ID :
86712
Thu, 10/29/2009 - 14:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/86712
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M'SIA NEEDS TO TAP MICE BUSINESS POTENTIAL TO THE FULLEST
FROM MANIK MEHTA
SINGAPORE, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia could do a lot more to lure high-spending business travellers by strategically marketing the country's meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) facilities.
While its focus in the past has been to promote conventional tourism, many
tourism experts, who recently attended Asia's largest tourism fair, ITB Asia
2009, in Singapore, said Malaysia should aggressively promote itself in this
sector.
Long-haul leisure tourism is fast becoming a luxury for many in the
traditional markets, given the rising costs, declining incomes, high
unemployment and a general mood of economic gloom and doom.
But business travel will continue to be popular despite the increased cost
consciousness of many corporations that are in a penny-pinching mood and are
aggressively cutting costs.
" However, companies recognise while they must cut costs they still need
to avail of the MICE facilities in attractive destinations.
" Malaysia, unlike Singapore, needs to bolster its image on the
international circuit as a MICE destination.
" It has beautiful landscape, beaches and wild life, not to mention golf
courses which would appeal to corporate representatives," said Lothar Marzinger,
a German/Swiss MICE specialist who "overwhelmed" by Malaysia's sheer natural
beauty.
Tourism Malaysia, which has been promoting the country in a number of
markets has yet to make an impact on the MICE business.
Though many American and European MICE delegates participated in events in
Malaysia, - the KLCC in Kuala Lumpur is a popular venue for Western
professionals.
The "hit-or-miss" approach would not be quite effective in the long run,
given the fierce competition Malaysia faces from Singapore and Thailand.
Vietnam, Indonesia and others are also equally interested in joining the
fray to capture a larger slice of the MICE pie.
Zalizam Zakaria, the Director of Tourism Malaysia in Singapore, was candid
enough to acknowledge that his office would aim for more incentive programmes
from ASIA.
MICE, according to Zalizam, accounted for only 5 per cent of Malaysia's
tourist arrivals.
" We want to increase the share (of MICE participants in the overall
arrivals in Malaysia) to 10 per cent," he said, adding that a special MICE body
called MyCEB has been established and performance is expected to improve.
A bright spot for Malaysia was the interest generated amongst some MICE
planners with the recent opening of the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching.
Sarawak tourism representatives told Bernama at the ITB Asia 2009 in
Singapore that they expect to see more high-end hotels opening in Sarawak,
predicting that some 1,686 four-star hotel rooms would be added in 2010.
One of the new hotels under construction, according to the Sarawak Tourism
Board, is the 33-storey Kuching Tower adjacent to the convention centre.
A hotel will occupy the top 18 floors of the building, scheduled to open in
2010.
The Borneo Convention Centre is currently rated as the largest meeting venue
in Kuching, with a total floor area of 36,500 sq metres; its pillar-free Great
Hall has a capacity for 5,000 delegates.
Several other impressive properties recently opened in Kuching including the
Novotel with 388 rooms while a number of properties have been given a facelift
such as the Damai Puri Resort in Damai and the Hornbill Borneo Highlands Golf
Resort which are premium properties on the outskirts of Kuching.
Tourism Malaysia could, for example, make a strategic bid at next year's ITB
Asia in Singapore where the organiser, Messe Berlin, which also organised the
world's largest tourism show called ITB Berlin, will hold a two-day
"Associations Programme @ ITB Asia 2010".
Malaysian players in the MICE sector would have an opportunity to establish
contacts with international experts such as the American Society of Association
Executives, The Center for Association Leadership and Suntec Singapore.
The initiative, according to Messe Berlin, will attract exhibitors such as
convention centres, resorts and hotels, professional conference organisers,
destination management companies, solution providers and convention and visitor
bureaus from the Asian region.
An impressive speaker line-up, according to Messe Berlin, is being compiled
for the Associations' programme.
" The MICE world is very large," said Martin Buck, Vice President of Messe
Berlin (Singapore), in an interview with this writer.
" Within it, our focus will be on expanding ITB Asia by introducing the
growing associations' meeting sector. We will invite a compelling international
group of speakers.
" They will share their real-case experiences with the industry and it
should greatly benefit everyone joining the programme," he added.
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership will provide valuable content
for the Associations Programme through their expertise on topics such as global
trends in association management and resource development for small to medium
associations.
Buck, an expert on Asian markets, said: " Over the next couple of months, we
will put top-level partnerships in place. The objective is to have a strong
association programme that will add an exciting new component to ITB Asia from
2010 onwards," he said.
ITB Asia 2009 attracted 679 exhibitor organisations to the Suntec Singapore
International Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The majority of exhibitors were from the leisure travel segment with MICE
exhibitors and corporate travel coming in second and third respectively.
--BERNAMA
SINGAPORE, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia could do a lot more to lure high-spending business travellers by strategically marketing the country's meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) facilities.
While its focus in the past has been to promote conventional tourism, many
tourism experts, who recently attended Asia's largest tourism fair, ITB Asia
2009, in Singapore, said Malaysia should aggressively promote itself in this
sector.
Long-haul leisure tourism is fast becoming a luxury for many in the
traditional markets, given the rising costs, declining incomes, high
unemployment and a general mood of economic gloom and doom.
But business travel will continue to be popular despite the increased cost
consciousness of many corporations that are in a penny-pinching mood and are
aggressively cutting costs.
" However, companies recognise while they must cut costs they still need
to avail of the MICE facilities in attractive destinations.
" Malaysia, unlike Singapore, needs to bolster its image on the
international circuit as a MICE destination.
" It has beautiful landscape, beaches and wild life, not to mention golf
courses which would appeal to corporate representatives," said Lothar Marzinger,
a German/Swiss MICE specialist who "overwhelmed" by Malaysia's sheer natural
beauty.
Tourism Malaysia, which has been promoting the country in a number of
markets has yet to make an impact on the MICE business.
Though many American and European MICE delegates participated in events in
Malaysia, - the KLCC in Kuala Lumpur is a popular venue for Western
professionals.
The "hit-or-miss" approach would not be quite effective in the long run,
given the fierce competition Malaysia faces from Singapore and Thailand.
Vietnam, Indonesia and others are also equally interested in joining the
fray to capture a larger slice of the MICE pie.
Zalizam Zakaria, the Director of Tourism Malaysia in Singapore, was candid
enough to acknowledge that his office would aim for more incentive programmes
from ASIA.
MICE, according to Zalizam, accounted for only 5 per cent of Malaysia's
tourist arrivals.
" We want to increase the share (of MICE participants in the overall
arrivals in Malaysia) to 10 per cent," he said, adding that a special MICE body
called MyCEB has been established and performance is expected to improve.
A bright spot for Malaysia was the interest generated amongst some MICE
planners with the recent opening of the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching.
Sarawak tourism representatives told Bernama at the ITB Asia 2009 in
Singapore that they expect to see more high-end hotels opening in Sarawak,
predicting that some 1,686 four-star hotel rooms would be added in 2010.
One of the new hotels under construction, according to the Sarawak Tourism
Board, is the 33-storey Kuching Tower adjacent to the convention centre.
A hotel will occupy the top 18 floors of the building, scheduled to open in
2010.
The Borneo Convention Centre is currently rated as the largest meeting venue
in Kuching, with a total floor area of 36,500 sq metres; its pillar-free Great
Hall has a capacity for 5,000 delegates.
Several other impressive properties recently opened in Kuching including the
Novotel with 388 rooms while a number of properties have been given a facelift
such as the Damai Puri Resort in Damai and the Hornbill Borneo Highlands Golf
Resort which are premium properties on the outskirts of Kuching.
Tourism Malaysia could, for example, make a strategic bid at next year's ITB
Asia in Singapore where the organiser, Messe Berlin, which also organised the
world's largest tourism show called ITB Berlin, will hold a two-day
"Associations Programme @ ITB Asia 2010".
Malaysian players in the MICE sector would have an opportunity to establish
contacts with international experts such as the American Society of Association
Executives, The Center for Association Leadership and Suntec Singapore.
The initiative, according to Messe Berlin, will attract exhibitors such as
convention centres, resorts and hotels, professional conference organisers,
destination management companies, solution providers and convention and visitor
bureaus from the Asian region.
An impressive speaker line-up, according to Messe Berlin, is being compiled
for the Associations' programme.
" The MICE world is very large," said Martin Buck, Vice President of Messe
Berlin (Singapore), in an interview with this writer.
" Within it, our focus will be on expanding ITB Asia by introducing the
growing associations' meeting sector. We will invite a compelling international
group of speakers.
" They will share their real-case experiences with the industry and it
should greatly benefit everyone joining the programme," he added.
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership will provide valuable content
for the Associations Programme through their expertise on topics such as global
trends in association management and resource development for small to medium
associations.
Buck, an expert on Asian markets, said: " Over the next couple of months, we
will put top-level partnerships in place. The objective is to have a strong
association programme that will add an exciting new component to ITB Asia from
2010 onwards," he said.
ITB Asia 2009 attracted 679 exhibitor organisations to the Suntec Singapore
International Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The majority of exhibitors were from the leisure travel segment with MICE
exhibitors and corporate travel coming in second and third respectively.
--BERNAMA
