Asia

'It finally feels like we are in the recovery phase'

Pata UK and Ireland chair Chris Crampton says flurry of reopenings in Pacific Asia region will bring ‘much-needed hope’ to travel industry friends and colleagues

All feared dead in China 737 crash

A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 crashed en route from Kunming to Guangzhou on Monday (21 March)

Pressure builds on P&O Ferries and fuel duty cut

Government urged to act over P&O Ferries’ mass sacking while the chancellor is looking at ways to ease the cost-of-living crisis

Hong Kong to lift UK flight ban next month

UK among nine countries from which flights to the territory will soon be allowed to resume

Uniworld boss: 'Serve your river customers something unique'

Line reveals new 43-day itinerary across four countries and three ships, exclusively for UK market

Classic Collection seeks 'golden standard' in trade service

Operator has revealed a new partnership with the Institute of Customer Service to improve standards

Cambodia drops Covid-19 testing for overseas arrivals

Visitors will no longer need to take pre- or post-arrival tests

Vietnam reopens borders to international visitors

UK travellers can stay in Vietnam for up to 15 days without needing a visa

South Korea drops quarantine for fully vaccinated arrivals

Overseas visitors will be required to enter their vaccine records online prior to entry

Vistara to up London-Delhi flights next month

Indian carrier will offer six weekly flights on the route starting 2 April

UK economy bouncing back and Thailand tourism hope

New figures review how the British economy recovered quickly from the effects of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, while Thailand’s visitor numbers are picking up again

India to lift ban on international flights

The country had initially suspended almost all foreign flights following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic

Malaysia Airlines to add 70,000 seats to Kuala Lumpur

The airline will resume its twice-daily service to the Malaysian capital from Heathrow from 30 June

Malaysia to ease Covid-19 travel restrictions next month

Country will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated international arrivals from 1 April without a quarantine requirement

Bali drops quarantine requirement for international arrivals

Destination relaxes Covid rules for UK visitors

UK consumers face income squeeze and cheap flights under threat

Households face cripplingly high bills as energy and other costs go through the roof, including fuel – which could spark surcharges on some travel

Singapore Airlines to return London flights to pre-Covid frequency

Singapore Airlines to operate four times a day from Heathrow

How will Ukraine cast a shadow over travel?

After encouraging signs of a recovery in January and February, travel has been dealt another blow by events in eastern Europe. Here, industry insiders give their views on the situation

Aurora Expeditions launches 2023 Arctic and global itineraries

New offering includes several new itineraries such as a UK voyage and the line’s first expedition to the Atlantic islands

Finnair to restart Tokyo route avoiding Russian airspace

Four-times-weekly service will resume on Wednesday 9 March

Sri Lanka to drop pre-departure tests for vaccinated arrivals

From 1 March, fully vaccinated arrivals will no longer have to provide evidence of a pre-departure negative test for Covid-19 when travelling to Sri Lanka

Finnair suspends flights to Asia and Russia

Services to Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Moscow and Saint Petersburg have been cancelled between 28 February and 6 March

Hong Kong looks to promote cultural tourism with new funding

Tourist board receives extra money from the region’s government

UK airlines face longer flights to avoid Russian airspace

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will have to re-route some long-haul services