Tourism Australia’s Pamela Chow, M&C Asia’s Patricia Wee, Tourism Australia's Ann Lim, and M&C Asia’s Natalie Chew at The Meetings Show Asia Pacific 2024 in Singapore. Photo Credit: M&C Asia
Australia remains a top draw for Asian business events, with Perth,
Melbourne, and Sydney leading the pack. According to Ann Lim, Tourism
Australia's Singapore country manager, Perth's popularity is on the
rise, thanks to its proximity, time zone alignment, and robust incentive
support.
“Perth, in terms of growth, will be one of the sharpest and the
highest because its proximity to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
It's in the same time zone across a lot of Asian cities as well,
including Greater China, and it's also serviced by quite a fair bit of
low-cost carriers,” she said. “Perth is actually quite aggressive in
terms of the incentive support that they offer to incentive groups.”
Perth is currently expanding its hotel room inventory to accommodate
this new demand, and Southeast Asian MICE groups are being encouraged to
travel to regional destinations around Perth.
Melbourne and Sydney remain hotspots, boasting robust infrastructure
and diverse attractions. With high repeat visitation, particularly from
Singapore, interest is growing in secondary gateways like Adelaide,
buoyed by Singapore's strong currency.
India and Korea markets have achieved more than 100% recovery since
2019. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are still tracking close to the
90% range.
Popular activities
Business events are
increasingly embracing personalised experiences, with a notable trend
towards engaging in CSR activities like "adopt a koala" programmes prior
to traveling to Australia. Upon arrival, participants receive adoption
certificates and have the opportunity to meet the koalas they've
adopted.
Team-building activities are also gaining traction, with dot painting
on boomerangs becoming a popular choice. Lim explained: "It’s a very
interesting activity where you learn about all the meanings behind the
different symbols, and you share [the experience] together with the
team, but you take a piece of that home."
Additionally, food-tasting experiences are catering to higher
budgets, attracting smaller groups of top executives who seek
Michelin-starred culinary adventures. Lim highlights Greater China
attendees' fondness for seafood, often arranging to bring home boxes of
frozen abalone from their trip.
Working with partners
Tying in with its latest MICE campaign,
“There’s Nothing Like Australia”, Business Events Australia has
announced the launch of its Best Partner Programme, working with select
business events agents who will help to promote Australian destinations
and invite their corporate clients to pitch the destination to them.
Last August, BEA joined hands with Global Travel in Singapore, and
generated several leads.
Recently, the team engaged with the media and Singapore DMCs,
alongside nine CVBs, at an event luncheon at Artyzen Singapore, followed
by a two-day exhibition at The Meetings Show APAC at Sands Expo &
Convention Centre.
BEA is also looking at hiring a dedicated business events resource
because of the growing number of inquiries out of this region.