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He says that is not so much because things are looking up and we can afford to
be bullish, just that "it is a nice phrase that encapsulates the mood of the
last three years but has been bandied around so much that it has ceased to be
meaningful at all".
Having said that, he believes the political upheavals and economic turbulence of
2011 is a sign of the times. "There are so many hotspots - Europe, the US,
Russia, North Korea, Iraq, Pakistan. 'Uncertainty' is the new normal. We have
become accustomed to disruptions in business in the last three years, but it
still can be unsettling and leading a company through such uncertain times
requires certain steel and resolve."
Mr Imbardelli was responding to questions posed by P@SSPORT asking him what his
wishes were for 2012 as well as the challenges that will be faced by the
industry the months ahead.
Mr Robert Bailey, President and CEO of Abacus International, cites three
challenges - the continued financial uncertainty in Europe and US, the
volatility of oil prices - a US$10 increase in barrel prices is expected to
push up the total ticket price by almost 3 per cent, and increased
complexity of choice for consumers driven by proliferation of low cost
carriers.
He is looking forward to mobile technology forcing the speed of change. "It
will be interesting to see what mobile applications will be introduced. I am
looking forward to seeing more travel agents utilising mobile in their
business. We have introduced a number of services that are mobile enabled such
as Abacus Mobile, Abacus TripPlan, Abacus VirtuallyThere and Abacus WebStart to
help them get started."
He also believes 2012 is the year for Indonesia as its economic and political
situation stabilises, and Central Asia which he described as "an exciting
market, up and coming with lots to offer and even more to explore as a
destination".
Mr Robert Khoo, CEO of NATAS (National Association of Travel Agents), is
looking forward to more travel agents entering the online business to fight
competition from suppliers, more hotel openings in Singapore adding to the room
inventory thus easing shortage and moderating room rates, and answers to
transportation issues.
One thing is for sure though, the competition for the tourist dollar will
intensify and Singapore will need to stay competitive to maintain the momentum
set in the past year.
Mr Imbardelli said that Singapore must tread the fine balance between staying
attractive to foreign talent while giving a sense to Singaporeans that they are
not being discounted so that the country can retain its own local talent.
"Organisations need to build talent that can steer businesses ahead in a new
playing field; Asia has grown from being the factory for the world, to the
region that's driving consumption."
"Companies are not competing on cost anymore, but need to have compelling value
propositions in a product or service for the increasingly sophisticated Asian
consumer. It is less about managing and implementing and more about creating
and innovating."
"It is imperative that Singapore needs to raise its productivity to remain
competitive. I will go a step further to say there needs to be a redefinition
of what productivity means."
"There is still a sense here that being more productive and working harder
means working longer hours. It isn't. It's about increasing efficiency - doing
something in a shorter time - and being effective in what we do. It's about
being engaged in meaningful work; work that really adds value in or to a
process."
Mr Bailey said that to stay competitive, Singapore needs to do more to
assist the smaller players.
" There's plenty going for Singapore, well-established infrastructure, good
support from the various tourism organisations and new tourist attraction
developments which makes it an attractive MICE destination. Balance needs to be
managed between improvements and higher costs of doing events here.
"Improvement in customer service is also needed to make the destination more
attractive compared with other destinations in Asia Pacific."
Mr Khoo cites three must-dos: Raise service level, go for quality and not
quantity, and product differentiation.
On a personal note, Mr Imbardelli is looking forward to taking his kids to the
River Safari when it opens. "I've been in Singapore for 15 years now, and
there's always something new for the family to get excited about."
On his personal wishes, Mr Bailey cites, on a macro level, fewer natural
disasters in the region and on a micro level, more effective adoption of new
technology, and solutions that enhance travellers experience whilst
contributing to the bottom line.
Mr Khoo meanwhile is looking forward to finishing his PhD, retiring in less
than two years and sustaining good health.
