Japan Sets New Visitor Record for Second Consecutive Month
Skift Take
STR reported China hotel data for the week ended August 17. China hotel RevPAR was down -9.9% year over year for the week. It was up against a +44.3% comp in the year-ago week. China hotel occupancy was down -2% for the week while ADR was down -9.1%, both on a year over year basis.
Singapore's July visitor arrivals totaled 1.60 million, up 12.9% year over year, the best month volume-wise so far in 2024. The Singapore Tourism Board said mainland China was its main source market. In July, there were 412,940 visitor arrivals from mainland China, which is up 78.5% year on year. In second place was Indonesia, bringing in 209,820 visitors. The Chinese also had the longest average length of stay at 3.84 days. For the first seven months of the year, total visitation to Singapore is up 26.9% to 9.78 million. That is nearly 88% of the first seven months of 2019. China has been the top source for Singapore's visitors in the first seven months of this year, with 1.86 million, close to 85% of what it was in 2019.
Japan set a second straight monthly record for visitors in July, with the weak yen and summer holidays said to be providing the fuel for the tourism boom. The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 3.29 million, a new record that topped June's 3.14 million. More than 21 million visitors have arrived in Japan in the first seven months of this year, on pace to smash the 31.9 million record for all of 2019.
Lodging Econometrics’ Q2 2024 Global Construction Pipeline Trend Report states that the total pipeline ascended to a record-high 15,453 projects with 2,395,726 rooms. The first half of 2024 saw 948 new hotels and 135,579 rooms open around the world, with an additional 1,586 new hotels and 237,107 rooms scheduled to open by year-end. We break down more of the pipeline in the tables below:
Global Construction Pipeline (Q2 2024)
| Stage | Projects | Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pipeline | 15,453 | 2,395,726 |
| Under Construction | 6,265 | 1,115,989 |
| Scheduled to Start in Next 12 Months | 3,972 | 545,764 |
| Early Planning Stage | 5,216 | 733,973 |
Pipeline by Chain Scale (Q2 2024)
| Chain Scale | Projects | Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| Upper-Midscale | 4,540 | 585,688 |
| Upscale | 3,688 | 634,050 |
| Midscale | 1,868 | 186,592 |
| Luxury | 1,066 | 214,270 |
Top Countries by Project Count (Q2 2024)
| Country | Projects | Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 6,095 | 713,151 |
| China | 3,815 | 599,786 |
| India | 610 | 75,280 |
| Canada | 322 | 40,297 |
| Saudi Arabia | 320 | 79,756 |
Top Cities by Project Count (Q2 2024)
| City | Projects | Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas, Texas | 189 | 22,392 |
| Atlanta, Georgia | 159 | 18,522 |
| Chengdu, China | 147 | 26,951 |
| Shanghai, China | 126 | 24,340 |
| Inland Empire, CA | 124 | 12,569 |
Hotel Openings Forecast (2024-2026)
| Year | New Hotels | Rooms |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2,534 | 372,686 |
| 2025 | 2,756 | 429,120 |
| 2026 | 2,812 | 430,355 |
Marriott International announced the opening of its 600th hotel in the Asia Pacific region, excluding China. The Adelaide Marriott Hotel opening marks the first Marriott brand property in South Australia. The Adelaide Marriott Hotel has the 150-year-old landmark, Adelaide General Post Office building as its façade. The 14-story tower has 285 guestrooms, including 12 suites.
Indochina Kajima Development held a topping-out ceremony for the Wink Hotel Hai Phong in the northern port city of Hai Phong in Vietnam on August 20th. The hotel is expected to be ready to debut in mid-2025. Wink Hotel Hai Phong rises 22 stories high in the heart of Hong Bang District with an additional level underground. The 16,000 square meter property will have 225 rooms and 77 suites, expected to set a new standard in the affordable luxury market. Indochina Capital said this will be the sixth property in the Wink Hotels journey. Total investment is US$50 million.
Accor has signed an agreement with Worldwide Hotels Group for two new properties in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, slated to open in the first quarter of 2025. The move marks the entry of the Grand Mercure brand in Malaysia and adds a new ibis Style hotel to the city. The new Grand Mercure Kuala Lumpur will be located between the entertainment district of Bukit Bintang and Chinatown. It will offer 325 rooms, all-day dining restaurant, fitness center, swimming pool and meeting and event spaces. The 168-room ibis Styles Kuala Lumpur will offer an all-day dining restaurant and bar, a self-service laundromat and a fitness area. The latest signings increase Accor's Premium, Midscale and Economy pipeline in Asia to 46,802 keys.
Sarovar Hotels, in partnership with Om Royale Group, announced the launch of Golden Tulip Agra. The opening marks Sarovar Hotels' growing leisure market portfolio and strong presence in Uttar Pradesh, its 14th hotel in the state. Both groups jointly operate Royale Sarovar Portico in Agra, debuting it last year. The Golden Tulip Agra offers 54 rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, rooftop lounge overlooking the pool and more.
Varanasi, India, will soon have a new luxury hotel, Eka by The Centrum. The venture, which is in collaboration with Ambiance Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., will offer a premium experience to tourists and pilgrims visiting Varanasi. The hotel will be located near the Ganga ghats.
Filinvest Land Inc. announced the expansion of its resort-style communities with Sydney Oasis, its first mid-rise condo community in Bacoor City in the Philippines. The new offering is under the Aspire by Filinvest brand, part of the brand's new generation Aspire mid-rise building projects.