Ian Livesey, chief of operations for Spain Leisure & Andorra at TUI Travel, shared the panel with Kavita Bhalla, vice-president of outbound services at Cox & Kings.
Ultramar Event Management, TUI Travel PLC’s Spanish MICE division, made its presence felt on the first day of the 2nd International Asiatic Tourism Congress, which ended in Barcelona on 7 February.
During the roundtable discussion on professional tourism, Ian Livesey, chief of operations for Spain Leisure & Andorra at TUI Travel, presented the specifics of Asiatic MICE markets.
During his presentation, Livesey drew on the experience of Ultramar Event
Management in these markets to outline the opportunities awaiting the industry’s companies in emerging markets such as China or India, before addressing the challenges posed by marketing Spain as a MICE destination in Asiatic market both for companies like Ultramar Event Management and the rest of the industry’s actors. According to Livesey, so as to adequately meet the demands of Asiatic clients one must take into account their tradition and formal character and their preference for their own cuisine and guides of their own nationality.
Ian Livesey was accompanied on the panel by Kavita Bhalla, vice-president of outbound services at Cox & Kings, who talked about the particularities of Indian business tourists. Among other aspects, Bhalla put the accent on the loyalty of Indian companies, explaining that a satisfied customer will undoubtedly attract further clients to the destination. Both speakers coincided in vindicating quicker visa approval times, undoubtedly an obstacle for business tourists from India and other Asiatic countries wanting to travel to Spain.
Since 2007, Ultramar Event Management has a sales team specializing in Asiatic countries, which has allowed the company to gain a foothold in this market. The team has an impressive client portfolio, featuring Michelin China which held an incentive in Barcelona for 500 people in March 2009, and Mahindra India, whose annual conference was held in Madrid and Barcelona in 2010, with 200 delegates. More recently, Ultramar Event Management organized the annual convention of Hyundai China, attended by 530 delegates.
