News in Asia

A series of measures to halt the spread of the Covid-19 disease have been announced by the Cambodian today.

All domestic land, sea and air travel to and from Manila were put on a halt yesterday after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced a "lockdown" of the capital in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

International tourist arrivals at Indian airports are reduced significantly in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak and they are expected to fall even further after the recent tightening of travel restriction by the Indian government.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is mulling the idea of moving all major celebrations except for religious ones related to the Thai New Year, or Songkran, from April to July in a bid to prevent spreading of the coronavirus.

Thailand cancelled the visa on arrival and visa exemption for several countries with high numbers of coronavirus infected cases yesterday. 

Shanghai Disney Resort will partially reopen on Monday, the management of the resort has announced recently. While the Disneyland park itself will remain closed, selected shopping, dining and recreational venues will welcome guests again.

For the global air transport industry, the COVID19 outbreak can result in USD63 billion – USD113 billion revenue losses, according to the latest IATA's updates of the pandemic financial impact.

Bangkok Airways, Thailand-based regional airline and the country's first boutique airline, will decrease flight frequency and terminate service indefinitely on selected routes as a response to the decrease of passenger demand.

Some good news from Bali where the famous Tanah Lot festival is confirmed for March 13 to 15. The biennial event will not be cancelled as many other events this spring, hurray.

While more and more major international events around the SEA are being cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19 outbreak, the 15th Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon will take place as scheduled, the organiser has confirmed recently.

Qatar has barred entry to the country for travellers from 14 nations around the world. Yet if you are connecting via the Hamad International Airport in Doha flying on Qatar Airways you will not be affected and will be allowed to proceed to your destination, even if your flight originates from one of the countries listed below.

Both Bangkok's airports, Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport enhance existing measures for COVID-19 surveillance.

Thai Airways has added more destinations to the list of flights which can be changed on request of the customer without any fees normally associated with ticket changes.

Visitor numbers in Intramuros, Manila's historic walled city, are on the rise and look totally inaffected by the overall slowdown in tourism caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak.

The Flying Carnival 2020, a hot air balloon festival, kicked off in the Cavite province, on the southern shores of Manila Bay, Luzon island, yesterday. The three-day even will last till March, 8 and is expected to attract about 45,000 visitors.

The People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions), Republic of Korea, Republic of Italy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran were defined as “Disease Infected Zones of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak" by Thailand yesterday. What does it men for travellers arriving to the Kingdom from these territories?

Bangkok's four star The Windsor Suites Hotel, managed by Accor, has announced it will close temporarily from the end of April, 2020.

Thailand's leisure market makes a bet on domestic tourism as the last resort for the local tourism industry as foreign visitors arrivals shrink. 

Garuda Indonesia, the country's national flag carrier, and its low-cost subsidiary Citilink have started offering considerable discounts for airtickets on several domestic routes this Sunday.

Quite a number of events have recently been cancelled all around Thailand over the COVID-19 fears. Those who travel specifically to attend festivals, fairs ad events are highly recommended to check if the schedule remains unchanged before making their travel plans.