Asia Pacific gets business tourism boost with relaunch of association

The eight Asian visitor bureaux which together make up the recently relaunched Asian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaux (AACVB) have agreed on a new agenda to try to boost the region's market share in the events industry.
The eight members include the bureaux of China, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
AACVB chair, Suprabha Moleeratanond, said, "At least eight convention and visitor bureaux will put cooperation ahead of competition and raise the level of sophistication in the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition sectors in Asia. Our aim is to increase competitiveness and drive new MICE business to our region."
The aggressive new agenda aims to attract intra-regional conventions, especially those that can be rotated among AACVB members.
The AACVB was initially established in 1983 but the organisation had difficulty with leadership from 2000 and gradually became inactive. It was revived in November last year.
The new strategic direction for the organisation also aims to achieve sharing of best practices and the creation of joint branding, marketing and advertising. The AACVB has also suggested it will lookat training and accreditation to lift standards in the region.
Joyce DiMascio, head of business events for Tourism Australia, told MICEBTN, "We are a very interesting time in the association market, particularly in terms of the relevance and growth potential that will come out of the Asia Pacific region. During the recent IMEX in Frankfurt there were various forums looking at the future of the association market. The opportunities here in Asia now are dawning on the Europeans and the Americans. The formation of the new Asian alliance is to me another signal that our colleagues in Asia are beginning to recognise the enormous potential that we have in our part of the world."
Meanwhile, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Asia Pacific will hold its first Australian event in Sydney on 1 July.
Managing director of HSMAI Asia Pacific, Bernadette Dennis, said: "HSMAI is a global organisation of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. We already have more than half the number of members we need to establish a chapter in Australia, so this event represents our commitment to those members and to growing our presence in the Australian market."