Osaka

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.

Chinese domestic tourism rebounds strongly, reaching 119% of pre-pandemic levels during the May Day holiday, while international travel remains slow. Fitch Ratings highlights the encouraging recovery trajectory of the domestic tourism industry, driven by pent-up demand and limited outbound flight options. Despite the increase in domestic trips, spending remains nearly flat due to factors such as low-income travelers, visits to lower-tier cities, and short-distance trips.

How high will be too high for May Day Golden Week in China as reports continue to pour in about terrific business, soaring room rates, and enormous train ridership. The Macau Government Tourism Office said they were predicting 70,000 visitors a day during the holiday period. Oyo said it turned cash flow positive in the fourth quarter of FY2023 in an internal note to employees .

Bloomberg published an article saying foreign investors are buying up Japanese hotels at a scale unseen in almost a decade , as the nation’s tourism recovery, weak currency and low-interest rates drive an appetite from abroad. As expected, the Japanese government wasted no time in approving the Osaka prefecture Integrated Casino Resort plan once the Governor was reelected and the first poll came out showing a favorable view. Accor is expanding its presence in Japan with the signing of ibis Styles Tokyo Ginza East , centrally situated in the shopping and entertainment district of Ginza.

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 .

Hotels were reported to be full in parts of the Philippines during the Holy Week break. The Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District said Macau received over 300,000 visitors during the four-day Easter holiday period . Fosun Tourism expects a sustained boom in Chinese tourism in the second and third quarters. Fosun is planning expansions in resort projects in China’s tier I and tier II cities.

The Bulgari Hotel Tokyo has opened its doors. The hotel is located on floors 40-45 of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu, a new skyscraper overlooking the Tokyo Station, the Imperial Palace Gardens and the city. The Singapore Tourism Board said the number of visitors arriving in the first quarter of 2023 reached 2.9 million, representing 62% of its 1Q19 visitation figure . STR reported on China hotel data for the week ended April 1. China hotel RevPAR rose 153.9% year over year for the week against easy comps.

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.

Savills Vietnam issued a report saying despite improvements in 2022, occupancy and room rates in Ho Chi Minh City have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels . Thai hotel operators are ramping up plans to expand investment at home and abroad according to Nikkei. The huge fire in Hong Kong Thursday night into Friday which received so much attention was the 48 story luxury Kimpton Hong Kong hotel that is under construction in Tsim Sha Tsui .

STR said during the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday period, China’s hotel average daily rate surpassed 2019 levels . In the recently released China Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics , analysts report the country’s total hotel construction pipeline, at the close of the fourth quarter, stands at 3,581 projects/675,074 rooms. Morgan Stanley said Macau’s hotel occupancy and daily room rates are showing unprecedented strength in the post-Chinese New Year period with at least two hotels fully booked through February and many others close to capacity.