Thailand's Elephant Camps Add More Jumbos for Return of Chinese Tourists

Redditors have begun flooding a post with the travel experiences they had before they were considered unethical — and some are feeling guilty about them now.

The New Zealand government said on Wednesday it would not require travelers from China to produce a negative Covid-19 test, bucking a trend that has seen a number of nations implement such measures as cases surge in China.

Macau has seen a resurgence of tourists from mainland China since January 8 after the special Chinese administrative region dropped all Covid-19 testing requirements for inbound travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

There’s still something vital missing from the global tourism economy, and that’s the presence of Chinese tourists.

An end to China’s travel curbs this month is expected to revive demand in the global luxury retail market, which has been starved of mainland visitors for three years, but many consumers now see more reasons to do their high-end shopping locally.

An innkeeper in Bangkok’s Sathorn area has been desperately looking to hire more staff to cater to the increasing number of tourists at his place.

U.S. carrier United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it is currently evaluating the market demand and operating environment to determine when to resume additional flight operations to mainland China.

The United States will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travelers from China, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday, joining India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan in taking new measures after Beijing’s decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies.

Some stores in via Montenapoleone, the heart of Milan’s most exclusive shopping area, are displaying clothes and accessories dedicated to the Lunar New Year after two years disrupted by the pandemic even though Chinese tourists are yet to return in big numbers.

Thailand’s finance ministry on Friday maintained its economic growth outlook for 2023 at 3.8 percent, helped by a rebound in tourism and domestic demand, but an official said exports would slow down this year.

Here are some excerpts from Daily Lodging Report from the past week. If you’re not a subscriber, you should be. Get news on hotel deals, development, stocks, and career moves. Sign up here, now.

While Chinese travel demand accelerates to pre-pandemic levels, the global tourism industry is still not fully ready to service it, according to some panelists this week at an ITB Berlin session titled “Outlook of Chinese Tourism Market 2023.”