Luxury Voices Joanne Tang

In this episode of Luxury Voices, we are honored to welcome Catherine Oden, a dedicated ambassador for France's tourism industry for nearly four decades. Catherine's illustrious career at Atout France has been a remarkable journey marked by passion, innovation, and unwavering commitment.
Throughout her tenure, she has ventured across the globe, serving in various pivotal roles, from the United States to Japan, Singapore to India, and now Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Her extensive 30-year experience in Asia has endowed her with a profound understanding of diverse markets, an open-minded approach, and a versatile marketing strategy.
Currently stationed in Beijing as the Director of ATOUT FRANCE for Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, Catherine is poised to further strengthen the bonds between France and China's tourism sectors. Her career has been defined by groundbreaking initiatives, including the establishment of the prestigious "Comite du Voyage en France," featuring renowned personalities from the world of entertainment, music, literature, and more. Recognized for her outstanding contributions to France, she has received prestigious accolades such as the Officier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite and Chevalier dans l'ordre de la Légion d'Honneur. Join us as we delve into Catherine's extraordinary journey, her innovative marketing endeavors, and her unwavering commitment to positioning France as a premier global tourism destination.

Our Luxury Voice today is André Cheminade, General Manager of Hôtel des Horlogers in Brassus, located in the Valley de Joux in Switzerland’s renowned region of luxury watchmaking. André is Franco-Argentinian, a real polyglot who has held positions in far flung places like Argentinian Patagonia, multiple locations in Spain, Russia and he has now settled in Switzerland a few years. Now at the helm of the newly opened Hôtel des Horlogers, a project by Luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet. Hôtel des Horlogers was designed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group who also signed the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet situated a few steps away from the hotel. The building’s avant-garde architecture follows the Vallée de Joux’s topography thanks to its futuristic zigzagging façade. The hotel has been built with the utmost respect to nature, incorporating the highest standards of sustainability without compromising any of the comfort or guest experiences expected at that level of luxury.

Our LUXURY VOICE today is María Llinares, Tourism Councilor for Tourspain. Maria developed almost her entire professional career in the public and institutional communication sector. After working in the organization of the international news coverage of the President of the Spanish Government in the Secretary of State for Communication, she worked for five years in China and five in Russia, as head of communication for the Embassy of Spain. In September 2020 Maria returned to Beijing as Tourism Councilor, joining the Turespaña team. In this episode, Joanne and María discuss the current tourism situation in Spain, how to capture arrival growth from China post pandemic, what defines Spain as a luxury destination and how to increase the mix of luxury travelers from Spain.

In this episode, we welcome two LUXURY VOICES, Patrick Ohtani and Acme Wu, respectively Board Director and Marketing Director of Niseko Tourism. Formed in 2007 The Niseko Promotion Board is responsible for promoting the destination as an international, four-season destination with the goal of increasing overnight visitation. In our winter destinations series and following the recent Beijing Winter Olympics, we discuss with key skiing destinations in the four corners of the globe to understand their current situation and the future potential of Asian winter tourists for them. Joanne, Patrick and Acme will speak about Niseko, one of Japan, and the world, most renowned ski destinations. They will debate on the impact of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in the regional feeder market for Niseko, Niseko’s unique features as a skiing and year round destination, and how to attract a growing community of Chinese ski fans.

Our LUXURY VOICE today is Francesco Corte Colò. Francesco is a Representative of the Tourism Board of Cortina d’Ampezzo, he is in charge for new markets including Greater China. The tourism promotion office defines Cortina’s tourism strategy and enhances its visibility to specific target audiences by cooperating with both media and trade partner. It’s an exciting time for Cortina D’Ampezzo as they will be hosting the next Winter Olympics in 2026. Francesco was raised in Cortina and learned to love all that Cortina’s picturesque mountain town has to offer. Joanne and Francesco will discuss Cortina’s great assets, why it is still fairly undiscovered outside of Italy, the benefits of hosting next Winter Olympics straight after Beijing and strategies for new markets with a focus on China.

As Regional Chief Executive, Asia Pacific of Richemont, Alain is responsible for overseeing and cultivating the presence and development of some of the world's most coveted luxury brands.
Alain has a wealth of experience in business development and international finance, gained through a series of top positions at various multinational corporations across Europe, Africa and the Far East. More significantly, his specialty throughout his career has been in distributing lifestyle products to mature as well as emerging markets.
Alain’s experience with the Asia Pacific region only made him a stronger match for the highly specialised requirements of the European luxury brands purveyor. The affiliation with Richemont was therefore a natural progression, and Alain has been at the helm of the region since his appointment in 2006. We will discuss the evolutions in the Asian luxury market happening right now, encouraging women to dream big and Richemont’s training academy.

Richemont owns several of the world's leading companies in the field of luxury goods, with particular strengths in jewellery, watches and writing instruments. Its Maisons encompass several of the most prestigious names in the luxury industry including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, IWC Schaffhausen, Jage-LeCoultre, Panerai and Piaget. Richemont also owns leading online distributors YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP and Watchfinder & Co.