TravelRave 2012 Closes

TravelRave, a Singapore-based mega travel and tourism festival, came to a close on Sunday after a weeklong celebration of Asian tourism.

In its second year, TravelRave 2011, consisting of ten events, each with their own unique, yet synergistic attributes, started with the Singapore Experience Awards, and culminated on a high note with the Cornell Hotel Society Asia Pacific Regional Conference.

The festival saw more than 9,500 attendees, representing a 15% growth over 2010.

“It has been a fruitful week of meaningful discussions and meetings. Many who attended TravelRave this year have made valuable contacts and gained useful insights from the various sessions. All in all, we have seen the industry really coming together to make TravelRave a success, and it would not have been possible to achieve this without the strong support of all our partners,” said Ms. Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). “With the satisfactory conclusion of TravelRave 2011, we look forward to an even bigger and extensive edition in 2012, as the cluster of events grows into a platform for Asian tourism.”

The by-invitation only Asia Travel Leaders Summit once again gathered leaders for an intimate dialogue on issues pertinent to the Asian travel and tourism industry. Leaders in attendance included Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWO), David Scowsill, President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Zhuang Chenchao, Co- Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Qunar, and Rattan Keswani, President of Trident Hotels.

Speaking from the viewpoint of someone who attended TravelRave for the first time, Mr. Henning Boysen, Chairman of the Kuoni Group, said “The way TravelRave has been put together and run has been seamless, professional and very efficient. The whole set up has been organized the way we try to put together travel experiences for our guests - seamless travel. Absolutely, if you want to grow and develop your business in this region, you'll greatly benefit from participating at TravelRave.”

Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, added “UNWTO is very happy to have been part of TravelRave with the organization of a High Level Meeting dedicated to debate tourism opportunities and challenges in Asia. TravelRave is an innovative initiative and a perfect platform to leverage the dynamism of Asian’s tourism. According to UNWTO’s longterm forecast Tourism Towards 2030, Asia will be the fastest growing region for international tourism within the coming two decades. TravelRave enables the sector to harness this vast growth potential."

Apart from congregating travel and tourism industry professionals and opinion leaders to leverage the growth presented in Asia, there is also a need to develop and interest the next generation of industry leaders. To this end, a regional youth competition, the inaugural TravelRave Talent Challenge, was launched this year.

The challenge winner was a student from Singapore Management University, and sharing her experiences in TravelRave, Ms. Mabel Fu said, “It was a great opportunity for me to attend the events held during the TravelRave week. I was exposed not only to the business side of travel and tourism, but also to more in-depth industry insights, the current issues prevailing, entrepreneurial ideas and the future of the sector. Through interaction with these thought leaders, I have gained a better understanding of the sector and it has opened my eyes to parts of the business I never knew existed. Their passion for the travel industry is truly inspiring. I would definitely consider joining the industry upon my graduation.”

Mr. Kerry Gumas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Questex Media Group, said, “Without question, for anybody who has not been to TravelRave, the key business benefit of coming here is that you have all of the different participants in the industry here at one place, at one time. Although they are different events, they take place at one very convenient, fun, informative location where you can get all of your networking and business meetings done while having a good time. We think it has been a total success, and we are very much looking forward to coming back again in 2012.”

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