Travel recovery to peak after September in China
>> A consumer sentiment survey by McKinsey shows that confidence in the safety of domestic travel by car, even over distances of more than three hours, is high. Mostly young people and those without families that are returning to travel early in China. McKinsey projects that the majority of the Chinese travelers will not go on trips until the National Holiday in late September and early October.
China leads global air capacity growth
>> Global airline capacity this week is up 2% compared with last week to 29.8 million seats, with capacity up in eight of 17 regional markets, according to analysis from OAG. China is leading capacity growth this week, with one million seats added, OAG reported. Much of that was domestic, and China's domestic airline capacity has recovered to about 75% of where it was in January.
International airlines to resume China flights in June
>> With regulators in Europe, America and Asia easing restrictions on travel, airline companies across the world have planned to resume some flights to China in June. Qatar Airways has taken initial steps in restoring 52 flight destinations by the end of May, and 80 destinations by the end of June which include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Korean Air will resume flights to Beijing, Shanghai Pudong and other places in June.
China proposes fast-track entry for Japanese business travelers
>> China has approached Japan about reviving business travel between the two countries, according to a Nikkei report. Earlier this month, China and South Korea agreed to ease border controls, with cities like Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing accepting business travelers from South Korea who first pass a mandatory health screening. Now Chinese officials have reached out to Japan, suggesting China will ease its travel ban on the country if the number of new cases in Japan declines.
Marriott’s Q1 RevPAR declines 63% in Greater China
>> The world's largest hotel operator Marriott said its RevPAR in Greater China dropped 63.1% in the first quarter of 2020. Occupancy levels are currently slightly more than 30%, up from the lows of less than 10% in mid-February. The resiliency of demand is evident in the improving trends in Greater China, where new bookings continue to pick up with demand driven primarily by domestic travelers, said Arne M. Sorenson, CEO of Marriott.
HRS Group obtains Oracle support rights in China
>> HRS Hospitality continue their global expansion by opening in China, the largest market in the Asia-Pacific region. HRS began its operations reselling Oracle Hospitality solutions in China in 2019, and now, after obtaining support rights from Oracle, it is authorized to provide support services to new and existing customers in the country.
Disney to add Shanghai park attendance by 5,000 per week
>> Disney plans to increase capacity at its Shanghai park by 5,000 people each week until it reaches the limited capacity figure set by Chinese government, CEO Bob Chapek told CNBC on Monday. Disney reopened its Shanghai theme park Monday after being closed for 15 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s the first major theme park to reopen.
China's Palace Museum to raise daily visitor cap to 8,000
>> China's Palace Museum will welcome more visitors from next Tuesday as its daily cap on visitor numbers will increase from 5,000 to 8,000, according to a newly released notice. Visitors still need to make reservations online, wear face masks and have their body temperatures checked before admission, according to the notice.
