INBOX


Keep up to date with the latest news and views of interest to busy PAs.


Business travel spending expected to rise in China


BEIJING Business travel spending in China


is forecast to grow by 17 per cent this year and 21 per cent next year, according to the Global Business Travel Association’s inaugural GBTA BTI Outlook – China. Business spending is projected to be


US$202 billion and $245 billion respectively, according to the report, sponsored by Visa. Growth in international outbound travel spending is expected to rise by 27 per cent next year, and Chinese investment in infrastructure must then keep up with the explosion in demand, says the report. Over the past decade, the country’s


four largest airports have doubled in size, and there are plans for more than 100 new airports to be built in the next decade. China is ranked second in the business


travel market, according to the GBTA findings, but is forecast to surpass the US as early as 2015. Over the past decade, China’s rapid economic growth has been


reflected in the country’s dramatic increase in business travel spending. Between 2000 and 2011, business travel spending averaged more than 16 per cent a year overall. This was largely driven by both meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition business trips alongside a rise in the amount of real spend-per-trip.


Being installed takes the cake SINGAPORE New council


members being installed for the Singapore Association of Administrative Professionals. From left: Mary Suico (between jobs), Ruth Ooi (Nestlé Singapore), P. Sumathi (C&C Technologies), Regina Tan (American Orient Capital Partners), Sim Siew Gek (Amplus Communication), Josephine Kwan (Singapore Institute of Building) and Joanne Sun (Credit Suisse AG).


Thailand considers online visas BANGKOK Visitors to Thailand from


certain countries may soon be able submit their visa applications online. A proposal by the Tourism Council of


Thailand to this effect has been agreed to in principle by the Thailand Foreign Ministry in a bid to alleviate long queues in arrivals at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, reports the Bangkok Post.


Travellers from large countries such


as China and India prefer to apply for a visa on arrival as they are not convenient to arrange in their home countries because it is not easy to travel to the nearest Thai embassy or consulate. As well, people in many emerging


countries must seek a visa at the embassy or consulate in a third country.


ISSUE THREE 2012 | WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.ASIA 11 BANGKOK Thai Airways’ Thai Smile service has


introduced an Airbus A320 aircraft on the Bangkok- Macau route. The plane’s overhead storage compart- ments can each accommodate two trolley bags.


HONG KONG Hong Kong’s exhibition industry has


continued to grow, according to the annual survey of the Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association. Companies going to Hong Kong to exhibit, the area their exhibition occupied and the numbers of visitors from overseas all increased last year, in some cases posting double-digit growth.


KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia Airlines has launched its


first Airbus A380 service between London Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur. The carrier claims that the new aircraft has the widest seats of any first class cabin, while both first- and business-class passengers benefit from a pre-ordering “Chef-on-Call” service. Initially three times a week, the service increases to daily from the end of August.


SYDNEY Taking over Sydney’s boutique Observatory


Hotel, Langham plans to upgrade the luxury property. Langham Hospitality Group CEO Brett Butcher tells HMmagazine the property will brought into line with global standards. The property will stay open during the renovation.


Seoul Incheon to Yangon, Myanmar, on September 13. For the tenth consecutive year,


SINGAPORE SEOUL


Singapore has been named Asia’s Top Convention City, retaining its spot as the only Asian city in the top five Convention Cities in the World.


NEW YORK An app. has been launched that allows


conference speakers to offer extra resources to their audience. Slides & Polls from www.Screen.io can gather data from attendees, and speakers can upload slides, images, videos and documents to a special URL that can be accessed by attendees through their smart- phone, tablet or laptop. Interactive polls can be run.


MELBOURNE The inaugural Asia Mega Famil &


Workshop being hosted by Tourism Victoria and Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau (MCVB) will allow business events companies to meet with about 40 MICE agents from North and South-East Asia. The famil runs over four nights with a one-day workshop.


Korean Air will launch a non-stop service from


IN BRIEF SINGAPORE Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh


has introduced a fleet of BMW 5 Series and 7 Series limousines to replace its Mercedes vehicles. To complete the new look, the Vietnamese property has also refreshed the chauffeur’s uniform.


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