Malaysia

The number of foreign visitors to Japan rose to nearly 500,000 in October, the first month it fully reopened to overseas visitors after more than two years of being closed due to Covid restrictions. Visitor arrivals to Macau in October totaled 580,333, up just 4% from September despite October being a month with a Golden Week. Radisson Hotel Group is planning to grow its portfolio in India from 140 hotels to 200 in FY24.

The supposed reopening trade for China stocks hit a speed bump as the realization set in with investors that Covid cases are not going down, in fact they continue to go up. ONYX Hospitality Group said they reinforced their expansion plan with a strategic focus on its home territory of Thailand and neighboring destination, Malaysia . According to the recent Q3 2022 close of the Construction Pipeline Trend Report , Asia Pacific’s total construction pipeline, excluding China, stands at 1,881 projects.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR the week ended October 29 was down -17.1% year over year. When up against the similar week in 2019, hotel RevPAR fell -44.8%. The South China Morning Post published an article on medical tourism being ramped up in Asia. The article focused on Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia  courting medical tourists. Bali is seeking to attract world-class hospitals to the tropical island, adding medical treatment to its roster of offerings.

Accor said they signed an agreement with Panthers Group for a new five-star Pullman hotel at the Penrith Panthers precinct in Western Sydney . InterContinental Khao Yai is a new resort in Thailand , located in Nakhon Ratchasima province in Khao Yai National Park . IHG , in cooperation with Bao Quan Investment & Construction Joint Stock Company , will open its first Crowne Plaza hotel in Vinh Yen City in the northern province of Vinh Phuc this November.

Hotel RevPAR in China was down -35.5% year over year while down -52.5% when up against the same week in 2019. Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu , marking the debut of the lifestyle brand in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Absolute Hotel Services Group announced the first Absolute Collection property in Vietnam with the signing of Lamia Bao Loc Resort.

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida  is pledging to increase inbound tourism spending to more than 5 trillion yen per year. OYO  has introduced an improved flagship  patron-facing app – CO-OYO . The Economic Times reported on  the comeback of “big fat weddings” in India .

STR  said  Melbourne, Australia’s hotel performance  in August fell from the previous month. Preliminary August 2022 data shows occupancy at 59%, ADR at A$207.05 and RevPAR at A$122.10. Hilton said their Hilton Garden Inn brand is poised to triple its portfolio in Greater China and offer travelers an expanded network of 135 properties in the coming years. Louvre Hotels Group , an affiliate of Jin Jiang International , the second largest hotel group in the world, has begun construction of its five hundredth project in China.

STR reported China hotel RevPAR results for the week ended September 10. RevPAR was down -12.3% year over year while down -29.3% when compared with a comparable week in 2019. Hong Kong hotels have been told to set aside just eight or 3% of their rooms, whichever is lower, to house travelers who test positive for Covid, raising the risk of insufficient space for infected people if the easing of travel curbs come into effect. Asset World Public Company Limited said they are strengthening their long term partnership with Marriott International with an agreement to launch a new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Bangkok’s heritage riverside district.

STR  reported  China hotel RevPAR  for the week ended September 3 rd . Year over year, hotel RevPAR was up 19.3%, still up against easier year-over-year comps. The DuGhassan Aboud Group has acquired Sydney, Australia’s Rydges Sydney Harbour Hotel for approximately $100 million. Radisson Hotel Group announced the continued expansion of their brand footprint with Radisson Resort & Suites Phuket .

A rebound in foreign tourist arrivals into Thailand  is pushing up the nation’s hotel occupancy rate from a record low during the pandemic. Hotel industry experts are predicting an influx of international tourists in the Philippines in the final quarter of 2022, particularly in Manila, Cebu and Clark. ITC Hotels in India could soon be spun out of conglomerate ITC. The chairman of the parent company told reporters they are exploring alternate structures for ITC Hotels, in line with industry recovery dynamics.