Roundup

RISE IN HOTEL GUESTS

A total of 494,000 guests checked into Macao's hotels in October, up 11.3 percent year-on-year, the special administrative region's statistics department said on Wednesday. The latest report from the Statistics and Census Service showed that guests from the Chinese mainland rose by 15 percent year-on-year to 390,000 while the number of local guests went down by 11.1 percent to 70,000. The number of Macao residents purchasing outbound services, such as booking transport, accommodation and sightseeing tours, through travel agencies surged by 65.8 percent to 5,900.

THIRD RUNWAY LAUNCHED

Hong Kong's airport officially launched a third runway in late November, which is expected to boost the city's status as an aviation hub. The Airport Authority Hong Kong said about 140 flights a day are using the new runway, which has been in operation since early July. However, the airport is using only two runways because its center runway was closed in July for reconfiguration. The airport is also expanding its Terminal Two and is building a new concourse and baggage handling system. Work is expected to be completed by 2024, after which the airport will use all three runways.

FLIGHT RESUMES

A commercial flight operated by China's Hainan Airlines landed at the Ben-Gurion International Airport in Israel on Tuesday morning, marking the resumption of direct passenger flights between the Chinese mainland and Israel since the outbreak of COVID-19. Hainan Airlines reopened the route between Shenzhen in southern China and Israel's Tel Aviv with one round trip every Tuesday. In February 2020, it had suspended all direct flights between the Chinese mainland and Israel.

INDUSTRY AWARDS

Marriott International announced on Wednesday that it has won four industry awards in the Chinese market. These are Hotel Group of the Year from the Jiemian Wonderlust Travel Guide 2022; the Annual Hotel Loyalty Program from the 10th Flyert Travel Award 2022; one of the Best Practice List of Global Communication Enterprise Cases from the 2022 IP Shanghai; and the Best Meetings and Conventions Hotel Brand in China from the TTG China Travel Awards. Each of these prestigious awards recognizes Marriott International's efforts and commitment to leading and shaping the future of hospitality in the areas of travel programs, sustainability, brand evolution and guest experience, the company said.

Agencies - China Daily