Indonesia will stick to ‘3B’ travel bubble plan

At the moment, Bali has achieved the highest rate of vaccination per capita in Indonesia, with a target of vaccinating 70% of the island’s 4.4 million population towards herd immunity — and international reopening. Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jeremy Bishop

Indonesia’s plan to restart international tourism has gone through a number of false starts. However, Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy minister Sandiaga Uno is assuring the sector that the Bali-Batam-Bintan travel bubble is “still on schedule” to open in June-July.

A one-way travel corridor between Singapore […]

Covid-19 deaths pass three million worldwide

A man weeps as his father is buried in New Delhi, India

The number of people who have died worldwide in the Covid-19 pandemic has surpassed three million, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The milestone comes the day after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the world was “approaching the highest rate of infection” so far.

India – experiencing a second wave – recorded more than 230,000 new cases on Saturday […]

IHG adds three hotels to Japan portfolio

IHG Hotels & Resorts and Iwate Hotel & Resort have signed an agreement to open or refurbish three hotels in Japan’s Appi region and convert them to IHG brands in December 2021.

The three resorts are: ANA Crowne Plaza Resort Appi Kogen, ANA Holiday Inn Resort Appi Kogen, and ANA InterContinental Appi Kogen Resort, which will be the first international luxury hotel in Japan’s Tohoku region.

Rendering of ANA InterContinental Resort and ANA Crowne Plaza Appi Kogen

The trio combined will add more […]

Tourist arrivals in the Maldives rebound to near pre-Covid levels

The Maldives has emerged as one of the tourism industry’s biggest success stories amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with the island nation seeing visitor arrivals rebound close to last year’s figures over the same period.

According to official data, some 339,962 tourists have visited the Maldives to date this year up till April 12, compared to the 382,762 arrivals from January 2020 through March 27, 2020, when borders were closed owing to the pandemic. The country reopened its borders to tourists on […]

Wyndham to expand APAC footprint in 2021

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is expected to open about 180 hotels across Asia-Pacific this year, an estimated 40 per cent increase in openings from the previous year.

The pipeline, comprising of directly franchised and managed hotels, will bring Wyndham’s total property count in Asia-Pacific to 2,000 hotels within the next three years.

Rendering of China’s first La Quinta by Wyndham due to open in Weifang, Shandong Province this year

Over 100 hotels are expected to open in Greater China this year, and the […]

Say hello to Batam’s newest ‘resort living’ project, Opus Bay

Batam has always been a favoured weekend getaway option for Singaporeans, who can look to stay at their own “resort living” homes within the new township project of Opus Bay as soon as 2023.

Sitting at the southern part of Batam, the 125-hectare mixed-use development will offer residential, retail, entertainment, healthcare and business facilities, which property developer Tuan Sing Holdings will market as a tourism and hospitality destination.

Said William Liem, CEO of Tuan Sing Holdings, in a CNA report: “We are […]