Category: Asia

Singapore and China will launch a “fast lane” arrangement early next month to help encourage essential travel. The travel will be essentially for business and official purposes, as both countries emerge from the coronavirus pandemic with control measures in place. The arrangement would first apply to Singapore and six provinces or municipalities directly under the Chinese central government – Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement. This arrangement will be gradually expanded to the other Chinese provinces and municipalities, according to a report by The Straits Times. Both countries agreed ... Read more

Travel agency Skyscanner’s chief executive officer (CEO) Bryan Dove has stepped down. Vice-chairperson Moshe Rafiah will take over the position. Dove, who has pent five years with the company, said he is stepping down for family reasons. He will remain as a senior adviser to the company. Skyscanner is a meta search engine and travel agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland and owned by Trip.com Group, the largest online travel agency in China. Rafiah said: “Bryan has made a remarkable impact on Skyscanner. While the travel industry faces a challenging time, Skyscanner is a leader in the sector in every way.” ... Read more

Based on the number of issued air tickets, China’s domestic air travel has reached more than 50% of what it was during the same period last year. This is according to data collected and analysed by travel analytics company, ForwardKeys. In addition, analysis of flight ticketing data reveals a significant uptick in last-minute domestic flight bookings in China between May 11 and 21. During that period, the lead time between ticketing and travel shortened dramatically; 72% of flight tickets were issued within 4 days of the travel date, compared with 51% at the equivalent point in 2019. This phenomenon is ... Read more

Pakistan will allow outbound international flights to resume from Saturday, after closing its airspace to commercial flights to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “Both national and foreign airlines shall be allowed to operate from all international airports of Pakistan,” Abdul Sattar Khokhar, Senior Joint Secretary at the Civil Aviation Authority, said in a statement. Reuters has reported that two remote airports in southern Baluchistan province will be exempted from the operations. On Friday, Pakistan reported the largest one-day spread of the infection, with 2,636 cases and 57 deaths in the last 24 hours. Pakistan has recorded a total ... Read more

Marriott International has begun to add job listings on recruitment websites, in an early sign of recovery from an international lockdown that has devastated the global hotel industry. Most of the jobs listed, are for the Chinese market. In March, as the Coronavirus pandemic set in, the hospitality industry put a complete stop on hiring as revenues plummeted. But in the past two weeks, job listings at Marriott International saw their first spike since March. The jump in job listings is certainly telling, but the types of jobs Marriott is hiring for, show early signs of international travel for an ... Read more

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will be reopened from August 1, with adequate safeguards. He said issues facing the tourism industry as well as measures necessary for a quick revival came up for discussion when the Task Force Committee entrusted with COVID-19 control met under the patronage of the President. It was the Task Force that recommended re-opening of the airports for foreign tourists, as the country gradually returns to normalcy. President Rajapaksa highlighted the necessity of following health guidelines issued by international and local health experts in the event of opening the ... Read more

Didi Chuxing, the biggest ride-sharing platform in China, has invested $7 million in starting an international travel agency based in Beijing, according to a report by ChinaTravelNews. As per public information from company-data provider Qichacha, Beijing Jucai Dongli Technology (Jucai Tech), an associate company of Didi Chuxing, has invested RMB50 million ($7 million) to establish a new company called the Beijing Xiaoju International Travel Agency. Xiaoju International Travel Agency will provide services covering domestic travel, inbound tours, tour information consultancy, tickets sales and others. In fact, this is not the first time Didi has dipped its toes into tourism. In ... Read more

The Thailand government has sold a 3.2% stake in national carrier THAI Airways. The government’s stake now stands at 47.86%, ending the airline’s days as a majority-owned state enterprise. A total of 69.2 million shares were sold to Vayupak, a mutual fund run by the Krung Thai Bank. “The Cabinet agreed the government will reduce its holding in THAI Airways to under 50%, ending the airline’s status as a state-enterprise,” Saksayam Chidchob, Thailand’s transport minister said last week. With the exception of 2016, the airline has posted losses since 2012 and carries debts of approximately $2.9 billion. In 2019, THAI ... Read more

Indonesian hospitality startup BoboBox has secured US$11.5 million in a series A round led by Horizons Ventures and Alpha JWC Ventures. Other new and existing backers such as Kakao Investments, Sequoia Surge, and Mallorca Investments also participated in the round, according to a statement. Bobobox provides affordable hotel accommodation in the form of modular capsules. They are fitted with applications and internet-of-things systems to improve security, comfort, and affordability. With the fresh funding, the three-year-old startup plans to accelerate its product improvement by growing its tech team and strengthening its manufacturing and operating models. It also plans to extend its ... Read more

There are talks in Japan about subsiding holidays of international travellers, to draw them in. Japan has witnessed the worst passenger arrival numbers in its history due to the pandemic, and is looking at ways to restart tourism. In fact, the Japan Tourism Agency has proposed paying foreigners half the cost of taking a holiday in Japan. According to various reports, the head of the Japan Tourism Agency, Hiroshi Tabata, said that he’d developed a subsidy plan costing $12.5 billion to entice travellers back to Japan, commencing as soon as July. To be clear, it’s a plan and not set ... Read more

One of the world’s most luxurious properties, The Ritz Carlton Bali, has launched an exclusive offer to be booked before June 15, 2020 for stays until May 31, 2021. Priced from IDR2,750,000 including tax and service per room per night, this special offer includes accommodation in a Sawangan Junior Suite with extensive daily buffet breakfast for two at the Senses restaurant. Guests are also given a daily resort credit of IDR500,000 which can be used towards further indulgences such as room upgrades, dining or spa treatments. Located on pristine white sandy beaches of Nusa Dua, guests at the property can ... Read more

The Chinese Embassy in Ireland has reminded its passport holders that they must not transit two Schengen countries at one time. The advisory was for those stuck in the Schengen areas due to border closures, travel bans and other restrictions amid the Coronavirus outbreak. Through a notice published on its website, the Chinese Embassy noted that many citizens are planning to return to China with repatriation flights from the Schengen countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium. The Embassy reminds these citizens that they must not transit in two or more Schengen area countries consecutively as they may face penalties. ... Read more

Hilton has announced that all its hotels in China have officially resumed operations. Each hotel has implemented strict anti-epidemic measures to ensure the health and safety of guests and employees, the hospitality major said. Hilton said it has also made adjustments to policies and operations in order to meet the needs of guests and the community at large, during this time. “Today, I am thrilled to announce that all Hilton hotels in Chinese mainland have officially resumed operations,” said Qian Jin, Area President, Hilton Greater China and Mongolia. About 150 Hilton hotels were closed for bookings after the pandemic turned ... Read more

Cambodia is hoping that Chinese tourists will drive its tourism growth when the world is cleared of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s tourism minister Thong Khon has said. Khon said the COVID-19 pandemic has made a deep impact on the country’s tourism business. However, he was optimistic that Chinese tourists would support the kingdom’s tourism growth when the coronavirus crisis ends. The minister said mutual help and trust between the two countries in the fight against COVID-19 has deepened bilateral ties. China has become the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia since 2017. Cambodia’s tourism industry, with revenues of ... Read more

Bali, Indonesia’s popular tropical holiday island, could reopen to tourists in October. The island is today seen as a model by Indonesian authorities in tackling the pandemic, and hence the government deems it fit for reopening. The virus was curbed in the region with the help of about 1,500 traditional village committees. The island has a population of 4.2 million and is heavily dependent on tourism for its revenues. It was said that Bali may end up being a coronavirus hotspot with its large number of foreign visitors, but the island effectively controlled the outbreak. As of Friday, Bali had ... Read more