Having expanded its offerings to China in 2014, the Mauritius-born luxury hotel management brand, The Lux Collective, is furthering its ambitious Asia growth with more properties to come this year.
Once China reopens her borders, the brand plans to launch the Lux Tea Horse Road journey. With sponsorship by Audi, visitors can embark on a four- to 10-night experience that takes in all of the hotels, which sit between six and 30 keys.
Julian Hagger, executive vice president, told TTG Asia at the Arabian Travel Market: “This is a totally unique product that explores some of the most beautiful and secluded parts of Yunnan and makes us one of the largest operators in the province.”
In addition, the collective is developing a Lux property in Phu Quoc, Vietnam. Slated to open at the end of 2023 in the north of the island, the 120-key exclusive project will be built entirely over water – the first-of-its-kind overwater luxury resort in Phu Quoc.
Hagger said: “This will bring Lux to South-east Asia and really cement us regionally. We’d love to expand further.”
He noted that having saturated the Indian Ocean, Asia is a “natural progression”; and with borders across the region starting to open, further development is on the horizon.
“It hasn’t been easy in the last two years as Asia has been under door lock. However, we’ve got our eyes wide open on the whole of South-east Asia and want more presence there. The Lux brand is very powerful and we feel it’s perfect for Asia.”
Prior to the pandemic, the collective had launched the award-winning brand, SALT Resorts, in Mauritius, to which Hagger shared: “This screams for expansion in Asia. I can see it in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia; destinations with very strong unique local cultural experiences.”
He added that the collective is currently seeking partners and investors for expansion.
Following a spike in Thailand Pass registrations over the last few weeks, new data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) indicates that the country is on target to welcome 20 million arrivals in 2023.
The uptick in arrivals comes in response to the relaxation of entry rules in April, the full removal of Test and Go PCR requirements, and the minimum Covid insurance coverage halved to US$10,000 on May 1.
As of May 3, TAT’s figures totalled 853,165 international visitors to Thailand – 74,414 from the UK, 63,342 from Germany, 55,995 from Russia, 51,783 from India and 49,792 from the US. This marked an increase of 139,982 in arrivals announced on April 25.
According to TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, the impact of the new guidelines will fare even better if China – which made up the lion’s share of arrivals in happier times – eases her travel restrictions as well.
“The industry next year is poised to strengthen from this year, making the goal of attracting 20 million tourists, half the total in 2019, achievable. This is particularly the case if China, which previously contributed one-third of arrivals, lifts border controls by that time.”
The predicted boost in arrivals should translate to approximately 80 per cent of 2019 levels – or about 2.4 trillion baht (US$69.6 billion) in predicted revenue for 2023.
The governor added that the immediate future of the low-season longhaul market is also looking up, and could mean that Thailand will receive as many as 500,000 tourists by the end of this month.
To maximise the opportunities presented by the surge in arrivals and encourage more tourists to return to Thailand, TAT is planning to submit an application to the Center for Economic Situation Administration for a campaign designed to promote the city’s culture, attractions and famous nightlife.