Tourism sector sounds distress call for reopening clarity

Southeast Asian governments need to make quick decisions on reopening its borders to international travel, or risk killing its high season and an even wider swath of the tourism sector as the Covid-19 crisis drags on.

That was the dire warning sounded by a growing number of travel business leaders, as governments in Southeast Asia are no closer to a firm decision on reopening their borders, some eight months since the global pandemic began.

Lifestyle Retreats founder & managing director Jose Luis […]

43,000 new hotel rooms coming to Vietnam

Vietnam’s hotel industry remains on a solid growth trajectory despite Covid19, according to the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database, with new properties set to open in established destinations around the country

Our research indicates that no fewer than 116 hotels with a total of 43,947 rooms are currently in Vietnam’s project pipeline.

We find out more about the upcoming openings and which ones to keep on your watchlist.

Busy years ahead for the hotel industry

The database indicates that 116 hotel projects are currently in the […]

Avani plans for 11 new hotels by 2024

Avani Hotels & Resorts is on track to open 11 new properties by 2024 – of which four will mark the brand’s debut in Oman, Kenya, the Maldives, and Myanmar – signalling a sense of optimism in the sector’s future, despite the Covid-19 economic downturn.

Come 2021, the brand will debut in three destinations, led by the opening of Avani Muscat Hotel in Oman, featuring 161 keys, in addition to 45 studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom serviced apartments.

Avani will debut […]

Rosewood is coming to Shanghai – in 2028

Shanghai is set to get its first Rosewood hotel, following Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ appointment by Shanghai-based property development company, Lonsen Land Group, to manage Rosewood Shanghai.

Situated in the heart of Shanghai’s Jing’An District and Suhewan area, an emerging business and cultural hub, Rosewood Shanghai is set to break ground in 2022, with an expected opening in 2028.

Rosewood Shanghai will offer 200 guestrooms and suites, five food and beverage establishments and Asaya, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ revolutionary wellness concept.

Occupying the […]

40% of destinations have now eased travel restrictions

A growing number of destinations around the world have restarted their tourism industries while adapting to the new normal, with the latest analysis from UNWTO showing that 40 per cent of all destinations worldwide have now eased Covid-19 restrictions on international travel.

This latest outlook, recorded on July 19, is up from 22 per cent of destinations that had eased restrictions on travel by June 15 and the three per cent previously observed by May 15. It confirms the trend of […]

ASEAN hotel associations endorse travel bubble

Hotel associations in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines are advocating a start to intra-ASEAN travel to boost regional tourism, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the possibility of opening borders for tourism is likely still months away, each country is starting to open up travel and hospitality services for domestic tourists.

Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines head Eugene T. Yap said the country had created a local travel bubble program, allowing domestic tourists to visit 10 […]