DESTINATIONS PREVIEW WTM 2016 LEFT:
Holi festival, India
RIGHT: New Zealand
w ASIA & AUSTRALASIA Headline sponsor India will be kicking off all the WTM action on Monday at 8.30am with an explosively colourful opening ceremony at the main entrance. Tuesday promises to be equally lively, when the India (IN300 and IN350) stands will serve up food, drink, music and warm hospitality for its Happy Hour from 5-7pm. The grand finale, taking place on Wednesday between 5-7pm,
will be the ‘Vibrant India’ festival, showcasing India’s cultural flair with an evening of music, dance and traditional cuisine. Actress Miriam Margolyes, star of TV series The Real Marigold Hotel, will also be at the festival to meet guests and share stories from her time in India, and pose for some obligatory selfies too. Mayalsia’s (AS400) stand opening on Monday at 10am will also get the party started
Expect the royal treatment
Actress Miriam Margolyes, star of The Real Marigold Hotel, will be on the India stand to meet guests
thanks to a performance from a 40-strong Malaysian dance troupe, and live music aplenty. That evening at 5pm there’ll be more cause for celebration with a cocktail reception at the stand, plus traditional gourmet delicacies to sample and more live music and dancing. Taiwan’s (AS455) impossibly
LEFT:
Taiwan’s Oh! Bear mascot
64
travelweekly.co.uk 3 November 2016
cute ambassador Oh! Bear will be at the destination’s stand for cuddles and photo opps on Monday, and from 4-6pm guests are invited for Happy Hour to sample Taiwanese beer, traditional nibbles and speciality cakes, while meeting local experts to chat about what makes Taiwan so special. Megan Eaves, north Asia editor for Lonely Planet, will also explain why Taitung and Taipei were selected for the publisher’s ‘Best in Asia’ list this year and will share her Taiwan travel tips. On Wednesday at 10.15am, agents can attend a workshop alongside operators and product managers to learn more about the destination.
at the Thai Airways (AS445) stand, where Her Royal Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, a member of the Thai royal family, will be there on Monday at 3.30pm. As well as catching a glimpse of a princess, visitors to the stand can leave their business card to be in with a chance of winning a return economy ticket to Thailand in a prize draw (Tuesday, 4pm) to celebrate the reintroduction of Thai Airways’ double-daily service from London to Bangkok. Tourism Australia (AS350) is winging its way from down under with a roster of 15 partners on hand to talk through news, new product and training. Tourism Australia managing director John O’Sullivan will be announcing the details of Corroboree West 2017, and plans for activity surrounding the ‘one year out’ campaign for the 2017-18 Ashes. On Monday evening, the stand will be serving an array of tipples too. South Australia will also be on the stand to share news of new tours, including a Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail and the opening of D’Arenberg Cube, an impressive, artistic building set in the Mourvèdre vineyards, which boasts a tasting room, several bars and two restaurants. At the Tourism New Zealand
(AS460) stand, agents can meet regional manager Pip Casey and enjoy a drink on Monday evening for Happy Hour between 5pm and 6pm.
PICTURES: CASEY OMAR JERSON; TOURISM NEW ZEALAND/DAVID WALL; DAVID LLOYD; ADRIAN POPE; LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU; ANDY HUNTLEY
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