Dubai

Hong Kong Sees 1 Million Visitors for First Time Since 2019

The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced Hong Kong saw a provisional visitor arrival of 1.462 million in February, three times what arrived in January. Indian Hotels Company announced the opening of Ginger Chennai, OMR in Tamil Nadu in India. The World Trade Center Association and the Merlin Group have partnered to develop a World Trade Center in the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority area, Salt Lake, West Bengal.

China Reopens to Tourists But Hurdles Remain

Oxford Economics said tourist arrivals into the Asia Pacific region are tipped to reach around 50% of pre-Covid levels in 2023. China will resume issuing visas to foreign tourists for the first time since the pandemic broke out more than three years ago. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has recently unveiled two new hotels in Australasia with the latest being TRYP by Wyndham Pulteney Street Adelaide .

China's Not Yet Having a V-Shaped Travel Recovery

Reuters published an article on how the hoped for, fast out of the gate, revenge travel by the Chinese following the demise of Zero-Covid has not occurred. Instead of a stampede, it has been more like a fast walk . South Korea and Australia were left off the next list of 40 countries to which China will resume outbound group tours as of tomorrow . Macau authorities are easing measures for entry to mainland China for visitors coming from Hong Kong , aimed at further improving circulation between the SARs and the mainland

Nepal's 15 New Hotels and Resorts

Mandarin Oriental Singapore is temporarily closing its doors to undergo a six-month transformation. The Marina Bay property will reopen in September 2023 Accor has entered into a strategic partnership with Ecotourism Australia to certify all Accor hotels, apartments and resorts across Australia and the Pacific. A dozen new star hotels have been added during the last year in Nepal . According to the Department of Tourism, 12 new star hotels and three new resorts have come into operation in the last 11 months

IHG Is Growing in Greater China

STR reported China hotel RevPAR data for the week ended February 4th. China hotel RevPAR was up 35.6% year over year, despite a tough comp on Chinese New Year timing. InterContinental Hotels Group announced the recent signings of Crowne Plaza Shanghai Snow World and Shanghai Snow World Hotel, Vignette Collection . This is the first Vignette Collection hotel in Greater China. Macau’s Court of First Instance has officially declared the failed luxury hotel, THE 13 , as bankrupt.

Ritz-Carlton Club Refresh Across Asia Pacific

Marriott International’s Ritz-Carlton is presenting a newly elevated experience at The Ritz-Carlton Club across its Asia Pacific hotels, joining a successful launch in Mainland China last summer. Hanwha Hotels & Resorts signed a memorandum of understanding with Lodgis Hospitality Holdings to forge a strategic partnership to mutually boost each of their hotel and resort portfolios. New Zealand’s Sotheby’s International Realty is listing an exclusive Queenstown  development site, expected to sell for more than $40 million.

Is Chinese New Year Travel Going Well or Not?

STR gave their 2022 summary, saying among the global regions, Asia was the only one to see a decline in revenue per available room when compared with 2019. There seems to be a different in opinion about how Chinese New Year is going for the Asian region. Japan Today published an article saying Asia travel hotspots are quiet as Chinese tourists stay away, but the article seems to miss the true situation. Dow Jones, on the other hand, published an article saying China’s tourism sector has recovered to pre-pandemic levels with travelers venturing out during the Chinese New Year holidays.

Macau Marks Highest Visitation Numbers in 3 Years

Macau has received 245,000 visitors in the first four days of the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival holiday week. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of The Earth Amritsar, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, its first hotel for the brand in India . Sarovar Hotels and Resorts announced the opening of Shyama Sarovar Portico in the city of Orai, Uttar Pradesh in India.

The Philippines and Melbourne Set Records

STR reported China hotel RevPAR rose 6.9% year over year the week ended January 7. RevPAR, when compared to the same week in 2019, was down -39.6%. While the Macao Government Tourism Office is predicting visitor arrivals of just 50,000 a day for Chinese New Year week, hotel room rates across Macau are said to be surging with standard rooms now regularly priced above HK$8,000. Colliers International said they are expecting hotels in the Philippines will complete some 3,900 rooms, a record high for developers , as they anticipate the projected recovery in global travel in 2023.

Tokyo and Bangkok Tourism Numbers Are Rebounding

STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended December 17. Hotel RevPAR was down -1.1% year over year for the week. Japan National Tourism Organization said visitor arrivals rose to close to one million in November. This was the first full month after the country ended their Covid-19 curbs. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is predicting the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand will be more than 18 million last year.