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Asia-Pacific
New Marriott and Pan Pacific Properties in Singapore
Marriott International partners with Hiap Hoe Limited to bring the Aloft Hotels brand to Singapore, opening the largest Aloft branded hotel in the world with 785 rooms in Zhongshan Park. Pan Pacific Hotels Group unveils its flagship hotel, Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore, featuring terraced greenery and a unique Atelier-in-Residence program, along with three dining concepts and a gin distillery. Gran Melia Nha Trang in Vietnam is set to open as an all-villa property with private pool villas, Asia’s first outpost of the Spanish restaurant Hispania, and a range of wellness offerings. -
Asia-Pacific
Surge in Global Summer Travel Bookings
Summer travel bookings on Trip.com have surpassed 2019 levels, with intra-regional travel leading the way and significant increases in Asia and European markets. Top booked cities in Asia include Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei , while European users show interest in hotels in Asian and Middle Eastern destinations such as Bali, Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Marrakech. Forecasts by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) indicate strong growth in international visitor arrivals across Asia Pacific destinations, although full recovery is expected to vary by scenario and region, with China projected to reach pre-pandemic volumes by 2024. -
Asia-Pacific
India’s Hotel Demand Is Outpacing Supply
An HVS Anarock report on the Indian hotel market shows the number of hotel rooms in tier-II and tier-III cities increased to 38% of the total inventory at the end of 2022 from 33% four years ago. Hyatt Hotels and Sun Hung Kai Properties announced the opening of Andaz Nanjing Hexi in Greater China . RCI , part of Travel + Leisure Co , announced its new affiliation with two luxurious resorts in Vietnam: APEC Mandala Phu Yen and APEC Mandala Retreat Kim Boi . -
Asia-Pacific
Meetings and Events Boost Southeast Asian Hotels
STR said Southeast Asia’s hotel industry is seeing the return of MICE . While leisure travel has shown the most resilience in the region, much of the recent demand in Southeast Asia can be linked to MICE travel and events. The Singapore Tourism Board said the number of visitors from India rose by 3.5x in the first quarter of 2023, year over year. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced plans to expand its presence in Asia through developments in Nepal and Indonesia . -
Asia-Pacific
Japan Is Nearly Recovered But Thailand Still Lags
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects the country’s tourism sector to generate up to 2.4 trillion baht in revenue this year, or 80% of earnings in 2019 . STR said Japan’s recovery is moving in the right direction as the current central administration continues to focus on growing both domestic and inbound tourism. The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office said the booking rate for Macau hotels over Easter was currently at between 50% and 60%. -
Asia-Pacific
Vietnam to Relax Visa Rules to Boost Visitors
Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed his cabinet to relax certain visa requirements in a bid to attract more foreign tourists to the country. The Economic Times said many more hotels will be signed in India this year compared to last year with some chains even considering doubling their signing numbers from last year. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced strong growth in Asia Pacific as it closed out 2022, diversifying its offerings for guests and owners across the region. -
Asia-Pacific
Marriott’s India RevPAR at 120% of 2019
China hotel RevPAR rose 62.1% year over year, up against a 14% comp. Fiji ’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism announced they have recovered 71% of their tourist numbers since the reopening of their borders. Low-cost Singapore-based airline Scoot has outlined plans to triple the number of weekly flights to and from China by April. -
Asia-Pacific
China Ends January With Weekly RevPAR up 67% Over 2019
STR reported China hotel RevPAR for the week ended January 28 was up 177.8% year over year. When compared with the same week in 2019, China hotel RevPAR was up 66.6%. STR said Southeast Asia sits at the lower end of recovery compared to other STR-defined subcontinents. They are above Northeastern Asia in terms of occupancy and average daily rate in 2022. Dusit Hotels and Resorts will add 14 hotels and resorts to their portfolio this year across China, Greece, India, Japan, Kenya, Nepal and Thailand . -
Asia-Pacific
Accor and Ennismore Have Ambitious Plans for 2023
The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the country has decided to resume outbound group travel to selected countries including Sri Lanka early next month. The Philippines Dept. of Tourism said it is aiming to attract 4.8 million foreign visitors in 2023, almost double the 2.6 million in 2022. The initial goal in 2022 was 1.7 million arrivals. Sri Lanka Tourism is looking at attracting 1.5 million tourist arrivals for 2023. They are optimistic about achieving revenue of US$2.8 billion from tourism for this year. -
Asia-Pacific
China Pushes Back at Outbound Tourism Restrictions
China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told the media that many foreign nations had responded warmly to the country’s newly relaxed Covid-19 regulations. The Macau government said that, as of this Sunday, they will officially end all quarantine requirements for all nationalities entering Macau. Vietnam said its tourism sector raked in about US$408.3 million in revenue during the three-day 2023 New Year holiday .