Northstar

FEATURE | DMOs 14 Jul-Aug 2016 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com 7. Easy Connections Singapore's flight connections are constantly being improved. Recent developments include the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative (CCI) between Singapore and China, which introduced direct flights from various cities in China to Singapore, including West Air's inaugural flight from Chongqing to Singapore, Scoot's new daily flights from Guangzhou, and Sichuan Airlines' new daily flights from Chengdu. In Macau, the soon-to-be-completed Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will shorten the travel time between Hong Kong and Macau to 30 minutes. It is the first combined bridge and tunnel sea-crossing project in China, connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. A new mass transit system in Macau is also in the works. It will connect the Peninsula with Taipa/Cotai, the border crossing, ferry terminals, airport, hotels and venues when it launches in 2019. Dubai's International Airport serves more than 66 million people a year with 6,500 flights connecting to or from Dubai to over 260 destinations across six continents on more than 140 scheduled airlines every week. The new Concourse D at Terminal 1 has increased capacity to 90 million passengers per annum. 8. What's new Seoul expects continued robust arrivals from FIT travellers to business event delegates, and there will be new accommodations ranging from five-star hotels to business boutique hotels. "By the end of 2017, we are anticipating over 300 hotels in Seoul with some 45,000 hotels rooms," says STO's Kim Byung-tae. Seoul will also be expanding MICE infrastructure. The area spanning from Coex Convention Center to the Jamsil Sports Complex will be converted into a large-scale MICE "cluster" that brings together new meeting spaces, accommodations, leisure and entertainment attractions. The city aims to triple the city's MICE infrastructure by 2020. Macau currently offers more than 182,000 sqm of meeting space and over 32,000 hotel rooms. Room inventory is expected to increase to 50,000 over the next few years. Upcoming launches are the 1,700-key Wynn Palace, 1,500- key MGM Cotai, and the highly anticipated Zaha Hadid-designed City of Dreams New Hotel Tower, a 780-key hotel with meeting and event facilities. It will be the world's first high-rise building supported by a free-form exoskeleton structure. Dubai currently has 99,211 rooms, and is expected to reach 115,000 keys by end-2016. Dubai World Trade Centre's recent 15,500 square metre extension increased exhibition capacity to over 122,000 square metres, making it a key growth driver for MICE. 9. Unique venues By end of the year, Dubai will launch several developments that are relevant for business events. Dubai Parks & Resorts will unveil the first phase of the project, which will comprise three theme parks – Motiongate Dubai, bringing to life the biggest characters in Hollywood; Bollywood Parks Dubai and Legoland Dubai in October. In August, the Dubai Opera will open with 2,000 seats for opera, theatre, concerts, art exhibitions, orchestra, film, sports events and seasonal programmes. It will be the centrepiece of the Dubai Opera District, which features luxury hotels, residential and serviced apartments, a retail plaza, waterfront promenades and parks. The US$1 billion IMG Worlds of Adventure opens in August with more than 20 rides and attractions. It will feature Marvel comic heroes, Cartoon Network characters and dinosaurs. 10. Feed the soul Win the hearts of delegates. Meetings and networking go hand in hand with good drinks and food that bolster the team spirit of delegates. Being a multicultural city, Singapore showcases the best of several worlds from her citizens. The Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnic groups throw up a buffet of tantalising options, in addition to Singapore hawker favourites. Minority groups such as the Eurasians and Peranakans have also been garnering attention for their unique tourism experiences surrounding culture and cuisine. And the myriad of world-class Michelin-star restaurants in the city's midst speaks of her appeal as a nation for foodies. From top clockwise: Peranakan cuisine at Violet Oon's Kitchen at National Gallery Singapore; Vibrant event vibes in Macau; Hong Kong entices with "Top MICE Agent Awards"; Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul offers avant garde event spaces

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