Cambodia Forecasts Its Tourism to Grow 7% This Year

Cambodia recorded 611,894 international tourist arrivals in January, with Thailand, Vietnam, and China the top three feeder markets. Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism reported this. January's arrivals were up 13.3% year on year. Thailand accounted for 189,343 arrivals or 30.9% of the aggregate. Vietnam was 14% and China 11.1%, according to the Khmer Times. Cambodia's tourism ministry has forecast 7.2 million to 7.5 million international tourist arrivals for 2025, with the low end to be a 7.5% year-on-year increase over 2024.

The Bangkok Post reported that the special committee tasked with the details of the Entertainment Complex casino bill has named Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, and Phuket as the hosts of the first entertainment complexes. This has not passed, and continues to have major opposition from residents, with political officials continuing to flip-flop back and forth on important things that could impact whether they all will be built, namely what the terms are for locals to gamble. The current form of the bill continues to have the clause that only residents with $1.5 million in savings could enter the facilities, which would greatly impact how many international casino companies either pass on the opportunity or the nature of their proposals. The Prime Minister decided to slow the final deliberation on the bill last week after massive protests against it. The Ministry of Finance said they continue to gather public feedback.

IHG Hotels announced the expansion of its luxury portfolio with Kimpton Aqeos Hainan and Hotel Indigo Hainan Clear Water Bay, part of their robust expansion plans in Greater China in 2025. IHG currently operates 13 brands in Greater China, with over 1,300 hotels open or in the pipeline across more than 200 cities. They will open multiple flagship hotels across Luxury & Lifestyle, Premium and Essentials categories. They introduced Atwell Suits with debut locations – Atwell Suites Hangzhou West Lake, Atwell Suites Shenzhen Nanshan, and Atwell Suites Shanghai Wuning, set to open in 2025. Kimpton Hong Kong TST, Holiday Inn Express Shanghai on The Bund, Hualuxe Chongqing Wushan, Even Hotel Quanzhou City Center, InterContinental Changchun High Tech Zone, Hotel Indigo Financial City and Crowne Plaza Guangzhou Window of Caton are all set to open in 2025 along with some conversions, all adding up to a growth year in China for IHG.

The Ibis Styles Manila Araneta City debuted in the Philippines in Quezon City. The hotel is in the heart of Araneta City and was developed by Araneta Group in partnership with Accor Asia.

Kerzner International Holdings Limited will open the new Siro Hotel in Tokyo in 2029. Siro Roppongi marks Kerzner's entrance into Japan and the Asia Pacific region. The flagship hotel will be located in the Minato-ku area of Tokyo and will offer 100 guestrooms, a state-of-the-art Fitness Lab and Recovery Lab. The hotel will be housed in a modern, standalone building designed to complement the vibrancy of its surroundings. The Siro brand concept combines physical activity, mindful recovery, and nourishing practices to create a balanced, healthy lifestyle. The brand includes five pillars: nutrition, fitness, sleep, recovery and mindfulness and is a natural addition to Kerzner's portfolio of luxury and ultra-luxury resorts. The world's first Siro hotel opened at One Za'abeel in Dubai in February 2024, and the Siro Boka Place will open soon in Montenegro.

Hilton announced the signing of its first DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Siliguri Sevoke Road, in association with Beekay Group subsidiary Soonerio Hotels Pvt Ltd. This marks a strategic entry into the Gateway of Northeast India, Siliguri, West Bengal. The 120-key DoubleTree by Hilton Siliguri is scheduled to open in 2028. The property will feature a range of standard rooms and suites, diverse dining options, over 17,000 square feet of versatile meeting and events space and wellness-focused amenities, including a fitness center, spa and an outdoor pool.

Stone Wood Hotels & Resorts said they will launch six new properties in 2025. The expansion includes three upscale resorts in Jawai, Tadoba and Coorg in India, offering premium accommodations that blend luxury with nature. The group is aiming for a minimum of 10% revenue growth in 2025 alongside projected growth in Average Room Rate and Revenue per Available Room. The company currently operates 16 properties across six states and 11 cities with over 500 rooms. Their expansion will add 400 more keys. Traditionally focused on the mid-market segment, the company is now venturing into the upscale category, with the first luxury hotel expected to open by the end of the 2025-2026 financial year.

Amidst all the positive talk of the hotel business in India, hoteliers in Andhra Pradesh are having a tough time of it due to low occupancy, with many running into losses. Energy costs are exploding, while high property taxes are also hindering profitability. As for the actual business, hoteliers are saying patronage for function halls and banquet halls is dwindling, with customers opting for hotels that can offer food for Rs 1,000 crore per plate. That being said, their occupancy has increased above the 50% range, but operation costs continue to rise, particularly for star hotels. The state has nearly 48 star hotels.

Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, is coming and new hotels have been built with the expectation of a huge influx of visitors. The Expo runs from April 13 to October 13 and is expected to attract 28.2 million visitors. A total of 16 foreign hotel brands opened in Kansai in 2024, including new properties and rebrands, with Kansai expected to be where the attention is focused. The problem is ticket sales so far have been very sluggish, with the lack of advance ticket sale demand causing concern. For now, everything is moving forward, with room rates still showing them to be about 1.5 times higher than usual during the expo. New hotels continue to open, with the Waldorf Astoria Osaka debuting in April. As of March 5, about 8.07 million advance tickets have been sold. The goal is 14 million. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition has already decided to implement same-day ticket sales, easing its policy of selling only advance tickets in an effort to boost visitor numbers.

Personnel News

IHG Hotels & Resorts has appointed Brian Chan as the new Vice President of Development in Southeast Asia and South Korea. He will oversee the strategic expansion of IHG brands in the region. Chan has worked at IHG for more than 10 years.