.

From 24 May – 30 June, Expedia.com.sg is offering a discount of up to 50% off on hotels in some of the region’s top value destinations.Valid for travel till the end of August 2011, more than 10 Asian destinations will be on offer including Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Korea and China. Travellers will also receive an additional 10% discount coupon when booking their favourite Asian destination during this period.

Philippines targets tourists from Russia, India

The Tourism Department will pursue aggressive campaigns to attract more foreign tourists, especially those from Korea, China and Japan and emerging markets like Russia and India.

Secretary Alberto Lim said during a press briefing Tuesday that the department was looking to surpass the number of foreign tourists it posted in 2010. Tourist arrivals in the first two months of the year grew 18 percent year-on-year to 670,000, data show.

“Tourism revenues accounted for 6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product for 2010. The government’s pursuit of an open civil aviation industry signals that the Philippines is open for business,” Lim said, adding that the 20 million local travels recorded last year could be sustained until 2016.

He said the start of a direct flight to New Delhi by Philippine Airlines would boost tourism, with India now considered one of the emerging markets.

The department has signed an agreement with the Philippine Retailers Association and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry to conduct free training of retailers in the country’s tourist hotspots on how to sell local products to foreign tourists.

“Tourism greatly helped the retail industry last year as spending went up due to the increased visitor turnout. And with this micro-tourism enterprise project in full swing, we do hope we can exceed expectations this year,” Lim said.

Samie Lim, PCCI vice president for tourism, said tourism boosted the retail industry. Tourism said 27 percent of tourist’s spending in 2010 went to shopping. The retail industry, meanwhile, grew 12 percent last year after expanding 5.5 percent in 2009.

Vietnam remains a “hidden beauty” in the eyes of foreign tourists

Vietnam has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to show its beautiful landscapes on famous television channels CNN or BBC, or to advertise on taxis in London. However, Vietnam remains an unknown and hidden charm to foreign travelers. The arrow that failed to reach the target In recent years, Vietnam has been paying more attention to promoting tourism. However, the result remains modest. In the second half of 2010 alone, Vietnam spent 5.3 billion dong to run advertisement campaigns on CNN, which gobbled up 12 percent of the total budget for the yearly national tourism promotion program. A mini survey conducted by the Vietnam Economic Forum conducted on 200 foreign travelers showed that 77 percent of foreign travelers have never seen information about Vietnam’s tourism in mass media, advertisements or at tourism trade fairs. Ninety-three percent of polled tourists said they never see the advertisement pieces on BBC and CNN. Vietnam also spent money to place advertisements on 27 taxis out of 10,000 taxis in London in the UK for six months. However, local dwellers said they never see the advertisements. Vu Huy Vu, Deputy General Director of Saigon Tourist, said Vietnam needs to do many more things to popularize Vietnam’s tourism in the world. “Vietnam needs to have more and more publications introducing Vietnam’s tourism potentials. It needs to set up tourism representative offices in other countries to promote tourism,” he said, adding that other regional countries like Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines all have representative offices in Europe and the US for tens years. Meanwhile, a cheap but effective communication channel – Internet – has been ignored. Ben Chua is a Singaporean person who builds and runs vietnam720, an website that uses interactive products like videos, audios to introduce attractive destinations in Vietnam. “If you access to yoursingapore.com, you will find everything about Singapore. For example, if you type “art”, the website will show all the information about arts, from the events to places for excursions or the hotels near art centers,” he said. Ben Chua said he has an account on Twitter to listen opinions from people about Vietnam. There is a tweet posted in every 10 seconds, which means 36,000 opinions come every hour. However, no official agency has replied to the opinions. What is a new image for Vietnam? In mid January 2011, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism VNAT officially announced the result of the logo creation competition for the new period. The slogan “Vietnam – a different Orient” has won the competition. However, after two months, the slogan has not been approved to become the new slogan of Vietnam’s tourism in the new period. It seems that foreigners still see Vietnam as a war torn country, rather than an attractive destination in peacetime. It is because Vietnam is still busy looking for a new suitable slogan to be introduced to the world. “Vietnam is a friendly, joyful country, where the prices are reasonable. However, the images Vietnam introduces to the world do not reflect these things,” said Tim Russell, Managing Director of Come & Go Vietnam travel firm. He believes that since Vietnam cannot build up a reasonable tourism brand, only five percent of tourists return to Vietnam for the second time, while 50 percent of tourists come to Thailand for the second time. He went on to say that Vietnam only has been trying to attract the tourists who are interested in the culture and discoveries, while it has not been trying to attract holidaymakers. Meanwhile, tourism does not only mean discovery, but also means relaxing, sunbathing, playing golf and water sports, meals, nightlife and anything that is a part of a comfortable life. He believes that Vietnam should look for professional consultants and should carry out surveys in many places in order to build up a professional marketing strategy.

Vietnam tries to attract MICE Tourists

A lot of big hotels in HCM City have been introducing their services, programs and events on their websites in order to help tour organizers consider designing MICE (meeting, incentive, convention, event) tours on demand. Tourism experts say that international tourists and businessmen nowadays not only want to attend conferences and exhibitions at hotels and convention centers, but they also want to meet experts to discuss issues in fields of common interests. Therefore, Vietnamese service providers have been trying to diversify their services to attract more clients.

Many hotels in Vietnam have been introducing special dishes on the websites, and trying to organize cooking classes for their MICE guests. If the guests want, they can even go to market to select ingredients for cooking themselves. In general, hotels assign their cooks, who are in charge of Vietnamese cuisine, to show guests how to cook Vietnamese dishes. The cooks also act as “tour guides” in the “tours to the markets”.

Cooking classes have become a regular part of the program designed for the guests at Sofitel Saigon Plaza, Rex, Caravelle and InterContinental Asiana Saigon. Discovering the taste of Vietnamese cuisine is just a part of the service package called “Insider Collection” and the sightseeing tour to HCM City offered by InterContinental Asiana Saigon.

The hotels’ Business and Marketing Director Daniel Kipping, said that convention organizing companies can access www.intercontinental.com/meetings to choose predesigned normal convention packages, or design the packages themselves according to their demand. The big hotel chain has introduced a program to be applied at the group’s hotels which includes new services which allow travelers to meet and discuss with famous persons or experts in the fields of culture or sports.

The main goal of the program is to provide tourists with deeper knowledge about Vietnam which may be helpful for them in making decisions whether to do business in Vietnam. The program was introduced at InterContinental Singapore in 2010 and InterContinental Asiana Saigon in January 2011.

Through video clips, the hotel has introduced event organizers to trips to the Notre Dame Cathedral, the HCM City’s Post Office, Le Cong Kieu antiques street, Cu Chi tunnels, or sightseeing trips in the central area with motorbike taxis – one of the most popular means of transport in the city.

Besides service packages with dinners on the cruisers running up and down the Saigon River, participants can also enjoy Vietnam’s iced milk-coffee, learning about the city’s life at 30-4 Park, tasting banh xeo (a kind of cake), purchasing silk products and pictures. Kipping said that the video clip and the information from Insider Collection should be seen as suggestions for event organizers to design suitable outdoors activities.

Caravelle Saigon has also updated its website with information and images about cultural and historical sites, targeting the travelers who seek places to relax or organize trips for businessmen and MICE tourists.

Cooperation will bring benefits Le Trung Tho, Tourism and Service Director of Thanh Thanh Cong company, said that the demand of MICE tourists has become more diversified, and that travelers nowadays always seek information online and order service packages which fit their plans and requirements.

Tho said that more and more MICE travelers wish to learn more about Vietnam through the discussions with experts. They also want to participate in bicycle trips to villages to learn about the lifestyle and traditions of local residents.

The high quality convention service packages are always ordered by foreign groups of businessmen and tourists through event organizers via mail, or ordered on the websites. Therefore, many hotels now pay more attention to developing their websites, which saves money because they can get orders directly from clients instead of via brokers.

Kipping said that clients not only demand meeting rooms with modern equipments, but also order sideline events. As one hotel cannot meet all the demands, it would be better for hotels to join forces to meet clients’ demand. Business Development Director of InterContinental Singapore David Lam has forecasted that the number of tourists, especially businessmen, will increase again after one year of decreasing due to the global economic downturn.

ATF2011 closed on January 21 for another year coming

The 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Forum (ATF2011) concluded on Friday evening with a closer co-operation among ASEAN countries and their dialogue partners, said Cambodian Tourism Minister Dr. Thong Khon at the closing ceremony in Phnom Penh.

"Our great achievement made in the forum this year is the adoption of the ASEAN tourism strategic plan for 2011-2015 aimed to turn ASEAN into a world class tourist destination by 2015," he told to more than 400 participants.

"Besides this, I hope that buyers and sellers have met their business partners for future co-operation," he said, adding that the forum also created a closer environment of co-operation among ASEAN countries and ASEAN with their dialogue partners including China, Japan, South Korea, India and Russia.

The 30th ASEAN Tourism Forum had kicked off on January 15 at the brand-new Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra.

During the event, there had been a series of meetings of ASEAN National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), ASEAN tourism ministers + 3 (China, Japan and South Korea) and ASEAN tourism ministers plus India and Russia.

Also, there was the ASEAN Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) at Koh Pich with the participation of up to 1,000 sellers with 512 booths from hotels, airline companies, tour operators and travel agencies in ASEAN countries and some 466 buyers from ASEAN, Asia, Europe and the United States of America.

The 31st ATF will be held in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia in January 2012. ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
By Reinhard Hohler, Media Travel Consultant

ASEAN AIMS TO BECOME WORLD CLASS TOURISM DESTINATION

ASEAN Travel Forum 2011 hosted in Phnom Penh for the second time reconfirms that Southeast Asia is flying high again. Total number of arrivals to the geopolitical entity formed by ten countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) topped last year 65 million arrivals, up 12% over 2009.

The growth is impressive as large parts of the world are still into recession. But ASEAN tourist movements were stimulated by a booming Chinese and Indian economy, high growth in markets such as India, South Korea and Taiwan as well as a strong economic recovery in most ASEAN countries. Australian travelers are also predicted to grow sharply in 2011 to the region as more flights are due to take-off during the first quarter of this year with new low fares available to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Another positive sign is the emergence of new intra-ASEAN markets countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam as these countries have an increasing number of middle class travelers with purchasing power. ASEAN is now expected to reach the 100 million travelers mark by the end of the decade.

The 30th ASEAN Tourism Forum opened here on 15-21 January, aimed at promoting ASEAN as the world class tourist destination by 2015 and also to promote regional cooperation in tourism. The event under the theme of "ASEAN: A World of Wonders and Diversity" was attended by about 3,000 participants, who are government's top officials, ASEAN tourism ministers, tourism delegates from China, Japan, Korea, India and Russia, diplomatic corps, exhibitors, buyers and media from around the world.

Speaking during the ASEAN TOURISM FORUM 2011 opening ceremony, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen said “I am strongly convinced that ATF 2011 is an exceptional opportunity for us not only to inform the world of Cambodia’s as well as ASEAN’s tourism products, but also to enhance and show the importance of tourism and to continue to promote this field, so as to contribute to socio-economic development, the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals and the poverty reduction in the region and the world.

"ASEAN is seen as a captivating and highly competitive tourist destination for development, based on the uniqueness of its potentials and diversity of historical cultural relics and tremendous natural resources," the Prime Minister said. "I hope that all related stakeholders in public and private sectors will jointly cooperate to develop ASEAN tourism in order to fulfill ASEAN vision as the world class tourist destination by 2015."

The Cambodian government has been paying high attention and giving its full support to the development of tourism industry, considering it as a priority among the ten priority areas for social building and poverty reduction, underlined Samdech Hun Sen.

He further highly evaluated the effective contribution of tourism in increasing regional demands and exportation, the main factors to promote macroeconomic growth, social development and poverty alleviation.

According to preliminary figures, ASEAN attracted more than 65 million visitors last year, posting a healthy 12 percent growth. Intra-ASEAN travel continued to be a major share of tourists, making up 45 percent of total international arrivals.

For its part, Cambodia received some 2.5 million foreign tourists last year, or an increase of 16 percent as compared with 2009, while the number of local tourists reached more than 7 million in 2010, or an increase of 7 percent as compared with the previous year.

The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2011)’s target is to turn ASEAN into an attractive tourism destination and increase the competitiveness of the ASEAN tourism sector in the Asia Pacific region, said Cambodian Minister of Tourism, Dr. Thong Khon, in his opening speech at the ASEAN Tourism Forum.

Dr. Thong Khon said ATF 2011 aims to attract more tourists from ASEAN member countries and promote cooperation among ASEAN’s tourism sectors. ATF 2011 will also evaluate the real situation and potential for tourism cooperation among ASEAN nations and pinpoint opportunities and challenges for the tourism sector in Southeast Asia after the global financial crisis in order to attract more international tourists to the region.

During the event from Jan. 15-18, there had been a series of meetings of ASEAN tourism ministers, ASEAN tourism ministers plus 3 (China, Japan and South Korea) and ASEAN tourism ministers plus India and Russia. And from January 19-21, the ASEAN Travel Exchange held at Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center. "It was the biggest gathering--up to 1,500 sellers with 518 booths from 434 exhibiting companies like hotels, airline companies, tour operators and travel agencies of ASEAN countries and 466 buyers from ASEAN, Asia, Europe and the United States of America occupying an exhibition area of 8430 sqm," Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon said.

International buyers with a keen interest to buy ASEAN destinations, products and services enjoyed doing so at ATF TRAVEX as the event presented the widest and most comprehensive selection of ASEAN travel choices – offered by small to large suppliers.

ATF 2011 also continued to be a widely publicized event by both trade and consumer media, with 148 media delegates from across 32 countries in attendance.


Highlights of the ASEAN TOURISM FORUM 2011

Direct Flights Between Yangon in Myanmar and Siem Reap in Cambodia Set for Takeoff

Direct flights between Cambodia and Myanmar will start next month, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said. A twice-weekly service from Siem Reap to Yangon, to be operated by Myanmar Airways International, will start on February 23, he said after a signing ceremony during ASEAN Tourism

Direct flights were “about [creating] connectivity among ASEAN members to boost ASEAN tourism”, he said. Thong Khon and his Myanmar counterpart Soe Naing signed the agreement to officially launch the route.

The direct service brings closer two of ASEAN’s most veritable heritage sites, Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

The two nations began exploring direct flights in 2007, and Prime Minister Hun Sen and Myanmar Prime Minister U Thein Sein discussed the possibility of beginning direct flights at a Phnom Penh summit in November last year. Say Sokhan, civil aviation adviser to the Council of Ministers, said he welcomed the establishment of direct flights to Myanmar.

“This is the first time for both countries,” he said, expressing hopes the route would help both nations boost tourism. Cambodia received 2,614 visitors in 2010 who claimed Myanmar as their country of residence, according to Ministry of Tourism statistics.

Officials also requested that Russia and Japan begin regular direct flights to the Kingdom during the ASEAN Tourism Forum. “We are hopeful that if we have direct flights with Russia and Japan, tourists will increasingly come to our country,” said Thong Khon.


ASEAN Firs Five Year Tourism Roadmap and Regional Strategic Plan

Tourism ministers from the 10-nation ASEAN bloc endorsed a regional strategic plan for the sector during a meeting in prime minister Hun Sen's Phnom Penh office. The plan, which runs from 2011 to 2015, is intended to boost regional cooperation to ensure tourism growth within ASEAN, South Korea, China and Japan.

ASEAN’S first five-year tourism roadmap is taking off with a leaner and more integrated structure aimed at achieving the blueprint’s 86.7 million arrivals goal by 2015.

The ASEAN NTOs’ structure has been flattened to three working groups and two committees, from six taskforces and a committee previously. Many ASEAN NTOs interviewed at ATF 2011 said the previous taskforces had overlapping mandates and activities, reducing their effectiveness.

Under the new structure, the three working groups are product development headed by Malaysia, marketing and communications led by Thailand and quality led by the Philippines. Brunei is heading a budget and integration committee while Indonesia heads a tourism professional monitoring committee.

“We are convinced that, with close cooperation among the ASEAN nations and dialogue partners, we will be productive and the plan will be beneficial to all the members,” Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism Thong Khon, who chaired the meeting. As part of the strategy plan, he said, ASEAN members must strengthen tourism promotion and push development.

Mr. So Mara, Secretary of state of the Ministry of Tourism, added that the expansion and strengthening of tourism services could pave the way for better travel facilitation and connectivity in the region, “We must reaffirm our commitments for sustained ASEAN tourism cooperation. “The world has started recovering from the global economic downturn. We need to sustain ASEAN’s fame as the fastest growing tourism destination in the world.”

Mr. Tith Chantha, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, added that the region has the “most potential” of any destination in the world, but cooperation was necessary for development.


China, Japan, S Korea Support ASEAN's Tourism Plan

China, Japan and South Korea pledged to support ASEAN's five-year tourism strategic plan, said a joint media statement during the 10th ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea (ASEAN+3) tourism ministerial meeting. "The ministers from China, Japan and South Korea expressed their strong support for and willingness to provide assistance to ASEAN to successfully implement the ASEAN tourism strategic plan 2011-2015," read the statement.

The support was made after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) tourism ministers endorsed the strategic plan in the meeting of ASEAN tourism ministers. According to the statement, the strategic plan is to promote intra-ASEAN tourism marketing, to develop tourism products, to improve quality tourism, to build human resources development, and to attract investments for the sector.

"The three countries' support is very significant to achieve the strategic goal by 2015," Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon said.

According to the joint-statement, despite economic slowdown in 2009 and 2010, tourist arrivals of ASEAN+3 countries in 2010 remained resilient with more than 101 million arrivals, which is 14 percent growth compared to 2009. Of the figure, ASEAN countries attracted 65 million visitors, up 12 percent, with more than 10 million originating from China, Japan and South Korea.


ASEAN Travel Agents Gives Priority Towards Human Resource Development

THE FEDERATION of ASEAN Travel Association (FATA) has earmarked human resource development as one of its key priorities this year to nip the problem of staff poaching in the bud.

FATA president William Tan said: “Everyone of us (FATA members) is facing a shortage of trained staff. As a result, poaching is rampant.”

To tackle this, Tan said a request for funds had been submitted to the ASEAN Secretariat. “Once the request is approved, we will establish an online training portal that will list all available training courses that travel agencies can apply for. A committee will also be formed (to lead this initiative).”

Courses would be conducted in each ASEAN country and experienced industry practitioners would lead the lessons, said Tan.


ASEAN Countries Showing Interest Towards Russian Market

RUSSIAN outbound feed to the ASEAN region grew to 562,000 last year, from 458,000 in 2009, with Thailand receiving the bulk of Russian travelers, said Valery Korovkin, head, international department of Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism.

After a meeting between ASEAN NTOs and Russia at ATF 2011, Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports deputy permanent secretary Thanitta Maneechote said Russian arrivals to Thailand in 2010 leapt almost 100 per cent over 2009.

“Pattaya was the hot favourite for Russian tourists, but last year saw Phuket rising in popularity too. In fact, the Russian market became Phuket’s biggest source market, overtaking Scandinavia,” Thanitta said. “Seventy per cent of Russian tourists to Thailand are repeats. Many have been to Pattaya, so they are looking at other resort destinations in Thailand.”

Singapore Tourism Board senior director, international group, Kevin Leong, said Russian arrivals to Singapore also saw growth, although this was “modest compared to what Thailand saw”. The city-state had 7.9 per cent more Russian tourists between January and November 2010, compared to the same period in 2009.


First-Ever Air Link Creates India Breakthrough for the Philippines

The Philippines effort to nab a share of the Indian market, long stymied by an absence of air connectivity, is enjoying a turnaround as Indian buyers gear up for new six-weekly flights between Delhi and Manila.

Philippine Airlines will commence thrice-weekly direct services on March 27, to be followed the next day with three weekly Delhi-Manila services via Bangkok. The carrier will deploy an Airbus A320 with a passenger capacity of 302.

Mr. Arjun from Shroff International Travel Care from Philippines said this is a very positive growth between Philippines and Indian Tourism skies. He sees the tremendous growth between the two tourism giants and potential outbound tourism in the coming years. He also added, “Indian outbound tourism is growing so huge and it’s the best of the opportunity to catch at the right time and get the best of it.”

ASEAN Plans to Boost Cruise Tourism

Cruise tourism, encompassing incentive and other MICE sectors as well as the middle to upmarket leisure market, is on the increase in ASEAN waters. More foreign-flagged ships are evident in the region, both marquee and second-tier ports are looking to enhancements and national tourist offices are determined to seize the opportunity to take things a big step further.

In conjunction with ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011, the region’s tourism ministers gave a thumbs-up to NTO discussions which cover the feasibility of increased collaboration on cruise tourism. This is likely to see more collective promotion, as well as regional consultation on improving facilities, lobbying ship operators and developing more shore-based activities, including open-jaw sectors.

The Regional tourism ministers confirmed that the ASEAN Cruise Working Group would co-locate individual country booths at several major international cruise trade shows. This strategy will kick off at Cruise Shipping Miami 2011 (March 14-17), while other key collaborative events will include Cruise Shipping Asia 2011 in November.

The ministers noted that Southeast Asia held great potential for cruise tourism, saying that the joint marketing efforts would strengthen the region’s share of mind among key decision-makers in the cruise industry. Singapore is one port to have recorded a significant increase in foreign cruise visits and is expecting to build on this in the next Asian cruise season when AIDA Cruises begins using a larger 2500 passenger vessel, ‘AIDAdiva’, in the region.

Current AIDA Cruises vessels have contributed heavily to the recent increase in regional cruise business, as have ships operated by Hapag Lloyd, P&O and Compagnie du Ponant. Among other operators active in ASEAN waters are Cunard and Silversea.


The next ATF will take place from 9 to 15 January 2012 in Manado, in the Province of North Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Mysterious Mekong-A journey through the heart of Indochina

An exhibition of photographs by Reinhard Hohler will be on display at the brand-new SOFITEL PHNOM PENH PHOKEETHRA, starting on Saturday, January 15, 2011. The unique collection of photos is featuring the Mekong River, the longest river in Southeast Asia, which is more and more threatened by dam buildings and industrial development schemes.

Through his photographs, Reinhard Hohler attempts to give the visitor an in-depth perspective on the different geographical, historical and economic aspects of the Mekong River, which runs through the heart of Indo-China. The river should be protected accordingly.

The 72 photographs highlight the landscapes and scenery seen during an expedition in November 2002, which started in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan/China, passing through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, before ending in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The exhibition includes photos marking the group’s visit to the gravesite of the famous French explorer Henri Mouhot in Luang Prabang, the transfer of the group’s hovercraft around the scenic Khon Falls on the Lao-Cambodia border as well as a side trip to the ruins of Angkor. When the expedition had finally arrived in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, there was the first continuous navigation of the Mekong River successfully completed.

Reinhard Hohler, 60, is an experienced tour director and media travel consultant in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. He was born in Karlsruhe/Germany, a port on Europe’s Rhine River. After studying geology in his hometown and ethnology, geography and political science at Heidelberg University, Reinhard Hohler moved to Thailand and lives in Chiang Mai since 1987.

The venue SOFITEL PHNOM PENH PHOKEETHRA is a 12-storey colonial French style hotel and occupies 12 hectares in a prime, riverside location, near the British International School and amidst a burgeoning neighborhood of upscale villas.

The 5-star hotel is located just downstream of Phnom Penh’s Royal Palace and introduces nine new restaurants and bars to the city. Also, it houses Asia’s first, Sofitel-branded So Spa, Asia’s first purpose-built executive club, Club Millesime, and an impressive 1,800-square meter ballroom.
Its fitness club, the Phokeethra Sports Complex, features tennis courts and squash courts as well as an outdoor swimming pool, a kid’s club, and fitness equipment.

For more information, please contact Area General Manager
Mr. Didier Lamoot, Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra by phone +855 23 999 200, Fax: +855 23 999 211, Mobile: +855 12 980 011 or e-mail: DIDIER.LAMOOT@SOFITEL.COM

Mr. Reinhard Hohler at sara@cmnet.co.th

IT&CM China 2011 - Leading China's Next MICE's Wave

Bringing together Chinese and International MICE Exhibitors and Buyers in one dynamic marketplace.

Since 2007, IT&CM China has established itself as China's leading professional Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) business and networking event dedicated to "Promoting China to the World and the World to China".
The quantum growth of the show over the last four years is testimony to China's appeal as the World's next MICE powerhouse - realising the possibility that the future of the MICE industry might eventually result in two distinct markets: China and the rest of the world.
IT&CM China is a spin-off from IT&CM Asia, the region's premier meetings and incentive travel show. For 18 years, IT&CM Asia has played a vital role in promoting the Asia-Pacific region as a MICE destination, as well as a source for MICE visitors.

Delivering The Best Return On Investment In Business, Learning And Play
Business
32 Business Appointments. Guaranteed.
Exhibitors are entitled to 32 appointments per 9sqm (Corporate) or 6sqm (NTO/CVB) space booked, while each buyer is awarded with 32 appointment sessions. This translates to at least 32 new sales leads for each exhibiting company or buyer. Best of all, we apply our proven match-making formula to ensure you maximise your chances of finding a suitable business partner.

MICE Exhibition
A diverse showcase featuring the best of international and Chinese MICE brands sought-after by both buyers from around the world and across China. Expect to meet representatives from destinations, hospitality, venues, entertainment, transportation, technology and more.

LearningSeminar Sessions
IT&CM China organises a total of nine seminar sessions including the opening keynote address. Topics cover a multitude of pertinent and practical MICE and general business topics that delegates can immediately apply to that workplace.

Play
Networking Functions
All delegates are invited to official events such as the Opening Ceremony & Welcome Dinner where they are treated to Chinese hospitality at its best. These networking functions are perfect to connect with the industry in a casual setting, wine, dine and simply just let loose. In addition, Buyers and Media are invited to hosted luncheons by our sponsors during the business days.
ToursPre-Show Shanghai and Post-Show "Presenting City"
Giving buyers and media the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and delights that the host destination has to offer. Participants take away a stronger understanding and conviction that enables them to promote these destinations effectively.
For More details, Please check the event site: www.itchmchina.com

Cambodia Geared To Host An Unforgettable Event – ASEAN TOURISM FORUM (ATF) 2011

This year’s ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) TRAVEX (Travel Exchange) 2011 registered an overwhelming response, with over 500 exhibition booths fully sold. All ten member-nations will be well-represented at this annual leisure travel trade event which showcases the largest contingent of ASEAN destination products and services.

While some 1,000 buyers have registered their interest to source at the event, only 400 have been selected to attend under a privileged hosting programme. Buyer profile this year includes delegates from Asia-Pacific (55 per cent), Europe (37 per cent) and the rest of the world.

A total of 1,600 delegates are expected at this year’s ATF 2011. His Excellency So Mara, Secretary of State, Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia remarked, “ASEAN is one of the few regions in the world that offers a lot of tourism value in the international market. Demand for ASEAN will continue to grow and we can see that in the increasing interest of international buyers and proliferation of ASEAN products and services at the upcoming ATF.”

ATF 2011 marks the event’s 30th anniversary. ASEAN member-nation Cambodia, will host ATF 2011 in Phnom Penh from 15 to 21 January. ATF TRAVEX, the 3-day travel trade mart component of the event will take place from 19 to 21 January at the Diamond Island Convention & Exhibition Centre. His Excellency Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia and Chairman of ATF 2011 Host Committee, said “This year’s theme ‘A World of Wonders and Diversity’ embodies everything that Cambodia has to offer as a compelling destination. We look forward to welcoming all ATF participants and international delegates to the Kingdom of Cambodia. We have taken great pride to create plenty of opportunities for them to discover our country’s rich cultural, natural and historical heritage.”

Business appointments and meetings which encompass the majority of delegates’ schedules over the 3-days are just some of the many highlights that ATF 2011 will offer. ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) – the educational front of ATF – will feature topics such as Ecotourism and Sustainable tourism in the ASEAN region as well as managing tourism in destinations which are home to Heritage Sites. Invited speakers hail from global institutions such as United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Global Sustainable Tourism Council and will engage the audience through thought-provoking sessions and interactive panel discussions on key issues in ASEAN tourism today.

ATF 2011 is also poised as an event with bountiful networking opportunities, teeing off with the ever-popular game of golf at the Royal Cambodia Phnom Penh Golf Course.


Hosted by The Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia, the ATF 2011 Opening Ceremony is set to be a spectacular event featuring some 500 local and foreign performers in traditional and contemporary performances. The Ministry is also pulling out all stops to ensure a feast for the senses with a strong play on the latest pyrotechnics and sound effects technology. Delegates can also look forward to a stunning 30 minutes fireworks highlight.


Over the 3 days, delegates can wine, dine and enjoy the company of their peers at several hosted luncheons, dinners as well as at 3 late night functions at Nagaworld, Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra.

Pre-show city tours of Phnom Penh and post-show tours to popular Cambodian destinations such as Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk and Koh Kong are also available to hosted buyers and media delegates.

About ATF 2011

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination. ATF TRAVEX is the longest-running annual ASEAN leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN sellers. This annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 ASEAN member nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each year, the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. Cambodia will host ATF 2011 and is all geared up to welcome over 1,600 delegates which includes 400 international buyers and 100 international media. ATF 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981.

Quick Facts:
2011 ATF Dates:15 to 21 January 2011
Venue: Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
For more information, please check the website www.atfcambodia.com

India Gives Visa-On-Arrival to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Philippines

The Indian government’s year-long experiment with visa-on-arrival (VOA) facilities has been extended and expanded for 2011. Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines have been added to the list that already includes Japan, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore.

Nationals from the four additional countries will be eligible for VOA to India from January 1. From January to September this year, India issued 4,493 VOAs, with Singaporean nationals topping the tally. Shroff International Travel Care Philippines managing director Arjun Shroff believed the VOA for Filipinos might make travel to India more convenient but would not necessarily open the floodgates. “The real traffic booster would be Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) nonstop Manila-Delhi flights from March. These cut travel time down from 13 hours with several connections to just six hours. They can open up the weekend market from the Philippines. In this respect, the VOA comes in handy,” said Shroff. PAL will start servicing the Manila-Delhi sector from March 27 next year with six flights a week. Three of the flights will be nonstop between the two capital cities while the other three will be coursed via Bangkok. Then again, hidden in the fineprint of India’s VOA facility are a number of restrictions. Eligible tourists can only avail of the VOA two times in a year and are still subject to the ruling on a two-month gap between tourist visits. V K Singh, first secretary of the Indian High Commission in Singapore, explained that tourists could re-enter India once or twice within two months if they engaged in “neighbourhood tourism”, which he defined as “using India as a hub to visit one or two countries in the area”. He, however, declined to specify what destinations constituted a “neighbouring country”, saying the matter would be determined on a case-to-case basis.

On the other side Mr. Ho Vandy, Co Chair of the Cambodia Tourism Working group and Managing Director of World Express Travel & Tours appreciated the move and said that this will definately boost the tourism between India and Cambodia and ease of travel to Buddhist Tourism in India. Mr. Ang Kim Eang, President of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents ( CATA ) and Managing Director of Great Angkor Tours also shared the appreciation remarks towards the strong tourism tie ups and expressed that this will help him to promote the Buddhist Tourism in India for his clients and customers.

To boost ASEAN INDIA tourism, Asean would also establish a promotional chapter for tourism in Mumbai. India would be hosting the commemorative India-Asean summit in India 2012

Visa-Free Arrangement Signed by Thailand and Cambodia

The visa-free arrangement signed by Thailand and Cambodia in October is expected to thaw previously frosty ties between the neighbours and boost cross-border traffic. From mid-December, Cambodian passport holders will be given 14-day visa-free stays in Thailand and vice versa. Currently, Cambodian and Thai nationals have to obtain visas from the respective embassy or consulate. Thai nationals though can get a US$20 visa-on-arrival for 30 days at Cambodia’s international checkpoints. Angkor T K Travel and Tours managing director Chaiyapruk Phumimuang said Thailand had been back on Cambodians’ radar in recent months. “We are overwhelmed with bookings from Thailand for the Thai Father’s Day long weekend (December 4 to 6). Siem Reap could run out of Thai-speaking guides if the current pace of booking continues.”Tui Ruteen, First Travel Cambodia’s managing director, said the pact would reestablish Thailand as a medical tourism destination for Cambodians who had shifted to visa-free countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia for medical treatments. Arrival numbers between the two countries fell by an average of nine per cent this year.

Shanghai World Expo 2010 - Largest Ever World Fair

Event leaves Shanghai with new MICE and leisure facilities, infrastructure upgrades.

1 How will the Shanghai World Expo 2010 be remembered? As the largest-ever world fair. More than 200 countries and organisations created architecturally-diverse pavilions to showcase their culture, arts, technology and commerce to a primarily Chinese audience.
Organisers targeted 70 million visitors between May 1 and October 31 and, in the end, 73.1 million came, a new world record for the World Expo.
The Belgian pavilion reported an average of 40,000 visitors per day during the expo, while the Expo Performance Centre, which will be rebranded as the Mercedes Benz Arena after the expo, handled “more than 1.1 million performance tickets in the first five months of the expo,” said Giulia Zhu, spokesperson of AEG-OPG Culture and Sports Ltd., which manages the venue.
2 Who came? Who participated? Meeting the 70 million visitors target required unprecedented public support from within China, and key visits from foreign statesmen and celebrities helped boost interest.
“The World Expo brought a great deal of state visits and foreign delegations as well as domestic tourists to Shanghai. We had VIP visits by (California governor) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Princess Mashael Bint Mohammed (of Saudi Arabia), President (Nicolas) Sarkozy of France, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland,” said Gottfried Bogensperger, general manager of Hyatt on the Bund.
Also in attendance were Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and India’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who headed a trade delegation of more than 70 companies.
Other notable inclusions during the expo included Copenhagen’s famous Little Mermaid statue, master artworks by Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne, and celebrities.
3 What is the constructive legacy for the city? Shanghai now has two enlarged and upgraded international airports, a cruise port, new luxury hotels and a 13-line metro network.
Some Expo pavilions will be refurbished as meetings, convention and entertainment venues, and the Bund was re-landscaped to remove much of the traffic and enlarge the riverside boardwalk and public spaces.
The city’s pre-expo construction boom is set to continue. Shanghai Disneyland should break ground before year-end in Pudong, while China’s tallest building, the 121-storey Shanghai Tower, is under construction in the Lujiazui financial district.
New, super high-speed train routes are being rolled out, with a 38-minute Shanghai-Hangzhou service launched in October, and the 350kph Shanghai-Beijing service, which would take four hours to travel end to end, scheduled for a 2012 launch.
4 What are the city’s post-Expo objectives? Shanghai plans to utilise the multi-billion-dollar pre-expo investment in conventions, transport and entertainment infrastructure to diversify its MICE economy.
“The expo has given us opportunities to undertake more MICE business, and we’re going to be involved in more international hosting bids,” said Patrick Chen, deputy director of international tourism promotion for the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration.
Upcoming events include the International Council of Museums Triennial Conference in November, FINA Swimming World Championships in 2012, and the International Congress and Convention Association Annual Meeting in 2013.
5 How will Shanghai balance corporate and leisure travel? Underlying demand for business travel to Shanghai is predicted to remain strong, but the city’s hyperactive hotel pipeline is a major challenge.
“Compared with a yearly average increase of five per cent of visitors to Shanghai, the 20 per cent yearly increase of new hotels and meeting facilities is way too much as there will be no event as big as the expo in the next decade,” Chen said.
“We’re going to further cooperate with the Fédération Internationale des Journalistes et Ecrivains du Tourisme.
“Shanghai held the 51st FIJET Congress in 2009 and will...invite more tourism journalists and publications to Shanghai and promote the city as a leisure destination.”

By Gary Bowerman

ATF 2011 Phnom Penh exceeds already all of our forecasts in terms of success

Interview with Mr. SO MARA, State Secretary, Cambodia Ministry of Tourism

Cambodia will play host to the ASEAN Travel Forum next January for the second time in its history. Phnom Penh is getting ready to provide a memorable welcome to all delegates as explained by His Excellency So Mara, Secretary of State, Cambodia Ministry of Tourism.

How does the preparation of the ASEAN Travel Forum (ATF) look?

I am very pleased to say that we can already see all the signs of success even before we started to send the invitation to hosted buyers and media. We first thought that we would get 350 sellers. We then planned to have 400 sellers, but now we already received more than 480 requests. We have now to find solutions to accommodate all the requests and look at ways to expand the exhibition area to welcome more sellers. We are now in discussion with the Organizing Committee, as well as with the owners of Diamond Island Convention & Exhibition Center, ATF['s] main venue for the mart. For the buyers and media, we expect to host 400 buyers and 100 media. And we already received over 860 registrations. We might increase now the total number of hosted buyers with the deadline for final approval being set up for the first week of November.

What will the Ministry in Phnom Penh do to welcome ATF delegates?

We want to give a lasting memory to delegates about Cambodia’s traditional sense of welcome. We already blocked 1,500 rooms in Phnom Penh for the event with new prestigious venues including the brand new Sofitel Phnom Penh or Diamond Island Convention & Exhibition Center. All official meetings with ASEAN Ministers of tourism + 5 [China, India, Korea, Japan, and Russia] as well as with the tourism representatives from Saudi Arabia and UAE, will be hosted in the brand new Council of Ministers building, which is equipped with the latest high-tech facilities. This will be the first time that such meetings will take place in an official government’s building. Among the highlights, all ministers will receive a courtesy call from our Prime Minister and be granted an audience with our King. For all delegates, we prepare a lot of surprises, including the presence of world-famous VIPs and stars.

What do you expect from the ATF in terms of image benefits?

We first expect to show that Cambodia is fully back on the world tourism stage and that it is a must-see destination along [with] all other ASEAN countries. ATF gives us the opportunity to show that Cambodia is today at peace and a safe destination, thanks to strong political stability under the current government. We hope also to highlight that Cambodia offers a great diversity of holiday opportunities. Beyond the iconic temples of Angkor, which remains our country’s “signature,” the Kingdom of Cambodia is also a premier destination for beach tourism or eco-tourism.

How far has Cambodia tourism come this year?

We are likely to reach a new record in tourist arrivals. In 2009, we recorded a moderate growth of 1.7 percent to 2.16 million travelers. Until August of this year, total arrivals are up by 14.6 percent. We now forecast 2.42 million travelers for 2010 and estimate that tourist arrivals should reach 2.75 million in 2011. A very positive trend is Siem Reap. After two years of stagnation, international arrivals at Siem Reap airport were up by almost 17 percent from January to August 2010.

Do you try to diversify Cambodia's image by promoting new destinations?

Our three main destinations for visitors are Siem Reap/Angkor temples, Phnom Penh, and Sihanoukville in the south. However, we want to create a new icon along our coastal area as we believe that we have some of the best pristine beaches in Southeast Asia. We indeed look to qualify one of our beaches as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. We want also to put more emphasis on eco-tourism, especially in the northeastern provinces of our country where rare animals and endangered flora species can still be discovered and observed. There are also other secondary destinations we want to push up such as Kep/Kampot as a beach resort destination or Preah Vihar temple for cultural tourism. We just completed a road to the temple, making it an easy destination, only two hours away from Siem Reap.
Source: etn

New Air France Service Phnom Penh - Paris Starting 27th March 2011

Air France is pleased to inform that the French flag carrier will begin operating a new service between Phnom Penh and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Starting 27th March 2011, the three weekly flights between Phnom Penh and Paris will be operated via Bangkok by Airbus A340-300 equipped with 275 seats and three classes (30 seats in Business Class, 21 in Premium Voyageur, and 224 in Voyageur-Economy), and subsequently by Boeing 777-200 equipped with 309 seats.

Flight schedules between Phnom Penh and Paris have been designed to offer convenient connections via Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport to/from other cities worldwide:

Phnom Penh – Paris (in local time):
Flight number AF273, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Departing at 20.15, arriving in Bangkok at 21.30
Departing to Paris on same day at 22.55, arriving at 06.10 the following day
Paris – Phnom Penh (in local time):
Flight number AF274, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Departing at 19.30, arriving in Bangkok at 11.50 the following day
Departing to Phnom Penh on same day at 13.20, arriving at 14.35

Customers can start booking and buy this new service from now on.

Air France KLM General Manager for Mekong, Mr Luc Delaplace outlines:
“By resuming flights between Phnom Penh and Paris, Air France not only demonstrates its confidence in the economic potential of Cambodia, but also its determination to further develop strong regional presence in Mekong, like in Thailand and Vietnam.

Thus, Air France becomes the only network carrier operating between Cambodia and Europe.”

Media Contacts:
Regional: Mrs Nahathai Pungtongdee
Napungtongdee@airfrance.fr
+66 (0)2 680 9692

AF Head Office: AF Communication Department
corporate.airfrance.com
+33(0)1 41 56 56 00

International tourist numbers to Indonesia are growing

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago with a population of over 230 people. Its natural beauty and cultural wealth spread within its 17,508 islands hold limitless appeal and is a heaven for international tourists. Looking at results for the first seven months of 2010, remarkable growth rates were achieved in markets such as Australia, Middle East and China, but Indonesia’s biggest incoming markets remain Singapore and Malaysia. Altogether, the country is looking to get some seven million international tourists this year.

During the official press conference at IT&CMA 2010 event in Bangkok on October 6, Mr. Sapta Nirwandar, Director General for Marketing, Ministry of Culture & Tourism, revealed that there is a Visit Year fever not ready to recede over the coming years. Thus, not only the island of Batam has launched its Visit Year 2010, but also the island group of Bangka Belitung. On Borneo Island, both provinces of South Kalimantan and West Kalimantan are organizing a Visit Year to attract more travelers. Already in planning for 2011 are a Visit Central Java and Visit Year of Makassar in South Sulawesi followed by a Visit Year of Lombok-Sumbawa in 2012.

Interesting to note is that the Ministry of Culture & Tourism has turned 2010 into a Visit Museum Year by hoping to make these places of knowledge and culture more attractive to international tourists. Certainly, one of the most interesting museums in Indonesia is the National Museum in Jakarta with its outstanding art collection.

Other important museums in Jakarta are located around Fatahillah Square such as the Museum of History, the Wayang Puppets Museum or the Maritime Museum. Also, there is the Komodo Museum located at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Indonesia’s cultural theme park near the capital.

Across the islands, other interesting museums not to be missed are Le Mayeur Museum in Ubud and the National Museum in Denpasar in Bali, the Batik Museum in Yogjakarta, Botanical Museum in Bogor Botanical Garden, as well as the Peranakan Museum in Medan on Sumatra Island. The Fort Rotterdam Museum in Makassar on Sulawesi Island owns a priceless collection of porcelain ware.

For further information, please go to: www.museum.indonesia.net

The annual Tourism Indonesia Mart & Expo (TIME) was successfully held in Lombok on October 12-15, 2010 and offered delegates Indonesia under one roof.

The event featured most of Indonesia’s tourist attractions and is the best and most effective means for buyers from all over the world to experience and understand the ultimate diversity of Indonesia, which is home to some 480 ethnic groups that live harmoniously together. Next year, TIME will be in Manado, North Sulawesi.

To maximize its huge tourism potential, Indonesia has continuously upgraded the tourist, transportation and telecommunication infrastructures and facilities. Especially in all MICE destinations, meeting and exhibition venues as well as accommodation facilities and services rank as one of the best in the world. These MICE destinations offer maximum prime space, latest technology and manpower support. With the setting up of the government body of an ambitious MICE Directorate in 2007, meetings and incentives players worldwide can also look forward to a government that is pro-active in supporting MICE events. The top 10 MICE destinations are:

1. Jakarta: The dynamic capital has a total of 920,327 square meters of meeting and exhibition space, huge shopping malls, 32,552 hotel rooms and 2,011 restaurants. The city has a population of 9 million people and is well known for its historical places, cultural heritage, and vibrant nightlife.
2. Bali: The magical island is one of the most exotic and diverse destinations in the world with an impressive range of international standard meeting facilities. Bali has 53,000 hotel rooms and a variation of conference venues, such as in Nusa Dua, Kuta or Sanur.
3. Yogjakarta: As a city of tradition and culture, Yogjakarta is re-known for its traditional and modern arts. Today, the friendliness of the people and its brilliant cultural and natural attractions, just to name the Sultan’s palace, Buddhist and Hindu monuments, create an inspiring environment for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.
4. Surakarta (better known as Solo): The place is home of many classic sites and is located close to the famous Prambanan temples. Mountain volcanoes decorate the city panorama and tourists can enjoy some colorful festivals all year round.
5. Surabaya: The industrial city has all the MICE facilities needed plus an extra Javanese touch. All top hotels can handle big events and have experienced multi-skilled and multi-lingual staff to ensure everything runs well.
6. Medan: Considering its importance as an administrative and financial center in the north of Sumatra, not to mention the nearby scenic Lake Toba, Medan equips itself with modern convention facilities, infrastructure and international standard accommodation in a bid to attract MICE visitors.
7. Padang & Bukittingi: West Sumatra is one of the most beautiful areas of Indonesia. Due to its scenic wealth and rich cultural heritage and a combination of idyllic surroundings and growing facilities and infrastructure, Padang & Bukittingi are becoming the perfect locations for both leisure and business trips as well as an attractive MICE destination.
8. Batam: Given its strategic location near to Singapore and rich natural beauty, the island is also transforming itself into as sophisticated recreation ground for international tourists. Batam now turns its attention to improving its infrastructure, convention facilities and supporting services to become Indonesia’s next attractive MICE destination.
9. Makassar: As an important and busy port town in South Sulawesi, Makassar is well versed with the art of welcoming visitors. Moreover, enjoying rapid physical developments in terms of infrastructure and facilities, Makassar is now more than ready to take on the role as a MICE destination and has a lot to offer to international tourists.
10. Manado: As the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, Manado is a bustling picture-perfect seaside city with its glimpses of emerald hills and the azure blue ocean. With a new international standard convention facility built in 2009, Manado will become very quickly the new MICE destination in Indonesia.
By Media Travel Consultant, Reinhard Hohler

Redefining M.I.C.E. in Asia - IT&CMA 2010

IT&CMA and CTW 2010 Delivers Quality Buyers, Travel Managers and a Wider Selection of MICE Sellers

Under the theme "Redefining M.I.C.E. (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) the 18th Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) and the 13th Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia Pacific has been successfully held again at the Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Thailand during October 5-7, 2010.

Some 483 buyers from 54 countries met 780 exhibitors at the show, which was useful to showcase the important potential of a booming MICE market in Thailand and beyond. Altogether, there were 2340 registered delegates at the annual event proving to the world that you still can believe in Thailand in the wake of sometime of political upheavals.

The double-bill got the greatest co-operation and support from TTG Asia Media from Singapore and Thai Airways International (TG), which celebrates its 50th year’s anniversary of its founding as the national airline of the Kingdom of Thailand this year.

It was up to Mr. Akapol Sorasuchart, President, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, to introduce the flagship organization of TCEB with its new logo of "Believe in Thailand." In 2010 alone, some 628,653 foreign visitors are expected to come to Thailand for MICE events, which equals to more than 400 conventions and exhibitions been hold and these will generate an estimated 45,560 million baht income for the country.

There were seven officials hotels and ten supporting hotels such as the Centara Grand, Intercontinental, Grand Hyatt Erawan and the Ambassador Hotel in Bangkok among others to host some 142 international media delegates from 35 countries.

Also, the opening ceremony called "Thailand...The Living Art Gallery" was hosted by TCEB at the centrally located Plaza Athenee Bangkok Hotel. Two late night functions were held in the Conrad Bangkok and the Shangri-La Hotel. Outstanding was the hosted networking dinner by the Seoul Tourism Organization "Seoul on the Move: Sound & Flavor" on October 6 in the evening at the World Ballroom of the Centara Grand Hotel.

Pre-show activities on October 4 were offered to the delegates, who explored Bangkok on an afternoon half-day tour by having an option to cycle around Bangkok, visiting the famous flower market, the Dusit Zoo, or enjoying Wat Po together with the nearby traditional Medical and Massage School.

Well attended media briefings were given by the Airports of Thailand (AOT), Egypt Tourism Office, TCEB, and the newly established Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (AACVB), comprising the China National Tourist Office, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Korea Tourism Organization, Macau Government Tourist Office, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation and Singapore Tourism Board. Other media briefings were held by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and Indonesia Tourism Board.

Visiting the exhibition hall, I came across the following new travel products worth keeping in mind for the future (in alphabetical order):

- Arosa Travel Service, Bangkok, Thailand
- Bintan Lagoon Resort, Singapore
- Dusit Thani Hotel, Manila, Philippines
- Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand
- Nikko Bali Resort and Spa, Bali, Indonesia
- Phuket Jet Tour, Phuket, Thailand
- Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16, Macau, China
- Sri Lankan Airlines, Bangkok Office, Thailand
- Sutera Harbour Resort & Spa, Sabah, Malaysia
- The Empire Hotel & Country Club, Brunei

The last day of the show saw the 9th Sticky Awards Lunch and the TTG Travel Awards in the evening, which was by invitation only. Post-tours for the delegates were offered to Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi and Chiang Rai.
By: Reinhard Hohler, Media Travel Consultant

Open skies: Cambodia-India Air Link Considered

India has urged Cambodia to open direct flights between the two countries in a bid to boost tourism.

“One of the best catalysts to promote tourist traffic between the two countries would be the establishment of a direct air link between India and Cambodia,” Indian President Paratibha Devisingh Patil said at an India-Cambodia business meeting last week. “This would open possibilities of attractive tour packages and also significantly reduce travel time.”

The proposal is now being considered by Cambodian officials.

Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the Secretariat of State of Civil Aviation, Long Chheng, welcomed the initiative, citing the potential for increased bonds between the two countries and economic benefits. Director General of Tourism Ministry Tith Chan Tha, expected that the two countries would take part in further discussions on the issue.

A Tourism Ministry report showed that the number of Indian tourists visiting Cambodia rose about 4 percent in the first half of the year, to a modest 6,238 from 6,000 in the same period of 2009.

Mohan Gunti, Advisor for Cambodia’s Association of Travel Agents (CATA), said that there is potential for expansion because of the Kingdom’s rich Heritage.

Indian President Pratibha Patil was on a 6 day state visit to Cambodia, on which she was accompanied by a 45-member business delegation with representatives from the CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI.

FILM TOURISM: Films are indeed a fantastic vehicle to promote a Destination

Bollywood & Destination Tourism
The past 50 years have stood as a solid proof of the fact that Bollywood has always had a large influence on the Indian traveller’s choice of destination. Within Rajasthan, a few Hollywood and Bollywood films are known to have been set here because of its heritage offerings. Apart from the palaces, temples, museums, forts and havelis, the forests of Ranthambore, Bharatpur, Ramgarh and the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer have also been popular. The blend of hills, lakes and desert make Rajasthan a paradise for film makers. To fully capitalise on this form of tourism, the state needs to develop state-of-the-art studios and film training institutes.

For shoots in Rajasthan, films are now exempt from entertainment tax, to the extent of 50 per cent for a period of one year subject to the condition that the film does not have anything which is against communal harmony and national integration, and that the film doesn't have any objectionable scenes in it. The producer of the film is required to submit, in advance, copies of the shooting schedule to the director, art and culture and the deputy secretary, finance (tax) Department, Government of Rajasthan. Also, the minimum 50 per cent of the film time of the needs to be shot in the state of Rajasthan and be verified by a committee comprising the director, art and culture, the director, public relations and the deputy secretary, finance (tax) department.

Within the country, before major shoots began to happen on foreign shores, Patnitop in Kashmir had become a major honeymooner's resort due to the love songs picturised in the cinema of the sixties and seventies and remained so till the terror of early 90s bared its fangs. People from all over India used to throng to Mumbai and head to Marine Drive and Chowpatty which symbolised Mumbai in films. Internationally too, Switzerland’s exposure in Indian films made it the hottest destination for Indian tourists for almost 40 years, one could even have Indian meals with a menu in Indian languages. Kaho Na Pyaar Hai made in 2000, became a hit and the NZ Tourism saw an unprecedented wave of Indian tourists making them expand their immigration counter area from 500 square feet to 5,000 square feet. In India, the most sought after locations remain Rajasthan, Goa and Kerala. Though India has the most varied of natural locations, forts, and palaces, the logistics in some locations are not film friendly.

Films are indeed a fantastic vehicle to promote a destination. One, they are free advertising for the destination; two, they are not accompanied by the hard-sell factor of official media campaigns; three, they reach a wide target audience and four, they address deep, intrinsic feelings and connect them with a real place. In terms of promotion value, for around 40 per cent of potential international visitors to the UK, the destination image is influenced by films. In terms of visitation, there has been an increase of around four to six per cent of film-induced visitors who actually visit specific film locations in the UK. Film tourism is still neglected by many destination marketers despite the fact that media-induced tourism is a growing trend.

Bollywood, as it has come to be revered as, has been going places, quite literally. And in its wake, apart from generating eyeballs, the footfalls in the respective countries that the films have been shot at have multiplied over time. Their success can undoubtedly be attributed to the swelling fan following both from domestic audiences and from NRI pockets.

Film tourism is about to establish itself as a powerful destination marketing tool on one hand and as a niche tourism product on the other hand (e.g. film location products). Regions that have already recognised the power of films for tourism and have encashed on it are Great Britain, Australia (the film Australia), New Zealand (Lord of the Rings and others), regions in the US, Tyrol in Austria, the city of Salzburg (The Sound of Music) and Scotland (Braveheart, Rob Roy, etc). Regions that should start looking into film tourism are the Scandinavian countries, Germany and France.

The growing tourism destinations like Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar & Indonesia in ASEAN region can benefit too from Bollywood Tourism.

Kingdom of Cambodia to Host ASEAN TOURISM FORUM (ATF 2011)

The Kingdom of Cambodia will host the upcoming 30th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2011) to be held at the newly-built Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center in the capital Phnom Penh from January 15-21, 2011. The theme of ATF 2011 is 'ASEAN – A World of Wonders and Diversity'. Quoting a message from Dr Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, the Kingdom of Cambodia and the chairman of ATF 2011 Host Committee, Pan Chantra, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Tourism, the Kingdom of Cambodia told, "ATF 2011 will offer a golden opportunity for all participants to discuss the development regional and individual tourism products of ASEAN member countries. It is also a cooperative regional effort to promote ASEAN, a world of wonders and diversity, as a single tourism destination. ATF 2011 will be a great platform for both sellers and buyers to meet and exchange business through Seller-Meet-Buyer (SMB) and Buyer-Meet-Seller (BMS) sessions." ATF is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination. This annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 member nations of ASEAN, namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mr. Pan Chantra said that though the main objective of ATF 2011 is to attract more tourists to ASEAN member countries and promote intra-ASEAN travel, but several Indian tour operators and travel agents are likely to attend the SMB and BMS sessions as more and more Indian tourists are visiting these ASEAN nations. Chantra was in Kolkata recently to attend a travel and tourism exposition, as head of a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism, the Kingdom of Cambodia. He said that there is huge interest among the Indian tourists about the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
source: Indian Express - expresstravelworld

Indian President Pitches for Cooperation in India-Cambodia Tourism Sector

Indian President Pratibha Patil today said there was tremendous potential for both India and Cambodia in the tourism sector and emphasised on the need for a direct air link between the two countries.

“For Indians, South Asia is an important travel destination. In this context, I would like to mention that India-Cambodia tourism trade has tremendous potential for expansion”.

"I am also told that a large number of Cambodian tourists travel to India for pilgrimage purposes....One of the best catalysts to promote tourist traffic between the two countries would be the establishment of a direct air link between India and Cambodia," Patil said at the India-Cambodia Business Forum meeting here.

She said that this would open possibilities of attractive tour packages and also significantly reduce travel time.

Patil said the two countries could collaborate with each other, especially in the field of mining, oil and gas, hydropower, infrastructure, tourism among others.

Agriculture can be another area of mutual growth, she added.

The Indian president said Information Technology and IT enabled services could be worth exploring.

"I am glad that an Indian bank - Bank of India - is now cooperating in Cambodia. This will help facilitate business between the two countries," she said.

She appreciated the fact that bilateral trade between the two countries had reached approximately USD 50 million with pharmaceuticals being the dominating item of India''s export basket.

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2011 TRAVEX Promises To Be A Sell-Out Event

ATF 2011 TRAVEX recorded strong interest and rapid take-up rate early in its registration process. To date, exhibitors have snapped up more booths than initially expected. This 2011 ASEAN leisure travel trade event showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN destination products and services will also feature a larger show with 25% more booths space than last year.

More than 70% of the 450 available booth space has already been secured by some 240 exhibiting companies from across the 10 ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Buyer registrations have also been overwhelming with more than 600 applications received from across the world. Only 400 of the best buyers will be selected to attend the event under a privileged hosting programme.

With regards to the buoyant interest for ATF 2011, Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia and Permanent Vice-Chairman of ATF 2011 Organizing Committee explains, “Improving market optimism aside, a significant part of this year’s interest also has to do with the appeal of Cambodia as a destination. International delegates are motivated to experience the country’s rich cultural, natural and historical heritage.”

Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia believes that the country will be represented at the event in a big way this 2011. More than 800 participants from across Cambodia’s tourism industry gathered for the ATF 2011 event preview at Nagaworld in Phnom Penh on 31 August 2010. The purpose of the preview was to promote, increase awareness and encourage all Cambodian tourism stakeholders to participate at the upcoming ATF 2011. The event preview was presided by His Excellency Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of ATF 2011 Organizing Committee. The guest list included the country’s movers and shakers such as top government officials from the various ministries and heads of foreign missions. A large number of hotel owners and general managers were also present.

Host country, Kingdom of Cambodia, began its marketing efforts to tantalise the industry’s travel professionals at the last ATF 2010 closing ceremony by pulling out all stops to deliver a sumptuous and entertaining evening complete with a gastronomic and cultural showcase. Delegates enjoyed a sneak preview of what they can look forward to at ATF 2011 in Phnom Penh.

Scheduled from 19 to 21 January 2011, the three-day ATF 2011 TRAVEX will be held at Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center located along the Bassac River. Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia will host the event’s Opening and Closing Ceremony, which promises to be even more spectacular than its 2010 preview. Delegates will also be thrilled to network in the company of their fellow industry colleagues and wind down at the end of a business work day at not two but three late night social events organised by Nagaworld, Fairmont/Raffles/Swissotel/TTG Asia and Pattaya City/Sofitel/TTG Asia respectively.

More information on the event’s programme will be made available in the upcoming months. Registrations for exhibitors, buyers and media are still open online at http://www.atfcambodia.com/ More information on ATF 2011 can also be found at the event website.

About ATF 2011
ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination. ATF TRAVEX is the longest-running annual ASEAN leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN sellers. This annual event involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 ASEAN member nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each year, the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. Cambodia will host ATF 2011 and is all geared up to welcome over 1,600 delegates which includes 400 international buyers and 100 international media. ATF 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981.

2011 TRAVEX Dates: 19 to 21 January 2011
Venue: Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Media Contact
Cheryl Tan [ cheryl.tan@ttgasia.com ]
TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd
Organiser Website: www.ttgasiamedia.com