One of the world’s top destinations has loosened its travel restrictions. The South China Morning Post said that, starting today (Dec. 14), Hong Kong will scrap an amber health code that currently bans travellers who test negative from entering certain places of business, such as restaurants, within three days of arriving in the city. BNN Bloomberg said some curbs still remain, including the need for PCR tests for visitors arriving in Hong Kong. “The new arrangements marks the opening of the tourism doors of Hong Kong,” Dr. Pang Yiu-kai, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said in a statement. Read more
Asia
Ireland tourism is on the rise. Ditto for Puerto Rico. But the most interesting news of the day comes from China. If you’re like me (I’m not saying that’s a good thing), your biggest pet peeve on an airline is when someone sitting in front of you reclines their seat. I don’t mind if it’s a night flight; that’s to be expected. And I would do the same thing. But unless you’ve just flown in from Australia, I don’t see the need to recline your seat on a day flight and cram the space of the person sitting behind you. Read more
Your travel dollars likely won’t go as far next year. Air Monitor 2023, published today by American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), forecasts widespread air fare price rises in North America and around the world, due to a range of factors including inflation, rising fuel costs, and capacity issues. The report is an annual forecast of air fare movements on key business travel routes. North American domestic fares are expected to see moderate rises (3.4% business, 2.9% economy) as more capacity comes online in 2023. Europe-North America routes are expected to see modest rises of 3.7%, while intra-European flights Read more
Demand for travel shows no signs of slowing, and there are positive signs for business travel and travel to Asia, a new study says. Expedia’s Traveler Insights report for the third quarter of 2022 paints a far rosier picture for the industry than would’ve been the case a year ago. Almost one-half of consumers surveyed said they have plans to travel internationally, and they’re also more willing to book a year or more in advance. Expedia said interest in Thailand and Hong Kong is on the rise, and that online searches for trips to Japanese cities rose 60% in the Read more
Indonesian lawmakers today (Dec. 6) unanimously passed “a sweeping new criminal code that criminalizes sex outside marriage, a move that threatens human rights and could do serious damage to the Asian country’s tourism economy. The new code, which also applies to foreign residents and tourists, bans people from living together when they’re not married, bans apostasy (the renunciation of religious or political beliefs), and provides punishments for insulting the president or expressing views counter to the national ideology, CNN reports. Many countries around the world have old laws on the books that forbid gay marriage or other activities. But unanimously Read more
