Trip.com data reveals encouraging hotel bookings boom across Europe and Asia
>> Trip.com data has shown a superb surge in bookings in Indonesia, with a July YOY increase of 595%. Average booking value has also seen a vast increase of 184% YOY for the same period. 5-star hotel bookings in the country have also seen a 5.4% increase between the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022, jumping to almost 18% this year.
Typhoon Muifa pounds eastern China with strong gales, rain
>> Powerful gales and torrential rains battered Zhoushan in eastern China on Wednesday as Typhoon Muifa made landfall at the port city in what local media called the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the populous Yangtze River Delta in a decade.
China megacity Chengdu eases lockdown as Covid cases decline
>> The Chinese megacity of Chengdu has allowed most residents to leave their homes from noon Thursday, largely dismantling a two-week lockdown as Covid-19 cases decline. After easing restrictions in some parts of the city over the past week, the lockdown will now be lifted for residents in the seven remaining districts.
Fosun shares up 9.65% after Chinese firm said it will sue Bloomberg over false report
>> Shares of Fosun International closed up 9.65% higher in Hong Kong on Thursday, after the company said it will sue US-based financial news outlet Bloomberg for false reports about its financial health. The investment company lowered its stake in troubled global tourism unit Fosun Tourism, the owner of Club Med and other luxury travel brands.
Deutsche Hospitality’s Chinese parent slows development
>> H World Group (Huazhu), the China-based parent company of Deutsche Hospitality since 2019, has slightly reduced its global hotel pipeline over the last quarter. The group has curtailed its development by 2%, with its forthcoming hotel amount standing at 2,236 as at 30 June 2022, compared to a previous total of 2,271 on 31 March.
Etihad Airways to open new flight route in China
>> Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said it will start flying to Guangzhou, Guangdong province starting Oct 10, becoming the first international airline to operate long-haul passenger services to all of the top three Chinese gateways since the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said that the new route is added to existing services to Shanghai, which resumed in July 2020 and Beijing, which resumed in June.
China tests floating maglev cars that travel up to 140 MPH
>> Researchers from China have now tested Maglev cars that float above dedicated magnetic highways. A total of eight cars were tested, including five new energy vehicles. Two tests were performed, the slower test seen in the video, but also a much faster test with speeds of up to 230 km/h (143 mph).
