Luxury boutique brand Trunk(Hotel) will open its first property outside Tokyo with the launch of Trunk(Hotel) Sapporo in Hokkaido on September 17, 2027.
Situated in central Sapporo’s Odori district, the 18-storey, 107-room hotel will be the brand’s fourth and largest property. The hotel includes 18 suites and 89 standard rooms designed around a Midcentury Folklore theme incorporating regional wooden textures and craft details.
A rendering of a guestroom at Trunk(Hotel) Sapporo, set to open on September 17, 2027, as the brand’s first property outside Tokyo
The property will feature Trunk(Bath House), a dedicated spa floor built around a 40-metre waterway leading to 10 communal bathing areas, saunas, cold plunges, and open-air relaxation spaces. Dining offerings include the first Sapporo location for Michelin-recognised Sushi Saito, combining traditional Tokyo techniques with local seafood, as well as an all-day dining restaurant and a lounge bar featuring live music and outdoor winter dining domes.
Additional facilities include three banquet halls, a chapel with a six-metre ceiling, and an entertainment studio complete with a private cinema and karaoke room.
“The Lounge & Bar provides a refined, welcoming setting, enhanced by live piano and band performances,” said a spokesperson for Trunk(Hotel). “Guests can enjoy an immersive experience throughout the day, with all-day dining, curated drinks, and music from morning to night.”
S Hotels & Resorts has launched its It’s About Time campaign across its property portfolio in Thailand and the Maldives.
Designed to encourage travellers to reset before the end of the year, the campaign applies to SAii Hotels & Resorts properties in Phi Phi, Phuket, Koh Samui, and the Maldives, as well as Santiburi Koh Samui.
SAii Hotels & Resorts and Santiburi Koh Samui have introduced promotions across Thailand and the Maldives to encourage travellers to slow down
The initiative structures guest experiences around themes such as adventure, nature, self-care, local cuisine, and shared activities. Activities include kayaking through mangrove forests in the Andaman, exploring reefs in the Indian Ocean, beachside dining, spa visits, and padel tennis at the SunRay Social & Swim Club.
At Santiburi Koh Samui, a 9.3-hectare property set amid tropical foliage and lotus ponds, the campaign takes the form of Time to Exhale. Key features include quiet beach access on Mae Nam Beach, wellness facilities at Santiburi Spa, a renovated fitness centre, and Thai dining at Sala Thai Restaurant.
Advance bookings across SAii Laguna Phuket, SAii Phi Phi Island Village, SAii Koh Samui Villas, SAii Lagoon Maldives, and Santiburi Koh Samui receive discounts of up to 30 per cent.
Thailand is advancing a broad visitor economy framework, reclassifying who counts as a visitor and measuring diverse spending streams to reach a 2035 target of six trillion baht (US$185 billion) per year – roughly double the country’s current annual tourism income – in economic value, alongside the creation of at least 1.2 million new jobs.
The framework positions visitors as a driving force for the broader economy. Rather than focusing solely on increasing tourist numbers, the national strategy aims to drive economic value, investment, employment and quality of life across all regions.
Krabi is among three destination sandboxes – alongside Bangkok and Chiang Rai – selected to pilot Thailand’s broad visitor economy framework
The concept was integrated into government planning on August 19, 2026, by deputy prime minister and commerce minister Suphajee Suthumpun, who established a working group to drive the strategy. The framework encompasses various non-residents travelling in and out of Thailand whose spending supports sectors not typically associated with the tourism industry.
“Thailand should no longer treat every visitor as the same type of tourist. Instead, it should recognise different purposes for travel, including health, education, business, weddings, film production and Work from Anywhere, as well as niche groups with high spending power,” Weerasak Kowsurat, chairman of the Working Group on Creative Economy Development and Visitor Economy, told local news outlet The Nation.
Spending from these visitors flows into airlines, restaurants, hospitals, shopping malls, education, real estate, transport, sports, culture, entertainment and digital services. Weerasak said there is potential to integrate further sectors, such as insurance, into the visitor economy, which could foster job creation for agents servicing visitors.
The working group currently meets weekly to advance the strategy. At the August 25, 2026 meeting hosted at the Association of Thai Travel Agents headquarters, members agreed to launch sandbox pilots in Bangkok, Chiang Rai and Krabi.
Each pilot will gather visitor economy data for benchmarking across cities, aiming to raise the value per visitor, retain spending within local areas, improve community living standards and support green growth. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, which measures visitor economy activity for business travellers, sits on the working group.
Weerasak emphasised that the visitor economy transcends traditional silos, citing international students as an example. He noted that the Ministry of Education runs its own subset of the visitor economy through private schools and international university programmes. He plans to collaborate with the ministry to track foreign student tuition and accommodation spending – metrics previously not considered by the tourism sector.
As this approach requires integrating existing sectors under a new framework, Weerasak said the committee is not expecting immediate results.
“We cannot be impatient with the visitor economy, because it takes time to create a proper foundation. Today our aim is not to produce a hurried plan on paper, but to build more connectedness, foster ownership across sectors and let each agency connect and plug into the ecosystem according to its own reality,” Weerasak said.
US-based Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is deepening its Indonesia growth strategy by expanding beyond Jakarta, working more closely with trade partners, and exploring opportunities in the business events segment.
Henry Yu, managing director for Asia at Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, said Indonesia has grown from a new market to one of the brand’s top five source markets in Asia within the last two to three years.
Uniworld is looking beyond Jakarta to tap growth in Surabaya, Medan and the business events segment
“The growth in Indonesia is beyond fantastic, and now we want to make it stronger and move toward the top three,” Yu said.
While Yu did not disclose a specific target for 2026, he noted that Uniworld remains focused on expanding its presence despite a challenging market backdrop.
With the rupiah under pressure, Yu said it is an opportune time to step up marketing efforts and continue building awareness among Indonesian travellers and trade partners.
“River cruising is still a new product in Indonesia, so we need to spend more time educating the market,” he added.
To drive growth, Uniworld is expanding its reach beyond Jakarta, with increased engagement planned for cities including Bandung, Medan, Surabaya and Semarang.
Yu shared: “We are working closely with travel agents through product training and experience-based events to introduce river cruising to the market.”
Beyond leisure travel, Uniworld is targeting the business events segment, positioning river cruising as an alternative for corporate groups looking to reward and engage teams through tailored itineraries.
“One approach Uniworld takes for corporate groups is to create personalised programmes, including customised onboard arrangements, dining concepts, and excursions,” Yu said, adding that the company will continue investing in Indonesia as operations scale up.
“Right now, we have one representative, and we will see how we can provide more support as we grow in the Indonesian market.”
Klook and Mastercard have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop travel and payment experiences for consumers across the Asia-Pacific region.
The collaboration centres on three strategic areas: increasing cardholder benefits, expanding travel and lifestyle offerings, and introducing new payment options. The alliance aims to cater to changing consumer habits identified in Klook’s Travel Pulse 2026 research, which revealed that 47 per cent of regional travellers seek promotional offers, 42 per cent book early for better rates, and 23 per cent choose destinations based on specific activities.
From left: Klook’s Eric Gnock Fah and Mastercard’s Peter Robejsek
Initial joint initiatives will include exclusive discounts and privileges for Mastercard cardholders ahead of the year-end travel season, alongside a pipeline of entertainment benefits. Future plans involve deeper data integration and next-generation payment capabilities.
“Experiences give travel meaning, creating moments that become lasting memories,” said Eric Gnock Fah, co-founder and president at Klook. “By combining Klook’s experiences platform with Mastercard’s global network and trusted payments infrastructure, we can help travellers discover more, unlock greater value, and spend less time planning and more time experiencing the world.”
“The future of travel will be shaped by ecosystems that bring together the best of technology, payments and experiences,” added Peter Robejsek, executive vice president, market development, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. “Through collaborations with industry leaders like Klook, with their deep insights on travellers, Mastercard is helping create more personalised, rewarding and seamless journeys across the region.”
Radisson Hotel Group will debut its Radisson Red brand in Australia with a 328-room, new-build property set to open in Sydney’s CBD in 2029.
Developed in partnership with Ceerose, the 31-storey Radisson Red Sydney Haymarket will be situated 200 metres from Central Station and 6.3km from Sydney Airport, placing guests near Chinatown, Darling Harbour, the International Convention Centre, and the city’s emerging Tech Central precinct.
The 328-room, new-build Radisson RED Sydney Haymarket will open in 2029 near Central Station and Tech Central
Facilities will include a restaurant, a lobby café-bar, a pool bar, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, and 218m² of meeting space. The property will also feature a dedicated early- and late-check-out lounge for transit travellers.
“The signing of Australia’s first Radisson Red marks an important milestone in our Australasia expansion plan,” said Elie Younes, executive vice president & global chief development officer, Radisson Hotel Group.
“Radisson Red Sydney Haymarket has been conceived as a destination that reflects the energy and transformation taking place across this part of Sydney,” added Edward Doueihi, founder and managing director of Ceerose. “Its location at the gateway to the CBD… creates a compelling opportunity for a new lifestyle hotel. We are delighted to partner with Radisson Hotel Group to bring a distinctive, globally recognised brand to this landmark development.”
Royal Caribbean has unveiled its 2027-2028 Asia-Pacific season featuring Voyager of the Seas. From October 2027 through April 2028, the vessel will operate two- to 15-night itineraries departing from Brisbane, Sydney, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Voyager of the Seas will begin operations in Brisbane and Sydney before repositioning north to Singapore and homeporting in Hong Kong. The broader regional line-up includes Navigator of the Seas sailing year-round from Singapore starting October 2026, Ovation of the Seas from Brisbane, Anthem of the Seas from Sydney, and Spectrum of the Seas operating out of Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Voyager of the Seas will operate a series of two- to 15-night itineraries across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific between October 2027 and April 2028; photo by Royal Caribbean
From October to December 2027, Voyager of the Seas will offer two- to seven-night South Pacific sailings from Brisbane visiting Mystery Island, Port Vila, Luganville, and Noumea, before a two-night repositioning to Sydney. From Sydney, itineraries include a 10-night Christmas cruise to New Zealand visiting Picton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Milford Sound.
Sailings from Singapore include a five-night voyage visiting Ho Chi Minh City (Phuoc An) before terminating in Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, four- and five-night Chinese New Year cruises will visit Ishigaki and Okinawa, alongside regional itineraries to Taipei (Keelung) and Hue/Danang (Chan May).
Kenny Toy joins Rosewood Hotel Group as senior vice president, commercial, global, based in Hong Kong.
Reporting to COO Anthony Ingham, Toy will oversee the group’s global commercial strategy, including sales, marketing, distribution, revenue management, partnerships and e-commerce.
Toy has more than 20 years of experience in commercial strategy, marketing and digital transformation, and joins Rosewood from Accenture Song.
The Japanese government has pledged to promote travel to Kyushu in response to the devastating losses incurred by its tourism industry following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28.
Central eastern towns, including Uki and Hikawa, were hardest hit, though other parts of the prefecture and neighbouring areas also experienced strong or moderate shaking.
The Mount Aso area in Kumamoto remains unaffected by the recent earthquake and open to visitors
Damage to the buildings, equipment, and hot spring infrastructure of hotels and inns near the epicentre is estimated at four billion yen (US$25.1 million), according to the Kumamoto Prefectural Government. A further two billion yen in revenue shortfall due to cancellations by roughly 146,000 guests for trips this summer and autumn has been reported by Kumamoto’s tourism industry.
Roughly 60 per cent of the relinquished bookings were for accommodation in parts of the prefecture largely unaffected by the quake, including the popular Aso area, prompting Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura to urge people not to cancel trips based on fear or rumours.
Other Kyushu prefectures have also suffered cancellations. Kagoshima logged the highest number at 111,749, largely due to severed transport links and the popularity of joint Kumamoto-Kagoshima touring packages. Fukuoka followed with 28,000 cancellations, alongside Nagasaki (14,259), Miyazaki (11,357), Oita (7,810), and Saga (1,820).
With the Kyushu Shinkansen still suspended between Kumamoto and Shin-Minamata stations and operating on a limited schedule between Shin-Minamata and Kagoshima-Chuo stations, the tourism industry is bracing for further cancellations in the coming weeks.
The national government’s aid package is expected to be launched by the end of August, featuring a travel fee discount campaign for Kyushu, according to a government spokesperson.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a portfolio agreement with long-term partner GCP Hospitality, the hospitality arm of Gaw Capital Group, to add 14 hotels in Kyoto.
The deal covers 1,063 rooms comprising 12 Garner hotels, one Holiday Inn Express, and one unbranded hotel. All properties will undergo phased openings over the next 12 months following renovation and rebranding. The agreement represents one of the largest conversion portfolio deals in Japan in recent years.
The agreement with GCP Hospitality will add 1,063 rooms across key city districts through 12 Garner properties, one Holiday Inn Express, and an unbranded hotel
The expansion boosts IHG’s presence in Kyoto, adding to an existing portfolio that includes Six Senses Kyoto, ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto, Holiday Inn Kyoto Gojo, and Garner Hotel Kyoto Shijo Karasuma. The properties are situated in primary districts, including areas around Kyoto Station, Shijo, and Gojo.
Commenting on the appointment, GCP Hospitality CEO Erwann Mahé said the firm was pleased to expand its partnership with IHG. He added that GCP Hospitality would manage the 14-hotel portfolio, leveraging IHG’s global scale and brand strength to reposition the properties in Kyoto.
Abhijay Sandilya, managing director, Japan & Micronesia, IHG Hotels & Resorts and CEO of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan, said: “Following the successful Garner brand launch in Japan around 18 months ago in Osaka, this deal demonstrates the growing interest from owners to rebrand hotels and benefit from quick access to IHG’s leading enterprise, including our marketing, technology and distribution platforms, and the scale of IHG One Rewards globally.
“We are just starting to tap into Garner’s full growth potential in Japan as the business hotel segment is under-penetrated by international brands.”
Toy has more than 20 years of experience in commercial strategy, marketing and digital transformation, and joins Rosewood from Accenture Song.
