Travel & Culture

China-driven travel hopes fired up in Asia

Published

1 year ago

31/12/2022

Analysts across region praise Beijing’s confidence in relaxing COVID-19 rules

China’s planned reopening to international travel in early January as part of an easing of coronavirus-related curbs comes as “the best news” for businesses and analysts in the Asia-Pacific region.

They said the moves by the authorities signaled their confidence in China’s opening up and an ability to adapt to and accommodate the will of the people in their policies.

The easing of restrictions comes after China formally downgraded COVID-19 from a Category A to Category B infectious disease.

“The downgrade of restrictions that were placed due to COVID-19 is actually the best news in the last two years,” Furkan Halit Yolcu, a research assistant at Sakarya University Middle East Institute in Turkiye, told China Daily.

“Almost every country was waiting for the first steps of normalization from the Chinese government. Even economic indicators have become responsive to the COVID-related decisions taken by the Chinese government,” Yolcu said.

Yolcu also said the virus “disturbed an array of fields”, and releasing the pressure on both the economy and the public “is going to become a cornerstone of a new era”.

China’s National Health Commission said in a statement on Monday that it would scrap quarantine requirements for international arrivals from Jan 8 and that they would only need to take a nucleic acid test within 48 hours of boarding their flights. The nucleic acid screenings and centralized isolation after arrival also will be canceled.

Sujoko Efferin, a professor at the Faculty of Business and Economics at Universitas Surabaya in Indonesia, said China’s move benefits not only itself “but also developing countries in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East”.

“I can understand that China gives the first priority to the safety of its citizens. So, it is a matter of choice. The most important thing is, now (China is) confident and ready for any consequences of the opening up,” he said.

Positive sign

Mustafa Hyder Sayed, executive director of the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan-China Institute, said China’s shift in its decision “shows the receptiveness of the state to the people’s wishes and demands”, including the authorities’ ability to adapt to and accommodate the will of the people in their policies. He said the move bodes well for the global economic outlook.

“I think that this would be very good, not only for China, because China is the biggest trading partner of all countries in Asia and also countries in Europe like Germany,” Sayed said.

China’s decision has been openly welcomed by embassies and tourism bureaus around the world, including those from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that there is no change in his country’s travel advice “at this point in time”.

However, the United States, India and Japan are among countries that have imposed entry testing on Chinese travelers, with possible quarantine curbs.

Japan from Friday will require all travelers and returnees who have stayed in the Chinese mainland within seven days of entry to take on-arrival tests at a quarantine station, according to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Japan on Wednesday recorded 415 COVID-19 deaths, the highest count for a single day.

Analysts have noted previous reports of the US and some other countries hounding China to reopen and “live with the virus”.

“Those who want to isolate a huge and economically powerful country like China are actually isolating themselves. There are some geopolitical reasons behind them. But it will not last long,” Efferin said. “Those who criticize China may be afraid of the return of China in the post-COVID era.”

Ben Hanson, consultant physician and chief executive of the consultancy Rivers International Management Services in Dubai, expects China to go through a few months of challenges, “like so many other countries beforehand”, following its reopening. He said losses can be mitigated by early use of antiviral medications that are highly effective.

He said the rest of the world desperately needs Chinese trade and Chinese visitors to stimulate their tourism and education sectors.

Efferin added: “From the economic perspective, I believe that China’s role in strengthening the global economy is more important than ever.”

JAN YUMUL in Hong Kong

Source(s): China Daily

Travel & Culture

Maldives sweeps WTAs with four titles in Indian Ocean category

Published

2 days ago

06/05/2024

Maldives has won four prestigious titles at the World Travel Awards (WTA) – Indian Ocean category, including the award for the region’s leading destination.

The WTA Indian Ocean awards were presented on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) at Dubai World Trade Center on Monday.

The Maldives won:

Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination 2024
Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination 2024

The award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination was accepted by Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal, whole the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination was accepted by Ayesha Nurain Janah, Chairperson of Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC).

Meanwhile, the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Green Destination was accepted by MMPRC’s Managing Director Fathmath Thaufeeq, and the award for Indian Ocean’s Leading Dive Destination was accepted by Mohamed Khaleel, an advisor to the Maldivian president on tourism development.

In a statement announcing the achievement, MMPRC said the significance of the awards highlights the Maldives’ standing as an unparalleled tourist destination, showcases the country’s commitment to delivering unforgettable experiences to visitors from around the world, and reinforces the continued efforts of MMPRC in promoting and developing the nation’s tourism sector.

Maldives has dominated the WTA Indian Ocean awards since the category was introduced in 2003, winning the Leading Destination title 17 times, the Leading Honeymoon Destination title six times, and the Leading Dive Destination title nine times.

But this marks the first year the Maldives has been recognized as a Green Destination, highlighting the country’s commitment to sustainable tourism.

“Winning these awards will indeed enhance the image of the destination as a high-profile luxury destination among visitors. These awards indicate visitors’ love and confidence towards the Maldives, a huge step towards World’s Leading Destination!” reads the MMPRC’s statement.

Established in 1993, the WTA are widely regarded as one of the most respected and popular awards in the world of travel and tourism. Symbolizing the most outstanding endorsement in tourism, and the travel industry, the awards aim to recognize and reward achievements in all aspects of travel and tourism on a global scale.

Maldives was crowned the World’s Leading Destination for the fourth year running at the 2023 World Travel Awards.

The Indian Ocean destination recorded 1.8 million arrivals last year, and is eying a record 2 million visitors this year.

Source(s): sun.mv

Travel & Culture

MMPRC promotes Maldives at KITF

Published

2 weeks ago

26/04/2024

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has begun promoting the Maldives in the Kazakistan International Travel Fair (KITF). A total of 17 companies within the Maldivian tourism industry have participated in the fair along with MMPRC.

KITF is a significant, well-renowned fair hosted in Central Asia since 2001. The fair serves as a crucial platform to expand tourism industries across the world, enhancing more opportunities within the field. This year, the fair is scheduled to be held from April 24 to 26.

MMPRC revealed that the expo intends to establish and bolster ties with Kazakistan and agents in the central region of Asia, while displaying various merchandise from representing the Maldives in a global manner. It further affirmed that maximum efforts will be exerted to provide tourists with the latest information and to showcase the destinations and previous experiences, aiming to attract more tourist arrivals. Additionally, it stated that opportunities are available to establish collaborative partnership ties.

The stand of the Maldives placed in the KITF represents the true sunny side of life. Emphasising the significance of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the MMPRC assured that it is actively involved in promoting and advertising the Maldives to the CIS region through various activities and events. It further stated the significance of using social media as a tool to advertise the Maldives and attract more viewers.

Source(s): PsmNews

Travel & Culture

Maldives welcomes over 700,000 tourists

Published

2 weeks ago

24/04/2024

Ministry of Tourism has revealed more than 700,000 tourists have visited the country so far.

The latest statistics published by the tourism ministry show that a total of 728,950 tourist arrivals visited the Maldives between January 1 and April 21, which is an increase of 13.1% compared to the 644,721 arrivals during the same period last year. The statistics show that a total of 192,385 tourists visited the Maldives in January, 217,392 arrivals in February, 194,227 in March and 124,946 arrivals till April 21.

The latest updated report reveals that Chinese tourists constitute the largest portion of total tourist arrivals so far this year, with 77،709 visitors. Following China, the United Kingdom, and Russia along with Italy and Germany, stand out as the next highest sources of tourists, with 72,635 and 72,336, 66,170 and 57,321 arrivals, respectively. Currently, Maldives receives an average of 6451 tourists every day, which spend an average of 7.9 days in the country.

Aiming to expand the tourism industry, the bed capacity has been increased with a total of 62,232 beds. This includes resorts, guest houses, hotels and safaris as well.

Source(s): PsmNews