Thailand Targets 39 Million Visitors for 2025

Happy New Year! STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended December 21. China hotel RevPAR was down -1.2% year over year, up against a +63.6% comp in the year-ago week. ADR was down -1.2%, while Occupancy was flat for the week, year over year.

Thailand welcomed over 35 million tourists in 2024, generating 1.8 trillion baht. The Tourism Authority of Thailand said they are not resting on that success, declaring 2025 as the 'Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sport Year.' The TAT is targeting between 36 and 39 million international visitors for 2025, generating 1.98-2.23 trillion baht in tourism revenue. The Thai Hotels Association's Southern Chapter said the average hotel occupancy rate in Phuket for the first 11 months of 2024 stands at 77%, marking a 7% increase from the previous year. Operators said daily room rates during this year's high season were the highest ever, with four-star hotels charging more than 5,000 baht per night. The average per-night room rate between December 24 and January 5 stands at 8,000 to 14,000 baht, while New Year's Eve rates were from 10,000 baht. The association expects December's occupancy rate to be around 86-90 percent, pushing the entire year's average to 78-79 percent. They expect the first two months of 2025 to be as high as 90%.

Singapore logged 15.13 million visitor arrivals in the first 11 months of 2024, already beating the lower range of the earlier estimate by the Singapore Tourism Board for the entire year. November visitor arrivals were 1.23 million, up 12.2% year on year. That brought 11-month visitor arrivals to 15.13 million, up 22.3% from the first 11 months of 2023. The upper end of the projection for the full year is 16.5 million. Overnight visitors to Singapore in November totaled 909,510 with the length of stay being 3.54 days. Indonesia beat out China for the top source of visitors in November with 194,440 versus China's 174,750. China leads in the first 11 months with 2.89 million visitors, 86.27% of 2019 levels.

Macau recorded a total of 34.93 million visitors in 2024, up 23.6% year on year and 88.6% of the 2019 level. Mainland Chinese visitors accounted for 70.1% of the total, up 28.6% from 2023 but down -12.3% from 2019. Macau's hotel occupancy rate in November was 89.7%, up 6.6 percentage points from November 2023. The rate for 5-star hotels was 90.9% and 89.5% for 4-star, up 7.3 percentage points and 8 percentage points, respectively. 3-star hotels had occupancy of 86.1%, up by 3.8 percentage points. For the first 11 months of 2024, the average occupancy rate was 86.1% for Macau hotels, up by 5 percentage points. The total number of guests was up 8.1% to 13,242,000. The number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia in the first 11 months of 2024 exceeded the total number for 2023. The Central Statistics Agency said Indonesia recorded 12.65 million international arrivals from January to November. For the full year 2023, arrivals totaled 11.67 million. In November, Indonesia welcomed 1.09 million international visitors, up 17.27% year on year. The average occupancy rate of starred hotels across Indonesia was 54.96% in November with East Kalimantan recording the highest occupancy rate of 68.39%.

Minor Hotels has opened its first NH Collection property in Thailand, the NH Collection Samui Peace Resort, a 122-room beachfront retreat on Bophut Beach on Koh Samui. The opening is part of Minor Hotels' strategy to expand the NH brand in Asia, following the earlier launch of NH Bangkok Sukhumvit Boulevard in October 2024 and NH Boat Lagoon Phuket Resort in November 2022. The company plans further regional openings, including properties in China, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The NH Collection Samui Peace Resort has over 122 rooms, suites and villas sheltered by a lush hill that gently slopes towards Bophut Bay. The nine villa categories are said to be a main drawing card ranging from the 42 square meter Premier Villas to the 230 square meter Presidential Pool Villa, which includes an infinity pool, sunken living room and a BBQ area.

AppleOne Group said they are seeking to complete the JW Marriott Residences Panglao in Bohol province in central Philippines by 2028. The property broke ground in December of 2023 and will be located on a seven-hectare beachfront on Panglao Island in Bohol. The luxury condotel is taking inspiration from resorts in Bali, planning to blend modern lifestyle with nature. The property will have 150 rooms, 80 keys for the JW Marriott Panglao Island Resort & Spa and 70 for its residences. The residence portion will feature one and two bedrooms and villas and offer private amenities like a pool and lounge. There will be multiple restaurants.

The Iconic Group unveiled its latest venture, the Iconic Marjorie Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel under the Marriott International brand. The five-star hotel is located in Bayan Lepas in Malaysia, and it has celebrated its soft opening. The hotel has 298 rooms, developed at an investment of RM180 million. It's the group's second hotel project following the launch of the Iconic Hotel in Seberang Perai in 2016. The new hotel offers three dining venues, including the Senses rooftop bar. Situated alongside the Iconic Marjorie Hotel is Iconic Regency, a 42-story residential tower offering 268 freehold serviced residences. Amenities include a sky gym, infinity pool and jacuzzi.

Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of Keraton at The Plaza, a luxury hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, situated within the Plaza Indonesia complex. This marks the debut of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand in Southeast Asia. Keraton at The Plaza offers 138 rooms and suites. All guests have access to The Club on Level 7, which provides an expansive dining area serving a la carte offerings for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner/evening canapes. Guests can enjoy the amenities at Grand Hyatt Jakarta, including their dining outlets, wellness and leisure areas and recreational options.

Radisson RED officially launched its first hotel in Southeast Asia on December 16 in Danang in Vietnam. The new hotel offers 153 rooms and suites with the suites offering 64.5 square meters of space, complete with a separate living area and a balcony.