Bangkok, Tokyo & Taipei top 3 destinations for Lunar New Year

BANGKOK, Tokyo and Taipei are the top three most popular destination for Asia Pacific travelers over the Lunar New Year period in 2019, according to booking data from Agoda, one of the fastest growing digital travel platforms. 

This year, Osaka, slips from third spot in 2018 to sixth, while Taiwan scoops three of the top ten destinations with Taipei in third, and Kaohsiung and Taichung in fifth and seventh respectively. Overall, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand will benefit most from travelers celebrating the Lunar New Year.

Travels during the Spring Festival tend to be reserved for family bonding and indulging in food and leisure activities that the whole family can enjoy. It is thus not surprising that most travelers in the region has chosen gourmet and retail paradise in Bangkok, Tokyo, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore among their top ten destinations.

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Most Excellent!

TRIPADVISOR has announced the “Most Excellent” hotel chains that have the highest percentage of TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence recipients globally. Now in its eighth year, the Certificate of Excellence is given to accommodations, as well as other travel businesses, that deliver great service and consistently achieve high traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. 

A number of hotel chains based in Asia Pacific were also recognised as the “Most Excellent” hotel chains globally. The Indian Hotels Company (Taj and Vivanta) and Shangri-La Group came in #3 and #5 respectively under the medium chains category, whereas The Oberoi Group, Aman Group, Pan Pacific Hotels Group and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts made up the top 10 in the small chains category.

Global “Most Excellent” Large Hotel Chains

1.   Preferred Hotels & Resorts  

2.   Hyatt Hotels Corporation 

3.   Hilton Worldwide Holdings 

4.   Premier Inn 

5.   Marriott International 

6.   Best Western International 

7.   Radisson Hotel Group 

8.   La Quinta Holdings 

9.   InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 

10. Travelodge Hotels Limited (UK)

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VFS Global wins new contract

VFS Global has been awarded the Regional Contract to provide Germany visa services in the Asia Pacific region, as per this new contract, VFS Global will operate Germany Visa Application Centres in 36 new locations across 14 countries.

VFS Global is expected to start operations in the new Visa Application Centres during the first quarter of 2019. The People’s Republic of China alone will see the addition of centres in 15 cities*, further strengthening access to Germany’s visa services across the country.

In addition to these facilities, VFS Global will also offer a Mobile Biometric Service in 24 locations throughout the region. The Mobile Biometric Service enables applicants to submit their documents and biometric information from a location of their choice, e.g. from their home or office, eliminating the need to visit a Visa Application Centre.


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Asia Pacific a force to be reckoned with

STRONG economic growth across the Asia Pacific has gone hand in hand with tourism, both inter-regional and international. The UN reports that Asia is the world’s largest region in economic output, with the region’s gross domestic product surpassing that of the Americas for the first time in history in 2016. Between 2000 and 2016, Asia experienced the fastest economic growth across the world, driven by China and India.

Asian countries have awoken to the benefits of promoting tourism by opening markets and encouraging increased air routes. Data by the UN shows that the Asia Pacific is the second most visited region in the world after Europe and has seen the fastest growth. In fact, the region outperformed all other regions around the world, marking eight consecutive years of growth since 2010.

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Top trending summer travel spots

ONE of the fastest growing online travel agents Agoda, has revealed the top trending summer travel spots, globally, for independent travelers in 2018.
The allure of Japan with its combination of unique culture, temples, mountains and beaches, proves too much to resist as Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa and Kyoto all feature in the top ten Asia Pacific destinations this summer.

• Bali is the top Asia Pacific destination for UK travelers.
• Australians are the biggest international travelers to Bali, followed by South Koreans, Chinese, Singaporean and Malaysian travelers.
• Top summer destinations for Taiwanese independent travelers are Tokyo, Okinawa, Osaka, Kyoto and Seoul.
• American travelers' top three Asia Pacific destinations are Tokyo, Kyoto and Bangkok.
• Most popular African destinations are the Seychelles, Johannesburg (South Africa), Durban (South Africa), Mauritius and Cape Town (South Africa).
• Dubai tops Middle East travel followed by Medina and Mecca, which receive huge numbers of pilgrims for Hajj (19-24 August 2018).
• Despite being the Southern Hemisphere winter, Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast are in the top five Pacific Ocean destinations and still receive their fair share of tourists during the June to August period. Guam and Saipan also feature.

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High tea in Fiji

TEA plantations were established in Fiji in the late 1800s at Wainunu on Vanua Levu to provide European plantation owners and the Colonial Government with income. The tradition of the classic High Tea will become a daily ritual at Outrigger’s Castaway Island, #Fiji with the introduction of an exclusive tea menu.

Starting on May 24th, Castaway Island, Fiji will preserve the rich High Tea tradition by serving the highest quality leaf teas that are blends from many estates and guarantee the purest expression of flavour, place and quality.

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More reasons to tee off in Thailand

TWO of the biggest golf tour operators in the Asia Pacific region, Golfasian and Go Golfing, have announced they will expand their event portfolio to six annual tournaments in #Thailand and #Vietnam. These events will attract more than 1,700 golfers for an average stay of 10 nights. Now, that’s big business in the world of #golf tourism.

These industry trendsetters are breaking new ground with the launch of a Golf Week exclusively for singles and solo travellers in Pattaya in September. In October, Chiang Mai will host a ‘couples only’ tournament. And, they have parlayed the huge success of their Centara World Masters tournament in Hua Hin to launch another boutique event there in October.

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Nuts for oil in the Maldives

THIS April, the Navasana Spa at Outrigger Konotta #Maldives Resort celebrates one year of producing its own coconut oil on the island. The coconut oil is all-natural 100% pure, made by the spa’s therapists who hand press it from the naturally fallen mature coconuts around the island.

It takes approximately 50 mature, fallen coconuts to make 2.5 litres of pure coconut oil. Over the last year, the staff has perfected the process which involves gathering, dehusking and shredding the coconuts. They then squeeze the milk-juice from the grated coconut and discard the residue.

The spa staff then chill the coconut milk overnight or until it sets. The top solid layer is gently removed, cooked on constant heat, stirring until the oil separates and is clear. It is then bottled. It’s a two-day process.

A truly unspoiled paradise, it’s “your own private world,” surrounded by pristine natural beauty and unmatched luxury. Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort is on a private island in the azure Indian Ocean, the resort features spacious stunning villas, all with private pools. Guests can enjoy a range of activities including, innovative dining experiences, rejuvenating spa treatments, and world-class water sports and scuba diving at their Reef Centre.

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Bangkok has it all

#BANGKOK has been voted as the “Best City Destination in the Asia Pacific” for the third consecutive year by readers of DestinAsian magazine, a leading travel and lifestyle magazine. The cosmopolitan capital of #Thailand was recognised “for its vibrant mixture of historic sites, contemporary style, cuisine and nightlife”.

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Kidz Paradise in Sanya Yalong Bay opens

HILTON Sanya Yalong Bay Resort & Spa announces the opening of its new Kidz Paradise.  An indoor game zones and a large outdoor water playground including a children's pool has been allocated to entertain youngsters from the age of 3 to 12.

Bright colored decor and soft furnishings in the French window game room, a separate entertainment area with soft toys for infants care, cushions and tables for craft use and art works. Children's slides and sea ball pools are connected like tunnels in the ocean. A reading room and movie displaying area for quieter activities is also available.

The Resort has also launched a 3-Day Winter Camp along with the opening of its new Kidz Paradise. The children will be toured with three themed activities on each day: Ocean World Safari, Fairy Forest Adventure and Flowery Wonderland Camping. Kids Ambassador will lead the "Scout" to discover salt making in ancient style, flower and soft clay art works. While a junior edition of You Are the Chef has been prepared for elder children.

Since the Resort launched its family rooms and suites, the new kidz paradise brings back quite a lot of grand and glorious scenes to the Resort located on Sanya's premier beach in Yalong Bay. It was awarded the Best Family Friendly Hotel by leisure media City Traveler and Voyage, and China Hospitality Industry Association.

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Marriott expands in Asia Pacific

MARRIOTT International is on track to open 16 new resorts in Asia Pacific across seven brands in 10 countries and territories this year, giving travellers more choices when booking holidays, business events or special occasions. Marriott currently has 130 upper-upscale and luxury resorts in the Asia Pacific region in countries including China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. The new hotels range from tranquil resorts such as the beachfront Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa, which is the company’s first hotel in Sri Lanka, to The Ritz-Carlton Haikou, which presents travellers with a new experience as Ritz-Carlton’s first golf resort in China.

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