Destinations News: Travel Weekly Asia

Destinations News

Macau is expecting record numbers to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Arrivals records falling like leaves in MacauDecember 2018 was a fantastic month for Macau with visitor arrivals clocking up a new monthly record, a 16.9% growth...

Five Hong Kong hotels failed to keep up with window inspections.

Falling window tragedy uncovers lax complianceFollowing Monday’s tragedy when a window fell out of The Mira Hong Kong hotel and killed a 24-year-old mainland female Chinese...

Visitors have been warned to stay away from Bali’s southern beaches after high waves hit, washing up driftwood and debris ashore.

Bali’s southern beaches off limits due to stormsSeveral of Bali’s beaches have been temporarily closed since Tuesday (January 22) after high waves hit the southern coasts,...

Cambodia is ready to welcome at least three million Chinese tourists a year by 2020.

Cambodia looks to China to bump up tourist numbersCambodia is not being left out in the surge of Chinese outbound travel.

Red Sea, a seaway inlet that lies between Africa and Asia.

Saudi Arabia's massive Red Sea tourism project approvedThe board of directors of Saudi Arabia's state-owned Red Sea Development Co. has approved the group's ambitious plan for making...

Sembalun, located on the steep slope of Mount Rinjani in the northeastern region of Lombok.

Lombok in revival mode after 2018 natural setbacksAround 90% of tourism operations in Lombok, Indonesia, are back in business following the devastating earthquakes of August...

Oliver Chong, executive director, communications and marketing capability, Singapore Tourism Board, speaking at ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019.

ATF 2019: Singapore remains well-touristed, despite slowing spendEven as tourist arrivals to Singapore continue to climb, the city’s allure as a shopping paradise may be showing signs of...

Malaysia will go full speed ahead on efforts to attract more airline partnerships with a matching grant scheme.

ATF 2019: Malaysia heralds a comebackMalaysia expects to make a comeback in tourism this year with new initiatives to attract more airlines to fly to the country.

Philippines’ jewel Boracay has reopened for tourists in October and will continue to undergo rehabilitation until December.

ATF 2019: Philippines walks the talk with responsible tourismWhile numbers paint a rosy picture of Philippine tourism with arrivals and receipts steadily climbing over the last five years,...

Bali is keen to clean up its rubbish-strewn beaches.

Bali brings back the tax – in a different guiseBali has taken another step towards the introduction of a US$10 levy on foreign tourists that will be earmarked for environment...

Traditional Thai massage could become a cultural icon for Thailand.

Bangkok wants world cultural status for Thai massageAuthorities in Bangkok want to declare Thai massage - in its "traditional" form - as an example of "World Cultural Heritage".

Tourism Authority of Thailand Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific) Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya revealed a plan to increase arrivals to 41 million this year.

ATF 2019: Thailand’s sustainable tourism effort gets new legsAs Thailand’s tourism arrivals continue an upward trend, tourism authorities are careful to further distribute growth through...

Doha is keen to attract stopover traffic from South Asia.

Stop and stay awhile, Doha extends an invitationQatar wants visitors from South Asia, particularly from Malaysia and Singapore transiting through its capital Doha to stay...

Kim Jong-UN is building a resort, but will anyone come?

Kim Jong-UN is building a resort, but will anyone come?North Korea is close to opening a Kim Jong-un-inspired tourist resort in the Wonsan-Kalma Tourist Zone.

Hatta Heritage Village Airstream Camps.

Dubai fashions new image deep in the mountainsDubai’s efforts to promote itself as a family, couples and culture-friendly destination has been further boosted by...

Hotels and restaurants in Bali will have to use more local product from places such as the Jimbaran fish market.

Go local not global, Bali hotels and restaurants are toldBali supermarkets, hotels and restaurants must now promote and prioritise local produce, sourced from farms and fisheries on...

Bangkok smog blamed largely on diesel fumes.

Rain, rain please come today, Bangkok urgesBangkok is stepping up efforts to clear the city’s air pollution that has reached dangerous levels, according to health...

Maiden flight of Balloons Over Loikaw earlier this month.

Up, up and away in Myanmar with new balloon rideMyanmar’s Balloons Over Bagan has lifted to new horizons with the launch of a hot-air balloon flight in the remote ethnic...

The people, places and products that made the news in 2018

The people, places and products that made the news in 2018“Asia is only halfway to reaching its potential as a cruise hub. There is a growing middle-class population in Asia who can...

Environmentalists say the building of a new ecotourism development in Singapore’s northern region will damage natural habitats rather than promote biodiversity.

Singapore’s ecotourism development stirs up environmentalistsSingapore’s plans to create a vast ecotourism zone to bring in more visitors has environmentalists concerned that the...