Travel
'Sell premium' - Thailand discourages discounts, wants high value tourists
Thailand's hotels, businesses and private hospitals should refrain from offering big discounts to lure tourists and focus instead on raising the country's value as a premium travel destination, government ministers said on Monday. Thailand has received about 2 million foreign visitors in the first six months of this year, a… Read
Japanese travel agency reveals summer 2022’s most popular destinations domestically and abroad
As the first summer since the start of the pandemic when more countries are beginning to relax their border policies and encourage tourism again, summer 2022 is shaping up to be a big season for the travel industry. To give travelers a sense of what exactly this summer has in store… Read
After two pandemic years, a summer travel bounce — and chaos
At a tourism conference in Phuket last month, Thailand’s prime minister looked out at attendees and posed a question with a predictable answer. “Are you ready?” Prayuth Chan-ocha asked, dramatically removing his mask and launching what's hoped to be the country's economic reset after more than two years of coronavirus-driven… Read
Showa retro vibes in the nostalgic Tokyo neighborhood of Shibamata
Shibamata (柴又) is a nostalgic neighborhood full of charm. It's also highly underrated. Many tourists prefer going to the big city and choose more flashy areas such as Harajuku or Shibuya, overlooking this beautiful temple town. Located in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Shibamata is accessible and not too far from downtown… Read
Luggage piles join long airport lines in fresh woes for summer travel
Piles of luggage beside baggage belts in airports from Canada to Europe are driving further demand for ground handlers, and adding to summer travel chaos as airlines scramble to bring back workers lost during COVID-19. Once a cost-cutting and outsourcing target for aviation, ground handlers are now being offered raises,… Read
Kurashiki Bikan Chiku, a hidden gem in Okayama Prefecture, filled with Edo Period aesthetic and quaint Japanese charm
Kurashiki is a city in southern Okayama Prefecture, only a 20-minute local train ride from the Okayama shinkansen station. Kurashiki played an important role in the economy of the eastern Chugoku region of Japan in the Edo period (1603-1867) because of its location midway between Hiroshima and Osaka. Kurashiki doesn’t present itself as the best of Okayama. Instead,… Read
China Airlines to expand services to Japan, other countries
China Airlines will operate a daily Taipei (Songshan) - Tokyo (Haneda) route with Airbus A321neo aircraft from July 1. The service is scheduled to depart in the morning and return in the afternoon. Passenger-carrying services will also be scheduled for Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka routes as well, with… Read
Journey through Ainu myth in the old-meets-new forest night walk Kamuy Lumina experience
Lake Akan on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido is known as one of the clearest lakes in all of Japan. Surrounded by the pristine forests and mud volcanoes known as bokke of Akan Mashu National Park, this crater lake is particularly well-known for its round balls of marimo green algae, which grow larger here than… Read
5 overlooked destinations in Wakayama Prefecture
There is so much more to Japan than just the typical tourist hot spots. Wakayama, the mountainous prefecture on Honshu Island, epitomizes this. Located in southern Kansai, Wakayama is celebrated for its historic shrines and as the birthplace of Shingon Buddhism. Most domestic and foreign tourists travel there to trek the famous Kumano Kodo pilgrimage… Read
Global hotel occupancy surpasses 2019 levels for first time
According to Amadeus’ Demand360 business intelligence data, hotel reservations have been on par with pre-pandemic 2019 booking levels since March of this year. April 2022 was the first month to surpass 2019 occupancy levels and this continued to climb in May hitting a new high of 63%, compared to 60%… Read
