PAX International MHA 2015

BVI’s new port facilities

Travel trends in the islands

CaribbeanREPORT

MHA NAPLES

M A Y 2 0 1 5 | V O L . 1 9 , N O . 4 | w w w . p a x . i n t l . c o m

Q and A with MHA President Ozer Balli

N E W S A N D A N A LY S I S F O R T H E P A S S E N G E R S E R V I C E S E X E C U T I V E

SELF-SERVE BEERTAKES OFF

INDUSTRY Q&A WITH OZER BALLI p.17p.14 ASIAN SUPPLY

NETWORKS p.18

Discover the art of satisfying travelers` wishes.Besides offering tasty meals, exciting equipment, smart logistics and innovative retail concepts, LSG Sky Chefs also provides valuable consumer insight based on thorough studies about global food trends and lifestyles. Discover our advanced approach to creating in-fl ight concepts that truly meet your passengers` individual needs and explore smart ideas about how to satisfy them.

Visit us at the WTCE

April 14-16, 2015

Hall A4 / Stand 4D30

PAX International

26 Pearl Street,

Mississauga, Ontario

L5M 1X2, Canada

Tel: (1 905) 821-3344

Fax: (1 905) 821-2777

website: www.pax-intl.com

PUBLISHERAijaz Khan

E-mail: [email protected]

EDITORIAL OFFICESRick Lundstrom, Editor-in-Chief

PAX International

723 Jefferson Street, NE

Minneapolis, MN 55413, USA

Tel: (1 612) 378-0862

Fax: (1 612) 378-0852


Melissa Silva, Editor

Tel: (1 905) 821-3344 x21


Contributors:

Ryan White

Wendy Morley

ART DEPARTMENTSarit Scheer E-mail: [email protected]

ADVERTISING OFFICESKevin Greene, Advertising Sales ExecutiveTel: (1 905) 821-3344 x31


PAX International is published eight times a year

(January/February, March/April, May, June/July,

September, October/November, December) by PAX

International, 26 Pearl Street, Mississauga, Ontario

L5M 1X2, Canada. International Distribution.

Subscriptions: $200 for one year; $300 for two years;

$400 for three years. Art and photographs will not

be returned unless accompanied by return postage.

The views expressed in this magazine do not neces-

sarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher

or editor. March/April 2015, Vol. 19, No. 4. Printed in

Canada. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reprinted

in whole or in part without written permission from

the publisher. © PAX International magazine

ISSN 1206-5714Key title: Pax International

Over the past several issues of PAX International, we have had guest columnists and reports on the increasing use of what is known as big data. This year, the practice of making sense of mountains of information is on the agenda for the Marine Hotel Association, which is noting its 30th anniversary conference and trade show.

A quick Google search with the key words “big data cruise lines” yields a little more than 12 million results. The first ones to appear are software companies seeking to market their products to cruise lines. With the information gleaned from big data, one company promises the ability to help cruise lines identify successful upsells, booking trends, maximiz-ing occupancy, and preventing cancellations through overbooking.

Another company sells market analysis and reports for cruise lines to understand pricing trends cruises deployed across the world in each market they are sold.

Airlines, the cruise lines’ cousins in transportation, are taking the first steps to more broadly understand their passengers through the use of big data. Companies, such as eGate, a subsidiary of gategroup, often are called on to give perspective on the sea of information that is generated in the airline industry and how it can be harnessed to learn more about passengers and their travel habits.

“The airline industry is an ideal environment to reap the benefits of better data analyt-ics,” writes Simon de Monfort Walker, eGate’s President and CEO, in a guest column in last spring’s issue of PAX International. “The day-to-day complexity of an airline’s operations is staggering. Yet, if captured, the rich data it creates can drive better business results. Regardless of the benefits, most airlines have only dabbled with big data’s true potential, while others are not using it at all.”

This issue of PAX International has delved into interest in big data on a smaller scale, in our story on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s use of beer dispensing kiosks taken onboard by several cruise lines. With passengers making use of key cards and other devices, a digital footprint is created with each swipe. Spending is tracked, sales points on board the ship are logged and back office personnel have the luxury of analyzing every transaction to maximize revenue.

Thirty years ago, when the first Marine Hotel Association event was held, an Internet existed that would look ancient these days. But, nonetheless, the cruise industry has thrived and grown in ways that few could have envisioned in those days of the second term of the Reagan administration. With a new information age now well into its fourth decade, the possibility of learning more about the passengers that board today’s luxury ships will help shape the travel experience for them and the possibilities for the cruise lines that host them.

Rick LundstromEditor-in-Chief, PAX International

DATA GETS, BIGGER

www.pax-intl.com | PAX INTERNATIONAL | 3

EDITOR’S LETTER

ContentsREGIONAL REPORT: CARIBBEAN11 CRUISING INTO PORT

The British Virgin Islands is making a statement to the cruise industry with its US$52 million investment in a new cruise port along with a five-acre shopping and entertainment area

12 ON THE UP AND UP2014 proved to be a banner year for tourism in the Caribbean, and growth is expected to continue as more and more tourists opt for sun and fun on their vacations

INDUSTRY Q&A14 CRUISING GOES GLOBAL

The Marine Hotel Association meets in Naples, Florida during a time when the group and its President see the world beating a path to its door

BEER REPORT17 CONVENIENCE ON TAP

Anheuser-Busch InBev and an Atlanta company called DraftServ plan to make self-serve beer a common part of the cruise scene

ASIAN SUPPLY NETWORKS18 BRANCHING OUT

One longtime supplier to the cruise industry sees a wider landscape in Asia for sourcing products of all types.

DEPARTMENTS

3 EDITOR’S NOTE

6 NEWS

10 PEOPLE NEWS

20 WHAT’S HOT

22 ASSOCIATION NEWS

22 CALENDAR

14

11

20

4 | PAX INTERNATIONAL | MAY 2015

M A Y 2 0 1 5 | V O L . 1 9 , N O . 4

Wherever you’re enjoying a drink, our quality wines come in shatterproof PET bottles, for a super safe tipple.

DOCKSIDE

+44 (0)20 8294 [email protected]

www.chateaux.com

POOLSIDE

DECKSIDE

BS1916_Flip flop ad.indd 1 11/03/2015 15:08

FRENCH CHIC AFLOAT ON REGENTRegent Seven Seas Cruises’ newest ship, Seven Seas Explorer, has a French specialty restaurant called Chartreuse, featuring a classic menu with a modern twist.

Chartreuse joins Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ signature steak-house, Prime 7, as the second of three specialty restaurants aboard Seven Seas Explorer. Regent Seven Seas Cruises will release details about the third specialty restaurant in June.

“A luxury cruise experience is incomplete without gourmet din-ing,” said Jason Montague, president and chief operating officer for Regent Seven Seas Cruises in the March release on Chartreuse. “With our sights set on building the world’s most luxurious ship, we challenged our design and culinary teams to develop some extraor-dinary and exquisite dining options for our guests aboard Seven Seas Explorer. The team exceeded that high mark with Chartreuse, an extremely elegant restaurant where the ambiance and cuisine is sure to stir fond Parisian memories, and help create new ones.”

Guests are greeted by a hostess upon arrival at the restaurant through a curved paneled entryway with flooring that resembles a cobblestoned Parisian street, creating an environment that is welcoming, yet mysterious.

Contemporary lounge chairs and embossed leather stools are assembled around Golden Kosmos granite-topped tables in the bar area with scalloped mar-ble Cosmati mosaic tiled flooring. A solid zinc bar top placed atop a softly illumi-nated frosted glass base sits near a backlit wine display filled with French wines and selections from boutique vineyards of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhône and Loire Valleys.

The dining room has art-nouveau décor with a feature wall lined with sculpted Chartreuse glass surrounded by metal-lic and crystalline frames on one side and floor-to-ceiling windows separated

by metal filigree screens on the other. The design team at ICRAVE designed a silver-leafed ceiling that is interspersed with dramatic gold-bordered black lacquered lines to complete the elegant Pari-sian motif.

The menu features dishes expertly prepared using both classic and modern techniques including: hand-cut Charolais steak tartare in a hazelnut-Dijon emulsion topped with Perlita caviar d’Aquitaine, roasted Cévennes rack of lamb with rosemary-mint persillade and sugar snap pea sauce, and poached Brittany blue lobster tail glazed with caramelized lobster roe butter on a bed of Sologne white asparagus and Romanesco. Desserts include a frozen Chartreuse parfait with almond crumble and classic savarin cake made with aged Martinique rum and topped with vanilla cream.

Beginning in the summer of 2016, the Chartreuse menu will extend to the rest of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet, replacing Signatures on Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner, and with select dishes available at Compass Rose on Seven Seas Navigator.

Bottega works with Interbrands for cruise distributionInterbrands wines and spirits of Scandinavia will distribute the products from Bottega S.p.A. for cruise line supply, the two partners announced in January.

Established in 2014, Interbrands USA LLC set up business, hir-ing Deborah Golden, a well-known figure in the cruise industry as Vice President Sales and Marketing. Before joining IBUSA, Golden had her own consulting business and worked with Bottega S.p.A. to establish their brands.

“Major advances in distribution and sales were achieved over the past five years with Golden and Company. Bottega’s award win-ning sparkling wines, grappas and premium liqueurs have attracted special attention,” said Alessandra Piccin, Bottega S.p.A. Export Manager Travel Retail. “Bottega S.p.A. is pleased with this new part-nership and welcomes Interbrands USA to its global family of agents and distributors,” said Sandro Bottega, President, Bottega S.p.A.

SUPPLIER NEWS

The Seven Seas Explorer has three specialty restaurants

CRUISE NEWS


NEWS

Culinary Spring begins on Holland AmericaHolland America Line’s “Sip, Savor and Sail” itineraries will be in the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska this year.

The Sip, Savor and Sail cruises are part of Holland America Line’s culinary initiatives, which also include the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food and Wine magazine, a state-of-the-art show kitchen at sea that welcomes visiting guest chefs; a partnership with Le Cirque to present “An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill”; “A Taste of De Librije” presented by Jonnie Boer; and a Culinary Council composed of international chefs Mark Best, Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Elizabeth Falkner, Jacques Torres and the line’s Master Chef, Rudi Sodamin.

The Sip, Savor and Sail cruise in the Caribbean set sail on the ms Maasdam’s April 7. In Alaska, guests can join ms West-erdam’s May 2 departure, ms Statendam’s July 13 sailing, or ms Amsterdam’s August 16 voyage. In Europe, ms Ryndam departs May 4 round trip from Harwich, England, for France, Spain and Portugal.

In addition to demonstrations, classes and tastings on the Caribbean voyages, the guest chefs will all host a Calypso Brunch in the ship’s Pinnacle Grill. Sip and Savor shore excursions in the Caribbean include: “History & Cuisine of San Juan on Foot” at San Juan, Puerto Rico; “Caribbean Culinary Experience” at Basseterre, St. Kitts; and “Catamaran Cruise with Lobster Lunch” at St. John’s, Antigua.

On Maasdam’s 10-day voyage on April 7, Chef Natacha Gomez will delight guests with her flavorful and unique culinary creations. Gomez is the Catering Manager of Kokiyaj Bar and Grill and owner of Chef T in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.

Sailing aboard Ryndam on May 4 is Ant-ony Bennett, Executive Chef of La Tasca authentic-style tapas restaurants in the United Kingdom.

Bennett will share his passion for Spanish cuisine and tasty tapas dishes. Also joining the cruise are Master of Wines Simon Field and Rebecca Lamont, the Head of Wine School at Britain’s oldest wine merchant, Berry Brothers and Rudd. Field and Lamont will help guests learn about wines from the

region through wine tastings and tips about their area of expertise in Spanish and Por-tuguese wines.

On the three Alaska voyages, guests can savor local fare — fresh salmon to local vegetables and fruits — all paired with select wines from Northwest vintners and brews from Juneau’s Alaskan Brewing Co. During a “Louder Chowder Cook-Off” competition, the guest chefs will go head to head, pre-paring chowder from mystery ingredients. Alaska cruises feature a total of 16 Sip and Savor shore excursions in Juneau, Homer, Kodiak and Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia.

Westerdam’s May 2 seven-day departure will feature Jeff Maxfield, Executive Chef at the acclaimed SkyCity Restaurant, a revolv-

ing dining room atop the Space Needle in Seattle, and Seis Kamimura, Executive Chef CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks. Wendy Stuckey of Chateau Ste. Michelle winery located outside of Seattle will be onboard to impart her knowledge during several presentations.

On Statendam’s July 13 cruise, Executive Chef Perry Mascitti of Tulalip Resort Casino near Seattle, and Al Levinsohn, chef and owner of Kincaid Grill in Anchorage, will be onboard the 14-day voyage, along with Bob Betz, founder and winemaker at Betz Family Winery.

The August 16 Alaska cruise on Amster-dam features Kirsten and Mandy Dixon, chefs at both Tutka Bay and Winterlake lodges in Alaska, along with Chef Roy Brei-man, culinary director at Cedarbrook Lodge in Seattle. Along with the chefs, Matt Oak-ley, winemaker at Long Shadows Vintners, will present a special collection of premium wines during the seven-day cruise.

The Culinary Arts classroom

CRUISE NEWS


NEWS

For the last 12 years, Distribution and Service (DSI) has built a reputation of excellence in the travel catering sector. By helping guide customers through the process of importing and U.S. distribution, DSI can ensure on time delivery of frozen and dry goods across North America.

This know-how means that for DSI’s airline, cruise line and rail cus-tomers, sourcing can be done on a global level and brought into the United States without hassle. A five million cubic foot ware-house on the East Coast and a three million cubic foot warehouse on the West Coast are ready night or day to receive your freight and push it forward quickly and safely. Whether your shipment is a full load or a single pallet, you can rest assure that you have a qualified team of operational experts who will work around the clock to protect, transport and deliver your frozen and dry goods.

DSI (Distribution & Service, Inc)3701 Pender Drive, Suite 115Fairfax, Virginia 22030 USA

Jim Horner Phone: (703) 267-9616 x106

Fax: (703) 267-9615

www.dsi-360.com

Source Globally... Deliver Locally!

Norwegian Star re-enters service with new bar and complimentary dining venueIn time for the northern European cruise season, the Nor-wegian Star of Norwegian Cruise Line re-enters service with the new 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar, and two complimentary venues: O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill and the Ginza Asian restaurant.

The Star went back into service on March 17 following a two-week dry dock where the ship received numerous enhancements and new dining and entertainment venues. Norwegian will deploy the ship in the Baltic Capitals and Norwegian fjords from Copenhagen.

As a part of Norwegian Cruise Line’s NEXT Program, the Norwegian Star follows Norwegian Jewel as the third ship in the Norwegian fleet. Highlights of the ship’s new features include two complimentary dining outlets, enhanced offer-ings in the popular Ginza Asian restaurant and Norwegian’s first 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar.

“Our guests can dine like nowhere else at sea with Nor-wegian’s Freestyle Dining and these exciting new venues on Norwegian Star make it even easier, more exciting and more fun for guests to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that only a Norwegian cruise can offer,” said Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line in the March announcement.

Jimmy Buffett fans and patrons looking to escape and unwind can enjoy the fleet’s first Five o’Clock Somewhere Bar, in an exclusive partnership with Jimmy Buffett’s Mar-garitaville®. The newest watering hole will serve up signature margaritas and “boat drinks” such as the “Who’s to Blame® Margarita,” ice cold LandShark Lagers and more, coupled with nightly live musical performances.

Norwegian Star’s popular guest favorite Asian fusion restaurant, Ginza, can now be enjoyed on a complimen-tary basis, as the previous US$15 cover charge has been eliminated. In addition to a full complimentary menu that now includes delicious dishes from a dedicated Noodle Bar, such as traditional Chinese noodles, wok-fried special-ties, and dim sum favorites, Ginza Asian Restaurant will now also feature exciting new à la carte offerings, such as Japanese Hot Rock Ishiyaki for a nominal fee and a sushi menu developed by expert, Sushi Chef Yuki Ieto. The sushi and sashimi favorites include the Sashimi Hamachi Poblano and the Ten Shades of Grey Roll. Guests can also choose from four specialty rolls directly from a moving sushi belt, a first for the cruise industry.

Norwegian Star has also been retrofitted with the O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, a 24-hour compli-mentary restaurant that serves up local traditional fare in a friendly neighborhood-pub setting. In addition, the ship’s Moderno Churrascaria, the Brazilian-style steakhouse, was relocated to a more intimate setting on Deck 13 and Sug-arcane Mojito Bar, first introduced on Norwegian Getaway, was added adjacent to the new restaurant.

CRUISE NEWS


NEWS

spiriant says HolaInnovative inflight equipment concepts coming soon to Latin America!After a successful launch in the Middle-East, SPIRIANT continues its journey to Latin America. With a dedicated team, we work with you to design and create the inflight equipment you need. State-of-the-art logistics result in a more efficient supply chain process that can make your life easier and reduce complexity.

All this and more coming soon in 2015!

Explore the SPIRIANT world on www.spiriant.com or visit us at booth 4D30 (Hall A4) to learn more about SPIRIANT and our award-winning solutions.

Holland America Line names Kathryn Geivett Director of Social MediaKathryn Geivett will drive, plan and over-see the execution of strategic social media and digital initiatives for the cruise line. She will report to Mary Beth Wressell, Vice President, Marketing Communications, for Holland America Line.

Geivett has more than 12 years of mar-keting and advertising experience with an emphasis on digital and social media. Before joining Holland America Line she was at Microsoft Corp. for eight years where she worked her way to the position of senior marketing communications manager, digi-tal. Before Microsoft Geivett worked for a variety of other companies including WPP, one of the world’s leading advertising and marketing services groups; Campbell’s Soup Co. and Seattle Coffee Company.

IFSA leader and Flying Food Group executive John Long retiresFlying Food Group Executive Vice-President of Business Development John Long retired February 27, after 17 years with the Chicago- based company. Long, a former president and member of IFSA’s Board of Directors, is

currently president of the IFSA Foundation, which awards college scholarships to industry employees and their families. He also serves on the IFSA committee working with the Transportation Security Administration on security issues.

“We congratulate John on his many con-tributions to FFG and the industry,” said Flying Food Group CEO David Cotton.

“His productive relationships with customers like Alitalia, British Airways and Singapore Airlines helped them evolve from single to multi-city FFG accounts. John helped forge our strong connection with our customer JetBlue. He also worked closely with our customer Japan Airlines, and helped facilitate FFG’s acquisition of Japan Airlines’ kitchens at LAX and HNL.”

Before joining Flying Food Group in 1998, Long spent 16 years with Ogden Aviation Services in Honolulu and New York City. Before that, he worked in operations and marketing for Host International in Honolulu and Los Angeles.

Meadows takes top spot at CunardCunard announced at the end of November that Richard Meadows had been appointed President of the Cunard Line North America. In December he began his duties report-ing to David Noyes, CEO of Cunard Line. Meadows will retain his role as President of Seabourn leading all business and global operations for the ultra-luxury cruise line.

“With Rick having worked at so many brands within the Carnival Corporation portfolio, we are eager to leverage his knowl-edge, experience and skills to advance the Cunard brand in North America,” said Noyes from the Line’s headquarters in Southampton.

“His background in leading Seabourn is par-ticularly valuable, as he understands well the nuances of delivering superior service and enriching onboard experiences — the things that directly appeal to Cunard passengers. We are thrilled to have him join our team.”

As President of Cunard — North America and Seabourn, Meadows will give his full attention the two luxury brands, focusing in particular on generating brand aware-ness, growing revenues and yields, advanc-

ing product innovation and providing unmatched guest experiences.

Meadows has held key positions at a number of Carnival Corporation and plc brands over his 29-year career with the group and has held the position of President of Seabourn since 2011. During that time, he also has served as Executive Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Guest Programs for Holland America Line, where he had global revenue responsibility.

Former CLIA head takes top spot at CarnivalChristine Duffy took over as President of the 24-ship fleet of Carnival Cruise Line on February 1.

Before joining Carnival, Duffy was Presi-dent of the Cruise Line International Asso-ciation.

Duffy has more than 30 years experience in the travel industry. She started her career as a travel agent for McGeittigan Partners. As the CEO of CLIA she worked with the cruise industry and promoted cruising to key stakeholders and more than 13,000 travel agency members with a group of more than 50,000 individual travel agents.

She is also on the board of the U.S. Travel Association, and advisor for Starwood Hotels and a member of the board of directors for Visit Florida. She also founded the Meet-ing Professionals International’s Women’s Leadership Initiative, which does research and initiates programs that help women in the industry advance their careers.

Kathryn Geivett

Christine Duffy


PEOPLE NEWS

Some Caribbean countries are focused on airport improvement, but in this region tourists don’t just come from the sky; they also come across the

waves. With over 37% of the nearly 22 mil-lion worldwide cruise passengers in 2014 (expected to increase to over 25 million per year by 2019), the Caribbean takes by far the largest slice of that industry’s pie.

According to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, the cruise industry is the fastest-growing category in the leisure travel market. Of the more than 200 million cruise passengers since 1990, 70% have been generated in the past 10 years and 40% in the past five years. Caribbean islands that are geographically capable of attracting cruise lines and yet are not doing so are being left behind, but the British Virgin Islands (BVI) is not one of them, as evidenced by a massive pier-expansion project currently underway.

The pier expansionAt a cost of US$52 million, the BVI Cruise Pier Expansion Project is lengthening, wid-ening and strengthening its existing cruise pier. Design began in 2012, and construction in 2014. The development has two phases; during Phase one the pier will be extended from 230 m (755 ft) to 398 m (1,312 ft) and widened from 9.9 m (32 ft) to 18.3 m (60 ft).

Until this reconstruction, BVI Ports Authority averaged around 350,000 passen-gers annually. With this new development, however, came contracts with Norwegian Cruise Lines and Disney Cruise Lines, both of which have signed preferential berthing

agreements that combined, give the port a guaranteed 425,000 passengers per year. The Ports Authority actually expects 600,000 passengers for the 2015-2016 season.

The project may be costing the govern-ment an estimated US$52 million, but the 15-year contracts with Norwegian and Disney alone are expected to bring in US$90 million. In addition, the Ports Authority anticipates that the new construction will attract other larger ships, so long-term earnings could be considerably higher.

Cruise industry changesAs the industry numbers keep growing so do the ships. Since it is the prime market for cruises, the Caribbean is the place where these grand ships will set sail and dock. Ports that could accommodate the largest of the cruise ships a short time ago now cannot, and, of course, the countries with ports that can no longer accommodate the largest ships will be unable to ensure a maximum number of cruise tourists. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) government together with the BVI Ports Authority understood that expansion was necessary, and agreed on this project.

Tortola Pier ParkCruise ships do not dock at a port just because they can; something must be offered to their passengers. There are always excit-ing excursions, but a large number of pas-sengers are happy just to shop and relax in the local environment. As stated in the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s 2013 review: “Throughout its history, the indus-

try has responded to vacation desires of its guests and embraced innovation to develop new destinations, new ship designs, new and diverse onboard amenities, facili-ties and services, plus wide-ranging sho-reside activities.”

For passengers who are not taking part in an excursion, the port at Tortola Island, BVI, will have a landside development featuring retail, commercial, entertainment and green space, to be named “Tortola Pier Park.” As a five-acre addition to the new pier, a shopping and entertainment area is being created, with 50 leasable spaces reflecting a diverse retail blend. The Ports Authority has received more than 200 applications and although the retailers had not yet been announced at time of publication, the announcement was expected soon. Currently, talks are suggesting that the entire five acres might be duty free.

Good reputationAs a result of its geographic location and hospitality, British Virgin Islands and Tortola have a strong reputation in the cruise com-munity, according to cruisecritic.com. While the BVI government is keen to accept cruise tourists, its ultimate goal is to convert them into overnight guests and research shows that this will be the case for approximately 50% of visitors.

Phase one, the pier, is currently in the final stages of reaching completion and is already accepting ships, while Phase two, the land-side development, is expected to be finished in time for the 2015-2016 cruise season.

CRUISING INTO PORT

Phase two of the expansion project will see the creation of a landside shopping and entertainment area, expected to be completed before the 2015-2016 cruise season

The British Virgin Islands is making a statement to the cruise industry with its US$52 million investment in a new cruise port along with a five-acre shopping and entertainment area by WENDY MORLEY


CRUISE PORT – BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

There’s no denying that a market like leisure tourism is inextrica-bly linked to peaks and valleys in major worldwide economies. Given poor economic indicators

in the U.S. and Europe over the last few years that resulted in would-be tourists having less disposable income, the tourism industry in the Caribbean has had a tough go of it.

Nonetheless, tourism in the region is start-ing to pick up, and Winfield Griffith, Director of Research and Information Technology at the Caribbean Tourism Organization, says that the signs were evident near the end of 2014.

“Leisure travel is showing steady demand again as the economies in the main markets continue signs of resurgence, although these signs vary from weak to moderate at best,” he explains. “This heightened demand signifi-cantly benefited the Caribbean [in 2014] and is clearly evident in the fact that visitors are

coming in larger numbers such that growth rates in arrivals were higher than expected last year. The growth rate of 5.3% in tourist arrivals was among the best at the regional and sub-regional levels worldwide.”

Furthermore, an analysis of data provided by Smith Travel Research, a U.S. company which tracks overall performance of the hotel sector, reveals that Caribbean hotels earned more revenue last year than in 2013. Room occupancy rates also improved slightly, and revenue per available room was up 5.7%.

More good news is that this increase in travel was not just a blip on the radar. Throughout 2014, tourism demand remained strong, with arrivals growth each quarter ranging from 2.4% to 6.8%. This raises the question: What has changed in the Carib-bean’s major source markets?

Going to the sourceGriffith calls business from the Caribbean’s main markets in 2014 “buoyant,” noting that the U.S. continued to be the dominant supplier of visitors to the region, accounting for just under half of all tourists, with this number growing by 5.5% over 2013. The flip side, though, is that U.S. visitors weren’t spread out over the region equally; in fact, the market supplied increased numbers to only half of the reporting countries.

Canadians also took more trips to the Caribbean last year, with the country’s market share holding strong at a healthy 12.3%. This is particularly noteworthy considering in 2013 Canadian travelers to the region were actually in decline. As has been well established from previous years’ data, Cuba and the Domini-can Republic are among the most popular destinations for Canadian travelers; indeed, together these two destinations accounted for

nearly 60% of Canadian travelers’ destination choices in 2014.

Griffith says that there are signs that tourists to the Caribbean are broadening their horizons, especially Canadians. “Many more destinations have been gaining traction in the market, having attained double-digit growth [over 2013].”

Of course, Europe is another major source market for the Caribbean, and as moder-ate economic growth returns slowly to the Euro zone, Europeans have begun travel-ing more. The rebounding economy in the region, though, can best be characterized as geographically inconsistent, making for some wildly divergent results on a country-by-country basis. Nonetheless, looking at the big picture, European arrivals to the Caribbean surpassed the 5 million mark in 2014 for the first time in almost six years, although this number still hasn’t reached the pre-recession level.

The Caribbean welcomed nearly 24 million cruise passengers in 2014. The Western Caribbean has overtaken the Eastern region in cruise popularity

ON THEUP AND UP2014 proved to be a banner year for tourism in the Caribbean, and growth is expected to continue as more and more tourists opt for sun and fun on their vacations by RYAN WHITE

Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, notes that there’s reason to be optimistic for 2015

Richard Sealy, Minister of Tourism for Barbados an Chairman of the CTO notes that much of the responsibility for continuing to attract tourists rests squarely on the shoulders of the organization and its members


CARIBBEAN TOURISM REPORT

Mixed signalsThere is potential from a number of other sources for increased tourism in the Carib-bean, but signals are mixed. Increased intra-regional travel; travel from new and emerging source markets; and growing cruise activity are all spaces to watch, says Griffith.

“The drivers of the growth in intra-regional travel continue to be the larger destinations,” he explains. “The supply of visitors by Carib-bean neighbors increased by 4.8%.”

Unfortunately, though, this increased intra-regional travel was not to the benefit of those destinations with heaviest reliance on the market. “Demand for intra-regional travel to the Organization of Eastern Carib-bean States [OECS] remained depressed for most of 2014,” Griffith continues. “Pre-liminary estimates suggest that this market segment contracted by 3.1% among the OECS countries.”

With regard to new and emerging markets, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) show promise where travel to the Caribbean is concerned. However, given slowing growth in these countries’ economies, this potential hasn’t yet been fully realized. Particularly nota-ble is that Brazilians have begun showing interest in traveling to the region. However, despite some evidence of intensified efforts to heighten awareness of the Caribbean among Brazilians, there was no recording of significant incremental business last year.

Cruise activity was distinctly positive in 2014. Cruise passengers visiting the region reached 23.9 million, representing an increase of 8% compared to 2013. On a monthly basis, December was the only month to dip into negative territory over 2013. The Caribbean Tourism Organization notes that of the 24 destinations reporting data, 21 des-tinations achieved increases, and 14 of these destinations showed double-digit growth.

St. Vincent & the Grenadines (91.1%), Martinique (71.3%), Belize (42.9%), Trini-dad & Tobago (30.1%) and Turks & Caicos (24.8%) were the top five performing des-tinations. By market share, The Bahamas, Cozumel, US Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and St. Maarten are the top five destinations.

“With the expansion in cruise business to Belize, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos Islands, the Western Caribbean is now the largest sub-region for cruise passenger arrivals, having displaced the Eastern Caribbean from this position,” Griffith explains. “The islands of the Southern Caribbean did regain some of the capacity which they had lost during the period of high cost fuel”

Outlook for 2015Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the Carib-bean Tourism Organization, notes that there is reason to be optimistic for 2015 given that last year was “the strongest on record” for the Caribbean tourism industry.

“There’s no doubt that political and economic conditions; increased airline seat capacity; improved airport facilities; increased room stock as recognized hotel chains established themselves in our destina-tions; and new initiatives in the marketplace all contributed to this success,” Riley says.

Of the improving economic conditions in many parts of the world, Griffith adds: “It’s generally expected that global economies will again perform better in 2015, with the International Monetary Fund still predict-ing sluggish 1% growth across Europe and 2.4% in the U.S. According to the experts the emerging countries are expected to outdo the advanced ones. The demand for travel, therefore, should grow steadily.”

In addition to this, many of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s member countries have secured additional routes with airlines to increase seat capacity. “This should lead to higher demand for Caribbean vacations,” Riley says. “At the same time, hotel brands are making substantial investments [by] bringing new rooms to the market, indicating rising confidence in the industry.”

The outlook for cruise passengers, though, is slightly less optimistic. While the Carib-bean will remain the number one cruise destination worldwide, the 2015–2016 Cruise Industry News Annual Report suggests that some ships will be repositioned away from the region. “Consequently, we anticipate a slight decline in capacity regionally, with growth in cruise passenger arrivals remaining

flat,” Riley says.Despite this, the overall outlook remains

positive, with the Caribbean Tourism Orga-nization forecasting a 4–5% rise in arrivals for 2015 and an increase in spending. “At present business trends in accommodation, airlines and other tourism services we expect visitor spending to rise around 4% at a minimum again in 2015,” Griffith explains.

Taking ownershipChairman of the Caribbean Tourism Orga-nization Richard Sealy is optimistic for the rest of the year, but notes that much of the responsibility for continuing to attract tour-ists rests squarely on the shoulders of the organization and its members: “In order to build on our record performance in 2014, in order to continue to help support economic growth in the Caribbean, in order to bolster the development of our communities and our people, we must invest in a coordinated strategy to promote the Caribbean,” he says.

“At the same time, if we are to keep the visitors coming, if we are to maintain inter-est in our region, if we are to withstand the strong competition from both emerging destinations and our own source markets, we must make the right investments in our infrastructure, we must make travel to and through the Caribbean as hassle-free as possible, we must make tourism profitable for our people and for our partners,” he adds.

“We at the Caribbean Tourism Organiza-tion are deeply gratified by the Caribbean’s performance last year,” Sealy concludes.

“Thanks to our member countries for their unrelenting efforts at improving and market-ing both their individual destinations and the region on a whole.”

The Dominican Republic and Cuba are still favorite destinations of Canadians, but people of that nation have been trying other Caribbean locations


CARIBBEAN TOURISM REPORT

Marine Hotel Association President Ozer Balli of Disney Cruise Line completes his term in the office at the conclusion of a milestone three decade run of the Association, which will meet for the

30th time April 12-14 in Naples, Florida. Balli joined Disney Cruise Line as Hotel

Director, where he led the operation of the shipboard hotel departments. He was part of the team that launched the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, which were the first ships in the line.

Before joining Disney, Balli was food and beverage manager and site team member for new build projects at Royal Caribbean International. During that time, RCI launched five of the ships in its fleet. Balli’s career also spans hotel work with Hilton, Sheraton and Intercontinental.

For this issue’s Industry Q&A, Balli talked about the important year ahead as the MHA starts its fourth decade.

PAX International: You’re completing your final another year as president of the MHA. What has been some of the highlights and accomplishment in the last year?Ozer Balli: MHA’s 30-year anniversary is a good period to reflect on how much MHA has achieved over the past three decades, how it has thrived and how we will move forward in the coming years. The last five years have

seen a tremendous growth in our member-ship outside of the U.S. — and it continues to expand rapidly with companies joining from around the globe. This certainly reflects the truly global nature of the cruise industry of today and how MHA has paralleled that growth over the years. MHA’s annual gath-ering has become a must for those involved in the marine hotel product and continues to be the only organization of its kind that targets that segment.

PAX: Does the MHA plan any environmental initiatives? Balli: MHA does not get involved in policy standards. However, it does ensure that com-panies that exhibit are aware that we endorse and support sustainability in food products and ecologically sound practices.

PAX: What are some of the goals and the plans with the MHA for the year ahead? Balli: We will hold our first fall conference program in October of this year. The new program will focus on educational workshops and seminars that will help our members learn more about the industry and how to work within the cruise segment. We will address topics of particular interest and relevance to our members and much of the content will be geared to feedback provided by our member companies.

We continue to have our continuing education programs as the most important related activity. We will be offering a new online program with Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration that we hope will help us reach many more of the onboard staff, which may not have the opportunity to attend the program at the Ithaca campus. This will be a continuation of the Professional Development program currently offered in the summer.

PAX: Are you seeing any interesting approaches to food service in the new and refurbished cruise ships that are being launched?Balli: While I cannot speak about the approaches on other cruise ships, Disney has continually been recognized for excep-tional, innovative and fun dining experi-ences. Disney Cruise Line offers a range of dining options to expand the palates and experiences of all of our guests to ensure we continue to surprise and delight those who sail with us.

We partner with local vendors to bring in the best selection of products that are local, fresh and seasonal. We enhance our menus regularly based on the regional cuisine at our diverse ports of call. For example, our summer itineraries in the Norwegian Fjords, Northern Europe and Alaska feature new

A celebration aboard a Disney Cruise Line ship

CRUISING GOES GLOBALThe Marine Hotel Association meets in Naples, Florida during a time when the group and its President see the world beating a path to its door


INDUSTRY Q&A

menus that will allow our guests to enjoy unique specialties from the ports they visit.

Our specialty restaurants, Remy and Palo, feature some of the most quality ingredients, unique flavors and immersive dining aboard any cruise ship — and offer guests an option that would not be as affordable at a land-based restaurant of the same scale.

In addition, our chefs are committed to accommodating to the needs of our guests. For example, more and more families are looking for healthier options when they travel. Disney Cruise Line has delivered with the debut of Mickey Check meals on our ships that makes it easier to identify nutritious choices on our children’s menus. In addition, a number of our guests have special diets, and we try to accommodate to a wide range of needs while still making sure each guest is served a meal with fresh ingredients and unique flavors.

There’s something for everyone on Disney Cruise Line, as reflected by our range of din-ing options and venues. Immersive dining experiences at Disney Parks and on Disney Cruise Line blend cuisine with storytelling in a way that only Disney can. Whether it’s a quick meal on the go, a character dining

experience or an exquisite adults-only dinner, guests will find a range of food and beverage options onboard Disney Cruise Line.

PAX: It looks like Disney Cruises has made some significant changes in its Remy dining venue. Could you tell us a little about those? And why did you decide to make them?Balli: For the adult guests who dine at Remy aboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fan-tasy, we continually introduce new culinary experiences and menu items. The expanded collection of offerings at the French-inspired Remy include a unique tasting opportunity, a decadent dessert experience, a seasonal truffle menu and special caviar selections.

We are always looking for new opportuni-ties to surprise and delight our guests. In fact, we refresh the menus at Remy four times a year — twice on each ship. Combined, our chefs have introduced more than 100 new recipes and dishes at Remy. For adults inter-ested in learning more about food and wine pairings, our expanded offerings allow guests to go on a culinary journey and learn about the vision and artistry behind the dishes they taste from our executive chefs.

The enhanced and expanded culinary

offerings at Remy reflect the desire some of our guests have to enjoy an upscale, one-of-a-kind dining experience while sailing with us. Whether it is comfort food for the fam-ily or exotic flavors at one of our specialty restaurants, we are prepared to deliver what our guests want, as demonstrated with the continued enhancements across all of our dining options.

Ozer Balli


INDUSTRY Q&A

Few beer drinkers would deny the enjoyment they see when they’re handed a well tapped glass of beer.

Whether it is heavy or light with foam, or the glass is large or small, or drawn Guinness style, the craft of a finely tapped beer has an appeal all its own. However, on a busy cruise line, it is not uncommon for a passenger to wait for a cold one, while the person ahead takes up a bartender’s time with an order of six Mojitos and six Margaritas.

For the past three years, passengers have had the ability, through a program with cruise lines and Anheuser-Busch InBev to tap their own beers through self-serve kiosks at various locations. The beer giant has teamed with a rapidly growing company called Draftserv Technologies that makes the RFID-enabled devices at its plant and offices in suburban Atlanta.

The passenger’s purchases are tracked by key cards and other methods tied to the back office systems on the cruise line. Purchases can either be made in advance through PayPal or other accounts, or settled with the cruise line at the end of their vacation. Currently the self-service systems are aboard ships of Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival

U.K., Holland America Line and Carnival U.S. Plans in the year ahead call for a wider roll-out that would place up to 150 self-service tap machines in cruise lines around the world.

Anheuser-Busch InBev fills the units with three brands, Bud Light, Budweiser and Stella Artois. The machines can be either fixed in one spot on the ship, or rolled in at various times and places. Beer can be tapped from 50-liter or 30-liter kegs or the company’s 12-liter “bottle in a bottle” container. The tech-nology within the units keeps meticulous track of sales and has the ability to communicate problems with the cruise line’s offices. Sales can be compared from one kiosk to another.

The advan-tages for cruise lines and passen-gers are several, sa id Thomas

Shea, Director, Global Cruise, Ferry, Border Sales, Logistics and Marketing at Anheuser-Busch InBev. For the passenger, the kiosks save the need for waiting in line in crowded portions of the ship such as the pool and lido deck. It also allows the passenger to draw as much or as little as desired, with the charges measured in cents per ounce.

For the cruise line, the self-service option can make up for shortfalls in manpower. However a number of other advantages have also been found within the technology.

“The machines have the ability to report all kinds of data, from yield to purchase times,” said Shea. Yield has been a particularly important improvement. While bartenders may let an ounce or two run out during a regular pour, passengers paying by the ounce are much more careful. In some cases what would have been a loss in contents of up to 30% per keg decreases to average loss of closer to 5% when the passenger taps the beer himself.

Draftserv was founded by Jose Hevia, a 20-year restaurateur who at one time installed self-serve beer tables in his restau-rants. Hevia formed the company in 2007. He credits the 2012 installation on a Carnival Cruise Line ships as the point it “put us on the map with the larger players in the industry.”

Cruise lines and sports vending are now the large markets for Draftserv. As PAX International went to press, Hevia was firm-ing up plans to bring Draftserv units to the Kentucky Derby horse race in May.

From there, the Draftserv will be filling orders and shipping units to its top two sales sources, cruise lines and concessions, where the company plans to send up to 500 in the next year. In suburban Atlanta, Draftserv Technologies is in the midst of doubling the size of its offices and adding capability for other draft products such as soda, wine and water to its capabilities.

Two versions of the Draftserv dispensers now

found on cruise lines

Anheuser-Busch InBev and an Atlanta company called DraftServ Technologies plan to make self-serve beer a common part of the cruise scene by RICK LUNDSTROM

CONVENIENCEon tap


BEER REPORT

company name date

name

mailing address

city province/state

country postal code/zip

area code phone area code fax

email signature

credit card number

Pay m e n t i n U . S . f u n d s m u s t a c c o m p a ny t h i s s u b s c r i p t i o n c a r d .

� SIGN ME UP! I would liketo receive a subscription toPAX International magazine

� One Year US$200.00� Two Year US$300.00

� Enclosed is a cheque ormoney order made payableto Global MarketingCompany Ltd.

� Bill me

( ) ( )

date

y ym m

PAX INTERNATIONAL magazine26 Pearl Street, Mississauga, ON Canada L5M 1X2 Tel: 1-905-821-3344 Fax: 1-905-821-2777email: [email protected]

Please fill out this form and fax to 1-905-821-2777 or email to [email protected]

PAX International Magazine and its talented team are completely focusedon accurately covering all aspects of the passenger experience and pro-viding a platform upon which industry players large and small can sharenews, developments and competencies with top airline, cruise and rail ex-ecutives and decision-makers. Since 1997, PAX International’s bi-monthlyprint magazines and bi-weekly electronic newsletters have been servingexecutives onboard cuisine, sales, logistics, IFE, cabin connectivity, design,and passenger amenities with the latest and most trusted news and analy-sis in the world.

print issues of PAX INTERNATIONAL: News andanalysis for the passenger services executive

SUBSCRIPTION FORM

� � �

signature

5print issues of PAX INTERNATIONAL: News andanalysis for the IFEC and interiors executive2special summer e.Issue: a preview to APEX,IFSA and Aircraft Interiors Americas1

electronic newsletters (bi-weekly) withlatest updates on catering, IFEC, cruise,rail, suppliers and new products

24

SUBSCRIBE TO PAX INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE WHAT YOU GET WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION:

expiry dateamount

$ .

The manufacturing landscape in China is undergoing a meta-morphosis.

Failing as recently as 1980 to crack the top five manufactur-ing countries globally, the massive nation surpassed the United

States in 2011 to become the undisputed manufacturing leader. Cost-savings measures by multinational corporations hungry for its labor pool and growth within its own borders were the main drivers behind this rapid and profound shift.

Today, due to a maturing economy, more skilled labor, advanced machinery and numerous other drivers, Chinese manufacturing is quickly going up the quality chain. This can be a bonus or draw-back for cruise lines looking to source products from the region, depending of course on an individual line or ship’s requirements.

“China has for many years been the leading destination for sourcing hospitality products and other items for cruise lines, but other countries have now emerged including Vietnam and India. These countries also provide great value for sourcing textiles and manufactured products,” explains Jennifer Green, Senior Sales Manager Cruise Line and Hotel Divisions at WESSCO International, a hospitality product design and sourcing partner to the cruise industry for more than 30 years.

“However, China remains very popular when it comes to sourcing large orders within a fast turnaround time.”

Industry watchers have been predicting this shift in dynamics for a while now. In a June 2013 article compiled for the McKinsey & Company titled A New Manufacturing Age for China, the authors, Karel Eloot, Alan Huang and Martin Lehnich, warn: “Companies that continue to base their manufacturing strategies solely on China’s rock-bottom wages and stratospheric domestic growth rates are in for a rude awakening. New challenges will require new competitive priorities.”

The report lists several imperatives for Chinese manufacturers to maintain their edge. Foremost is the need to achieve manufacturing excellence. Plant managers have always sought to latch on to qual-ity assurance programs such as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing concepts. However, there is still much potential for improvement they contend, citing an example where in one of the state-owned enterprises, managers could bring in technical improvements, but lacked the leadership to make the changes permanent.

China manufacturing also faces product development hurdles, the report contends. “Chinese companies must get beyond the ‘faster, cheaper’ fixation that has characterized their approach to research and development in recent decades,” said the report.

Finally, the country’s manufacturing sectors much better manage the complexity of their supply chain. Pressure on supply is coming from both the domestic and international markets. And the supply chain set up with low-cost labor is disappearing.

Companies like WESSCO make it their business to understand procurement in current and future, foreign and domestic market conditions. Capitalizing on deep knowledge of the travel/hospi-tality sector, supply chain management, design principles and a global presence, they are able to offer cruise line procurement teams mixed sourcing strategies to fit a diverse spectrum of needs.

“Our cruise line partners (which include Viking River, Viking Ocean, Princess, Disney, RCL and others) often put out to bid or place orders on a wide range of items. It would be challenging for them to ensure all these items are handled properly and within tight timeframes if going directly to foreign manu-facturers,” says Green, adding that many people automatically think of China, a habit that could lead to missed opportunities elsewhere.

“We can offer alternative prod-ucts when the cruise lines are seeking items that can’t be sourced within a tight time frame or budget. Our offices in China, Vietnam, Greece and the U.S., let us move on a directive with any lead-time requirement, at any given moment.”

According to an August report China-Briefing.com, Vietnam’s grow-ing manufacturing sector and lower employee wages (at around half of those now common in China), is well poised to fill

Branching outOne longtime supplier to the cruise industry sees a wider landscape in Asia for sourcing products of all typesSPECIAL TO PAX INTERNATIONAL

New from WESSCO, a non-refillable dispenser that requires no screws and dispenses shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, hand wash or hand sanitizer

Factories in China face challenges from neighboring countries and within their own nation’s infrastructure


ASIAN SUPPLY NETWORKS


“No one had ever thought of it before, buttheir answer was very encouraging,” he said.

Once the two sides agreed to go aheadwith the arrangement, RAK began the lengthyprocess of adapting and testing its computerreservation system to adapt to Etihad’s. Thisoccurred at the time the larger carrier was alsochanging its own CRS from the SITA systemto Sabre. Work is still continuing, and Etihadplans a switchover to Sabre next year.

Brayford and RAK Airways were not theonly ones excited at the new partnership.

“This is the first time Etihad Airways willhave its EY code on a domestic UAE flightwhich is an exciting milestone for us,” said theairline’s CEO James Hogan, on the October3 inauguration of the flight. “We look forwardto welcoming travelers through Abu Dhabi andonto international flights across the Etihad Air-ways network.”

Once Etihad completed an operationalaudit on RAK, the task was then to convincepassengers to forego the freeway linking thetwo emirates by about three hours drive andopting for a flight that is scheduled for 45 min-utes, but is often completed in 25 minutes, saidBrayford.

But as it turns out, Brayford said many res-idents of the Emirates might find that aneasier choice than one would think. Com-muting the busy freeways in a fast growingregion has brought increased traffic to theUAE’s highway system. Brayford says delayson the Emirates’ main thoroughfares havebecome more frequent. Soon when RAK Air-ways expands the service to daily flights, andlater to flights twice daily, the frequency willbe a vital selling tool.

“Once we have a scheduled morning andevening flight next spring that will be a veryserious alternative to people taking theircars,” he said.

In the early fall, Brayford said many of thepassengers in the RKT-AUH route were usingthe flight and its short, one hour connectiontime to the Etihad Airways flight to Bangkok.Passengers departing the RAK Airways toAUH have also been boarding the Etihadflight to Manila.

On such a short flight, as RKT-AUH, cabinservice is limited to a sandwich box with amuffin, juice and water. RAK Airways’ catererout of RKT is Rakabela, part of the AlbertAbela group that operates catering and restau-

rant business in the UAE and Lebanon. Rak-abela is also under a 15-year concession con-tract to operate restaurants and coffee shopsat the airport. But if plans work out and thepromising tourist industry in the emirate con-tinues to grow, a new Rakabela airline-cater-ing kitchen has received approvals from the gov-ernment and could be built in the near future.

In the shadow of the scenic Hajar moun-tains, Ras Al Khaimah has a climate andtourism dynamic different from much of therest of the UAE. Its slower pace and unspoiledbeaches have been beckoning development inrecent years. Among the notable propertiesthat have located in the emirate, Brayfordlisted the Banyan Tree Wadi Hotel and theHilton Resort or Cove Rotana among sevento eight major properties. In the first quar-ter of next year, Brayford added that the Wal-dorf Astoria will open “a most amazing look-ing property” that will bring a clientele thatRAK Airways is planning to cater to.

“We are gearing up for that, because webelieve the sort of people who stay at theWaldorf will not be coming in on charterflights, but coming here as premium travel-ers on scheduled service,” he said.

www.meiko.de

Take hygiene and safety on board and enjoy a clean fl ight with MEIKO. MEIKO, your global partner in airline catering and wash-up systems.

Cleaned for take-off

PAX_NOVDEC12_PAX Magazine 12-11-09 1:47 PM Page 21

the void left by China’s increasingly expensive processes. “Vietnam’s manufacturing sector grew at a compound annual growth rate of more than 9% between 2005 and 2010 and today accounts for 25% of GDP,” states the material.

Vietnam joined the World Trade organization in 2007 and since then, foreign investment in the country has leaped ahead, surpassing Thai-land, the Philippines and Indonesia combined. The country has become a center for agribusiness, leather, wood processing and products, metal products and apparel.

WESSCO International has a foot in both countries and their search for the best factories for their products extends throughout Asia. The Los Angeles-based WESSCO has sourcing and sales offices in Hangzhou and Shanghai in China, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. From there, the company works with five to 10 factories in China and others in Southeast Asia.

At this year’s Marine Hotel Association Convention in Naples, Florida, WESSCO will be bringing a new line of non-refillable dis-pensers for soap, shampoo and body wash and other liquids. The products will be available in three sizes — 290ml, 320ml and 440ml. The company says users can see a 30% savings from traditional amenity bottles and tubes and a 90% reduction in plastic waste. The company recently found a customer with Best Western Hotels.

WESSCO, for example, recently utilized both domestic produc-

tion sites and factories in China to source custom menus for a cruise industry client launching a new line of ships in 2015. For best price and turnaround time, a Chinese manufacturer (already set up for production thanks to an existing WESSCO account) was tapped for simple menus in larger quantities. For the same project, the cruise line also needed complicated menus, with intricate designs, in smaller quantities. These menus were sourced from a local supplier that was able to meet a high quality benchmark and offer short lead times.

With global sourcing trends evolving quickly, brands and manu-facturers need to be increasingly savvy and aware of their options. Price remains a key factor, but other considerations and alternatives must be taken into account when making sourcing decisions. Align-ing with a nimble sourcing partner like WESSCO International can also minimize risks and improve quality.

WESSCO specializes in amenity kits for airlines and cruise lines


GLOBAL SUPPLY NETWORKS

WHAT’SHOT!

Bite-Size Cocktail Pita BreadCompany Name: Nina BakeryCompany Location: Echt, the NetherlandsDescription: Nina Bakery is pleased to present its light, airy and moist Bite-Size Cocktail Pita Bread, which it will highlight at this year’s WTCE in Hamburg. Ideal for small dishes such as appetizers, snacks, tapas, cocktail d’oeuvres and onboard meals, the Bite-Size Cocktail Pita Bread is currently available onboard Alitalia, KLM, Delta, Air France and Lufthansa. Perfect for fillings because it doesn’t tear easily, the Bite-Size Cocktail Pita Bread is baked without the use of added sugar, fat and preservatives and with the minimum amount of yeast.

Crest® brand product offeringCompany Name: Select Amenities Ltd.Company Location: Hockessin, Delaware Description: A co-sponsor of the 2014 TravelPlus Airline Amenity Bag Awards, presented at this year’s WTCE in Hamburg, supply-chain partner Select Amenities works closely with brands and amenity kit suppliers, providing personal care items that owner Vince McIntosh says, “are as special as the up market cosmetic items they appear alongside.” Such items include the new Crest® 3D White Luxe Toothpaste, which promises to “remove up to 90% of surface stains in five days”; Crest® Pro Health Alcohol-Free Rinse with updated packaging that highlights the 12-hour protection promise; and Crest® Glide Floss, now available in a four-meter format (4.3 yards), which “glides 50% more easily.”

FlyFit in TetraCompany Name: Vitalit LaboratoriesCompany Location: Amsterdam, the NetherlandsDescription: VitaLit Laboratories has launched its first mini Tetra Pak drink with launch customer Emirates. The beverage is served in a 125-ml package and is offered as a combination with a low-calorie mini bar. Thirty-five pieces can fit into a trolley drawer. It is suitable for pre-arrival service, breakfast, and delayed-flight service and ideal for children.

Scallop Selects Company Name: Clearwater SeafoodsCompany Location: Bedford, Nova ScotiaDescription: Clearwater Seafoods presents Scallop Selects, its finest Patagonian scallops chopped, formed and individually quick frozen. A great value alternative to sea scallops, Scallop Selects yield a remarkably similar appearance, taste and texture.


WHAT’S HOT!

Chilled Meal BoxesCompany Name: Oakfield Farms SolutionsCompany Location: USA and EuropeDescription: Oakfield Farms Solutions Europe showcases a talent for developing fresh, regional menus in two new chilled meal boxes. Developed with Brussels Airlines, the Afternoon Snack Box features fresh pasta salads created by Chef Yves Mattagne, known for his meticulously crafted cuisine in Brussels, which earned two Michelin stars and the prestigious 19/20 Gault & Millau for the Sea Grill restaurant. The Breakfast Meal Box features sandwiches utilizing traditional Belgian breads and cheeses. Both meal boxes also include regionally sourced cookies and treats.

Children’s Kit lineCompany Name: AVID AirlineCompany Location: Middletown, Rhode IslandDescription: AVID Travel is proud to announce the introduction of a new children’s kit line for its commercial airline customers. Airlines can select a general theme, along with multiple item choices, age-related and flight-time appropriate. AVID works from concept to execution, designing and assembling the best combination of colors, brand elements, activities, gender-based or unisex products that fit the customer’s budget. AVID also includes comfort items, such as blankets, pillows, huggers, neck pillows, eye shades, as well as catering items like sippy cups, kid-friendly utensils, bibs, and activity sets and games.

American Breakfast teasCompany Location: BigelowCompany Location: Fairfield, Connecticut Description: Bigelow Tea introduces American Breakfast teas — an all-new line of robust black teas naturally formulated with 50% more caffeine than the average cup of tea. Formulated with natural black tea extract — a concentrated form of brewed black tea — to deliver 60-90mg of caffeine per cup, versus the typical 30-60mg in regular black tea, the full line consists of Bigelow American Breakfast Black Tea, Bigelow American Breakfast Black Tea and Lemon and Bigelow American Breakfast Black Tea and Honey, which derives its flavor from natural honey. Crafted with premium, all-natural ingredients, each blend contains no sugar or calories and a portion of the proceeds from the American Breakfast Tea line sales goes toward supporting U.S. service men and women.

MINIBITE® Pretzel chips – Limited Edition designCompany Name: MINIBITE® by HoppeCompany Location: Tilburg, the NetherlandsDescription: At this year’s WTCE, HOPPE Food Group will stage the release of MINIBITE® Pretzel chips, the first MINIBITE® snack in a limited edition Hoppe design. The theme for the new design is ‘Around Europe with Hoppe,’ which depicts Europe’s most famous sights, from the Eiffel Tower and Holland’s windmills, to the Colosseum in Rome and London’s Big Ben. Inside each 15-gram portion are crunchy, round pretzel chips. Perfect for enjoying with fresh hummus or a mustard dip, MINIBITE® Pretzel chips are ideal for any snack box, as an on-the-go snack, or as a quick bite in-between meals.


WHAT’S HOT!

Network Cruise Baltic last month reported decreases in passengers and calls in 2014, for the 28 destinations that are part of the organization.

The figures were presented at this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami. They are based on a collection of data ports in the Baltic Sea region as of December 2014. According to the survey, the total number of passengers decreased by 1.8% compared to 2013 and the total number of calls dropped by 5.3%, while the total number of turnarounds increased by 1.7%

In 2014, of the top five ports for passenger visits, only Rostock saw growth, which was 5.4% and a total of 509,000 passengers. Visits to Tallinn decreased 7.8% to 479,000; Stockholm decreased in 3.2% to 470,000; and Copenhagen, the largest port in terms of passenger movement decreased 7.7% to 739,000.

The number of calls in 2014 decreased in all five of the top five ports. Tallinn decreased the most with 10.0% followed by Copenhagen with 9.8%, Helsinki with 7.4%, St. Petersburg with 6.0% and Stockholm with 5.4%.

Looking ahead to 2015, Cruise Baltic predicted total passengers to the region would decrease by 1.6% while the number of calls would decrease 4.5% to 2,309. A 5.0% decrease is expected in turnaround in 2015, from 416 in 2014 to an estimated 395 in 2015. For 2015 an overall decrease of 1.1% in total is anticipated for the top five ports.

However, the group forecasts that the “small” segment — 0 to 24 calls — will increase considerably in 2015, with a possible increase of 45%. Mainly this will be due to Aalborg expecting 16 calls with a total of 14,263 passengers; Skagen expects 15 calls with 23,713 passengers; and Arendal expects positive growth from 4 – 9 calls, in total 6,770 more passengers.

“As a region we are aware of the potentially negative impact of the new ECA environmental regulations, which have come into effect as of January 1 this year,” said Claus Bødker, Cruise Baltic Director. “However, because the Baltic Sea is a strong product with significant customer demand, that is why there is only a marginal decrease in passenger numbers for 2015.”

Cruise Baltic forecasts fewer calls and Pax for 2015

The Port of Copenhagen handles the most passengers among the members of Cruise Baltic

C A L E N D A RMarine Hotel Association 30th Anniversary Conference and Trade Show, April 12-14, Naples Grand Beach Resort, Naples, Florida. For more information, contact MHA at [email protected] or call 415 332-1903

Aircraft Interiors Expo/World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo, April 14-16, Hamburg, Germany. For general inquiries contact AIX at [email protected] or call +44 208 271 2174

APEX Multi Media Market, April 20-22, Prague, Czech Republic. For more information, contact APEX at [email protected] or call 212 297-2177

APEX Technology Conference, May 12-13 Universal City, California. For more information, contact APEX at [email protected] or call 212 297-2177

Travel Catering Expo, May 10-12, Dubai, UAE. For more information, contact Raed El Forkh Sales Director at [email protected] or by calling +971 50 6531941 (mobile), or +971 2 409 0484

APOT.Asia Forum 2015, June 3-5, Colombo, Sri Lanka. For more information contact APOT at [email protected]

International Flight Services Association/Airline Passenger Experience Association Expo, September 28-October 1 Portland, Oregon. For more information Contact IFSA at [email protected] or call 404 252-3663, or contact APEX at [email protected] or call 212 297-2177

Aircraft Interiors Expo and World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo Americas, November 4-5, Seattle, Washington. For more information contact Customer Service [email protected] or call 203 840-5680

SIAL Middle East Trade Show and Networking Forum, December 7-9, Abu Dhabi, UAE. For more information, contact SIAL Middle East FZ LL at [email protected] or call +971 (0)2 401 2949


ASSOCIATION NEWS/CALENDAR

mailto:[email protected]










Available in both shell-on and shell-off varieties, our raw lobster meat is produced using a specialized high-pressure extraction system that releases the meat from the shell while keeping the same appearance as live lobster. Use Clearwater’s raw lobster meat: any time with year-round availability, any place with frozen storage and any way across a variety of temperature and cook methods. The possibilities are endless.

lobsterany time, any place, any way

combo pack leg meat

tails claw & knuckle meat

split lobster

www.clearwater.ca US: (703) 669-6119 | [email protected]: +44-1753-858-188 | [email protected]

Visit us at booth #802 at the MHA 30th Annual Conference & Trade Show.

PAX_WTCE_April2015.indd 5 2015-04-06 9:27 AM

Documents

PAX International MHA 2015