Europe, including Paris, is a trending destination for Asian incentive groups. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Netfalls
Revenge travel – people’s desire to travel more after missing out on
time and experiences during the pandemic – is providing a welcome boost
to the MICE industry.
Nelson Khoo, head of events, Singapore & Indonesia at CWT
Meetings & Events, says there has been a sharp rebound in travel for
in-person meetings and events this year, while virtual events have
"fallen off a cliff".
Why APAC groups are going for the long haul
It’s more than just a low pound that is encouraging APAC groups to look to Europe for meetings and incentives.
Read more here"Companies have been extremely eager for their employees
to get more face-time with each other, as well as with clients and
business partners," he says.
"We’ve also seen a huge resurgence in incentive trips, companies
still see this as a very effective way to motivate and reward their
people. Planners in Asia Pacific have been focused on destinations
within the region this year, but we’re getting many enquiries and
requests for destinations that are further out, particularly in Europe,
for 2023."
Khoo
adds that the surge in demand, coupled with various supply side
challenges, has resulted in prices going up across the board.
“We
are seeing more hotels exercising dynamic pricing on their rates to
match demand”, he says. “At the same time, given the industry-wide staff
shortages, many hotels are not opening up 100% of their inventory to
ensure they can maintain their service levels. It has become much more
difficult to secure availability of flights, accommodation and venues
for events with short lead times.”
The Middle East is one region that has seen a major surge in travel, underpinned by the World Cup football tournament.
“Revenge
travel will of course have an impact on the MICE industry as
individuals become aware of certain destinations,” says Natalie
Crampton, founder and director of TEC.
“Inbound tourism to Dubai is booming, especially with individuals
escaping the cold climates of Europe for a bit of winter sun. The Asian
market is somewhat back, if not fully, now that they have more freedom
to travel post-Covid. We also have a massive influx of tourists who are
here to watch the World Cup from all over the world.”
Each year we usually add one or two new destinations into our portfolio but in the last quarter alone we’ve added five – Tel Aviv, Stockholm, Paris, Geneva and Athens.
Natalie Crampton, founder and director, TEC
Crampton adds that In terms of outbound, the agency has had an unusually busy period of working with new destinations.
“Each year we usually add one or two new destinations into our
portfolio but in the last quarter alone we’ve added five – Tel Aviv,
Stockholm, Paris, Geneva and Athens,” she says.
“The appetite to travel certainly seems rife – whether it’s for
personal reasons or business. Two years of living under restrictions has
made everyone evaluate their lives and travel and experiences lands
very high on the lists of what people want out of life.”