Mumbai

Chinese tourists are showing decreased interest in Japan and Thailand, partly due to Japan's Fukushima wastewater release and negative perceptions from movies about Thailand. Consequently, Singapore, Europe, South Korea, Malaysia, and Australia have become more popular destinations. M Social opens its first hotel in Suzhou, China, and Indian Hotels Company plans to expand its Ginger brand across India. Other developments include the opening of the Ramada Encore by Wyndham in Amritsar, India, and new properties in Goa and Hong Kong under different brands. Sun Siyam Pasikudah in Sri Lanka reopens after renovations, and Berjaya Land Bhd secures a loan for developing the Four Seasons Resort in Okinawa, Japan.

IHG Hotels & Resorts ventures into Thailand’s Golden Triangle with luxury properties, while Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok undergoes extensive renovations. Six Senses opens a new resort in the Maldives, and Accor expands its portfolio across the Pacific region. OYO plans to alleviate debt through a buyback process before its long-anticipated IPO, while Indian Hotels Company inaugurates Ginger Mumbai Airport and Sarovar Hotels & Resorts debuts in Gujarat. Atmosphere Core introduces new hires and strategic shifts in the Maldives, emphasizing culinary strategies and upcoming projects across various brands and locations.

Samaras Construction plans to build a high-end hotel in Adelaide, Australia, featuring 175 luxurious rooms, a lavish lobby, a hotel-style bar, and a restaurant. Pan Pacific Perth is undergoing a $50 million refurbishment of its luxury hotel and convention spaces in Adelaide, including guest rooms, suites, and convention facilities. Keppel has completed the divestment of Sedona Hotel Yangon in Myanmar for $57.4 million, while Galaxy Entertainment Group is not re-entering a resort project in the Philippines.

Macau's Golden Week holiday saw a surge in visitors, with over 932,000 arrivals and high hotel occupancy rates, mainly driven by mainland Chinese tourists. Indonesia plans a significant expansion in its tourism sector, aiming to attract up to $8 billion in investments for specific destinations. Several new hotel properties by Accor and Hilton are announced in countries including Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia.

The World Travel & Tourism Council predicts that it will take about a year for popular tourist destinations worldwide to see a significant return of Chinese visitors, with challenges like visa and passport difficulties slowing the process. IPK's survey indicates a strong travel recovery from China, particularly to Europe, in 2024, with around 50% of respondents planning to travel abroad in the next year. Europe is the preferred destination, while travel to the US is less frequent due to limited flight options and geopolitical factors. Dusit International announces the launch of two new hotel brands, Dusit Collection and Devarana – Dusit Retreats, aiming to offer unique and authentic travel experiences and expand into untapped markets. Additionally, Lemon Tree Hotels opens a new property in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, featuring suites and rooms, a restaurant, bar, banquets, and a fitness center.

CoStar and STR analysis reveal Australia's hotel market normalization as leisure demand plateaus and corporate business strengthens. Occupancy and ADR figures show progress compared to last year but remain slightly below 2019 levels. Choice Hotels APAC reports positive Q2 results in Australia and New Zealand, adding new deals and Ascend Hotel Collection locations. Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya opens, featuring music-themed rooms; DoubleDragon Corp starts construction on its first overseas hotel in Hokkaido, Japan. Macau experiences impressive hotel occupancy rebound in July; IOI Properties partners with Marriott for a new hotel in Singapore's Marina View property; juSTa Rudra Resort & Spa to open in India; The Greenwood Hotels and Resorts Group invests in Northeast India expansion; The Roxy Impiana Hotel prepares for opening in Kuching, Malaysia.

In Q2 2023, the Asia Pacific hotel construction pipeline reached a record high of 1,936 projects with 401,766 rooms. Luxury, upper upscale, and upscale projects dominated the pipeline. Countries with the largest pipelines are India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan. Macau has surpassed Hong Kong as the preferred travel destination for mainland Chinese travelers in 2023, receiving nearly twice as many visitors. Around 50.9% of outbound Chinese travelers chose Macau, while Hong Kong received about 26.7%. Mainland Chinese tourists prefer destinations in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Accor is expanding its hotel offerings. They are introducing the Handwritten Collection in Thailand with the Andaman Beach Hotel Phuket, opening a Mercure hotel in Lucknow, India, and launching Lords Inn hotels in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and Kanki, West Bengal. Accor has also partnered with Reliance Industries and Renest Hotels & Resorts for new properties.

China's hotel RevPAR rose 44.3% in a week, compared to a strong 89.7% rise a year ago. RevPAR also increased by 12.3% compared to 2019. Vietnam's flexible economy attracts investors despite short-term challenges. M&A deals increased, supported by lowered interest rates, with a positive medium-term outlook. Macao's daily visitor arrivals exceeded expectations in August, reaching 139,000 in a day. Hotel occupancy rates rebounded, hosting numerous MICE events, and a new Andaz hotel is set to open.

China has a hotel construction pipeline of 3,666 projects with 678,965 rooms. Mid-level upscale and upper midscale projects are active. Hilton, IHG, and Marriott lead the franchise companies. Vietnam's luxury hotel supply grew 6.2% in H1 2023, with 235 five-star and 354 four-star hotels. The country served 4.3 million overnight visitors. Accor plans 10+ new hotels in India and supports unbranded hotels with the Cozzet Collection.

HVS Anarock  released their Hotels & Hospitality Overview for  India for the second quarter. The Macao Government Tourism Office said Macau received over 93,000 daily visitors in the first three days of August, up from an average of 89,000 daily visitor arrivals in July. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is turning its focus to the Middle East with the goal of attracting 400,000 visitors from the region this year