Albert Lafuente, Director of Sales and Marketing at Shangri-La, will share insights about the global luxury travel market this April

Endless beaches, flavourful food, affordable luxury, and copious amounts of sunshine all year round make Southeast Asia one of the most popular holiday destinations. With world-class travel experiences and high-end facilities for affluent travelers, the demand for luxury travel is expected to grow to US $1.154 billion by 2022. Join Albert Lafuente as he dives into the changing landscape of luxury travel industry at Echelon Malaysia 2017.

In “The View From Hospitality” travel tech panel led by Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder of Web in Travel, Albert will share his knowledge on how luxury travel can adapt to the changing landscape to deliver end-to-end experiences through technology. Instead of challenging the luxury travel sector, technology is now the first step to revolutionising the industry as a whole.

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Echelon Malaysia 2017 is a tech conference (April 12-13, Penang) and year-long digital platform attracting international speakers, founders, investors and professionals. Register for your Echelon Malaysia access pass now to get 30% off each pass you purchase.

New in 2017 is Echelon Malaysia’s digital platform. Get immediate access to exclusive insights, participate in discussions and engage with the speakers and fellow attendees directly on Echelon’s digital platform, the moment you register (accessible from the Ecosystem page). What’s more, the digital platform will be accessible all-year even after the conference, so kickstart your Echelon experience today and embark on a year-long journey of discovery.

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Speaker Bio 

Growing up in the early 70’s in the hinterlands of the southern part of Leyte, an island in central Philippines, Albert never had access to mass media except for the occasional TV in their neighbour located some blocks away (the only one in their village), which showed mostly basketball and other taped variety shows beamed from Manila.  It was in high school that he realized that he wanted to work in the tourism sector due mainly to his exposure to books and magazines featuring destinations in the Philippines and Asia.

Fast forward 40 years after and one semester short of earning a degree, he made himself a career in the industry – in sales and marketing, mostly in resorts in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and now in Penang, Malaysia.  He has worked in some of the region’s most luxurious properties and brands, namely: The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam; Banyan Tree and Angsana Resorts in Lang Co, Vietnam; the Chedi Sakala and Chedi Club Tanah Gajah in Bali and most recently at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa in Cebu, Philippines where he was DOSM for close to three years.  He also had significant experiences in city hotels and a short stint in Singapore with the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts Regional Sales Office.

He believes and thinks that having to quickly adapt to the frenzied pace of digital marketing trends gives experienced DOSMs like him another shot in the arm. At this time and age, the key to survival (at least in the Asian perspective) is how one balances existing relationships and embracing new trends and technology in online marketing.

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Convinced? Save 30% of each Echelon Malaysia pass, register today.

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