Australia Marks Record Inbound and Outbound Tourism Growth

The latest Travel Trends Report from the Australian Travel Industry Association showed Australians are traveling at record levels with both outbound and inbound travel experiencing unprecedented growth in 2024. Insights include that Indonesia continues to be the top destination for Australians with a 30.4% increase in travelers, reaching 1.59 million. Japan recorded the highest growth, with a 103.4% rise in Australian visitors, totaling 727,260 for the year. New Zealand was up 10% to 1.33 million and the US saw 728,550 Australian visitors, up 16.7%. For the inbound market, China led with a 135.5% increase in visitors to 844,940. New Zealand visitors totaled 1.38 million, up 20.2% while visitors from Japan were up 64.9% to 373,700. Overall, inbound tourism to Australia grew by 25.7%, according to the report, a total of 8.06 million international visitors in the year ending August 2024. 60.2% of the trips in August 2024 were for holidays. Business travel represented 5.8% of total trips.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has revealed a new branded, guest-centric vision and strategy for its next ten years of accelerated growth. Under the leadership of CEO Laurent Kleitman, the group is focused on accelerating the development of its core proposition and investing in exceptional luxury experiences for its guests. A new app, due to be rolled out next year, is being designed to remove friction for guests on their journey to their hotel and throughout their stay. Mandarin Oriental will also be rolling out its cake shops to more of its hotels around the world. There will also be a new Wellness 2.0 concept that provides an enhanced holistic service combining physical, spiritual and medical elements of health and wellbeing for guests. The rebrand will also focus on growing the group’s resorts and capital city portfolio as well as expanding in key regions including the Middle East, Japan, and North America while continuing to expand in key capital cities across Europe. Over the past 12 months, the group has announced a series of development projects to its portfolio, some of which will introduce new and exciting experiences to its guests, including a trio of distinctive boutique properties in Japan, strategically located around the picturesque Seto Inland Sea in Setouchi. Others include the restoration and rebranding of the former Gellert Hotel, a grande dame in Budapest with its thermal baths; the creation of a unique villa experience in Rome, housed in ten 19th century villas; and a luxury hideaway resort with private residences located on Bali’s southern coast.

Accor revealed plans to bring its Pullman brand to Tokyo’s Ginza district. The Pullman Tokyo Ginza will open in late 2027, adding to Accor’s premium offerings in Japan. Ginza is a popular shopping and lifestyle district. The hotel is expected to attract both local and foreign guests. It will consist of 145 modern guestrooms, a restaurant, destination bar, gym, Club Lounge, and a Lobby Lounge. The hotel will also have flexible and innovative spaces for meetings, events, and business purposes. Accor currently manages 45 hotels across nine brands in the luxury, lifestyle, premium, midscale, and economy sectors in Japan, totaling 11,635 rooms. They plan to open four more hotels by 2029.

Prime Hotels announced the acquisition of Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre, a landmark establishment in Auckland’s hospitality landscape. The property is set on 6.26 acres of parkland in Auckland on a lagoon, just 20 minutes from the city’s CBD. The Waipuna Hotel & Conference Centre has 148 hotel rooms with unobstructed views of the water, alongside 17 conference rooms and a 400-seat theater. Amenities include a pool, gym facilities, on-site restaurant and bar, 24-hour room service, and 300 parking spaces. Prime Hotel is part of the Primeproperty Group, a 100% New Zealand-owned and operated private property investment company. PPG also owns and operates hotels, restaurants, car parking buildings, residential developments, a shopping mall, and residential accommodation.

The 548-room Hotel101-Cebu Mactan Airport has been fully sold out before completion, according to DoubleDragon Corp. The property developer said they have completed the building structure and topmost floor of the project with the expectation it will be opened within the first half of 2025. This will be the biggest airport hotel in Visayas in the Philippines. The Hotel101-Cebu Mactan Airport project is part of the company’s goal to reach one million operating Hotel101 rooms by 2050. Of that total, 50,000 are slated to be in the Philippines. Following the opening of the Hotel101-Cebu Mactan Airport, the company will launch the 519-room Hotel101-Davao.

Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd. said they signed a license agreement to build a 65-room hotel in Dibrugarh, Assam in India. The property will be managed by Lemon Tree’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Carnation Hotels Pvt Ltd. The hotel is expected to open in 2026-2027, about 15 kilometers away from Dibrugarh Airport. Lemon Tree has over 110 operational hotels and more than 70 set to open in India and overseas.

Clarissa Group announced the opening of Clarissa Resort & Spa Mukteshwar in Nainital, India. This is Clarissa Group’s first 5-star property and the first of its kind in the town.

Personnel Moves

Hongkong Shanghai Hotels announced some changes in their Board of Directors lineup. Benjamin Julien Arthur Vuchot will succeed Clement King Man Kwok as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from March 3, 2025. Kwok is stepping down as Managing Director and CEO as of October 31, 2024. He will remain on the Board as an Executive Director and Advisor to the CEO until the conclusion of the annual meeting in 2025. Ms. Christobelle Yi Ching Liao, Executive Director and Chief Corporate and Governance Officer will be appointed as the Interim Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Executive Committee and Finance Committee from November 1, 2024, to March 2, 2025. Vuchot will also be appointed as a member of the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, and Group Management Board and a Director of some of the group’s entities.