Travel News Selection – January 2019

Horus Development & Consulting brings you a selection of industry news for the month of January.

Bolstered by growing intra-region connectivity and a strong economy, Vietnam is emerging as a source market for regional tourism (Southeast Asia) and also long-haul destinations. The Tet Holidays (Lunar New Year in Vietnam) has shown that with better living standards and rising disposable incomes, the choice of tourist destinations to enjoy the holidays is changing and are becoming more sophisticated. Read More

TripAdvisor has released its annual TripBarometer study, revealing a significant gap in spending habits between older and younger generations, as well as how travellers choose destinations and accommodation. Factors include Hotel Brands, Spending and Booking Habits and Choosing a Destination. Read More

China has stepped up its efforts in automation technology in the hospitality sector once again. FlyZoo Hotel, owned by Chinese internet giant Alibaba, was launched last month as the first futuristic hotel, employing black disc-shaped robots to deliver food and drop fresh towels to guests. It serves as an incubator for the technology Alibaba wants to sell to the hotel industry in the future. Read More

Mobile payment has become so ingrained in the lives of Chinese people, that they are driving srotes in overseas tourist destinations to adopt the technology. Three-fourths of supermarkets and convenience stores in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand now accept Chinese mobile payment, particularly Alipay and WeChat Pay. Read More

According to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), a total of 6.5 million Chinese mainland tourists travelled aboard during the seven-day Chinese New Year holiday in 2018, with that figure set to increase to 7 million this year. This is part of the predicted 73 million trips made by air during the 2019 spring migration season, with about 532,000 flights booked over January to March. Read More

Amidst varied reports from Chinese media with regards to its economic growth, China, in fact, experienced its slowest growth rate in 30 years at 6.6% in 2018. Unemployment rate and sales consumption rate have also worsened in 2018, contrary to Chinese media reports. Read More

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