In the first four months of the year, the Philippines received nearly 2 million international visitors, marking a 17% increase compared to the same period last year. The total number of visitors was up 13.8% to over 2.12 million. Chinese visitor arrivals are still low, accounting for 6.5% of the visitors, but that outperformed expectations with 141,153 arrivals. South Korea remains the primary source of inbound tourists, with 571,384 visitor arrivals recorded from January through April, up 24.4% from the same period in 2023. The United States is second at 331,049. The DOT has set a baseline target of 7.7 million international visitor arrivals this year, aiming to surpass the 5.45 million international visitor arrivals recorded last year.
The Macao Government Tourism Office said Macau’s average hotel occupancy rate was 89.2% across the five days of the Labour Day holiday season. On May 2nd, occupancy was at 95.1%. The MGTO also said of the 604,395 visitor arrivals, 487,000 of them were from Mainland China.
Pan Pacific Hotels Group announced the official opening of Pan Pacific Orchard, the first brand new property in Singapore to be completed as part of the group’s build and asset enhancement strategy that will see nine new Pan Pacific Hotels and refurbishment of current properties completed over four years. Pan Pacific Orchard was built in tandem with the extensive refurbishment of the existing Pan Pacific Singapore. The group’s enhancement plan also includes Pan Pacific London; Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur; BELLUSTAR TOKYO, a Pan Pacific Hotel; Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Nairobi and Pan Pacific Jakarta. Asset enhancements include Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard and Pan Pacific Perth. After Pan Pacific Orchard’s opening, we will see Pan Pacific Jakarta open in the prestigious Thamrin 9, an integrated development combining commercial spaces, entertainment and retail offerings at one of Jakarta’s most desirable addresses. That hotel will occupy the top 10 floors of the 90-story building.
The Pullman Cairns International in Australia has been listed for sale by Prime Value’s Shakespeare Property Group after nine years of ownership. The five-star city center hotel occupies an 8,139 square meter site and comprises 324 guest rooms, 11 conference and meeting rooms, a lobby bar, a day spa and gymnasium facilities and basement parking for 184 cars. CBRE Hotels is managing the sale via an Expression of Interest campaign set to be launched later this month. Accor manages the property under the Pullman brand but vacant possession of the hotel is available upon sale. The hotel underwent a $17 million refurbishment in 2021. The offering also includes a two-level, 2,644 square meter retail and commercial arcade, Village Lane, featuring 23 tenancies. The hotel possesses the largest conference facilities outside the Cairns Convention Center.
IHG Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of voco Jim Corbett – India’s first voco hotel. This also marks the introduction of the seventh brand from IHG’s global portfolio to the Indian market. The resort is spread across 13.5 acres of lush greenery along the Kosi Riverside in Dhilkuli region of Jim Corbett, nestled on the foothills of the Mailani range. There are 70 modern, spacious rooms. The hotel offers an all-day dining experience at Kosi Bar & Kitchen, banquet halls, an alfresco lounge bar, a refreshing pool, the rejuvenating Tattva spa, amphitheater and a fully equipped business center. The banquet space is both indoor and outdoor to cater to demand from corporate and leisure guests.
Indian Hotels Company announced the signing of a new hotel in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The brownfield project will be branded a Vivanta, owned by Amaltas Palace Private Limited. The 180-room Vivanta Indore is spread over 2.3 acres, strategically located just a short driving distance from the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airportand the central business district. The hotel will feature an all-day diner, rooftop restaurant and a bar. Recreation facilities will include a swimming pool and a fitness center plus there will be over 10,000 square feet of banqueting space for social as well as corporate events. With the addition of this hotel, IHCL will have 12 hotels in Madhya Pradesh including four under development. Amaltas Palace Private Limited owns and manages hotels across cities in Indore, Goa and New Delhi.
ITC’s hotel group member, Fortune Hotels, announced the signing of a second property in Siliguri, West Bengal in India. Fortune Park will be the name when it opens in March of 2025. The brownfield project will be on 1.47 acres of land and will feature stylish rooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, well-equipped banquet and meeting spaces, and other premium facilities tailored to enhance the guest experience. This is Fortune Hotels’ second signing in Siliguri in Northeast India with this one situated on the banks of the Mahananda River at the foothills of the Himalayas. The hotel aims to cater to the diverse lodging needs of corporate travelers, leisure seekers, individuals and wedding groups.
Dusit Hotels and Resorts has signed an agreement with Pearl Atoll Pvt Ltd to manage dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, a 125-key lifestyle resort on a private island near the main island of Male. The resort is currently under construction and is slated to open in the fourth quarter of this year. The new resort will operate under Dusit’s upscale dusitD2 brand and will be the company’s first all-inclusive property. In addition to spacious overwater villas and family suites ranging from 77 to 319 square meters, the lifestyle-driven resort will include a kids club, multiple food and beverage outlets, a fully equipped gym and a signature Namm Spa. Guests will find three private beaches to relax on plus a smaller ‘picnic beach’. The Male International Airport is only five minutes away by speedboat. Pearl Atoll Pvt Ltd plans to open a resort-based entertainment hub and small convention center, catering to guests beyond the core resort experience. There will be more on that at a later date but it will also be managed by Dusit. This will be Dusit’s second resort in the Maldives following the Dusit Thani Maldives.
The Park Hyatt Tokyo has closed its doors and will remain closed for at least one year with a targeted opening date in October 2025. The hotel is undergoing a renovation project to give the property a new face for the future. This will be the first major renovation for the property, which opened on July 9, 1994. The renovation was originally planned to happen around the time of the Olympics but the pandemic and mess of holding the Olympics at a later date messed all that up. The staff at the hotel will fill positions at other Hyatt properties in Tokyo, Japan or abroad.
Personnel Move
Capella Hotel Group announced the appointment of Ivy Kwan as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. She joined Capella Hotel Group from Urban Resorts Concepts where she was Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Business Development.