Seoul

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.

The Singapore Tourism Board said 1.13 million tourist arrivals were recorded in April, the second consecutive month of more than a million arrivals. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism believes they may attract 10 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, surpassing the target of 8 million previously set. Savills Hanoi said the hospitality industry of Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi is on the mend on the back of surges in both international and domestic tourist arrivals .

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in China said domestic travelers reached 274 million during the recent Labour Day Golden Week holiday, topping 120% of pre-Covid levels . Hyatt Regency Danang Resort & Spa is set to introduce a new era of exciting hospitality to Vietnam’s central coast. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by Eleven D&C Co., Ltd. to manage Rosewood Seoul , a new build ultra-luxury hotel set to open in 2027.

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 .

The World Travel & Tourism Council reported positive signs of recovery for the Asian travel and tourism sector with five major metropolises seeing a significant economic rebound . Macau visitor arrivals in January doubled year on year, reaching nearly 1.4 million, but a hospitality and tourism management professional has warned Macau will only see half of the yearly pre-pandemic visitors this year . Accor announced plans to open a Mercure property in Tokyo, Japan. Mercure Tokyo Hibiya will be housed within the existing Uchisaiwaicho Heiwa Building, close to JR Shimbashi and Uchisaiwaicho stations .

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.

Sri Lanka Tourism outlined key strategies to double the arrivals to 1.5 million and generate an income of over $5 billion highlighting the sector as a major economic driver. The number of international tourists arriving in Vietnam reached 596,900 in November, the highest monthly total since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Marriott International announced the opening of Le Meridien Seoul Myeongdong  and Moxy Seoul Myeongdong , showing how they continue to expand their lifestyle offering in Seoul, South Korea .

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.

A new report from international travel industry analysts, the  Centre for Aviation , predicts the  Asia Pacific region  will no longer be the world’s largest travel region by the end of 2022. Hyatt Hotels  announced the opening of the  Fuji Speedway Hotel  in  Shizuoka, Japan , the first property within  The Unbound Collection by Hyatt  brand in Japan. Business Line reported  Accor   plans to divest its stake in Indian ventures , opting to go asset-light through management contract deals.