Press Room

Media and tourism stakeholders from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam were given a taste of what Yogyakarta can offer to the world from historical sites, attractions, arts and culture, local cuisine and hospitality – a familiarisation trip of the city, also known as Jogja, was organised for four days from October 5 to 8.

On the evening of the first day, a dinner was hosted by the Mayor of Yogyakarta City. It was also an opportunity to network with hoteliers and tourism stakeholders from Yogyakarta as well as, sample Indonesian cuisine.

The trip began on the second day, with a journey on four-wheel drive up to Merapi Mountain at Kaliurang where a village was recently devastated by a volcanic eruption. In memory of what has happened, a Merapi Volcano Museum was established on the mountain which has become a centre of information, research, education and tourism on volcanoes.

This was followed by a visit to the Keruntuhan Istana Ratu Boko (Ruins of Queen Boko Palace), where you are able get a panoramic view of the city, and experience sunset from the top of the hill. In the evening, dinner was held at a restaurant near the ancient Hindu Prambanan Temple. Later the group watched the Ramayana ballet performance at the Prambanan.

Not be missed on the third day, was the climb up the ancient Candi Borobudur (Borobudur Temple) at dawn, for the best spot to enjoy the spectacular sights of Jogja’s natural beauty and watch the sunset.

In the afternoon, was a visit to the royal garden of the royal palace called Istana Air Taman Sari. It is an enchanting heritage site that will allow you to explore an ancient royal garden with water pools and admire centuries’ old architecture of a castle.

On October 7 is the Jogja Night Carnival, in celebration of the city’s 260th anniversary. The event included a parade, cultural dance, wayang or puppet show and musical performance throughout the streets of Jogja city.

The editorial board of MICE in Asia would like to thank the Tourism and Culture Office of Yogyakarta City for inviting us on the familiarisation trip to discover Jogja, as a destination for MICE.

The three-day IT&CMA and CTW ended on September 29 with over 10,000 business appointments on the show floor. This is the 24th event held and is said to to be one of the best shows yet according to attendees. Delegates across the board complimented this year’s highlights which included quality exhibitor showcase and buyer profiles with excellent knowledge opportunities and conducive networking platforms.

For the Monaco Government Tourist Bureau who is exhibiting for the first time, has seen a lot of energy at the show, and the selection of international buyers is amazing, said Benoit Badufle, the Regional Director Asia.  The bureau is promoting Monaco as a luxury travel destination and had managed to garner some valuable contacts and buyers.

At the same time, the show’s education programme’s focus, depth and poignant topics as well as, relevant speakers drew nods from attending delegates. As the industry continues to evolve and attract a demographic of veterans and new-comers to the trade, participants at the conference and knowledge sessions concurred that the learning experience are evidenced that the show’s organisers have their pulse on the marketplace.

While the  most anticipated event of the last day was the 15^th Sticky Awards Ceremony that celebrated the efforts of exhibitors, corporates, buyers and corporate travel managers who stood out amongst participants at the show.

This year, Korea took home two of the 12 awards for Stickiest Marketing and Gold for the Stickiest National Booth. Among the other winners to name a few are: TCEB for the Stickiest Function in hosting the Opening Ceremony & Welcome Reception; Philippines (Stickiest National Booth, Silver); Thailand (Stickiest National Booth, Bronze); Thai Airways (Stickiest Corporate Booth, Gold); and Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (Stickiest Social Sharing).

Main objective of the Memorandum of Understanding was to collaborate on the education and training of MICE professionals and strengthening of business platforms for the development of MICE industry in Korea and Thailand. The agreement was signed in Bangkok on September 29 by Eung Su Kim, President of KMA and Sumate Sudasna, President of TICA.

The collaboration involves KMA and TICA to invite members of each other’s association to attend educational meetings and sessions. This is followed by cooperation to promote both associations’s internship programmes and send speakers to events and MICE meetings organised and sponsored by KMA and TICA.

KMA was established in 2003 in Korea with members such as the convention and visitor’s bureau, destination marketing organisations, convention and exhibition centres, professionals convention and exhibition organisers, hotels and resorts and other companies related to the MICE industry in Korea.

TICA, is a non-profit organisation which was set up in 1984 jointly by the government of Thailand and the private sector – comprising of key practioners in the business events industry. The main function of this association is, to promote and market Thailand as leading business events destination and to develop expertise among members in servicing meeting planners and event organisers.

Hosted by Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the Visit Japan Tourism Mart is considered the largest international inbound travel and tourism industry show in the country. The event is held annually in Tokyo the capital city, and this year for three days beginning September 21, whereby buyers and attendees had the opportunity to meet a wide range of suppliers of travel products from Japan under one roof. Exhibitors range from tour operators, hotel and resorts, destination attractions, as well as local tourism boards and tourism related business owners.

The show attracts buyers from all over the world to Tokyo, who are keen in doing tourism business with Japan. This as well as, to discover new tourism and MICE product offerings from the country. Buyers also had the opportunity to schedule their appointments online prior to the show through the web-based matching system provided by VJTM.

Aside from the business meetings, exhibitors, buyers and the media had the option of participating in a familiarisation tour of one of the nine different courses offered by VJTM: Hokkaido; Golden Route; Hokuriku Setouchi; Hokadate and Tohoku; North Kanto;Tohoku Kyushu South; Kyushu North; Okinawa and Tokyo and Sendai and Matsushima.

Through this show, JNTO aims to stimulate the local economies through the promotion of the tourism industry in Japan. At the same time, develop new tourism products and MICE in Japan.

Business Talk Session during VJTM 2016 at Tokyo Big Sight

Media Familiarisation Tour  of Kyushu North

Media representatives and buyers from Malaysia and Singapore.

Visit to Toto Museum – Display of tableware, sanitary ware, fittings and plumbing equipment of toilets and faucets. Showcase is on the Morimura Brothers who started the first factory in the late 19th century, to make porcelain ware from Japan.

Kitakyushu Musuem of Natural History & Human History – Exhibits of Dinosaurs.

Retro Building: Old Moji Mitsui Club is now a restaurant and was formerly a guesthouse, where Albert Einstein and his second wife stayed in 1922 when they visited Kyushu.

Retro Building: The Industry Club House of West Japan – An important national cultural property, has Western and Japanese style influence. Once home to the founder of a vocational school, who is a distinguished Japanese leader of industry, is now the Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Moji Port – An International trading port of the late 19th century is now a tourist destination.

Kokura Castle – Built in 1602 and was the property of the Ogasawara Clan. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1866 in a clan war. It was reconstructed in 1959, and fully restored in 1990. Today, the grounds of the castle known as Katsuyama Park, is a popular spot where cherry blossoms bloom in early April.

The third edition of the show saw more than 600 international and local exhibitors participating in an area spanning over 28,000 square metres of space. During the three days, the Expo attracted 4,000 trade visitors and some 400 local and international hosted buyers. The promise of amazing travel deals witnessed 56,000 public visitors flocking to the exhibition.

In total, 42 countries and 26 local provinces were represented at the show – the highest international representation since the exhibition’s inauguration in 2014.

Also for the first time, Sri Lanka was made the partner country for the XSRITE 2016, while the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism was the gold sponsor for the event. Both countries received widespread publicity through their collaborative efforts with the organisers, the Conference & Exhibition Management Services (CEMS) Group of Companies in China, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Kuala Lumpur Tourism Bureau leveraging on the city’s existing heritage zone, has introduced free guided walk of the city.  Fifteen licenced guides have been engaged by the bureau,  to walk with the visitors and on each trail tell a story of the history of Kuala Lumpur, about the colonial buildings found in the city, as well as tidbits and annecdotes of early denizons of the city, who have helped built the city. Visitors can choose four heritage trails for the free guided walk:

• Kuala Lumpur Guided Herita Trail Walk 
• The Old KL & Nature Guided Walk
• Jalan-Jalan at Kampong Bharu Culture Walk
• Kuala Lumpur Heritage Guided Nigh Walk

According to KLTB, the guides were selected based on their ability to convince and engage tourists both intelectually and emotionally of Kuala Lumpur’s history and heritage.  From these walks, tourists will be able to gain a meaningful insight of the city, as well as leave with a memorable experience of the sights and sounds of the city.

Available now is the Kuala Lumpur Heritage Guided Night Walk trail which is offered to visitors every Saturday at 7.00 pm with the starting point at Arch Cafe, covering historical Old Market Square at Jalan Lebuh Pasar, Jamek Mosque, Indian Mosque Bazaar, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman Bazaar, Coliseum Cafe, Panggung Bandaraya and Merdeka Square.  This night walk will shocase old Kuala Lumpur and its heritage buildings with lights and the vibrant local night markets which comes alive bustling with activites in the evening.

To book the free guided walk, email enquiries@kltourismbureau.com.my

The Labuan International Business and Financial Centre, known as Labuan IBFC was established more than 25 years ago to complement the activities of the domestic financial market in Kuala Lumpur and the development of economic activities in Labuan, an island off Sabah (Malaysian Borneo), which is under the jurisdiction of the federal territory in Malaysia.

What Labuan IBFC offers is a wide range of business and financial services such as: company incorporations (holding, trading, banking, leasing and shipping companies); fund management; special purpose vehicles; insurance (covers also reinsurance captive protected cell companies, Takaful and re-Takaful); and private wealth management.

At the same time in 2011, to remain competitive the Labuan IBFC introduced the global incentives for trading (GIFT) programme, a scheme set up to attract international commodity traders to take advantage of Malaysia, as their operational and trading base. Among the highlights of the GIFT programme are: three percent flat corporate tax rate; tax exemption; operate anywhere in Malaysia; 100 percent exemption on director fees paid to non-Malaysian directors; stamp duty exemption; and 50 percent exemption on gross employment income for non-Malaysian professionals.

Labuan IBFC has begun a roadshow to promote its business and financial services throughout Asia. The Centre recently collaborated with the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry to launch its roadshow in Kuala Lumpur.

To find out more about Labuan IBFC, please visit www.libfc.com

Networking Session with the Labuan IBFC Organised by the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce

President of MICCI, Datuk Wira Jalilah Baba presenting a momento to the Chief Executive Officer of Labuan IBFC, Danial Mah Abdullah.

Located in the northernmost province of Thailand, Chiang Rai has the potential, as well as the readiness to facilitate MICE business. A tour of the city was organised for the international media by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) to showcase the modern facilities and time-honoured heritage of Chiang Rai.

TCEB revealed that the success of Thailand’s business events industry in the first half of the 2016 fiscal year (from October 2015 to March 2016), the country welcomed 493,384 business events travellers – earning the country’s economy more than 39,671 billion baht (approximately USD1,116 million). According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), it was reported that Thailand’s world ranking has improved from 33rd place in 2014, to 27th place in 2015 in the number of international meetings held.

Press Conference on TCEB International Media Faliliarisation Trip 2016 – Hosted by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TCEB, Weerasak Kowsurat

Venue: Exhibition Gallery, Nai Lert Park Heritage Home in Bangkok

Visit to Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park

Is a museum located in a landscaped garden that houses one of Thailand’s biggest collections of artefacts from the Lanna region.  It also has antiques, art works, statues of Buddha and structures of Buddhist temples.

Choui Fong Tea Plantation in Chiang Rai

Doi Tung Royal Development Project – CSR and Team Building Activities

Golden Triangle View Point

Lunch at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort

Tour of Singha Park Farm and Adventure Activities

Shopping at Night Market in Chiang Rai

Visit to the Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) of Chiang Rai

Welcome speech by the President of SACEOS Janet Tan-Collis.

Discussion on the development of the MICE industry

Panelist of speakers consisting of professional MICE practitioners from around the world.

MICE in Asia is a media partner of Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) 2016.