Thailand Expects 38 Million Tourists Despite Myanmar Earthquake

Thailand’s tourism ministry is maintaining its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals at 38 million. This is despite all the wild and unsubstantiated claims that the Myanmar earthquake's impact in Thailand has caused mass cancellations. The ministry said the quake's impact is to be limited and short-term, with just about 1,000 hotel room bookings canceled since the impact was felt in Bangkok on Friday.

Singapore recorded 1.38 million visitor arrivals in February. That was down 2.9% from February 2024, which had an extra day, and was down 15.3% from January 2025. The Singapore Tourism Board said 76% of the 1.3 million arrivals were overnight visitors, down 11.8% from January 2025 and down 2.4% from February 2024. The top three source markets for Singapore’s inbound visits in February were, respectively: China (267,960), Indonesia (192,600) and Malaysia (105,740). The number of Chinese visitor arrivals logged in February was down 18% year on year, while Indonesia and Malaysia arrivals were up by nearly 1% and 5.7%, respectively. The first two months of 2025 have Singapore visitor arrivals up 6.1% year on year to 3.01 million visitors, at 96.5% of the count in the first two months of 2019. For 2025, the Singapore Tourism Board is projecting the number of international visitor arrivals to be 17 million to 18.5 million.

Australia’s Star Entertainment is back on death watch as their negotiations for a bailout by Salter Brothers have come to an end, without a deal. Star Entertainment said they did not receive the Binding Debt Commitment Letter they were looking for and cannot lodge their first half F25 report without a refinancing solution. Talks broke down after Star realized a number of conditions precedent to the refinancing proposal would not be satisfied at all or in sufficient time to address the current liquidity needs of the company. They are now engaging in talks with Bally’s Corporation, who had offered a takeover plan for Star which would result in Star canceling their deal to sell their 50% interest in their Brisbane assets to their Queen’s Wharf partners. The Salter Brothers deal was for an A$940 million refinancing proposal. The Bally’s deal is for a recapitalization package of A$250 million that would give Bally’s a 50.1% stake in Star. The Australian Financial Review said Star has enough cash to last one more week. 

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will open its first property in Japan this summer. The Fairmont Tokyo is set to open July 1, with reservations open. The hotel will have 217 rooms and suites high in the sky on floors 36 through 42. The lobby will be on floor 35. The hotel will be located in the Shibaura district, a stone’s throw from major landmarks like the Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple. Rooms will range from 170 square feet to more than 900 square feet. Fairmont Gold room customers will have access to a private check-in area and lounge with signature amenities like afternoon canapes, evening cocktails, and personalized turndown rituals. The Fairmont Tokyo will offer five restaurants and two bars, a spa and health club on the 35th floor, and a 65-foot indoor infinity pool.

IHG Hotels & Resorts announced the official launch of its Vignette Collection brand in Japan. The RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka is the city’s well-known historical hotel and has been rebranded as the first Japanese member of IHG’s Vignette Collection. The hotel is located in Nakanoshima, known as the “City of Water”, and was built in 1935. The remodeled RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection, includes over 1,000 renovated rooms, including a 700-meter suite. The hotel also features 18 restaurants and bars, a fitness center and a comprehensive events facility with 56 banquet rooms.

Carson Cumberbatch PLC Group/Bukit Darah PLC’s subsidiary Pegasus Hotels of Ceylon PLC has disposed of its entire shareholding in Equity Hotels Ltd to Lavendish Leisure Hotels and Resorts Ltd for Rs 243.5 million. Equity Hotels was a subsidiary of Pegasus Hotels Plc. Lavendish Leisure is a subsidiary of the Dedigama Group. The resorts and hotels in the Lavendish Leisure portfolio are all in Sri Lanka and include luxury resorts: Grand Tamarind Lake, Miridiya Lake Resort, and their boutique villas, including Lavendish Wild Safari and Lavendish Okrin. There are new properties in the pipeline that are opening soon, including Lavendish Beach Resort, Lavendish Winreach Leala, and the one-of-a-kind, super luxury resort Lavendish Wild Habarana.

The Oberoi Group will manage the Wildflower Hall hotel for three months under a new agreement with the Himachal Pradesh government in India. The Himachal Pradesh High Court had ordered East India Hotels to vacate the property but it was held up pending the Supreme Court ruling. That ruling was in favor of the government, directing EIH to vacate and hand over the possession of the hotel to the state government by March 2025. Under the agreement with the government, the Oberoi Group will manage the hotel for three more months, with extensions possible, to avoid revenue losses until the property is leased out.

LaRiSa Hotels & Resorts introduced its new 8fold brand in the mid-market hospitality segment in India. The brand aims to serve upper-middle-class travelers and features boutique-style hotels priced between Rs4,000 and Rs9,000 per night. The company currently operates 32 hotels in India and abroad. The first three properties launched under the brand comprise 8fold by LaRiSa Shimla, 8fold by LaRiSa Jibhi, and 8fold Pinecrest by LaRiSa Bhimtal, all in India. A fourth hotel, 8fold by LaRiSa Siolim in Goa will open shortly. It will offer 15 guest rooms and is located near Goa’s beaches. The new brand is seeking hotel owners to join its managed portfolio. They have a vision to grow to 50 hotels by the end of this year. Last month, it was announced that LaRiSa Hotels & Resorts and AM Hotel Kollection were going to merge.

Personnel Move

Langham Hospitality Group said it named veteran DJ and events specialist Andrew Grand as its Group Director of Music. In this newly created post, Grant will compose a full-spectrum strategy that includes live performances, collaborations, and signature soundscapes. This strategy is designed to strengthen LHG’s family of hotel brands and the distinctive guest journeys they foster.