September 2022

It will be a compelling IT&CM Asia and CTW Asia-Pacific 2022. Aside from business and knowledge components, this year’s programme features a wide array of sponsored backed engagements such as: the opening ceremony and welcome reception; brand engagements; entertaining in-booth activities; and lucky draws.

The show is set to welcome 312 in-person and remote exhibitors from 132 exhibiting companies and organisations from 23 countries and territories, along with 387 in-person and remote MICE, association and corporate buyers, from 56 countries and territories.

This year exhibitors from Thailand, Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, Japan and South Korea, will have the largest exhibiting pavilions to showcase what they have to offer.

Hosting the opening ceremony and welcome reception is Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, which will be held at the Bangkok Convention Centre on the evening of the first event day.

While  national tourism organisations such as Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau , MEET Taiwan, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, and the Promotion Bureau of the Principality of Monaco (Asia), Korean Tourism Organization, Incheon’s Tourism Organization and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization will share their latest brand developments during their 30-minute session of brand engagement slots on September 21 and 22.

At the same time, there will be an extensive line-up of exciting in-booth activities and buyers’ incentives. During the show, attendees will be actively engaged, and on completion of their fulfillments, they can utilise the event app to rate their appointments, all buyers get a chance to walk away with reward prizes including hotel stays in Bangkok, Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, among others.

For more information, you log onto www.itcma.com or www.corporatetravelworld.com/apac

Can you briefly describe the state policy towards business tourism in St. Petersburg?

Business tourism is considered as one of the priority areas for the development of the tourism industry in St. Petersburg – the city on the Neva is the main conference destination in the country. At the federal level, a road map for the development of exhibition and fairs has been developed with the active participation of St. Petersburg. The road map contains 15 events that will be implemented from 2022 to 2025, and provides, among other things, for additional measures and financial support for companies engaged in the business tourism industry.

Organisers of conferences and exhibitions in St. Petersburg can apply for financial support through subsidies, allocated from the budget until June 1 this year. Preferential loans from the city are also available.

Mr. Sergey Korneev, Chairman of the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg.

Organisers of conferences and exhibitions in St. Petersburg can apply for financial support through subsidies, allocated from the budget until June 1 this year. Preferential loans from the city are also available.

While under the City Ambassadors program, 30 agreements have been signed with 26 applications submitted, and 17 international rotating business events being attracted – seven of which have already taken place, and the rest will be held in the period from 2022 to 2018.

Moving onto Asia, are countries in the Asia Pacific Region an important market for the St. Petersburg MICE business?

Without a doubt, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region are among the most promising markets in terms of international tourism. The inbound flow of tourists from this part of the world to St. Petersburg before the pandemic was 53 percent of the total number of foreign tourists. This number grew by an average of 10 to 15 percent yearly. Russia was among the top ten countries most often visited by Asian tourists.

If so, which of the Asian countries have become MICE markets for St. Petersburg? 

We were in India, where the St. Petersburg Convention Bureau presented the potential of tourism in St. Petersburg at the MILT Congress in Mumbai, which was held this summer. This was followed with the convention bureau in Hong Kong, at the 36th International Tourism Exhibition International Travel Expo.

How will you market St. Petersburg to Asia as a destination through digital platforms, trade shows, and familiarisation tours?

The participation of St. Petersburg in international road shows and exhibitions will allow direct communication with the target audience. This autumn, road shows are planned in Mumbai, Delhi, Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Preliminary negotiations have been made by St. Petersburg Convention Bureau with a communication company from China, on the possibilities of promoting St. Petersburg as a tourist destination, on the platform of their new mobile travel application.

The application will allow, not only to find all the useful information about the country and city where the tourist would like to go, but also to immediately book a ready-made tour. The service is aimed at users from China, Malaysia and Thailand.

Asia has a young millennial population, has St. Petersburg designed attractions for this segment of the population?

St. Petersburg is a modern and dynamic city that attracts young travellers like a magnet. By the way, Russians recognise St. Petersburg as the most romantic city in the country, as well as being the premier student and educational capital.

In cooperation with members of the hospitality industry, the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg is developing new tourist geography – a project that includes new points of attraction in the tourist map of the city, along with classic sights. The objects of the new cultural and tourist geography are, public spaces, platforms for IT, creative industry specialists and art clusters.

In addition, the sectors of the new cultural and tourist geography cover gastronomic establishments, atmospheric restaurants and cafes of the most diverse formats, from street food to high-molecular cuisine. Gastronomic tourism is one of the most promising areas in the development of the hospitality industry.

What would you say attracts event organisers from Asia to hold their events or organise incentive groups to St. Petersburg?

The City Committee for Tourism Development of the St. Petersburg organises various levels of events, on different scales and in a turnkey format, with both comprehensive and affordable proposals. Opportunities of business sites, hotels, restaurants, cultural, sightseeing, tourist programs in the city are all combined into all-inclusive package offered by St. Petersburg.

At the same time, the city has accumulated a lot of experience in holding significant international events, in various fields of sports, cultural, and business. It’s recognised that St. Petersburg’s level of hospitality is the best in the country, and has been repeatedly acclaimed with Russian and international awards.

Would you say that as a business tourism destination, there are also opportunities for event organisers or incentive groups to explore destinations outside the city of St. Petersburg. Can you name two destinations that would be of interest?

These are cities for example such as Vyborg, Pskov, Veliky Novgorod, Murmansk. Currently the Committee for the Development of Tourism of St. Petersburg, together with partner regions in the interregional cultural and historical project “Silver Necklace of Russia”, is creating an endless travel constructor, a fan shaped network of routes from St. Petersburg to the North-West. These destinations can be attractive both for cultural and educational recreation, and for offsite business events of various formats 

Can you share with us the 10 best things to do in St. Petersburg?

I would suggest that you visit the Hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress or take a walk in the Summer Gardens. There is the Tsarkoye Selo and a stroll over to Catherine Palace. Then there is the Mariinsky Theatre to watch a ballet or listen to an opera. Not to be missed is the Kronstadt, a new tourist cluster or “Island of Forts”. The fountains of St. Petersburg the Peterhof, and not far from this is the park Alexandria.

When the sun sets, head for the bay, where the city meets the sea in the public space of SevkanelPort. Play mini golf in the historical centre of the city at the public space of Nikolskyiye ryady. Finally don’t miss trying out some delicious dishes of Petersburg cuisine.

If you have ever had your holiday wrecked by rain, you can now safeguard yourself with the Rainfall Protection Cover for Travellers introduced by Singapore’s financial services company, Singlife with Aviva.  In partnership with Arbol Inc, a global climate risk solutions platform, Singlife is the first insurer in Singapore, to offer this innovative parametric insurance product design for consumers to manage unexpected weather conditions.

Singlife will pay up to SGD150 to travellers whose single trip plans are disrupted by heavy rainfall^. All countries and regions globally are included in the Rainfall Protection coverage, with the exception of Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Sudan and Syria

The Rainfall Protection Cover will apply to travellers who encounter more than 6.4 millimeters of daily rainfall at their destination cities for more than 50 per cent of their trip duration. According to the Meteorological Service Singapore, a day is considered to have “rained” if the total rainfall for that day is 0.2 millimeters or more.

This solution is underwritten in collaboration with Arbol – a company that leverages on cutting-edge technologies from smart contracts and artificial intelligence to underwriting.

Singlife was recently recognised as ‘Domestic General Insurer of the Year’ for its comprehensive travel insurance offering at the Insurance Asia Awards 2022.

A memorandum of understanding was recently signed making Business Events Sarawak, as the first business events strategic partner of Universiti Putra Malaysia. Both parties entered into partnership under the Business Events Sarawak Alliance which was created to promote events and share activities of community interest in line with supporting Sarawak as the preferred destination for MICE

Ms. Amelia Roziman, Chief Executive Officer of BESarawak (right) concluded the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Dato’ Prof Dr. Mohd Roslan bin Sulaiman.

Sarawak has been the destination of choice for many of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s conventions and exhibitions particularly on topics of interest to the Sarawak government that is on agriculture, basic infrastructure, transport and human capital.

From the strategic association, UPM will be able to broaden their commercial capabilities, as well as have access to resources in organising high impact conventions and exhibitions.

While BESarawak’s support said Ms. Amelia Roziman, its chief executive will go beyond helping planners to develop their events but also to make the most out of it.  The intangible values of business events, she said are just as important as economic returns.

To date, out of 90 events targeted, Sarawak has secured 57 events which are estimated to have a total economic impact of RM 93.3 million and create 3,625 new job opportunities.

Topics of the events are on commercial agriculture, social services and education and the community. It is also expected that the outcome from these events are political legacies that will achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth.

As the industry’s peak export tourism association, the Australian Tourism Export Council is calling for a period of three months work in the tourism and hospitality sector, to be included in the eligibility criteria for Working Holiday Makers, as visitors to qualify for a second-year visa, expanding it to include areas beyond the current ‘northern or remote and very remote Australia’ qualifying regions.

According to ATEC, widening the eligibility criteria under which Working Holiday Makers can extend their stay by an additional one to two years, will help to meet the tourism industry’s dire need for unskilled labour.

“Tourism and hospitality businesses across the country are facing severe shortages in staff, particularly the unskilled workforce which helps businesses to meet the demands of seasonal fluctuations,” said Mr. Peter Shelly, managing director of ATEC.

He further added: “Previously WHM holders could work for three months in jobs primarily in the agricultural sector, in order to qualify for an extension of their visa.  Some jobs in the tourism industry also qualify, however these are restricted to work in regional areas of northern parts of the country.

Tourism businesses across the country desperately need unskilled workers and these workers are crucial to the successful rebuilding of our industry.”

Mr Shelley said that while the tourism industry required long-term solutions to the workforce challenge, there is an opportunity to instigate a short-term solution through the Working Holiday Maker programme, which was introduced in 1975 with the purpose of promoting cross cultural understanding.

ATEC recognises the significant need for both skilled and unskilled labour across the sector and the lack of unskilled labour in particular is something which can be addressed by expanding the WHM visa criteria as way of meeting the severe labour shortages being faced as the industry rebuilds post-covid.

He mentioned that: Australia has an opportunity to use the WHM visa system, to both support the rebuild of Australia’s tourism industry, and to help solve some of the critical workforce shortages being faced across the nation.

This is by making the WHM visa more attractive by offering a wider range of work options to create a greater uptake and therefore help support the re-growth of this important export market in Australia.

ATEC is calling on the Federal Government to expand the definition of a ‘specified area of work’ within the Working Holiday Makers second year eligibility extension to include, all tourism and hospitality work across the country.