Malaysia Airports eyes China traffic boost, targets European connectivity
The return of international service from China has contributed to the ongoing recovery of traffic at Routes Asia 2024 host Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad’s (MAHB) network of airports across Malaysia, with passenger numbers topping 80 million during 2023. “The China market has shown the strongest recovery post-pandemic with more than 140% recovery in terms of weekly frequencies,” says Malaysia Airports.
Trip.com launches exclusive flight discount with Mastercard
Trip.com has teamed up with Mastercard to offer travel discounts for Mastercard holders in the UK. The OTA hopes the partnership will drive innovation within the travel ecosystem, as part of its mission to "redefine industry standards through scalable, customer-centric travel and financial solutions".
Hong Kong plans to spend HK$1.1 billion to promote mega events and boost tourism
Hong Kong’s government plans to raise spending on tourism promotion. Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivered the budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year on Wednesday, announcing that the government would earmark HK$1.09 billion to boost tourism. The city will host firework displays and drone shows every month against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour. It also plans to revamp the nightly light-and-sound show A Symphony of Lights.
Chinese economic stimulus expected to boost Thai tourism and economy
Analysts predict that China’s economic stimulus measures will spur an increase in Chinese tourists visiting Thailand, potentially driving the Thai economy to achieve a growth rate of at least 3% this year. ASPS noted that “China is Thailand’s largest trading partner and more Chinese tourists will visit Thailand.”
China promotes home-grown passenger jet C919 in Southeast Asian countries
Homegrown airliner Comac will conduct test flights of its C919 passenger plane in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia to promote the aircraft in Southeast Asia, aiming to compete with the Airbus 320 and the Boeing 737. According to Comac’s forecasts, the number of civil passenger aircraft will double worldwide in the next two decades to over 51,000.
China improves mobile payment apps for global accessibility
In a recent initiative backed by the State Council, China is improving its mobile payment apps to appeal more to foreigners and the elderly. The goal is to simplify transactions and make services more accessible.
With physical cash usage on the decline, foreign visitors often encounter issues with online payments due to complex foreign exchange policies and language barriers. To combat this, China is developing more user-friendly applications, offering interfaces in multiple languages and clearer foreign exchange processes.
Holiday-induced boom may not lead to long-term rally
The 2024 Lunar New Year saw significant consumption growth, largely exceeding pre-pandemic levels. China's Ministry of Commerce views this as a positive start. Yet, sustained consumption growth hinges on policymakers effectively addressing structural issues. While the consumption data is a positive sign for China's economy, it also makes the non-holiday data look particularly bleak.
Theme parks become popular choices for Chinese people
Theme parks across China saw throngs of tourists during this year's Chinese New Year holiday, also known as the Spring Festival holiday. The Hengdian World Studios, a film and TV theme park in Hengdian town, Jinhua city, east China's Zhejiang Province, received 1.35 million tourist visits during the eight-day holiday from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17, setting a new record and ranking first among the province's commercial tourist attractions.
