TODAY: Chinese group travel bookings to the US slumps, The Latin America hotel construction pipeline continues decline and How Blockchain is Taking Hold Across Asia Pacific.

Chinese group travel bookings to the US slumps
Friday, 24th August 2018

Data reveals that for the rest of the year, Chinese outbound bookings to the US are almost 10% behind where they were at the same time last year, whereas Chinese outbound bookings worldwide are ahead by 5.5%.

President Donald Trump’s tit-for-tat trade war with China appears to have caused a significant slump in Chinese visitors to the United States that could cost the American tourism sector dearly this year - according to the latest findings from ForwardKeys which predicts future travel patterns by analysing 17 million booking transactions a day >>

The Latin America hotel construction pipeline continues decline
24 Aug 2018 : According to the recent Latin America construction pipeline trend report, the total construction pipeline has 750 projects/129,351 rooms, the lowest number of projects in the pipeline since the fourth quarter of 2013 >>

Mövenpick marks its Malaysia debut in Kuala Lumpur
24 Aug 2018 : Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has made its debut in Malaysia, unveiling a strikingly modern hotel and conference centre close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) >>

Flagship InterContinental to anchor One Queen Street development in Auckland's Commercial Bay
24 Aug 2018 : Auckland will welcome a flagship InterContinental hotel in 2022 with IHG and Precinct Properties, the largest city centre real estate owner in New Zealand, signing an agreement to open InterContinental Auckland >>

HIGHLIGHT ARTICLE

How Blockchain is Taking Hold Across Asia Pacific
Friday, 24th August 2018

Start-ups across Asia Pacific are increasingly testing the potential of Blockchain, a disruptive technology impacting industries from healthcare to real estate.

In its simplest form, Blockchain is a distributed database. By recording and combining transactions into a de-centralized ledger system, it creates a “chain” of chronological data that no one party has control of. The value lies in the system’s ability to authenticate and track transactions in real time without the use of a third party, such as a bank >>

How France’s Focus on Healthy Living is Shaping Its Retail Scene
As France embraces healthier living, bricks-and-mortar stores offering high quality fresh produce – or the means to let people grow their own – are bucking the ever-growing trend for online shopping and drawing in the crowds.

Organic supermarkets like Bioccop and Bio c’ Bon are thriving. Over the last eight years, the organic retail sector has more than doubled its store presence from 568 outlets in 2009 to 1305 in 2017 >>

8 Tech Trends That Are Changing the Travel Industry
This is an incredible time to work in the travel industry. The impact technology and connectivity combined has had on the travel industry, as well as those of us who travel for fun (or for a living) is nothing short of astounding.

Today, companies in the travel space have the opportunity to reach their customers earlier in their planning process than ever before. AI, robotics, IoT and VR provide new ways for them to deliver innovative and more customized travel experiences without breaking the bank. >>