Himalayas

Marriott International is expanding its luxury portfolio with new brand extensions, experiential travel offerings, and over 260 properties in development, solidifying its leadership in high-end hospitality.

Las Vegas Sands increased the Marina Bay Sands expansion budget to US$8 billion for a new fourth tower with its own casino, luxury suites, arena, and more, with construction starting in mid-2025 and opening in 2031.

Hilton plans to double its mid-market hotel presence in Asia Pacific, aiming for over 1,000 properties by expanding its Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton brands.

Asia's largest Hard Rock Hotel will open in 2027 at Genting Highlands' King's Park, featuring 1,001 rooms and various amenities as part of a larger entertainment and business district project.

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 .

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.