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The post PCEB to host its annual roadshow in India in 2023: Gunasekeran appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Ashwin Gunasekeran, the CEO of Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) said that Penang has been actively engaging with India since 2017 as its one of the fastest growing markets for Penang.

HPCEB recently hosted a networking dinner for the members of the Travel Agent Association of India (TAAI) at Angsana Teluk Bahang in Malaysia. The dinner was attended by 300 TAAI members, who have been on the Spectrum of the Seas Cruise attending their 66th TAAI Convention.

 “Penang has been actively engaging with India since 2017 as its one of the fastest growing markets for Penang. During our last trip in 2019, we had many in-depth discussions with Indian agents. Some of the discussion outcomes were to expand the market to Penang and facilitate direct flights to major cities in India” said Ashwin Gunasekeran, the CEO of PCEB during his welcome speech.

Jyoti Mayal, the president of TAAI quoted that the opportunity to promote regional tourism is the need of the hour to strengthen bi-lateral relations, develop trade, investments & tourism, to experience the serene beauty of destinations like Penang.

The networking event was also attended by the business events industry players. Ashwin also announced that the bureau will be organising its annual roadshow to India in 2023 and the team is in the midst of finalising the dates. An official announcement will be for interested industry players to participate soonest.

Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) is a state bureau established to develop the Business Events and meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry in Penang. PCEB aims to position Penang as the preferred location for Business Events activities in the region. With its rich UNESCO heritage, thriving multicultural society, state-of-the-art facilities and vibrant natural attractions, Penang offers a truly eclectic tropical experience.

The post PCEB to host its annual roadshow in India in 2023: Gunasekeran appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Thailand’s Central Group close the deal on Selfridges appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Photo: The iconic Selfridges Oxford Street is considered one of the UK capital’s premier shopping destinations in the heart of London, which occupies an entire city block

Bangkok: Central Group and Signa Holding announces this week that they have now completed the acquisition of the luxury retailer, Selfridges Group from the Canadian Weston Family. 

The Central Group, controlled by the billionaire Chirathivat family is the largest department store chain operating for more than 75 years in Thailand. 

With the acquisition of British luxury store chain Selfridges, Central and Signa aims to become a major global player in the department store sector. This transaction has created one of the world’s leading luxury department store groups, with presence in 8 countries in Europe and flagship stores in the cities’ most sought-after locations, particularly the iconic Selfridges department store.

In December 2021 it was reported that Thailand’s largest department store owner, Central Group, was just days away from closing a 4 billion pound ($4.76 billion) acquisition of Selfridges stores in the United Kingdom. 

The current owners of Selfridges, agreed terms with Central around the end of November, according to a report in The Times newspaper. The Weston family owned Selfridges for almost 20 years (2003), acquiring the brand for 598 million pounds.

Selfridges Group portfolio, which comprises 18 stores under 4 banners in 3 countries, namely;

•Brown Thomas Department Stores Ireland

•Arnotts Department Stores Ireland 

The integration will also include Selfridges Group’s unrivaled e-commerce platforms, which draw over 30 million online visitors monthly and ship to over 130 countries worldwide.

This will be integrated with Central and Signa’s combined existing portfolio of 22 luxury department stores and 2 new stores to open soon in Dusseldorf and Vienna. The current holdings comprise Rinascente in Italy and Illum in Denmark, which are wholly owned by Central Group, KaDeWe, Oberpollinger, Alsterhaus in Germany, and Globus in Switzerland, are jointly owned by Central Group and Signa Holding. 

Central Group, owned by the billionaire Chirathivat family, has had a presence in Europe since 2011. 

Last year, the joint venture bought Swiss luxury department store Globus and other real estate assets for $1 billion.

Mr. Tos Chirathivat, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Central Group, and Mr. Dieter Berninghaus, Chairman of the Executive Board of Signa Holding, will be the new Co-Chairman of the Group.

“We are long-term investors with a well-established partnership and shared vision to reshape and reinvent the luxury retail industry. We are committed to creating the world`s leading luxury omni-channel platform for all our customers through both online and offline channels. We are excited to meet and work with our new colleagues, as well as brand partners, to achieve this vision,” wrote Mr. Tos Chirathivat. 

The transaction sees Selfridges Group become part of the combined Central and Signa portfolio of luxury department stores, which includes Rinascente in Italy, Illum in Denmark, Globus in Switzerland and the KaDeWe Group, which operates in Germany and Austria (starting in 2024). 

The pro-forma annual turnover for the combined department stores portfolio was €5 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow to more than €7 billion by 2024. The combination will create a complementary portfolio of leading European luxury department stores, enabling innovation and knowledge sharing across different locations, says the joint venture.

Selfridges, founded in 1908 by Harry Gordon Selfridge, is best known for the giant store on London’s Oxford Street. It has been controlled by the Westons since 2003.

Central and Signa are expected to operate all stores in the Selfridges Group, including Selfridges, de Bijenkorf, Brown Thomas and Arnotts. 

Back in February 2022 Central Retail also announced it will spread $3 billion across its operations in Thailand, Vietnam and Italy. 

Central Retail has 23 Central department stores in Thailand and 40 under the mid-range Robinson brand, making it the biggest chain of its kind in the country. Central Retail has 3,641 branded stores (Sept 2021 ) including supermarkets, hypermarkets, sportswear, stationery, electronics and office products.

Observers suggest said the latest acquisitions indicate the physical retail store business is very much alive with retail business shifting to omni-channel shopping; no longer limited to online and offline. 

Companies clearly believe in the potential of physical stores, reflected by the recent expansion by two e-commerce players, Amazon and Alibaba. These two already expanded into the physical store business during the pandemic.

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The post Is Sustainability Green Washing or Green Blushing in the Hospitality Industry? appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

As more travelers have become aware of sustainability and its benefits, many sectors within the hospitality industry such as travel, hotels, airlines, transportation, retail, etc tend to modify their products to be sustainable. However, not all companies truly focus on sustainability as a measure to improve the life of humanity or the environment, but rather as a marketing tool.

Annually, $218 billion of food is wasted in the United States. That represents roughly 1,250 calories per person, per day. Restaurants play a significant role here. In 2022, many entrepreneurs have become creative in ways to save the wastage of food by donating it to non-profit organizations, introducing modern technologies to control waste, etc. The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) is widely seen as the leading voice in restaurant sustainability practices. In America, for example, the hotel industry annually produces 13.6 million tons of waste per year that including soaps, detergents, plastic bottles, and cups, etc. Having this problem, many countries have come up with recycling measures in place where hotels such as Marriott International, Accor, Hilton, IHG, etc are aware and adhering to recycling procedures. Hence, marketing campaigns and programs such as zero waste, and net zero by 2050 concepts have been introduced by many hotels.

On the other hand, restaurants focus on various strategies to maximize sustainability in the food and beverage space. For instance, providing customers with abundant information about food production methods, sourcing strategies, calorie and nutrient values, labor practices, animal welfare, and environmental impacts is a necessity in our technology-driven and networked era. Chefs are designing menus, drawing ideas and inspiration from local farmers and their crops during your growing season, and maximizing personalization in their supply chain and with guests. As more red meats are considered unsustainable, restaurants in big cities are rapidly opening plant-based and vegan food products which look and taste similar to real meat. In addition, hotels such as Accor have introduced their Procurement Charter 21 with measures in place to procure the right product which are sustainable while focusing on the environment, people, and profit.

Whereas hotels focus on efficiency and cost reduction on large scale, for instance, many hotels have removed their keycard systems for check-in and check-out because it’s a plastic card and replaced it with contactless check-in using guests’ smartphone apps. Also, electric vehicle charging stations are added for guests with electric or hybrid cars which acts as a competitive advantage for many hotels globally. Furthermore, automation and AI are used significantly where hotels have become futuristic in big cities. For example, the hotel room automatically turns off all electricity if the guests leave the room, and smart showers limit the length of showers to a pre-set time, alerting users when their time is almost over. On the other hand, hotels have also introduced solar panels, energy Star-rated heating, and cooling systems, water recovery and recycling systems, etc.

Although many companies follow sustainability measures and promote them on digital platforms, an in-depth view of sustainability measures portrays that the measures are not enough for their green marketing. For instance, if a hotel has energy efficiency measures in place and promotes that they are 100% energy efficient, but in reality, they do not reveal where they get their energy from. If a hotel purchases non-renewable energy such as energies generated through oil, coal, etc, or has only 50% electricity generation from solar panels, they are not 100% sustainable. Another example is a hotel that accepts cryptocurrency transactions and promotes itself as sustainable, but an in-depth view portrays, that they are unsustainable. This is because generating cryptocurrencies takes an enormous amount of energy. For example, Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, currently consumes an estimated 150 terawatt-hours of electricity annually which is more than the entire country of Argentina, with a population of 45 million. Hence, in reality, it is essential to determine if the company truly adds value to the 3ps (profit, planet, and people).

The post Is Sustainability Green Washing or Green Blushing in the Hospitality Industry? appeared first on Travel Daily.

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