Northstar

News Resorts World Sentosa's Meeting Rewards Programme SINGAPORE - RWS has a new meeting rewards programme, which offers instant rewards for every meeting booked with the resort, as well as a choice of bonus incentive. Instant rewards include free upgrades to deluxe rooms and suites, complimentary Universal Studios Singapore express passes and souvenirs, discounted Voyage de la Vie tickets, and 15 per cent off room rates. Bonus rewards include a choice of either a complimentary 40-seat airport coach transfer, or complimentary Universal Studios Singapore one-day admission passes. To qualify for the programme, meetings have to be booked and executed from now till September 30. Rewards are subject to availability. Events Big India and China Presence Boosts PATA Travel Mart THAILAND - The upcoming PATA Travel Mart in New Delhi, will see a large amount of business created by Indian and Chinese buyers. PATA statistics show that the Indian and Chinese outbound markets are growing at around 12% per year. Thirty Indian buyer organisations will be present. China will send 40 travel buyers, including 20 from the independent China Travel Service, the biggest wholesale tour operator in China. A total of 310 buyer delegates from 228 organisations in 51 markets have so far registered for PTM, which takes place September 6-9. PATA Interim CEO, Mr. Bill Calderwood said, "From a hard- nosed business perspective, PATA Travel Mart is a very compelling proposition this year. The Mart has been fi ne tuned to deliver focused quality-controlled buyer-seller negotiations, fi rst hand experiences of new products and services, and vital briefi ngs to build better business decisions." Of the 77 seller organisations from India, 31 will be fi rst-time exhibitors. Ten Indian states will be represented and nine Chinese entities including Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hainan, Hebei, Henan, Kunming, Nanjing, Qinghai, Shenzhen, the [4]China National Tourism Administration, and numerous private sector hotels and tour operators. All the buyers at PTM will meet with more than 520 sellers from 278 organisations in 31 destinations. A large delegation of sellers from Japan will be there to underline the Martâs strong participation from China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei. Japan has reaffi rmed that it is open and ready for business with participation by the PATA Japan Chapter, JTB Corp and the Japan Hotel Association. To ensure quality meetings on the show fl oor, all PTM buyer delegates have been carefully vetted by an independent buyer selection committee to maximise successful contracting opportunities. The ideal ratio of confi rmed buyers and sellers means that PATA can guarantee 38 appointments to the vast majority of sellers. The largest number of buyers at PATA Mart though will still be from the affl uent European market, which is currently booking a lot of new business in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives. Events MCVB Announces Appointment of Acting CEO AUSTRALIA - The Melbourne Convention + Visitors Bureau (MCVB) Chairman, Mr Chris Barlow, announced today that Mr Keith Herdman has been appointed as the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MCVB post the departure of current CEO, Sandra Chipchase, on Thursday, 4 August 2011. Mr Herdman has been part of MCVB's Senior Management team since August 2006. "The Board has every confidence in Keith's ability to keep MCVB firmly focussed on the business at hand while the recruitment process is underway," Mr Barlow said. Ms Chipchase announced her resignation to take on a new role earlier this month. Events 3 August 2011

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