VIEW FROM THE TOPOP South Beach Consortium is set to raise Singapore’s ‘cool’ level PPS 619/02/2013(022926) when it soft-opens in 1Q2015. CEO Aloysius Lee searches for talent No. 1704/April 11, 2014 AIRPORTS OF LUXURY TRAVEL ROUNDTABLE THE FUTURE How can the Asian villa product remain the ultimate stay through new Asia’s airports are redefining passenger innovations? experiences, with a strong focus on DIY services FREERIDER DILEMMA DMCs are torn over charging fees for incentive proposals to prevent opportunistic clients from stealing ideas HAINAN’S HIDDEN CHARMS There’s more to the Chinese island than its famous resort city of Sanya TTG ASIA_236X90MM_DESTINATIONS CAST.indd 1 31/3/14 8:48 AM 11April ttgAsia p01 covergcredgc.indd 1 8/4/14 5:24 pm 11.04.2014 TTG Asia 2 Contents & editorial News analysis 03 View from the top 07 Agency 08 Intelligence 09 Shop 10 Social 26 1816 12Report: Guide: Destination: Destination:22 Connect 27 Luxury travel Airports China Japan CHANGE WITH US ust like travel agencies, traditional media preferences, have a proven track record of success, and Jcompanies have been disrupted by the Inter- we don’t mind paying them for these services. net, and those that don’t stay relevant may die. In While planning a recent family holiday to Taiwan, many ways, similar predictions have been levelled at us. we opted for free-and-easy as it seemed impossible to People said newspapers would die, but they haven’t. We follow a group tour schedule with a nine-month-old in haven’t. Nonetheless, we’re not sitting here twiddling tow whose eating/sleeping/waking times are not pre- our thumbs. dictable. I blew precious hours comparing prices online, While we curate an overwhelming amount of ‘news’ researching blogs and compiling tips from friends. What to give you the most original, up-to-date stories on I needed was someone to recommend the best time of www.ttgasia.com, you will see in TTG Asia from now the day to fly with a baby, the most child-friendly airline, on a news magazine that focuses on trends/issues, case the most suitable serviced apartment...but this had to be studies, intelligence, destination ideas and incisive com- someone who knew me and who would be charging a mentaries. As part of our 40th anniversary, we’re also fair fee, not an arm and a leg. unveiling new looks and stronger content for a number There are many levels of service a travel consultant of other publications, as well as launching several initia- can provide, ranging from simply recommending must- tives such as Roomonger, a B2B e-commerce portal. try restaurants and must-see sights to drawing up a day- Since we’re celebrating 40 years of championing the by-day itinerary to all of the above plus arranging door- travel trade, allow me to share a wish as a customer: to-door transfers and executing bookings. Not everyone I hope to see more travel agencies selling their consul- requires the same degree of help in travel planning. Cus- tancy services. tomisation also shouldn’t necessarily equate to a hefty The idea of charging for proposals has been toyed price tag. It is about what you can bring to the table and with among DMCs but few have been brave enough to how you can charge for it. actually do so (see page 3). In the same vein, outbound It is with this in mind that we present you our latest We all should have someone whom operators have some thinking to do too. revamp, an in-depth magazine packed with tips, ideas, None of the friends I know (I’m a Millennial) have a inspirations for you to stay relevant and in business for we can rely on to take care of our go-to travel consultant the way they have a go-to hair- many years to come. Let’s grow further together. holidays, the way we trust (our stylist, personal trainer or financial advisor. I’m saying we all should have someone whom we can rely on to hairstylist, personal trainer or financial take care of our holidays, the way we trust someone to Gracia Chiang advisor)...We turn to them because give us a new hairstyle, improve our fitness levels or Deputy Group Editor grow our hard-earned money. We turn to them because [email protected] they take interest in who we are. they take interest in who we are, try to understand our twitter.com/graciachiang IT COMING UP MIGHT WE LIKE GET MALAYSIA Selangor’s theme parks innovate Written by someone who has his finger on the pulse of Asia, readers WEIRD MACAU Beyond the casinos will find a series of essays on the region’s real estate landscape Bill Barnett in Bill Barnett’s new book It Might Get Weird. With subjects rang- Is Egypt safe? • Luxury safaris in LONGHAUL TRAVEL ing from Listening to the Dead Presidents to the Great Toast Crisis, NEXT ISSUE: Kenya • Spain gears up to welcome Asians the founder and managing director of hospitality consulting firm C9 COLLECTED ESSAYS ON ASIA’S REAL ESTATE LANDSCAPE FROM THE PAGES OF APRIL 25, 2014 PROPERTY REPORT MAGAZINE. BEACH HOLIDAYS Guide to Langkawi, Desaru Coast, Hotelworks shows without a doubt that “Asia remains absolutely the 1 Lombok and Bintan most interesting place in the world”. VIEW FROM THE TOP Lucas Chow, group CEO and If you want to see the online version, here it is: http://issuu.com/thephuketinsider/docs/ managing director of Far East Orchard Singapore it_might_get_weird_-_bill_barnett 11April ttgAsia p02-Content4mygcmyknmygc.indd 2 8/4/14 5:32 pm 11.04.2014 TTG Asia 3 DMCs are torn over charging fees for incentive Analysis proposals to prevent opportunistic clients from stealing ideas and going direct to suppliers. By Greg Lowe FREERIDER DILEMMA s incentive budgets become needs,” he said. “But we can’t just turn the increasingly squeezed amid business down.” intensifying competition He added: “The problem is responsible and a sluggish global mar- clients end up footing the bill for those ket, DMCs are seeing a rise who take our ideas.” inA prospective clients who request for tour Just as Sara Merino, director of sales and incentive proposals only to go straight and marketing at Spanish Heritage, to suppliers in a bid to cut costs. shared that some clients request for While not a new issue to the travel a London-based programme only to trade, this trend is further compounded go direct to suppliers because they by the growing ease of access to suppli- think “England is so close they ers via the Internet, which increases the can do it themselves”, travel likelihood of clients harvesting ideas from firms in South-east Asia are DMCs and then organising their own seeing such trends too. travel programmes. Exotissimo Travel Thai- Proposals to counter this prevalent is- land MICE manager, Tim sue were discussed during the 2014 annu- Upchurch, said: “Some mar- al general meeting of euromic, a Europe- kets have no problem of get- focused association of 36 DMCs, in Cairo, ting us to do the work while Egypt earlier this year in January. having no intention of doing Ideas mooted included charging for business. This is not always about proposals and shifting DMCs’ emphasis stealing the ideas, sometimes they away from packaging products to becom- just need another proposal (for ing travel consultants who charge a fee for presentation) even if they have pret- their services. ty much decided they want to go to a Gloria Spotti, executive vice president completely different destination. of Events.com, said her company had “Singapore is probably the worse been successful in charging clients a con- (for ideas theft) – it’s a cultural thing. ceptual fee at the proposal stage and rec- They want to organise everything ommended other travel specialists to fol- themselves. We don’t really see this low suit. “If a client wants us to develop a from other markets like Hong Kong or programme for them, why should we do Vietnam,” he added. that for free?” she questioned. “It costs us Upchurch said the problem was rela- time and money.” tively rare with longhaul clients “who real- DMCs generally like the idea in princi- ly see the value in what a DMC adds,” and ple, but many believe their clients would rarer still with corporates who were much not stump up the fee, a view reflected by more willing to accept a consultancy plus those on the demand side of the process. service fee approach. David Sand, CEO of Uwin Iwin Incen- One additional problem with regional tives and former president of the Society clients who are less opposed to taking the of Incentive Travel Executives, said he had specialists’ ideas for free is that they are yet to see a DMC requesting payment for often part of a global company that may a proposal and added that specialists who generate significant business for a DMC. started to do so would likely lose business “If we upset the Singapore office, we risk as a result. upsetting the global head office and it’s Echoing Sand’s sentiments, a senior just not worth it,” he said. buyer from a major international com- When asked about the likelihood of in- pany in the US, commented: “I feel for centive houses and regional clients paying the DMCs. We always work with them in for proposals, Upchurch replied: “They an upfront way and would not take their wouldn’t wear it.