Caren Bigelow
Ten years ago, Kuulei
Stockman brought an incentive group to China. She found the hotels
were first-class, but the off-site venues were not up to par. Her
staff had to arrive early to clean bathrooms and send back any
dirty dishware, and the group couldn’t go anywhere without a police
escort, a translator and plenty of American cigarettes with which
to barter. “They had no understanding of what incentives were
about,” says Stockman, president of Alexandria, Va.-based
Travelcorp.
Things have changed. In 2007, the
Chicago-based Society for Incentive & Travel Executives will
open new chapters in Beijing and Shanghai, signaling a growing
interest in this rapidly advancing country.
Lex Granaada, president of SITE
International, explained that because many multinational
corporations have offices in China, those firms will hold
“industrial incentives,” high-end trips in which employees can
explore the region’s business potential.
Perhaps in anticipation of the 2008
Olympic Games in Beijing, major hotel brands are leading a building
boom. InterContinental Hotels Group, for one, plans to have 125
hotels in China by 2008; Starwood Hotels & Resorts has 10
incentive-caliber properties there, with 15 more to open by
2009.
But is China ready for U.S.-based
incentive groups?
A spokesperson for Starwood in
Singapore said gateway cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have
sufficient infrastructure for international incentives, but
secondary cities tend to focus more on the domestic market.
For her part, Caren Bigelow, manager,
travel planning, for USMotivation in Atlanta, said a recent trip
left her “amazed.” She added, “For companies that understand the
true purpose and value of a travel incentive, it is definitely a
destination they’re interested in.”