Twin Deal to help ease cost pressures

MICE specialists in Malaysia are looking forward to the launch of the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s (MyCEB) Twin Deal programme today, with many saying the incentives offered will help to alleviate the pressure on costs due to the depreciating Indian rupee.


Nantha Travel & Tours managing director, M Nantha Gopal, projected a 40 per cent drop in meeting and incentive business from India between September and December, and said that two groups had postponed their trips to Malaysia indefinitely as the overall package cost had exceeded their budgets.

Arokia Das Anthony, senior manager of Luxury Tours Malaysia, which had so far registered a 20 per cent dip in volume of MICE business from India this year, told the Daily that the incentives would go a long way towards improving the inbound MICE business from India to Malaysia. He said: “For business that (has) materialised, companies have scaled back their packages to the bare minimum as budgets have also been reduced. Many companies used to have at least two gala dinners per event, but now it is just one and the rest of the meals are normal Indian dinners.”

First launched in China last September and subsequently rolled out in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, MyCEB general manager of sales & marketing, Ho Yoke Ping, said more than 11,260 delegates had benefited from the programme to date. Targeting India-based corporate meeting and incentive planners who wish to bring their events to Malaysia, the two-pronged programme rewards both the client and the MICE planner.

To qualify, all bookings must be made between August 27 this year and June 30, 2013 for arrivals between October 1 this year and December 31 next year. MyCEB is looking to draw 10,000 Indian delegates through this programme.
-TTG Asia.