Royal Cliff Beach Resort at Arabian Travel Market 09

This year, Pattaya’s exhibition at ATM was an integral part of Thailand’s national pavilion

Royal Clif Beach Resort has again been seen exhibiting at Thailand national pavilion at the Arabian travel market in Dubai, UAE, on 05 – 08 May 2009.

Being the leading luxury accommodation choice for Arabic visitors to Pattaya, with facilities specifically catered for their needs (website in Arabic and Farsi, Quibbla praying direction signs in all rooms, free in-house Arabic and farsi TV channels, a choice of Muslim-suitable food in all restaurants), the resort never misses the chance top meet its numerous valuable partners in the Middle East.

During the show, resort’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Victor Kriventsov, has undertaken dozens of meetings with local travel inmdustry professionals, and has also co-sponsored (together with Mahan Air) door prize for the annual ATM’s Travel Agents Day on 08 May. The lucky winner has received 2 business class tickets to Bangkok by Mahan Air, complemented by a free stay in one of resort’s sea view Mini Suites.

Resort’s Victor Kriventsov, Director of Sales and Marketing, at his work station at Thailand national pavilion at ATM

Extended China trip by Royal Cliff Beach Resort

The Royal Cliff Beach Resort just returned from an extended trip in China. Representing the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall ( PEACH) was myself – Michael Swart, Deputy Director Sales & Marketing together with Lin Lin Guo whom recently joined our team in the capacity of Sales Manager China.

The purpose of the extended trip was to restore confidence in the Thailand and in particular Pattaya in view of the recent political disturbances in Thailand which caused a heightened travel warning against Thailand by CNTA ( Chinese National Tourism Authority).  Our trip was also aimed at maintaining  market exposure and to visit existing partners and call on potential agents in the Chinese market.

We started our trip on the 14th of April and took a direct Thai Airways International flight the Shanghai, the business capital of China.

We started the first day by participating in a ICCA specialist workshop  entitled “Selling Successfully”. The workshop started of with a “Asia Pacific 2009 Overview”  by Jane Vong Holmes, ICCA Regional Director Asia Pacific. This was followed by “Getting the Best out of Trade Shows” by By Tom Hulton, Director International Relations, IMEX. Just before the morning Coffee break Mike Williams, Senior Consultant, Gary Grimmer & Company and consultant to the Macau Government Tourist Office presented Selling Successfully to Associations – What Matters Most.”

The afternoon session covered “Getting Results – The Right Mindset is Everything in Sales.” again by By Gary Grimmer, CEO, Gary Grimmer & Company and consultant to the Macau Government Tourist Office, which was followed by “Selling Successfully for a PCO is being reactive and proactive simultaneously” by By Dr Yvonne Hu, International Association of  Professional Congress Organisers – IAPCO. Mr Rob Yeomans, Publisher, CIM Australasia provided the final session of the workshop with “Selling your message to the Media and to your Buyers.”

After the ICCA specialist workshop we met up with Ms. Mimi Zhang, whom is the Royal Cliff Beach Resort representative based in Shanghai, with whom we spend the remainder of the afternoon discussing strategies and future development of the Chinese MICE market to Pattaya and in particular the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.

The evening we attended the IT&CM China,  welcome reception and gala dinner at a high rise hotel in the center of Shanghai. The theme for the evening was “International” ( I think)

Vivian TCEB ( Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau) representative based in Shanghai seen here with Lin Lin the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s newly appointed Sales Manager for Chinese speaking markets, with Mr. Puripan Bunnag, TCEB, Senior Manager – Marketing Promotion in the background

On Thursday the 16th was  show day for IT&CM China and we had a full schedule meeting 60 MICE Buyers. We intentionally targeted only Chinese outbound MICE buyers. We found that there is a great deal of interest in the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and PEACH, especially since we have been attracting allot of international media coverage recently when we showed that we can successfully and at short notice put together a world class ASEAN Summit, which yet again showed Pattaya and the Royal Cliff Beach Resort is cable to rise to any occasion and to deliver world class event.

The interest in the Royal Cliff Beach Resort was obvious from the 24 walk in buyers we have received during the show. We are confident to confirm at least 2 events this year as a result of our efforts during the show.

Unfortunately and my  personal opinion;  I was not to impressed with the venue for IT&CM China  and in particular the allocation of the Thailand booth right in the corner of the hall and with no beautification or trying to hide the service entrance and empty boxes piled up in the corner. There was also a lack of suitable  F&B dining options for the lunch break at the venue

The show ended on the Friday and the following day (Saturday)  we spend the morning reconciling the appointments conducted at the show and made adjustments the our plans for the remainder of the trip to ensure we cover as many as possible agents, existing partners as well as potentials leads we generated at the show and in the 1st quarter of the year . The remainder of Saturday was spend as a tourist taking in the beautiful sights that Shanghai has to offer.

Monday morning spend calling on those Shanghai agents we did not had the opportunity to meet the week before at the show. We also called on existing partners such as CITS East China Regional Office and China CYTS MICE ( Shanghai) Service amongst many others.

Seen above are pictures of myself and Lin Lin at the offices of CITS and CYTS in Shanghai

At 16H00 Monday afternoon we took a China Airlines ( Star Alliance member)  flight from Shanghai to Beijing the capital of China, where our pre arranged driver failed to pick us up from the airport as arranged and confirmed in advance due to some misunderstanding . We finally arrived at our hotel around 20H00 that evening. We stayed at the Jianguo Hotel and i must say this must be one of the best 4 star hotels I have ever stayed in. The service and facilities was second to none and the room was perfect.

We had a early start on Tuesday morning with our sales calls and in total met with 16 agents from various companies. The feedback and response  from the Beijing agents was more positive and those that we met with were very familiar with the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Pattaya, Thailand or they were eager to learn more about it.

Pictures above of Michael & Lin Lin with Beijing Based agents at their offices

We see great potential for future events at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and or PEACH,  especially in Chinese domestic financial, insurance as well as health care industries.

By sheer coincidence we met a long time friend of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Mrs. Susan Goldstein whom several ears ago were the conference director for the World Youth Student Conference a mayor event that took place at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and PEACH

Wednesday morning we left at 9 am to catch a noon flight from Beijing to Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is the industrial capital of China, and there are several factories in and around the city. Guangzhou looks  totally different from those cities up north and Northwest such as Beijing and Shanghai which are also popular tourist destinations.

We met with a number of agents and managed to secure some potential leads for future businesses originating from the IT and Transport industries

Michael & Lin Lin with Jin Lu in Shanghai

The following additional facts and figures as provided by  the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau ( TCEB) in their market brief:

Overview
Population (as of Jan 2009)        : 1,325,082,380 (1.32 billion)        1
2008 GDP growth                            : 8.3%                                                         2
2009 GDP growth forecast          : 6.0%                                                         3
2010 GDP growth forecast          : 7.0%                                                         3
2008 Outbound Departures       : 45 million (11.9% growth)              4
Outbound Departure Growth        : 24.26% (from 2002 – 2008)       4
2008 Arrivals to Thailand             : 820,237 (0.82 million)                 5
Growth of arrivals to Thailand     : -10.28% (compared to 2007)    5
Total Flights to Thailand/week    : 116 flights

Source
1 Population.com: China
2 China.org.cn: National Bureau of Statistics
3 Economist.com Country Briefings: China
4 International Forum on Chinese Outbound Tourism
5 Tourism Authority of Thailand: Statistics

China Business Travel Trends (Amex Survey: Business Travel Trends in China)
-    Majority of expenditure takes place domestically
-    Domestic travel still dominates the market
-    Expenditure in China by foreign owned companies rose to 59% in 2008
-    42% of organizations surveyed report an increase of their travel budget
-    Business travel is regarded as an investment instead of a cost
-    Business travel has consolidated its position as the second largest controllable cost
-    70% of the companies surveyed indicated that they have a formal business travel policy
-    Employee care is extending beyond efficiency
-    Environmental concerns increasing in importance
-    Overall compliance rates remain stable
-    64% of organizations are using negotiated fares
-    Going on-line is more common
-    Half of the surveyed companies are using their own travel agencies for corporate travel
-    Companies continue to use different methods of payment

Star Industries
-    Financial
-    Banks & Insurance
-    Pharmaceutical
-    Telecommunication
-    Consumer Products
-    Multi-level Marketing
-    Automobile
-    Real Estate

China’s GDP grows 9% in 2008
China’s economy cooled to its slowest pace in seven years in 2008, expanding 9 percent year-on-year as the widening global financial crisis continued to affect the world’s fastest-growing economy.

The 9-percent rate was the lowest since 2001, when an annual rate of 8.3 percent was recorded, and it was the first time China’s GDP growth fell into the single-digit range since 2003.

The year-on-year growth rate for the fourth quarter slid to 6.8 percent from 9 percent in the third quarter and 9.9 percent for the first three quarters.
Economic growth showed “an obvious correction” last year, but the full-year performance was still better than other countries affected by the global financial crisis.

Outlook for 2009-10
-    The Economist Intelligence Unit expects real GDP growth to slow sharply owing to the massive global economic downturn. In 2009 real GDP will grow by just 6%. Growth will recover in 2010, but only to 7%.
-    The economy will be supported by a rapid expansion in government infrastructure spending and policies to revive housing investment. However, this will lead to a substantial rise in the budget deficit.
-    Amid slowing demand and falling commodity and food prices, consumer prices are expected to decline by an average of 0.2% in 2009.
-    Despite the poor outlook for exports, falling commodity prices will depress import values. As a result, the trade surplus will remain huge. The current-account surplus will narrow to 6.1% of GDP in 2009 and 4.5% in 2010.

Business Travel Trends in China
The Barometer shows continued growth in T&E expenses in China:
-    The Chinese business travel market is very similar to the US market in that it is self sufficient and the majority of expenditure takes place domestically.
-    Domestic travel still dominates the market, with an increase this year for foreign owned companies.
-    T&E expenditure in Mainland China by foreign owned companies rose to 59% in 2008 from 56% in 2007, suggesting that these organizations are working to develop and increase market share within China.
-    42% of organizations surveyed report an increase of their T&E budget over the last 12 months.
-    T&E is regarded as an investment instead of a cost center with the main purpose of business travel being to develop or maintain business in both existing and new markets.
-    T&E has consolidated its position as the second largest controllable cost for companies within China in 2008, rising 7% to 31.5% of a company’s controllable expense base.
-    70% of the companies surveyed indicated that they have a formal T&E policy.
-    This year, a major trend is emerging — employee care is extending beyond efficiency. Staying in contact on a continuous basis with employees on business trips is now becoming a major asset for companies in the face of changes in business and world disruption. As a result 93% of companies declare they have put in place security rules.
-    With environmental concerns increasing in importance, 44% integrate environmental issues into their travel policy and more companies are implementing measures to protect the environment.
-    The survey also shows that the overall compliance rates remain stable. This year, 51% of surveyed companies achieved compliance rates above 50%, which has increased by 4% compared to last year.
-    64% of organizations are using negotiated fares. There has been a reduction in the use of economy and an increase in business and first class fares which is probably due to the slight increase in budget spent on overseas and Hong Kong destinations.
-    Going on-line is more common – 80% of companies consider online booking a common practice. The internet is becoming a much more important means of booking business travel because it is convenient; easy to use and fast (63% said they use online tools, up from 61% last year). While usage is slightly on the increase, showing that companies are still in need of tools capable of fulfilling their cost reduction target, compliance rate objectives and data consolidation of fragmented sources.
-    Almost half of the companies surveyed are using a travel agency for business travel, 6% higher than last year. Another sign of evolution is that 22% of companies have consolidated their travel requirements with one agency compared to 15% last year. This is a sign that companies are seeking opportunities to optimize and manage T&E expenditure by consolidating their spending and increasing their negotiating power.
-    For those companies that don’t use a TMC the main barrier remains for 47% of companies a lack of knowledge of the services provided.
Chinese companies continue to use different methods of payment. Non cash methods still have difficulty in emerging as alternative methods of payment. Payment methods remain cash orientated, but it is indicated that the use of corporate card programs has slightly increased this year.

‘Looking forward to next year, 42% of organizations expect their T&E expenditure to increase over the coming twelve months as they increasingly recognize the vital role it plays in conducting business. Therefore it is critical for companies to maximize control and identify cost saving opportunities. American Express will use the findings of the Barometer to work with our customers and build on our success in the market to help companies improve their T&E practices and achieve their business goals.’ said Mr. Petruccelli.

All in all the extended trip in China was definitely worthwhile and we are confident that the long term outlook for business from China to Thailand and in particular Pattaya and the Royal Cliff Beach Resort is very good and we will continue to work with our Chinese based partners and persue other potential leads to further develop this market.

The almost excellent ASEAN Summits in Pattaya

For the Royal Cliff Beach resort in Pattaya, venue of the recent ASEAN+3 and ASEAN+6 summit, the anti-government protest that led to the cancellation of this gathering of regional leaders on 11 April did a great disservice to this important forum organised to help overcome the economic difficulties facing Asia and prevented the resort from showing just how good it is at putting on successful events of the highest level.

The summit from 10-12 April 2009 involving leaders of ASEAN,  plus China, Japan, and South Korea, was expected to discuss plans for the region to cope with the global economic crisis as well as sign important financial and investment initiatives that would benefit ASEAN’s 570 million people.

A pre-summit meeting of finance ministers on 9 April was successfully concluded, while the first day of the summit on 10 April and a working dinner that evening for the leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, all creatively arranged by the Royal Cliff, set a very promising tone for a successful conclusion of the ASEAN summit. Unfortunately the summit’s anticipated high points and gala dinner did not happen despite the best efforts of the Thai government, Pattaya administration and the Royal Cliff staff.

Thailand as chair of ASEAN for 2009 wanted to impress the leaders of its friendly neighbours with an outstanding meeting that would set the scene for important decisions to benefit the region and its people during these difficult economic times. The Royal Cliff responded with impeccable arrangements within its event venue, Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH), and throughout the resort for the three-day gathering.

Mrs. Panga Vathanakul, the resort’s Managing Director, said : “We made some outstanding arrangements for the ASEAN summits, preparing very special, attractive meeting and press release areas within PEACH as well as numerous dining set-ups. Preparations and set up for the gala dinner were completely laid out with everyone looking forward to a memorable grand finale”

Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, who was in charge of all media arrangements, was very impressed with the Royal Cliff’s commitment to excellence in both service and facilities. In a letter to Mrs. Panga, he praised the resort, PEACH and most particularly the staff for their professionalism and attentiveness in going beyond expectations to create a successful gathering.

Former Senator Somkiat Onvimol wrote a press article congratulating the Royal Cliff and its staff for outstanding arrangements, set-ups and facilities. In the article the noted that the Thai people should be proud that the Royal Cliff had done such a fine job in its preparations and in creating an outstanding atmosphere for this important gathering.

The Cambodian delegation was quite emotional about the venue, which 20 years ago was the setting for historic peace talks involving the leaders of various factions in Cambodia, including Hun Sen – now the country’s Prime Minister, and HRH Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Senios Minister and Minister of Commerce Cham Prasdh noted that the Royal Cliff represented a an important milestone and venue for bringing together the various factions to form a Supreme national Council that eventually brought peace and democracy to Cambodia.

Sadly the protest ensured there would be no historic resolution for the ASEAN+3 and the ASEAN+6 Summit. When it became obvious that the meeting could not continue, Prime Minister Abhisit cancelled the summit, at which point the protesters left the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. delegation leaders took time to bid farewell to the Thai team and Royal Cliff executives in appreciation of their work before departing , by helicopter, to catch flights at nearby U-tapao airport.

Many hotel guest were intrigued by the protest, watching from a distance and taking photographs.”At no time were our visitors, guest and staff in any danger. The protesters merely wanted to halt the summit. When that was achieved, they left the Royal Cliff Beach Resort”, Mrs. Panga explained. The next day, the resort was once again a pictures of peace, its gardens bathed in sunlight, with an air of expectancy about the impending Songkran celebrations.

“I want to inform everyone that Pattaya and the Royal Cliff Beach Resort are back to normal. Tourist are coming in and we are giving them a very friendly welcome. Our resort is also ready to host meetings and conferences, delivering high quality facilities and arangements that we can assure will exceed expectations, she added.

Thailand Cabinet Meeting Held at PEACH

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH) in the early hours of 7th April 2009 as to inspect the preparation for the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summit Meeting that was scheduled on 10th – 12 April, 2009.  After the inspection, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva attended the cabinet meeting that was held at PEACH, Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya, Thailand

Below are photos taken before, during and after the cabinet meeting at PEACH

The Preparations for the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at Royal Cliff Beach Resort

Mr. Vitavas Srivihok, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a press briefing on the preparations for the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits to be held at Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH) on 10-12 April 2009.

Every participating country has officially confirmed attendance of its Head of State. The Summit involves world Heads of State and royalties from countries in the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, including Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Viet Nam, China, Japan, Korea, India, and Thailand.

The Summit begins on the evening of 10 April 2009 with an informal working dinner of the ASEAN leaders in the Panorama Restaurant at Royal Cliff Beach Resort. The Gala Dinner will feature a showcase of Thai food, music, and cultural dancing to welcome the Summit guests at PEACH. Mrs. Panga Vathanakul, Managing Director of Royal Cliff Beach Resort states that her management team will do their very best to ensure a smooth operation and that each Head of State are meticulously taken care of.

ASEAN Plus One Summits with China, the Republic Korea, and Japan, respectively, are scheduled for 11 April, to be followed by the ASEAN Plus Three Summit and ASEAN Summit Plus One with India in the afternoon. On 12 April, the East Asia Summit (EAS), or the so-called ASEAN Plus 6 Summit, will be held amongst the leaders from the ASEAN Member States and the leaders of 6 ASEAN dialogue partners, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

The theme of this Summit is “Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges”, and global economic and financial crisis, food and bio-energy security, and disaster management are among the central issues that the leaders will discuss.

The total of 26 outcome documents are expected to be considered during the Summits, including the ‘Pattaya Statement on ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation on Food Security and Bio-Energy Development’, the ‘Pattaya Statement on East Asia Summit (EAS) Disaster Management’, the ‘Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Good Manufacturing Practice of Medicinal Products’, and the ‘ASEAN- China Investment Agreement.’

In addition, the Third ASEAN-UN Summit is scheduled to be convened on 12 April 2009. This Summit will be an opportunity for ASEAN leaders and Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, to discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest including development, food and energy security, climate change, disaster management, and issues of the global financial crisis.

The Summit will also see the leaders of international financial and economic institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), discuss with the leaders of countries participating in the EAS. In this connection, a separate event called “ASEAN Global Dialogue”, co-hosted by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN and the Royal Thai Government, will be held on the evening of 12 April in Bangkok. The event is expected to be an opportunity for the guest speakers from the international financial and economic institutions and participants to exchange views and experiences on global challenges that have tremendous impact on the region, in particular the global financial crisis.

To see all pictures taken during the event, click on the below album cover

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