The acquisition of these travel trade titles expands the company's global travel brand portfolio in a region of tremendous projected growth and demand to include the addition of Events China, a MICE industry brand, as well as two Asia-based editions of Travel Weekly, which complement the company's Travel Weekly brand. According to PhoCusWright’s Asia Pacific Online Travel Overview Sixth Edition, the Asia-Pacific region surged past Europe to become the world's largest regional travel market in 2012, with $326 billion in gross travel bookings. PhoCusWright also projects 10-percent growth for China and 12-percent growth for the Southeast Asian travel markets between 2012-2015. China is the largest travel market in the Asia-Pacific region with gross bookings of $106.3 billion in 2013.
Events China, a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events) industry brand serving China through print, e-books, events, and industry awards programs, will be co-branded and re-launched as M&C Events China and M&C Asia. The two titles will add to the company's North American meetings publications that include Successful Meetings, Incentive, MeetingNews, and Meetings & Conventions.
Travel Weekly China provides the travel industry in China with vital trade news and market intelligence and is distributed monthly to 12,000 qualified and authorized travel trade professionals in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Travel Weekly China and Travel Weekly Asia's e-newsletters are delivered daily to more than 42,000 travel industry leaders.
As part of this acquisition, Northstar has established Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd as its legal and corporate entity for these brands. The Travel Weekly China and Travel Weekly Asia teams, including Publisher Susan Li, will report to Bob Sullivan, Executive Vice President, of Northstar Travel Media. Staff for M&C Events China and M&C Asia will report to Bernie Schraer, Senior Vice President/Group Publisher, and Lori Cioffi, Senior Vice President/Editorial Director, of the Northstar Meetings Group.
In conjunction with the transaction, Irene Chua, an experienced travel trade media executive based in Singapore, has joined Northstar as the group publisher of the Northstar Travel Media Singapore brands including Travel Weekly Asia and M&C Asia. Ms. Chua is the former associate publisher of Travel Weekly Asia and Travel Weekly China, as well as a former associate publisher at TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd.
“The addition of Travel Weekly China, Travel Weekly Asia, and Events China expands our portfolio into the largest and fastest growing travel markets in the world,” said Thomas Kemp, chairman and CEO of Northstar Travel Media. “We’re very pleased that a very talented travel industry team will be joining us to build the Travel Weekly and Events brands in the Asia Pacific region.”
“Today’s travel professionals need relevant and timely information impacting their business,” said Susan Li. “By joining forces with Northstar Travel Media, Travel Weekly China, and TravelWeekly Asia will provide audiences and advertisers access to a global suite of information and media platforms. We look forward to creating a powerful partnership and many years of continued growth as part of the Northstar team.”
Secaucus, NJ-based Northstar Travel Media LLC's brands include Travel Weekly, Business Travel News, Travel Procurement, PhoCusWright, Successful Meetings, MeetingNews, Incentive, Meetings & Conventions, TravelAge West, Family Getaways, Explorer, Your Travel Insider, and Luxury Cruise News. Its electronic directories -- Travel Weekly's Hotel and Travel Index, the Official Cruise Guide, M&C Facilities Search, and Successful Meetings Facilities Search -- provide in-depth data on hotels, meeting and convention properties, and business travel in the United States and internationally. In addition to its directories and periodicals, Northstar also publishes a number of online subscription information resources, including The Beat, Travel42, STAR Service Online, Intelliguide Corporate and BTP24.
The company produces more than 40 face-to-face events including The PhoCusWright Conference, PhoCusWright Europe, CruiseWorld, Global Travel Marketplace,
Successful Meetings Universities, M&C InterAct, The Beat Live, Tech Talk, Business Travel Trends and Forecast Forums and the Travel Weekly Leadership Forums.
The company also has offices in New York City; Glen Ellyn, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and Winston-Salem, NC, and is a portfolio company of Wicks Group of Companies LLC, a leading private equity investor in the information and business services, communications, and media sectors.