Tropics have magnetic appeal

Greater competition raises the stakes as more luxury resorts enter the market, writes Keith ChanSanya remains a popular destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) business from companies within China and overseas – despite intense competition for business from other cities in Asia.迷你倉According to Edmund Ko, general manager of Sanya Marriott Resort and Spa at Yalong Bay, Sanya is an especially popular venue for global companies from the United States and Europe to hold Asia-Pacific regional meetings. Most likely, this is because Westerners prefer meetings in tropical beach destinations, and because it's easier for employees in China to attend without the need for travel visas.While the MICE business has been relatively stable over the past years, there is a worry that competition among the resorts is escalating as more luxury resorts enter the market.At the newly developed resort area of Haitang Bay, more luxury resorts are opening. Next month will see the opening of the 448-room Westin Sanya Haitang Bay Resort, which offers 11 function rooms for 18 to 200 people in classroom settings. Its 1,200-square-metre grand ballroom can accommodate up to 1,320 people.The 305-room InterContinental Sanya Haitang Bay, scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of this year, will provide a total meeting space of 1,500 square metres, including a grand ballroom for up to 1,000 people. It also has 8,000 square metres of beachfront lawn capable of accommodating 5,000 people.Ko says with more new hotels in Haitang Bay, clients now have a wider choice of resorts, and the new resorts can also help promote Sanya as a MICE destination.His view is shared by other resorts. Haitang Bay Gloria Sanya opened in September last year and general manager Nicolas Solari says this is a good time to travel to Sanya, because resorts are likely to offer attractive rates.A spokesman for the Conrad says that increased promotion by the tourism bureau and the new resorts could help expand fresh MICE markets. The hotel has started to see new meeting groups from non-traditional source markets in Europe.The spokesman believes Haitang Bay will have strong potent迷你倉最平al in attracting more MICE business with the opening of the mainland's largest duty-free shop in the area before the end of this year, and other new attractions being planned such as a water park.The Conrad and the adjoining DoubleTree by Hilton are the key MICE venues in Haitang Bay."For meetings and events business, the two hotels complement each other. With a grand ballroom and six functions rooms, DoubleTree is more suitable for large events and meeting groups, while the Conrad, with more upmarket facilities, is best for smaller meetings and wedding parties."Some of the large groups will host their events at DoubleTree, while their senior executives are upgraded to the Conrad," the spokesman says.The Conrad has 101 villas, while Double Tree has 463 guest rooms.Compared to the resorts in Haitang Bay, properties in Yalong Bay are more established and better prepared to meet the competition.Ko says the new luxury resorts are more attractive to MICE organisers because they usually have more rooms, bigger ballrooms and better meeting facilities – and they tend to offer lower rates.For these reasons, the Sanya Marriott has redirected its focus to attracting small- to medium-sized meetings of less than 100 people, and offering more personal touches. This has led to an increase in its MICE business.The same strategy has been pursued by Hilton Sanya Resort and Spa, also in Yalong Bay. "We will position our hotel as a premier venue for mid-sized meetings and social events. We will secure meetings from diversified industries and identify new source markets," says Jennifer Kwong, director of business development for Hilton. "We have always [been] reasonably priced, and this has allowed us to continue to attract business, including company meetings."The lack of a large convention centre in Yalong Bay has been an obstacle to the further growth of MICE business. Ko says a convention centre that can hold 1,000 to 2,000 people will be completed in about two years. "By then, instead of competing with each other, the hotels will be working together to share the customers, because the clients are likely to have breakout sections in several hotels," he says.迷你倉