Best Resort Destination

1 Bali
2 Phuket
3 Gold Coast
3 Koh Samui




Bali is once again the clear winner in the Best Resort Destination category, polling more than 50 per cent of the vote. Bali Hotels Association chairman Robert Lagerwey says accessibility and value for money are two of the key factors in Bali’s continuing success with business events groups. “Balinese hospitality, combined with some of the finest hotel facilities in the world, makes us unique, and we continue to evolve as a destination,” he says.

Major events this year included the 42^nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank in May (3,500 delegates), the 24th Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress (4,600) and the 9th International Congress on Aids in Asia and the Pacific (3,000).

Recent additions to its portfolio of Green Globe certified hotels are Novotel Benoa Bali (Silver certification) and Westin Resort Nusa Dua (benchmarked). “Sustainable tourism is on the increase and we are slowly but surely building momentum,” says Lagerway.

Phuket remains a favourite among the region’s business events planners. Last year, the island hosted several Asean events, regional meetings for multinationals including Lufthansa and an incentive trip for 1,580 employees of MetLife Insurance, Korea. The Royal Phuket Marina proved a welcome addition to meetings infrastructure and has hosted several business events including a product launch for Jaguar. In addition, the long-awaited Phuket International Convention Centre will be breaking ground in 2012.

In equal-third place, Australia’s Gold Coast has emphasised MICE business with the establishment of the Gold Coast Convention Bureau (GCCB) last April. The GCCB has staff dedicated to growing market share in the lucrative business association sector, while continuing to attract incentive and corporate groups. Testament to this new focus is the Gold Coast’s recent shortlisting for the 2013 ICCA Congress, alongside Houston and Shanghai.

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive officer Martin Winter, says the strength of the Gold Coast lies in its balance of business and leisure experiences. “The venues, infrastructure and support services are as good as anywhere in Australia, and they are even more enticing when complemented by an excellent range of experiences,” he says.

In addition, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre completed a US$26 million extension in March 2009. The upgrade included two additional exhibition halls and three meeting rooms.

Koh Samui is a new entrant to the rankings and was recently identified by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) as one of five cities to be developed and promoted as a MICE destination.

The bureau says Koh Samui is suitable for groups of less than 200 people and has focused promotion in cities with direct flights, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. It was also included in several of TCEB’s familiarisation trips in 2009.