TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Loretta de Stefani, Director Business Development of Perth Convention Bureau (PCB), Western Australia, made her first visit to Japan some days ago. It was the first visit for any PCB member as well. She expressed PCB’s desire to invite more incentive tours from the Japanese market.

Stefani elaborated on good access to Perth and adequate seat supply to accommodate business groups, emphasizing the vital roll of Qantas Airways serving three times a week with non-stop flights. She also stressed that Perth is proud of sufficient travel infrastructure to cater for big-scale MICE, such one as big as 5,000 attendees maximum. It is said there are 3,624 rooms at starred hotels available in the business district of Perth, and their categories range from internationally-acclaimed five-star hotels to casino hotels and to boutique hotels. The city hosted the Australia Tourism Exchange (ATE) twice in the past, and there was a big incentive group of 1,100 participants from Japan a few years ago, she added.

Stefani mentioned several interesting cases of MICE outside a hotel banquet room, taking advantage of the unique surroundings of Perth. She gave examples of having an outdoor dinner party with beautiful scenery of Perth as the backdrop, and a party in the zoological garden or at the correction facility or in the cave. It can be arranged, she said, to include a team-building program in a form of sailing or kayaking or to take part in one of the local events like the Wild Flower Festival in September.

PCB is ready to introduce appropriate facilities and activities to MICE organizers and to propose specific plans and schedules without any charge. In case of a big group of 300 participants or more, it will render free service of arranging a local inspection or some other assistance. Even for a smaller group of 20 to 80, PCB will extend gift service and welcome board service.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.

Nippon Travel Agency (NTA) intends to expand MICE business to 27 billion yen’s worth in 2010 and to boost its proportion to nearly 30 percent in the agency’s group travel handling. NTA set up MICE Department on March 1 last year but, due to the outbreak of H1N1 influenza and economic recession, the share of MICE-related business remained at 27 percent of the group travel in 2009. Takahisa Ishigaki, general manager of MICE Department at Sales & Marketing Headquarters, says, “The year 2010 started at about the same pace as in previous year.” With human resource development of young and middle-aged staff in view and with introduction of new systems implemented, he is eager not only to undertake site operations but to organize the whole course of events by gaining credibility from the clients.

With relation to staff’s education, a training session was given to them in which everyone’s way of presentation was recorded in video to review his own manner and improve recessary skills and attitudes. It started with senior staff because they are required of being a role model in the training. The agency distributed to each member of the sales staff a MICE sales guide that contains data analysis and tips on operational methods. An upgraded manual is also being prepared. Moreover, an internal qualification system was put in place to test and accredit a competent staff as an “event operation manager” in a bid to change the staff’s mind from a travel agent to an event promoter or supervisor. NTA plans to allocate 10 qualified staff to each of five regional headquarters across the country and to two regional companies. The MICE Department is to render assistance for such staffing and extend financial support for the necessary training.

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IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan starts in April its original MICE Program “Intercontinental Meeting” at Intercontinental Yokohama Grand. The program is created based on the Intercontinental Hotel’s concept, that is, “irreplaceable experience unique to the locality,” offering community-based or experience-based meeting plans. Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts has launched the program globally since last autumn. Jean Baptiste Pigeon, general manager of Intercontinental Yokohama Grand, said that his hotel would like to have a bigger share in the MICE market by offering original and high quality services with introduction of this program. He is positive in working with the neighboring facilities for generating MICE demand as is quoted as saying, “We are ready to collaborate with the adjacent PACIFICO Yokohama and the Convention Bureau to make Yokohama a high-profile city for MICE.

Ryozo Oya, COO of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, while confirming his policy to promote MICE business under the Intercontinental brand name, is determined to upgrade the contents and services to bring the program to near perfection. Keeping a sustainable growth in view, he is eager to make MICE business the mainstay of the hotel’s income as it entails demand for accommodation. The abovementioned program starts operating, according to Oya, in 10 cities around the world including London, Paris, and Hong Kong as well as Yokohama. The program’s introduction this time was the first in Japan and the fifth in the world. The program is scheduled to be adopted later this year at five other Intercontinental hotels in Japan.

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