Peden Doma Bhutia travel tips

Happy Thursday, folks! Hope you’re having a great week so far. Has it been as busy for you as it’s been for us? Today our lead item comes all the way from the Middle East. Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia brings funding news, linking the UAE and San Francisco. Also on the agenda today is Airbnb’s new housing council – Executive Editor Dennis Schaal has the deets.

After a horrific start to January, Boeing has received a much needed boost. The good news has come from India where the country’s youngest carrier Akasa Air has ordered 150 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. The deal was confirmed at the aviation event Wings India 2024 on Thursday in Hyderabad. 

United Arab Emirates-based Silkhaus, a tech-based short-term rental platform, has announced raising a “multi-million” pre-series A financing from San Francisco headquartered-Partners for Growth.

AirAsia has announced the launch of a new route from Ahmedabad to Kuala Lumpur. Set to take flight from May 1, the new connection will mark AirAsia’s eleventh route from India, and third new route in 2024 alone. This will also be the Malaysia-based carrier’s entry into the state of Gujarat, as it looks to rapidly grow its connectivity from Malaysia to India.

China is addressing the bottlenecks that have restricted outbound travel from the country. But the enthusiasm among Chinese travelers to visit the U.S. is diminishing, according to the latest survey from China Trading Desk, a marketing technology company.

IPO-boundhospitality and travel technology company Oyo has announced that it would open around 400 properties in popular spiritual destinations by year end.

Among the last countries to resume tourism activities post-pandemic, North Korea is set to welcome its first international tourists in February, marking the end of its border closure since January 22, 2020. And tourists, especially in Russia, are taking note.

As it prepares for the launch of 19 new properties in 2024, Singapore-headquartered Banyan Tree Group is embracing a sleeker image, rebranding itself as the Banyan Group.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, January 9. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

On Tuesday, travel metasearch engine Skyscanner unveiled Everywhere Agency, what it calls a “virtual pop-up travel consultancy.”

Jetstar Asia, the low-cost carrier based in Singapore, has appointed John Simeone as its new CEO. Barathan Pasupathi, the outgoing CEO who led the airline for 12 years, will step down from his role on March 1 to “pursue other opportunities.”

Indian online travel agency EaseMyTrip announced on Monday that it has suspended all flight bookings to Maldives in what its Co-Founder and CEO, Prashant Pitti, deemed was in “solidarity with the nation.”

On January 8, 2023, China reopened its borders for travel, ending a three-year closure during the Covid pandemic. Most analysts predicted a surge in travel. It didn’t happen. And one year later, the world is still waiting. 

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, January 3. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

China will now be entering into a reciprocal agreement with Thailand for permanent waiver of visa requirements for citizens of the two countries from March onwards.

Japan issued a tsunami warning along with urgent evacuation orders after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale shook the Ishikawa region on Monday.

China has simplified entry rules for U.S. citizens visiting the country on tourist visas. Starting January 1, tourist visa applicants in the U.S. will no longer be required to submit proof of round-trip air tickets, hotel reservations, itinerary or invitation letter. 

South Korea is embracing the “workcation” trend to launch a digital nomad visa: It starts January 1 and lets digital nomads stay for up to two years.

Taylor Swift may be singing, “You Need to Calm Down,” but fans in Asia aren’t listening. The singer’s highly anticipated Singapore tour in March is stirring up a travel storm in Southeast Asia. 

What is the future of travel? Answering that is Skift’s editorial mission, and the release of our annual Megatrends is core to that mission.

While remote work gains ground, a subgroup of professionals is taking it a step further — enter the digital nomads. These are individuals who leverage technology not just to work from home but to work from anywhere, exploring the diverse landscapes of a destination.