Global Wraps: Travel Weekly Asia

Global Wrap

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour has attracted more than 400,000 attendees from across Australia and around the globe since it launched in 2012.

La Traviata heads for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour 2020One of Sydney’s biggest international events - Opera Australia’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour - will see the return of its...

One of 25 dishes offered on Gaggan’s inventive tasting menu.

Thais Embrace New Chapter Of Bangkok’s Storied Food CultureFor a people who routinely start conversations with the words: “Kin khao reu yang?” -- “have you eaten yet?” – it is...

The new rule is said to impact tens of thousands from visa-waiver countries.

No more visa-free entry for visitors who have visited North KoreaForeigners who have travelled to North Korea in the past eight years will no longer be granted visa-free entry rights to the...

International arrivals in Singapore in the first quarter of 2019 went up by 1% to 4.7 million as compared to the same period last year.

Singapore’s Q1 tourism receipts fall 4.8%Despite an uptick in international arrivals, visitors to Singapore are spending less, according to latest tourism figures.

Flight disruptions at HKIA are set to worsen as protestors coordinate using social messaging apps to bring Hong Kong to a standstill.

Over 200 flights cancelled as Hong Kong ramps up strikesProtestors had warned of a city-wide strike on Monday 5 August to ramp up pressure on its pro-Beijing leaders, a move which has...

Bookings for Sri Lanka still have a long way to go before they are back to last year’s levels.

Sri Lanka looks to visa-free launch to boost numbersSri Lanka hopes the August 1 launch of its Visa Fee Exemption programme for a period of six months will bring visitors back to...

Wat-Mangkon Station.

What’s Blue and is now arriving at the Grand Palace?Bangkok has opened four new MRT subway stations in the Old City and Chinatown neighbourhood, part of a 14-km extension to the...

Managing executive officer of Tokio Marine Nichido, Fumiaki Yokoi (left), and vice president of Ctrip Group Wang Wei at the signing ceremony.

Ctrip, Tokio Marine partner to enhance travel safety in JapanIn anticipation of the upcoming 2020 Olympics, Japan’s largest and oldest non-mutual private insurance provider, Tokio Marine...

Malaysia PM calls for renewed tourism effortVisit Malaysia has a new logo and a renewed national mission to entice more tourists to visit the country in 2020.

Hong Kong tourism has taken a hit as visitor arrivals plunge from what was building to a record year of 65.1 million visitors.

Hong Kong saw tourism plunge as protests continueHong Kong’s short-haul visitor numbers saw a sharp decline this month as the city braces for the impact of ongoing protests...

Tokyo officials are proposing cruises as one possible solution to accommodate an expected surge in visitors during the Olympics next year.

Tokyo officials float cruise as solution to Olympics hotel shortageTokyo officials are looking at cruise ships as a potential solution to the shortage in accommodation, in anticipation of the...

Komodo Island will close for conservation.

Komodo national park to closeA tourism agency chief in Indonesia has confirmed that Komodo Island - famous for its dragons - will close in 2020 to help...

Malaysia has proposed a departure tax, effective end of September.

Less tax, more planning, Fernandes urgesAir Asia Group chief Tony Fernandes has called on the Malaysian government to focus on an integrated tourism plan ahead of new...

Exterior of the Hong Kong Port Passenger Clearance Building of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, which recently won special mention at the Architizer A+ Awards 2019.

Design recognition for HZMBTravelling from Hong Kong to Macau got a whole lot smoother – and prettier – when the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB)...

A local priest described the eruption as “like being in hell”.

Death in the Med as volcano eruptsTourists have been evacuated from the Italian resort island of Stromboli after a volcanic eruption killed one tourist and...

Ernest Zacharevic, the man behind Penang’s world famous murals thinks the heritage area has become a ‘circus’, blaming himself for gentrifying the heritage area, and even considering whitewashing over his art to put an end to the crowds.

Penang’s famous murals no more?Ernest Zacharevic, the man behind Penang’s world famous murals thinks the heritage area has become a ‘circus’, blaming himself...

Visitors will soon need travel insurance to enter Thailand.

Thailand moves closer to compulsory travel insuranceThailand is now expected to introduce compulsory travel insurance for international visitors by the end of 2019.

Bunker Bay, Margaret River.

Lonely Planet’s top pick for 2019: Think wine, food and forestMargaret River and southern Western Australia have been named as this year’s number one Asian-Pacific destination by Lonely...

A US$7.2-million Ferris wheel will open late this year in Siem Reap.

Will a big wheel be a big deal for Angkor Wat?A Japanese company that has developed 13 Ferris wheels around the world has started work on its 14th project – in one of the...

Tourism Minister of Western Australia Paul Papalia with Dynasty Travel’s director of public relations & communications Alicia Seah.

All onboard the Western Australia trainTourism Western Australia (WA) and Singapore travel agency Dynasty Travel have partnered on a marketing campaign that will see...