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www.travelweekly-asia.com 2 | ATF OFFICIAL SUPPORTING DAILIES talking point 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. 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 (LOO7/08/2015) 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 SUB EDITOR Vera Lye | veralye@gmail.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Lee Xin Hui Tel: (65) 6801 0453 | xinhui.lee@ntmllc.com WRITER Corinne Wan Tel: (603) 2201 1979 | corinne.wan@travelweekly.com HONG KONG CORRESPONDENT Catharine Nicol | cn@monsterpix.hk SINGAPORE CORRESPONDENT Yong Shu-Chiang | shuchiang@gmail.com CONTRIBUTORS Eve Yap, Brittany Panter, Bing J. Jaleco ART DIRECTOR Alex Goh Tel: (65) 96793468 | argonavis@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 MARKETING EXECUTIVE Rachelle Lee Tel: (65) 6801 0458 | rachelle.lee@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 Shawn Li Tel: (8610) 8532 4021 | shawn.li@travelweekly.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 ZAM International - Manna Ma Tel: (852) 9731 2090 | manna.ma@zamintl.com.hk KOREA Young Media Inc - Keon Chang Tel: (822) 2273 4833 | ymedia@chol.com INDIA MHI Communications - Smriti Khanna Tel: (9198) 1040 7483 | skhanna@mhi.com.hk 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 | 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, PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lori Cioffi SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Arnie Weissmann SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Janine L. Bavoso VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING SOLUTIONS Michelle Rosenberg VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION Roberta Muller VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT LICENSING 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 PUTTING THE ACCENT INTO ASEAN What are the distinctive qualities that bring attention to the region? Is it that one overwhelming and sweeping "exotic factor" that compels hordes of tourists to trod the streets of city buzz and off- the-beaten paths of discoveries and unique experiences? Or is it an array of specific qualities that shine the spotlight on the region? Singapore's reputation for family-friendly activities and attractions. Myanmar's appeal as the last frontier of Asia, heightened by its recent easing of travel restrictions. Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Everyone has their favourites. The "bucket list" is different for everyone and changes on a whim. Even the list for "Seven Wonders of the World" changes, with new nominees being added and old icons being dropped. There are 37 World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia, all offering a rich assortment of colourful cultural and natural attractions. Singapore joined the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015 with Singapore Botanic Gardens, making it the first and only tropical botanic garden on the list. There are currently: one in Myanmar, two in Cambodia, two in Laos, four in Malaysia, six in Philippines and eight in Indonesia. Many more have been submitted for review. The dynamic nature of the tourism industry spurs change and development. With travel consumption hitting high growth in Asia, new products and experiences are being sought after by the minute. Demand necessitates that NTOs get creative in destination marketing. Tourism arrivals in ASEAN as of September 30, 2015 was 105,084, up from 55,861 the year before, according to statistics from ASEAN Tourism Statistics Database. Even with a fluctuating and uncertain global landscape, the 2017 SITE Index has revealed that the incentive travel industry is holding strong. The most positive factor impacting incentive travel is the "increased importance of sustainability" and seven out of 10 incentive programmes now include a CSR activity, according to Kevin Hinton, CIS, chief excellence officer, Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE). Many companies are using CSR for teambuilding to strengthen bonds among employees, and help them feel a sense of pride in their company. In Asia, many ideal options abound in ASEAN countries; Singapore and Vietnam are ranked the top emerging destinations and are deemed attractive in offering unique and authentic cultural experiences. In the coming years, we look forward to smart destination marketing from NTOs and creativity from DMCs, TMCs and TAs to continue to spur tourism interest in the region. Have a wonderful ATF 2017. Esther Faith Lew is a mass com- munications professional with over 20 years of experience in covering different beats in the name of self- development. In the inspirational realm of travel, Esther continues to push the boundaries to continu- ally discover, dream and deliberate. Carpe Diem!

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