Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region: Australian Tourism exports exceed A$40B, Singapore-based Fragrance Group adds two UK hotels, Lanson Place and more...

Australian Tourism Exports Exceed A$40 billion a Year

Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitors Survey, which released on 6 September, shows that Australia’s tourism industry is booming. A total of 7.8 million foreign travellers, an 8.7% increase from year ending June 2016, flocked to Australia in the last twelve months. Tourists expenditure touched a total of A$40.6 billion, a 6.5% growth in international visitor spending. While New Zealand remains the number one source market for Australia with 1.22 million visitors, Chinese visitors have swelled to 1.16 million, a 9.5% increase from the year before, spending a total of A$9.8 billion and accounting for nearly a quarter of total tourism exports. US travellers are also fuelling the tourist spending boom in Australia, with the highest average expenditure per night at A$257; a record 706,000 visitors from the country spent a total of A$3.8 billion. Rod Battye of Tourism Research Australia commented that the trend is expected to continue, with visitors from China tipped to hit 4 million in the next decade, while US visitors could climb up to 1.3 million.

Singapore-based Fragrance Group Adds Two More Hotels to its Portfolio in the United Kingdom

Singapore-listed Fragrance Group has been active in the United Kingdom (UK) regional hotels market. In addition to last week’s acquisition of The Townhouse Hotel in Manchester for £12.5 million, Fragrance Group has also acquired the 300-year old 115-room Crown Hotel in North Yorkshire for £7.2 million and the 141-room Lyndene Hotel for £5.25 million. The three hotels will be operated by Bespoke Hotels and will bring the Fragrance Group’s UK hotel portfolio to five. The portfolio includes its February acquisition of the 180-room Imperial Hotel in Blackpool for £12.8 million, managed by Redefine BDL, and a July acquisition of the 141-room Palace Hotel in Torquay for over £10 million. The group has meanwhile incorporated wholly-owned subsidiaries in the UK as investment holding companies for its acquired properties, with a paid-up capital of £1 million each.

Lanson Place Makes its Debut in Chengdu, China

Lanson Place Hospitality Management Limited recently announced the opening of its first property in Chengdu, China. Strategically located in the heart of Chengdu’s CBD, Tianfu Square Serviced Suites by Lanson Place provides immediate ingress to the city’s bustling business centre, just a few minutes’ walk away from Metro Line 1 and Line 4. Guests can easily find many retail, entertainment and cultural components in the Tianfu Square, including Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, Chengdu Museum and Sichuan Provincial Library. It also offers convenient access to Chengdu's top fashion, shopping and fine dining hotspots, including HD Centre and Chunxi Road. In addition to 162 spacious suites with one- to three-bedroom options, the property features full stylish amenities, such as complimentary WiFi, satellite and wired TV. Other facilities at the property include a 24-hour fitness centre, a special club for in-house guests, an indoor swimming pool, a children’s playground and a beautiful sky garden. Besides, it offers a full range of guest services, including concierge service, housekeeping, laundry, 24-hour CCTV, food delivery and babysitting.

Hyatt Hotels Opens the Hyatt Regency Lucknow in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Hyatt Hotels announced the opening of the Hyatt Regency Lucknow in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, earlier this week. Located in Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar, approximately 25 km northeast of Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, the hotel features 206 rooms, with base category rooms measuring 30 m2. On the food & beverage front, the Hyatt Regency Lucknow features an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a bar, a delicatessen and 10,300 ft2 of indoor meeting and event space. Other facilities at the hotel include a swimming pool, a fitness centre and a spa. Lucknow is the capital and largest city of Uttar Pradesh and is an important business destination.

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