Category: Asia

Japan posts a huge surge in tourist arrivals with record 28.7 million tourists visiting the country in 2017. Compared to the 2016 figures, Japan posted a 20 per cent increase in growth rate. “The record growth rate is the highest in the world and is expected to continue,” said André Andonian, managing partner for Japan, McKinsey. In January of this year, the number of visitors to Japan rose 9 per cent compared to the same period previous year. The government is planning to attract at least 40 million tourists by 2020. The country is planning to draw more tourists from non-Asian countries. In ... Read more

Spoofs and comedies are no more gonna be entertainers in China, rather it is going to be a violation, as per its new law put forth by the media regulator. The directive, at present, only applies to online videos, but since China has control of its film and television industries, there’s no way one can expect to see such stuff there. Video sites now must ban any videos that “distort, mock, or defame classical literary and art works,” the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television stated in a directive, reported the state-run media agency Xinhua. The directive also ... Read more

Visitors from China surged to a record 1.2 million in February, swelled by the Lunar New Year holiday period. Thailand expects 38 million tourists overall this year, more than 10 million from China. China’s outbound travel market raked up 130 million trips in 2017, a 7 per cent increase on 122 million trips recorded in 2016. With more flight connections, better exchange rates and fewer visa restrictions, destinations such as Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia are seeing a huge growth in visitors from China. Thailand is spending billions to upgrade its infrastructure, open up new islands and cities to travellers, and ... Read more

The world’s largest all-glass undersea restaurant, 5.8 restaurant in Malaysia has conducted one-hour vinyasa flow class, surrounded by schools of colorful, tropical fish swimming in a liquid azure sky. The yoga enthusiasts under the leadership of instructor Jessica Olie had performed downward dogs and, perhaps, the fish or dolphin pose.  The goal of the vinyasa flow class was to “improve flexibility, boost muscle strength, power up the immune system and produce an inner calm.” “Surrounded by Hurawalhi Maldives’s beautiful marine life, 5.8 Undersea Restaurant was the perfect location for the worlds first undersea yoga session! Attendees were able to calmly transition form one position to ... Read more

Film tourism in the Philippines is gaining popularity as it creates significant impact in connecting audiences to destinations used as film locations. Realising the potential of film tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), launched Cine Turismo, a new campaign which seeks to promote Philippine destinations through films. As part of its launching activity, Cine Turismo recognized select films which best promoted the Philippines in their filming. Eight Filipino-made films and two foreign films and two South Korean films were awarded. TPB Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano and Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda ... Read more

US President Donald Trump’s new legislation that encourages US officials to travel to Taiwan to meet their counterparts and vice versa, has angered China. Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act late Friday. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Saturday that the self-ruled island’s government would “continue to uphold the principles of mutual trust and mutual benefit to maintain close contact and communication with US.” US and Taiwan officials travel back and forth between the two countries. The visits are kept low profile to avoid offending China as it considers Taiwan a wayward province and seeks reunification with China. After Trump signed the legislation, the ... Read more

Starting May 1, China will be imposing strict penalties for those with low scores on its so-called social credit system. Chinese citizens with low scores will be unable to travel via plane or train for up to an year, states a release by National Development and Reform Commission. China’s controversial social credit system is President Xi Jinping’s plan to score citizens based both on financial and social behavior, creating a number similar to a credit score in the United States. It is not just the criminal acts and financial that will affect the score, it also records who they speak ... Read more

With an aim to protect the travellers from the natural disaster, Japan has recently launched tsunami-proof floating hotels, designed to protect its inhabitants from a sudden tidal influx. The spherical capsule hotel was launched at the Dutch-themed park, Huis Ten Bosch, in Nagasaki. The pod hotel has a glass ceiling which allows the guests to stargaze at night. The pods are designed to accommodate two or three people and comes complete with beds, showers and toilets. “The pods are made from fibre-reinforced plastic and is designed for the better safety of the general public so that we can have better protection against ... Read more

After welcoming 14 million visitors in 2017, Indonesia is all set to welcome 17 million visitors in 2018. In 2017, Indonesia obtained 93.6 per cent of the target of 15 million visitors, , a double-digit increase of 22 per cent from the number the year before. “This year we have launched “The Visit Wonderful Indonesia Year 2018” and we are promoting 18 top destinations that meet our “3A” principles of accessibility, amenities and attractions,” said Arief Yahya, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism. “In 2018, tourism is projected to create jobs for 12.6 million people and contribute 5.3 per cent to Indonesian GPD and we are expecting ... Read more

February seems to be the perfect time to visit the sunny Sri Lanka but, the communal riots and political unrest followed by a 10-day emergency period declared by the government has lead speculations about travelling to the island nation. Adding to this the nation had put a social media ban yesterday so as to ward off negative news from spreading further. Though the Sri Lanka Tourism says the situation in Kandy is improving and the area is fast returning to normalcy as no violent incident has been reported from the district in the last 24 hours, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister ... Read more

Kizuna AI, claims to be world’s first virtual YouTuber,  has been appointed as the first ambassador for the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) campaign titled “Come to Japan”, which aims to attract American tourits to Japan. Since opening her YouTube channel on Dec. 1, 2016, Kizuna AI has become a huge hit, doing everything from singing and dancing to participating in different challenges. Her main channel, A.I.Channel, which has 1.5 million subscribers, and her game-focused channel A.I.Games have 600,000 subscribers. With the campaign, the JNTO aims at learning about the charm of traveling around Japan through videos and articles with ... Read more

A day after violent clashes between the Muslims and Buddhists in the popular destination of Kandy, the Sri Lankan government has declared a state of emergency in the region. “The curfew was imposed to control the situation in the area and Police officers are placed on heightened alert in Kandy to ensure the “situation does not spiral into inter-communal conflagration”, the government said in a statement.   Religious and ethnic violence can be at its heights in Sri Lanka, where Muslims account for 10 per cent of the population and Buddhists Sinhalese make up nearly 75 per cent. THe emergency was ... Read more

China is on a new mission to double strengthen their defence system through investing 1.1 trillion Yuan, which marks a budget of over $173 billion dollars. The new weapon lining of the army includes an aircraft carrier, stealth fighter jets, advanced missiles that are hybrid to work in both air and sea. China will also put forward their latest technology over submarines that can launch nuclear missiles. “We will stick to the Chinese path in strengthening our armed forces, advance all aspects of military training and war preparedness, as they guard the Chinese, national sovereignty and integrity, ” said Chinese ... Read more

Paytm, India’s mobile-first financial services platform, has become a household name in the country within a short span. Understanding the potential of Paytm and its reach among 300 million active users, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has recently entered into a strategic partnership with Paytm to joint run promotions on its platform to promote Singapore tourism. This deal has made STB the first National Tourism Organisation (NTO) to partner with Paytm. Paytm will be offering up to Rs 2,500 cashback on flight tickets to Singapore booked through the app. The Paytm platform will house a microsite featuring Singapore’s new, inside-out, ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: thesun “Good guys go to heaven, bad guys go to Pattaya” are the words etched in the hearts of many when they hear about Pattaya, the much-famed tourist destination in Thailand. But, Gen Prayukt, the Prime Minister of the country is all set to change the image of Thailand from the globetrotters. It’s high time Thailand looks for quality travellers than the quantity. “We have to accept that some people make a living from this kind of occupation. Therefore, we have to help solve the problems both in the careers and income of these people. More importantly, we ... Read more