Travel in city Beijing, China

This story about Asian and Asian American films is part of Home, Made, a collection of stories honoring Asian diasporas creating vibrant communities by weaving their heritages with their American hometowns. Read more here.

Panama has long been a paradise for the backpacker crowd thanks to 1,800 miles of pristine coastline and an abundance of budget-friendly accommodations. But in recent years, the Central American country has won over a more varied mix of travelers, luring luxury-seekers, coffee snobs, serious conservationists, and everyone in between. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a Panamanian getaway—you can see three-toed pygmy sloths in Bocas del Toro, marvel at Spanish-colonial architecture in Panama City’s Casco Viejo, and learn about centuries-old Mola textile crafts by visiting Guna artisans in the San Blas Islands. To live out your private-island Robinson Crusoe fantasies, book a stay at Islas Secas or Nayara Bocas del Toro. One visit is just scratching the surface of the isthmus nation; here are nine ideas for how to spend your next Panamanian holiday.

3,300 departures per week, 160 destinations around the globe.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved an increase in the allowed number of scheduled roundtrip weekly passenger flights by Chinese airlines to the U.S. to 50, up from 35, beginning March 31, according to a DOT order filed Monday.

United Airlines has recently released details of its summer 2024 schedule—the most extensive transatlantic schedule in the major airline’s history. There will be 38 nonstop flights to Europe next year to major European destinations. Some of the flights will be new routes for the airline, which comes after news that the airline has ordered more planes and added benefits for travelers.

The construction firm behind the MGM Cotai casino resort in Macau has been awarded the contract to build “The Island” in Dubai. First reported by MEED, the $1.2 billion contract is the most valuable construction deal in Dubai in the past six years.

Qatar Airways plans to expand its flight schedule across U.S. airports and has its sights set on reaching 250 destinations worldwide, CEO Akbar Al Baker told reporters at a news conference in Seattle earlier this month.

The recent relaxation of zero-Covid policies in China offered great hope to a corporate travel industry stymied by those rules and one waiting to bring China back into the fold to speed up its recovery. But the ensuing testing requirements being put in place now by countries will be a major setback and dent much-needed confidence, industry associations warn.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, March 2. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Chinese group tours are back in Japan but anyone banking on them arriving in droves and splashing around cash like they did before the pandemic is likely to be disappointed.