Trip.com analysis: Is there such a thing as an off-season in the post-pandemic world
>> Analysis of recent Trip.com data leads to questions on whether on- and off-season travel is a thing of the past following the pandemic. Trip.com has taken an in-depth look at bookings during October for some of the most popular winter sun destinations, revealing some intriguing insights.
The Maldives is particularly popular for off-season travel, with flight searches from Germany up by 116% in October compared to September, according to the OTA's data. Similarly, interest in the Philippines has also increased, with flight searches from Italy up by 45% and for the UK and Germany by almost a third (29% and 28% respectively).
China’s tourism sector bolstered by easing of travel restrictions, but ‘it will take time’ for clients to return
>> China’s relaxation of coronavirus-induced restrictions on cross-provincial travel has elevated sentiment in a tourism sector that has been reeling since the onset of the pandemic, but industry insiders are keeping a close eye on how authorities implement the policies at local levels. Following the announcement, Trip.com searches related to cross-provincial travel on Tuesday reached their highest point since the National Day holiday week in early October.
Chinese tourism ministry optimizes COVID prevention guidelines, set to boost travel and culture sector
>> The Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Friday released five guidelines on revised epidemic prevention and control work, covering travel agencies, internet service businesses, entertainment venues, venues of live shows and theaters. Another optimized epidemic response guideline on libraries and cultural centers was also released.
Hong Kong cuts Covid-19 PCR tests for arrivals from 4 to 2 starting next Mon
>> Hong Kong will reduce the number of Covid-19 PCR tests for international and Taiwan arrivals from four to two starting next Monday, local health authorities announced on Thursday. Currently, arrivals need to undergo a PCR test once they land at the airport, and then on the second, fourth and sixth day, while rapid antigen tests (RATs) are mandatory every day until the seventh day.
Cathay Pacific Airways expects loss to narrow in second half
>> Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways on Friday forecasted a "substantial" annual loss even though second-half results are expected to improve sequentially thanks to an uptick in travel and air cargo demand. The airline carried over five times more passengers in October than last year, although the figure was 85.4% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
China’s hotel construction pipeline has record-high project and room counts in early planning
>> China's total hotel construction pipeline, at the close of Q3 2022, stands at 3,604 projects/684,288 rooms, up 1% by projects and unchanged by rooms year-over-year (YOY), according to the latest China Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE). The country has 2,543 projects with 462,132 rooms under construction, with projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months at 417 projects with 78,990 rooms.
