Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 3 Published by NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD SINGAPORE 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652 • TEL: +65-6801-0450 FAX: +65-6801-0469 BEIJING Room 024, Building 8, Qijiayuan Diplomatic Compound, No.9 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 100600, China • TEL: +8610-8532 3611 | FAX: +8610-8532 5293 SHANGHAI Room 2553, The Headquarters Building, No.168 Central XiZhang Road, Shanghai 200001, China • TEL: +8621-5179 8360 | FAX: +8621-5179 8360 Travel Weekly Asia is published on a monthly basis by Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd. Located at 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652. All rights reserved. Volume 9 Issue 7 Please address all subscription mail to the above address, Fax +852 3020 5794, or email travelweeklyasia@asia-ad.net. Online Subscription: www.travelweekly-asia.com/subscribe For reprints or copyright permission contact Travel Weekly Asia at +65 6801 0450 or email to twasia-salesmtg@travelweekly.com Printed by TIMES PRINTERS PRIVATE LIMITED (L008/08/2017) Travel Weekly Asia is BPA audited, with 11,100 print circulation and 23,144 eNewsletter circulation as of Dec 31, 2017. Around the world, BPA is the preferred third-party auditor for advertiser-supported business publications (including print and digital editions). BPA verifies paid, controlled, or any combination of paid and controlled circulation, and reports the data in a single Brand Report. Founded in 1931 BPA Worldwide is an independent, not-for-profit, self-regulating organization governed by a tripartite Board. NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP (ASIA) GROUP PUBLISHER Irene Chua Tel: (65) 6801 0451 | ichua@travelweekly.com EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Yeoh Siew Hoon Tel: (65) 6801 0450 | syeoh@ntmllc.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Esther Faith Lew Tel: (65) 6801 0457 | esther.lew@ntmllc.com EDITOR-AT-LARGE Ian Jarrett Tel: (618) 9433 6455 | ian.jarrett@travelweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Lee Xin Hui Tel: (65) 6801 0453 | xinhui.lee@ntmllc.com REPORTER Naomi Neoh Tel: (65) 6801 0461 | naomi.neoh@ntmllc.com ASIA CORRESPONDENT Will Chin Tel: (65) 6801 0453 | asia.correspondent@ntmllc.com HONG KONG CORRESPONDENT Catharine Nicol | cn@monsterpix.hk PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT Bing Jaleco | bingjaleco@gmail.com ART DIRECTOR Lim Bee Bee Tel: (65) 9750 8405 | bb.bbcreative@gmail.com SALES & MARKETING REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Ng Whey Whey Tel: (65) 6801 0460 | whey.ng@ntmllc.com REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Kevin Ng Tel: (65) 6801 0459 | kevin.ng@ntmllc.com ASSOCIATE MANAGER, MARKETING AND EVENTS Melanie Ong Tel: (65) 6801 0458 | melanie.ong@ntmllc.com AD TRAFFIC AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Rena Koh Tel: (65) 6801 0455 | rena.koh@ntmllc.com IT & DIGITAL IT & DIGITAL OPERATIONS Ron Wee Tel: (65) 6801 0456 | ron.wee@ntmllc.com CHINA OFFICE GROUP PUBLISHER (China) Rebecca Zhang Tel: (8621) 5179 8363 | rebecca.zhang@ntmllc.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Roger Wang Tel: (8621) 5179 8360 | roger.wang@travelweekly.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Susan Li Tel: (8610) 8532 3611 | susan.li@travelweekly.com MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES HONG KONG/MACAU/TAIWAN ZAM International - Manna Ma Tel: (852) 9731 2090 | manna.ma@zamintl.com.hk INDIA MHI Communications - Smriti Khanna Tel: (9198) 1040 7483 | skhanna@mhi.com.hk JAPAN R Project Incorporated - Hiroki Fukunaga Tel: (81) 90 4958 0658 | hirokif@rprojectinc.com KOREA Young Media Inc - Keon Chang Tel: (822) 2273 4833 | ymedia@chol.com PHILIPPINES MMPR Media Group, Inc - Marie Monozca Tel: (63) 917 328 7658 | marie@mmprmedia.com AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - ASIA Patti Mo | patti.mo@travelweekly.com DATABASE & FULFILLMENT MANAGER Zoe Chu | zoe.chu@travelweekly.com FINANCE ASIA FINANCE MANAGER Julia Tham Tel: (65) 6801 0452 | julia.tham@ntmllc.com NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Thomas L. Kemp CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Lisa Cohen PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA Thomas Cintorino EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/GROUP PUBLISHER David Blansfield SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lori Cioffi SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Arnie Weissmann SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Janine L. Bavoso SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION Roberta Muller VICE PRESIDENT, INFORMATION PRODUCTS GROUP Sheila Rice VICE PRESIDENT, IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS Rich Mastropietro VICE PRESIDENT, DATABASE PRODUCTS Elizabeth Koesser TRAVEL WEEKLY EVENTS PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS, TRAVEL GROUP Alicia Evanko-Lewis TALKING POINT Siew Hoon is a traveller who loves to write and a writer who loves to travel. She's combined her two loves into a career in travel journalism that has seen her launch several travel industry titles and conferences, including WIT. She loves the change and discovery that comes with travel and the business. It's probably not what the doctor would have ordered — catching the Robot Show in Tokyo right after two days of intense conferencing and sleep deprivation. But maybe it was exactly what I needed to take me completely over the adrenaline meter. After all, we had spent two days at WIT Japan & North Asia talking about how technology was helping to deliver better Japanese experiences to foreign travellers. So we decided to go out and experience it for ourselves. And there's no better show that delivers such a concentrated dose of instant gratification — or hallucination — than the Robot Show, which Voyagin, the tours and activities platform that spoke at our conference, said was their best- selling destination, and whose CEO Masashi Takahashi said I simply must try at least once. The experience starts on the streets. Friday night in Shinjuku is bedlam. Neon lights flashing, crowds of people walking past like zombies — it felt like a scene from a science fiction movie. There's nothing subtle about what's on offer either. You don't need to read Japanese or use Google Translate here. Everything is visual. Girlie shows (young girls in school uniforms seem to be all the rage), pachinko parlours ("Ping, ping, ping!"), ramen joints ("Slurp, slurp, slurp!"), sushi restaurants ("Chop, chop, chop!"). We found a ramen place, one of those with a vending machine. We picked a picture, tapped a button, paid by cash, got a receipt, found a seat and waited — quick and simple. Why can't we buy air seats, hotels, tours and activities this way? The Robot Show itself is held in a basement. Walking down the stairs gives you an idea of the sensory Razzle. Dazzle. Frazzle: A robot's guide to Tokyo overload that awaits — all mirror, no smoke, just lots of moving, psychedelic images. It felt a bit like Malice in Wonderland. The space is tiny and shaped like an aircraft cabin, though slightly bigger. The audience sits on either side, the stage is the aisle in between. LED walls flank both sides and there's a non-stop barrage of moving, colourful images. The first performance was Taiko drumming on wildly decorated floats with wildly dressed performers. Then we had masked rock musicians playing amped-up electric guitars, and outlandishly dressed dancers doing back flips. The second performance was a sci-fi-meet-fantasy-meet-manga- meet-horror-meet-whatever- comes-into-our-mind with pandas, dinosaurs, turtles and crustaceans, armed with laser guns and giant swords thrown into the sukiyaki plot. Oh, I forgot about the exploding pyrotechnics. It's mind-boggling that so much can happen in such a small space. Their use of tech is amazing. Those robots that light up. Those floats that move. The digital art that is infinitely scalable and merchandisable. That's their monetisation model. During breaks, the LED walls would light up like giant vending machines, offering anything from popcorns to beer and churros. Staff would then go around with carts. It felt just like being on an airplane, and I wondered why airlines don't make in-flight shopping more fun like this. Don't look for themes, plots or narratives. This is not high art, and this is not zen. It is zany, fun and wild. One of those things you've got to experience once. I suggest you go when you're in a zombie-like state of mind and need a perk-me-up.

• Cover