More Asian countries lift border restrictions for Chinese visitors
>> Singapore will lift its border restrictions for visitors from the Chinese mainland and Australia's Victoria state, starting from November 6. Other Asian countries are taking similar actions. Japan will lift its entry ban on foreign travelers from China from November for non-tourist arrivals. Thailand has also welcomed two flights with Chinese visitors on the new Special Tourist Visa.
Direct flight prices from China to Singapore rise with restrictions to be lifted
>> November prices for direct one-way flights from Chinese cities, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, to Singapore have spiked for the few days where they are available on Skyscanner. A search on the site revealed that the price of a one-way flight from Shanghai on Juneyao Airlines on Nov. 6 is currently SGD 2,311 (USD 1,692).
Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble may start by late this month
>> Travel lovers may soon be able to scratch that itch under the Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble in late November. Singapore's Secretary for commerce and economic development Edward Yau expressed optimism that people will be able to start flying between Hong Kong and Singapore by the end of the month. There will be at least one designated flight between the two cities every day during the initial phase of the travel bubble.
China seeks double tests from travelers
>> China is doubling down on safeguards to ensure people traveling from abroad don’t harbor the coronavirus. Statements posted on websites of Chinese embassies in countries including the U.S., U.K., France, Italy and New Zealand over the weekend ask for negative antibody test results in addition to negative results from nucleic acid tests within 48 hours of boarding flights. The requirement for double negative results will be effective on Nov. 7, according to the statements.
China Southern Airlines reports first quarterly profit since pandemic hit
>> China Southern Airlines, which has the largest domestic network among the country’s state-owned carriers, reported the first quarterly profit since the pandemic hit, as it benefited from robust domestic travel demand over the summer. The airline, now the world’s largest as others have pared back capacity, recorded a net profit of RMB 711 million (USD 106.3 million) following an RMB 2.9 billion loss in the second quarter. Its nine-month net loss amounted to RMB 7.5 billion.
China's domestic tourism to fully recover by year end
>> Domestic tourism in China would most probably see a full recovery from the impact of COVID-19 by the end of this year, with new holiday-making trends accelerating industrial upgrading, the head of a major Chinese online travel agency said on Thursday. China's domestic tourism market has recovered by 80% so far, and positive growth has been witnessed in various localities, Liang Jianzhang, chairman and co-founder of Trip.com Group, said during a speech delivered at an industry summit.
MGM China posts 41% revenue rise from previous quarter
>> MGM China recorded total revenue of HKD 363 million (USD 46.8 million), up by 41% sequentially from the second quarter. The Group had narrowed its loss to a negative adjusted property EBITDA of HKD 731 million, compared to -HKD 886 million in previous quarter. Macao visitation was down 92% from last year.
