Chubu Steps Forward
The Chubu region leveraged its successful 2025 Tourism Expo to capture a larger share of Japan’s inbound tourism, which reached 35.5 million visitors in the first ten months of 2025. New attractions such as the Toilet Museum, culinary tours, and ecotourism experiences are drawing international travelers, while the 2024 Hokuriku Shinkansen extension improves accessibility. Hotel capacity is expanding with luxury openings in Nagoya and mixed‑use developments at Meitetsu Station, positioning Chubu as a diversified tourism hub.
From Motor Scooters to Billionaires
Smiling Albino, founded in 1999, has evolved from motor‑scooter tours in remote Thai regions to curating ultra‑luxury experiences for billionaires. The company redefines luxury as authentic, community‑based encounters rather than five‑star hotels, emphasizing sustainable partnerships and fair compensation for local...
Thai Hoteliers Forecast Flat 2026 Foreign Arrivals, Cite Safety Concerns
Thai hotel operators project foreign tourist arrivals for 2026 to remain flat, driven by stagnant short‑haul demand despite modest growth in long‑haul markets. Occupancy held at 77 % in January, with the south outperforming at 84 % while the north fell to...
Komodo Visitor Cap Sparks Concern Among Operators
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has imposed a daily visitor cap of 1,000 for Komodo National Park, citing the need to safeguard its terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The quota, trial‑run from March 2026, follows a series of weather‑related sailing suspensions and...
Sono Hotels & Resorts Asia Enters Japan with Nagoya Hotel
South Korea’s Sono Hotels & Resorts Asia has signed its first Japanese project, the Sono Moon Nagoya, a mid‑scale lifestyle hotel located eight minutes from Nagoya Station. The property will be owned by Escon Japan REIT Investment Corporation and leased...
Cinnamon Life Names Kamal Munasinghe as GM
Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams has appointed Kamal Munasinghe as its General Manager while he continues as Senior Vice President for Colombo hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. Munasinghe brings over three decades of hospitality experience, most recently serving...
South Africa Ramps up Indonesia Market Push
South Africa is intensifying its push to attract Indonesian tourists, addressing a stark travel imbalance where only 3,000 Indonesians visited South Africa in 2025 compared with 30,000 South Africans traveling to Indonesia. The tourism ministry introduced an Electronic Travel Authorisation...
Ascott Signs Record 19,000 Units Across 102 Properties in 2025
Ascott announced a record 19,000 new units across 102 properties for 2025, marking a 27% year‑on‑year increase in signings. The expansion pushes its portfolio to over 1,000 properties in more than 230 cities across 40+ countries, totaling 176,000 units. Growth...
Tokyo Deaflympics 2025 Leaves Lasting Boost for Accessible Tourism
Tokyo’s 2025 Deaflympics, held Nov. 15‑26, attracted 3,000 athletes from 75 nations and sparked a citywide push for deaf‑friendly infrastructure. The metropolitan government installed light‑based warning devices in over 660 toilets and changing rooms and added speech‑to‑text screens at 40...
Savouring Singapore
Singapore’s dining landscape is evolving from pure gastronomy to cultural storytelling. Travelers now seek immersive experiences that reveal the history, rituals and personalities behind iconic dishes. Tour operators, heritage venues and hotels are packaging food with narratives, turning hawker stalls,...
Millennials and Gen Z Will Drive Travel Spending in 2026: Klook
Klook’s Travel Pulse 2026 report reveals that 88% of global travelers intend to keep or increase their travel budgets despite economic headwinds, with Asia‑Pacific travelers 50% more likely to boost spending than their Western counterparts. The survey of 11,000 Klook...
Lufthansa Group Marks 65 Years of Hong Kong Presence with Promise of Product Innovation
Lufthansa Group celebrates 65 years of Hong Kong‑Frankfurt service, reaffirming its commitment to Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The carrier currently runs two daily Lufthansa flights to Frankfurt and a Swiss International Air Lines service to Zurich,...
ILTM Appoints One Rep Global as Official India Partner
RX Global has appointed One Rep Global as its official partner for the Indian Buyer Program, covering flagship events such as ILTM Cannes, ILTM Asia Pacific, IBTM Barcelona and the International Golf Travel Market. The partnership aims to recruit senior Indian...
BWH Hotels Delivers Portfolio Growth Across Asia in 2025
BWH Hotels announced a wave of new openings across Asia in 2025, highlighted by the 91‑key Best Western Premier Imperial Dalat in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The chain also added three properties in Thailand, a relaunched hotel in the Philippines, and...
Nick Lim to Lead Railbookers Group as Asia VP
Railbookers Group announced the appointment of Nick Lim as Vice President for Asia, bolstering its executive team in the region. Lim brings more than 25 years of travel‑industry experience, most recently serving as CEO, Asia at The Travel Corporation. He...
Travel Takes the Lead
Visa’s latest Spending Momentum Index shows travel as the fastest‑growing consumer category in Asia‑Pacific, expanding about 2.5 times faster than overall spend in 2025. Cross‑border card use surged as tourists adopted digital wallets, while affluent consumers generated roughly three‑quarters of...
ACI Report 2026 Highlights Mobility and Talent Pressures in Travel Sector
The ACI Report 2026 reveals that workforce mobility and talent shortages remain acute in the travel, tourism and hospitality sector despite broader market stabilization. Unemployment rose to 6% from 2% last year, and 58% of respondents intend to change jobs...
ATM 2026 Sees Rise in Asia-Pacific Exhibitor Participation
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, scheduled for May 4‑7 at Dubai World Trade Centre, anticipates a 13.95% compound annual growth in Asia‑Pacific exhibitor participation through 2026. The surge reflects strong GCC demand for destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and...
BW Premier Collection Enters South-East Asian Market
BWH Hotels is launching the BW Premier Collection soft brand in Southeast Asia with the Costamigo Phan Thiet resort in Vietnam. The beachfront property will feature 150 rooms, 34 villas, and extensive leisure amenities such as an infinity pool, Mediterranean...
Mora Group Sets Sights on International Expansion
Mora Group, launched in July 2024, now operates six hotels across Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Banjarbaru while developing six additional projects in Indonesia. The company will open new properties in Ciwidey (April) and Palu (November) and has pipeline projects in Jakarta,...
Agoda Spotlights Hat Yai with New Tourism Recovery Campaign
Agoda has launched the "Hat Yai Lights Up" campaign to revive tourism in Southern Thailand’s Hat Yai after last year’s flooding. Partnering with the Hat Yai Songkhla Hotels Association, the initiative runs through March 2, 2026 and offers hotel discounts, a curated...
Ascott Prioritises Operational Efficiency in Decarbonisation Drive
Ascott is shifting its sustainability focus from guest‑facing gestures to system‑level operational improvements, targeting cooling efficiency, refrigerant discipline, and maintenance quality. The 2024 CarbonClear Initiative standardises energy audits and sets property‑level targets, using utility data and sub‑metering for verification. These...
Scenic Group Adopts Unified Loyalty Programme Across Brands
Scenic Group launched Scenic & Emerald Rewards, a global loyalty programme that merges its Scenic Club and EmeraldEXPLORER schemes into a single platform covering cruises, yachts, and escorted land journeys. The new system consolidates existing status points, introduces a four‑tier...