China's hotel RevPAR drops 77.6% in March
>> Asia Pacific's hotel industry reported all-time lows in RevPAR, occupancy and ADR during March 2020, according to data from STR. Occupancy in China declined 65.4% to 23.2% in the month, ADR was RMB 332.41, and RevPAR plummeted 77.6% to RMB 76.96. China’s hotel occupancy level was up from February (12.8%), which was the lowest occupancy month on record in the country. Key markets Beijing and Shanghai reported decreases in the metric of 78.7% and 73.7%, respectively.
Chinese hotel group's RevPAR drops 58% in Q1
>> Chinese hotel group Huazhu said its RevPAR decreased 58.1% to RMB 75 in the first quarter this year. Same-hotel occupancy dropped by 35.5 percentage points to 48% during the quarter. Huazhu's European subsidiary hotel chain Deutsche Hospitality posted a 21.6% drop to EUR 46 in the period.
Flight sales for Labor Day trips post a five-year low
>> China's flight ticket sales for the upcoming Labor Day holiday registered the lowest level in the past five years, with airfares on major domestic routes down by 30%-60% this year, according to data from flight-comparison site Qunar.com.
China's domestic business travel slowly picking up
>> Business travel slowly is recovering in China under tight government control and mostly at a domestic level. The country's strategy to restart the biggest business travel market in the world could offer a glimpse of how business travel will recover in the future, despite clear differences in how the market operates. "Every day there is a limit to 4,000 passengers coming into China. This is a 97% drop compared to pre-COVID levels," said BCD Travel Greater China managing director Jonathan Kao. In addition, visa restrictions have been put in place by China or other countries, making foreign entry very difficult.
Shanghai Disney testing parade and more for reopening
>> According to one twitter user, Shanghai Disneyland cast members also tested indoor theatres with new safety precautions. Bob Iger has already said that he is looking to China and how it reopens its attractions to ensure guests feel safe when Disney reopens. Swiss bank UBS analyst John Hodulik told clients this week he thinks it’s likely the Disney theme parks won’t open until January 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Hong Kong's daily visitor arrivals below 100 in early April
>> The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has reported the provisional number of visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in March 2020 was 82,000, a drop of nearly 99% when compared to the same month last year. At the beginning of April, normally a very busy time for Hong Kong, the average number of daily visitor arrivals dropped to below 100.
Tuniu completes most holiday cancellation refunds
>> Chinese leisure travel platform Tuniu said it has shouldered more than RMB 100 million direct loss on booking cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and so far the refunds for these cancellations have been mostly completed, though the company is yet to receive its refund from its suppliers. All executives at Tuniu have cut their salaries by 60% to help the company save costs during the hard time.
China’s Didi looks short on engine power
>> China's car-hailing giant Didi Chuxing's recently announced a new strategic plan that includes only vague targets and uninspiring direction, as big tech peers like Alibaba and Meituan Dianping grab post-COVID-19 opportunities in health and more. By 2022, the company wants 100 million daily trips and 800 million monthly active users globally.
