AUCKLAND - Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) has announced the postponement of New Zealand’s annual business events industry tradeshow MEETINGS, which was due to take place in Auckland next month.

CAM RANH – A mega integrated resort has opened in Cam Ranh. Alma Resort, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, is on Vietnam's southwest coast. Located between Cam Ranh and Nha Trang City, it is 7.8km from Cam Ranh International Airport, about 10 minutes by car, and will offer diverse options for MICE groups under one roof.

BANGKOK - Accor has announced the signing of its latest deal in Thailand with V Villas Phuket. The 24-pool villa resort will join the group’s MGallery Hotel Collection, and is being developed on a hilltop in Ao Yon Beach, Phuket, about an hour by road from Phuket International Airport and 20 minutes from Phuket Town.

FRANKFURT - IMEX has been cancelled this year but what makes the cancellation of the event so unique is that IMEX group chairman, Mr Ray Bloom, and Ms Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX group, have managed to encapsulate the emotions and thoughts of many industry players in a personal note to their supporters.

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah’s latest pride and joy, the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) has opened its doors to business. It kicked off activities with a week-long national-level Quran Recital and Memorisation Competition launched on 16 February 2020 by Malaysia’s prime minister, followed by a two-day local university education fair, and several SME business events and forums.

UK - Bristol-based association event specialist Brightelm had originally been hired to deliver a conference for 150 delegates for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) at its Canary Wharf office on 3 March. With the coronavirus rapidly spreading, the CMA made the decision to tell the audience not to come just 24 hours ahead.

KUALA LUMPUR – Penang Global Tourism (PGT) has unveiled its latest campaign, Experience Penang 2020 (EPY2020), with the tagline, The Diversity of Asia. Over 20 tourism establishments travelled from Penang to Kuala Lumpur to be present at the launch on 12 March.

LONDON — Cities such as Rome which are far away from the epicentre of the Italian COVID-19 outbreak, are suffering steep declines in occupancy rates. According to preliminary February data from STR, Rome had an absolute occupancy at 21% as of 1 March.

SINGAPORE - UOL Group Limited (UOL) and hotel subsidiary, Pan Pacific Hotels Group Limited (PPHG), are taking sustainable hospitality to the next level with the launch of PPHG’s new brand, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Hotels & Resorts.

DUBAI - Reed Travel Exhibitions has announced that it has postponed Arabian Travel Market (ATM). The new show dates are from 28 June – 1 July 2020, at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE.

AUSTRALIA - The body representing the events and exhibition industry, EEAA, has requested the country’s chief medical officer, professor Brendan Murphy to make a public statement declaring that despite fears regarding COVID-19, there is “no reason to cancel or postpone events such as exhibitions, conferences and other business meetings”.

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Already a powerhouse for trade and commerce-related MICE activity, Taiwan has grown more attractive lately, thanks to new infrastructure and visa policies – the latter including the New Southbound waiver that led to an approximate 12% surge in visitors from Southeast Asia, in particular Vietnam and The Philippines.

KUALA LUMPUR – The travel industry in Malaysia has reacted positively to the announcement of the government’s economic stimulus package. The RM20 billion (US$4.7 billion) package was introduced on 27 February to help sectors adversely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.