Three Countries in three Days - The Advantage Global Network visits Asia
- 11 Dec 2024
- John Hobbs-Hurrell
My Cathay Pacific flight from Heathrow to Hong Kong was made more comfortable with an upgrade to Business Class thanks to the support of our friends at Cathay Pacific. Ahead of the flight I was invited to experience the Business Class Lounge, an oasis of calm and an opportunity to escape the noise and hustle of Terminal 3's departure lounge. Fuelled by the breakfast delights and coffee served from the lounge's multiple food choices I was ready to board my 12 hour flight to Hong Kong.
The onboard experience was outstanding, the business class pod is not only comfortable with its various positions but also offers lots of storage space and ample space for travellers to relax and work if required. Onboard free Wi-Fi for First and Business Class Passengers is also another benefits. The crew were extremely attentive, and food and beverage options were aplenty. Our members have access to Cathay fares and there are override opportunities. Being members of One World, travellers with loyalty cards will earn Avios points.
Monday 28 Oct
CX252 touched down in HKG at 07.15, a very quick transit through immigration before I boarded the Airport Express train bound for Hong Kong Central. The train is a great service, frequent, with a journey time of 30 minutes. There are only two stops before Hong Kong Central. It is very good value for money, at around £11 return. On arrival at Hong Kong Central, I was a 10 minute taxi ride from our member's office Travelux. It was lovely to see them again and hear about the recovery of the business post-covid. They were keen to share ideas on how they can maximise their Advantage membership and engagement with other network members. Their operation has grown well beyond pre-covid trading and staffing numbers are higher than they have ever been.
Given my early arrival, I was hosted to a Chinese breakfast at a local restaurant. Dim Sum was ordered with several servings of Jasmine tea. This was a great experience, the conversation flowed and I am grateful for Travelux's hospitality. Their only disappointment was that I was only there for a few hours before I had to get back to the airport for my onward flight to Singapore. Once again Cathay Pacific was generous to provide me with an upgrade with access to their Pier Lounge. The flight to Singapore was around 3 hours 15 minutes, made even more comfortable by the business class seat.
Arrival in Singapore was on time and the transit via the e-gate immigration system was quick with no queuing. I had to pre-register my visit, conducted 48 hours prior to arrival, but this enables checks to be completed ahead of arrival. The taxi service from Changi Airport to downtown was around 30 minutes and again there were no queues. I elected to stay at the Mercure Bugis, using Accor Agent Pro rates, obtaining a generous discount that delivered a rate of around £80 per night inclusive of tax. Our members can also access these rates with further details available via the Advantage members intranet.
Tuesday 29 Oct
The Mercure Bugis provides an excellent buffet breakfast that incorporates a fusion of Western and Asian options. Where in the world can you have dim sum or bao buns with a side of bacon & eggs, a novelty to someone who likes breakfast, but also enjoys international cuisine? This set me up for the day ahead for meetings with Advantage's members. Jason from UOB Travel arranged to meet me in a local Singaporean café, I was introduced to Singapore coffee and a toasted sandwich with butter and coconut cream. We had an interesting discussion on the footprint of UOB across Asia, but also the local market when it comes to the travel patterns of their customers. Part of that conversation included how Advantage can support them in the local market and also throughout their Asian operation.
Back in October 2017, some six weeks after joining WIN, now Advantage Global Network I was asked to attend a regional meeting being hosted by the members in Singapore. So it was a poignant moment as it was seven years almost to the day that I was retracing my steps for the next appointment. That meeting back in 2017 was hosted by Samepage Travel, and they were my next appointment. Covid had a massive impact on Singapore travel agencies. There is no domestic travel and with borders closed the local business travel community suffered. Samepage I am pleased to say weathered the storm and stepped away from global networking whilst they rebuilt the business. Now well on the road to recovery, they expect to be back to pre-pandemic in 2025. So much so that they have confirmed their desire to participate in Advantage activities with a view that they attend one of our events next year.
Wednesday 30 Oct
A very early start as my departure from Singapore was at 06:50, this was my first experience of Singapore Airlines budget carrier Scoot. My next destination was Ho Chi Minh, to visit TransViet, Advantage's member based in the bustling city that never seems to sleep. The flight time was around 1 hour 45 minutes. The journey from the airport to downtown is an experience in itself, with a population of 13 million people, their preferred mode of transport is on two wheels, and there are 8.1 million scooters and motorcycles. My taxi seemed to have constant two-wheeled escorts all the way to TransViet's offices.
Transviet were keen to explain that the business travel market has plateaued, the growth of 2023 is not being maintained in 2024, but they are busy. They welcomed my visit and set about explaining where Advantage can support them, they are keen to learn and work with other members in the region. Lunch was taken at their local café, where they introduced me to Pho, the traditional Vietnamese dish. It was very nice, washed down with green tea. Before long it was time to think about my return to the airport.
My final destination on this trip was Hoi An, a 30 minute transfer from Da Nang Airport. The journey between Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang is roughly 1 hour 20 minutes. I flew with Vietnam Airlines, and the service was very good. From sunny humid Ho Chi Minh, I arrived in a very wet Da Nang, a tropical storm had arrived and provided some welcome relief from the heat of the three previous cities I had visited. The reason for being in Ho An was to attend the CT Partners annual member conference. CT Partners is an Australian buying group, with 32 members and Advantage provides the Global Accommodation Programme(GAP) to CT Members. This is a key indicator of Advantage's growth in overseas markets and the additional volume generated by third parties using our programmes provides significant leverage with the supplier partners. The host venue for this conference was the stunning Four Seasons Hoi An, Nam Hi.
Thursday 31 Oct
The day commenced with business updates from the local Australian market and forecasts for 2025. This was followed by a guest speaker who shared the recovery of Vietnam from the mid-1970s through to the opening of the country to overseas travellers in the late 1980s to early 1990. We talk about travel being a force for good, in the case of Vietnam, it enabled the country to open to tourists and also businesses. The benefit to the local people has been significant, the average annual salary in 1990 was USD$5 per annum, this is not a printing error, famine was rife, and now this sits at $4500 per annum. The evening was spent at the Anantara Hotel in Hoi An, a fantastic property with a very local feel. It has a great position overlooking the Thu Bon River and in the evening the sampans are lit with multi-coloured lights as they travel up and down the waterway.
Friday 01 Nov
An early start, today was team building and a chance to get out into the local community. We had a series of challenges, the first was shopping in the local market. We had to recreate CT Partners logo using products purchased from the local vendors. The trick to negotiate hard is to spend the least amount of money.
Next challenge was to visit a local charity-run café that supports people with disabilities. We had to order drinks using sign language and then thank the serving staff in sign language. This was a rewarding experience, another example of travel being a force for good. In Vietnam, there is no benefit system and people with disabilities struggle to find work or have to be reliant on support from family members. Our final task was to work as a team to prepare three Vietnamese dishes. The first was a mango salad, the second spicy chicken skewers and finally pork and shrimp pancakes. All are served with chilli dressings. Each team had a cookery school observer, who shared hints and tips. Each team then had to eat the dishes that they prepared.
Further food was provided by the cookery school and the owner provided insights into her journey from leaving school to setting up a thriving chain of restaurants and the school of catering. An extremely insightful session that highlighted one person's struggle to get a business off the ground and be a trailblazer for a women-owned and managed business. As the day drew to a close it was time to say goodbye to CT Partners and Vietnam. My return journey would see me fly from Da Nang to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines, before a connection with Qatar Airways from Hanoi via Doha to London, all flights ran on time, and I arrived back at Heathrow ahead of schedule.
If anyone is looking for a new holiday destination, please consider Vietnam. It has some much to offer and as I mentioned earlier it is going from strength to strength. UK Nationals can enter the country without a visa and stay for up to 15 days.
Author
