Cathay Pacific could get cash injection from Qatar Airways
>> Qatar Airways, the third-largest shareholder in Cathay Pacific, said it was willing to provide an equity injection into Hong Kong’s financially battered flagship carrier if approached. The airline holds a 9.99 per cent stake in Cathay and previously expressed interest in raising its holding, but has been restricted by the limited volume of publicly traded shares.
Amadeus appoints president for its China unit
>> Amadeus IT Group has appointed Kevin Wu as President for Amadeus China, in a bid to deepen the commitment to the dynamic Chinese travel market. Amadeus has a strong team of around 68 employees located across the mainland in three offices - Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Air mobility firm and hospitality group build a passenger drone hotel
>> Urban air mobility pioneers EHang have partnered with LN Holdings, a tourism platform and hotel development group, to create the world’s first passenger drone hotel. Guests may have the opportunity to travel by EHang’s iconic passenger drone for both transport and aerial tourism at the new hotel.
Chinese visitors to Thailand slump 60% in Q1
>> Thailand predicts only 14-16 million foreign visitors this year, down from 33.8 million projected in March. In January-March, international tourist arrivals in Thailand slumped 38% to 6.69 million, with Chinese visitors down 60% to 1.25 million.
China exempts some foreign executives from travel ban
>> China is allowing executives from some foreign companies to enter country despite a coronavirus travel ban as it seeks to restart the economy, according to a Bloomberg report. The Ministry of Commerce told some key foreign companies they can apply for exemptions to the entry ban if they want to get executives back into China.
Survey sees rise in independent travel aspirations
>> With travel restrictions worldwide beginning to ease, the post-coronavirus travel industry will see small yet significant changes. Younger and healthier travelers will father in small groups and lead the return to normalcy, according a recent survey by consultancy C9 Hotelworks and media company Delivering Asia Communications. Some 49% of the respondents from China's first-tier cities said they want to travel abroad this year.
STR reports gradual recovery in China market
>> There has been a slow recovery in the China hospitality market, according to the latest figures from STR. However, occupancy levels remain subdued, with hotels currently around 40% full. Over the last seven-to-ten days, and the Labour Day weekend, occupancy returned to 50% in some areas, according to Jesper Palmqvist, area director in Asia Pacific for the analytics company.
