Bali

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 .

Banyan Tree Group , closing out the 2022 fiscal year with 63 properties across its global portfolio of 10 hospitality brands, expects to get to 113 hotels by the end of 2025 . Radisson Hotel Group announced the opening of Lewit Hotel Pattaya , a member of Radisson Individuals in the beach resort town of Pattaya. The grand opening of Ember Hotel , a boutique lifestyle hotel located at Khao San Road in Bangkok, Thailand was announced.

Xxpectations for everyone in the Asia Pacific region was the reopening of China would cause a regional surge but so far, that has been muted. For February, the biggest proportion of tourists to Indonesia came from Malaysia , followed by Australia and Singapore . The Singapore Tourism Board has signed a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Flight Centre Travel Group Limited aimed at driving increased visitation to Singapore via FCTG’s global network. Las Vegas Sands is expected to complete their US$1 billion upgrade of hotel facilities at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore by the end of the year.

STR said China Hotel RevPAR , the week ending March 4, was up 67.2% year over year. The Bangkok Post reported that 112,876 room nights were reserved out of 560,000 available within six hours of the latest phase of Thailand's hotel subsidy program going live. Marriott International announced plans to introduce the Ritz-Carlton to Phuket, Thailand following the signing of an agreement with Asset World Corporation .

CNBC produced a segment on how hotel rates in Asia Pacific are surging . CBRE said Australian hotel sales hit $2.14 billion in 2022, the second highest transaction volume on record The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka will open its doors on June 21, 2023 on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan.

STR said hotel RevPAR in China was up 58% year over year for the week ended February 25. The number of foreign tourists arriving in Vietnam in February reached 933,000, up 7.1% versus January. Hilton announced it will bring its Doubletree brand to The Orange City for the first time with DoubleTree by Hilton Nagpur .

STR gave their 2022 summary, saying among the global regions, Asia was the only one to see a decline in revenue per available room when compared with 2019. There seems to be a different in opinion about how Chinese New Year is going for the Asian region. Japan Today published an article saying Asia travel hotspots are quiet as Chinese tourists stay away, but the article seems to miss the true situation. Dow Jones, on the other hand, published an article saying China’s tourism sector has recovered to pre-pandemic levels with travelers venturing out during the Chinese New Year holidays.

Thailand rescinded its entry policy which requires visitors to show proof of a Covid-19 vaccination, citing sufficient immunization levels in China and the rest of the world. Vietnamnet reported thousands of people lined up at the Mong Cai border gates this past weekend to cross into China. The main requirements to cross were removed on December 31. The first Marriott International property to open on the North side of Phu Quoc in Vietnam has launched.

Macau follows what China’s leadership tells them to and now it is confirmed that Zero Covid is dead. ONYX Hospitality Group unveiled plans to strengthen its serviced apartment brand, Shama . The Novotel Bali Benoa has reopened following a major renovation that will reposition the beachfront resort.

Beijing’s International Airport and Daxing Airport have dropped the requirement for a negative Covid-19 test result to enter their terminals. Hotels on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali are booked solid for the Christmas and New Year period . The Kyushu Tourism Organization in Japan sent us a press release on their expected new resorts and hotels opening in 2023.