Newsmaker

Simon Baptist, principal economist, Visa Asia Pacific, discusses 2026 spending trends, the effects of economic uncertainty, and how affluent demand and digital payments are redefining Asia-Pacific tourism

Downtimes present a chance for internal reviews and improvement, and for holding staff and communities close, says Pan Pacific Hotels Group CEO Choe Peng Sum

As Thailand’s hotel sector stabilises after the pandemic, Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the 62-year-old Thai Hotels Association (THA), discusses the industry’s push for higher standards, sustainability, and policy reform, while reflecting on the rise of FIT markets and efforts to maintain Thailand’s competitive edge

IHG did not hit pause when travel was forced to do so in the past two years. The chain enriched its brands portfolio, transformed its loyalty programme, enhanced digital capabilities, reduced the cost base, and more, details Kenneth Macpherson, CEO of Europe, Middle East, Asia & Africa

Strict health and hygiene measures will not spell the end of quality guest service and interaction, Thomas Meier, senior vice president, hotel operations, Asia of Minor Hotels, tells Karen Yue

Amadeus’ Demand360 product, with data from over six million hotel rooms globally, is helping hotels act on hyper-granular insights, shares Katie Moro, vice president of data partnerships at Amadeus

Malaysia-based halal travel platform Tripfez Travel has leveraged the pandemic downtime to embark on a mergers and acquisitions spree. Executive director and co-founder Faeez Fadhlillah reveals the company’s ambitions.

Seasoned hospitality personality, Arthur Kiong, will bow out of his role as managing director of Far East Hospitality (FEH) at the end of 2025 – he recalls lessons from his four-decade-long career and is certain that retirement will continue to bring fruitful days

Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman of Banyan Group, talks about developing Thailand’s south, the launch of the Banyan Living platform, and how social sustainability factors into the group’s development trajectory for Phuket, just as the organisation turns 30

Asia-Pacific's growing High Net Worth population and their strong travel intentions are attracting an even bigger and more diverse community of luxury travel suppliers and trade buyers to ILTM Asia Pacific, reveals Alison Gilmore, director, ILTM Portfolio of Events.