Less Chinese tourists in Thailand due to US trade war ?

According to official figures, numbers of Chinese tourists in Thailand for January-September this year were down almost a fifth compared to last year.

Some of the reasons for the drop-off are US trade war, the stronger baht and also the fact that Thailand wasn’t the untouched vacation paradise it once was.

Muslim women in travel

According to the Mastercard-CrescentRating 2019 report:

-Malaysia is top on a list of the world’s 10 most Muslim female-friendly countries.

-Muslim women are one of the fastest-growing segments in the global travel market, and solo holidays are especially popular among younger Muslim women. Some of the reasons are rising incomes and better education.

-Key features that Muslim women look out for before going on holiday include halal food, female prayer rooms, and freedom to wear the hijab in public.

The growth of Indian tourists

India is among the top 10 countries for Malaysia with regards to tourists.

Tourism Malaysia is expecting a 20 per cent growth in tourist arrivals from India due to various marketing initiatives across Indian cities.

Almost 600,311 Indian tourists visited Malaysia, registering a growth of more than 8.6 per cent in 2018 and spent around RM 2.7 billion. 

Moreover, from January to May 2019, the number of Indian tourists visited the country is registering a growth of 15.5 per cent in comparison to the same period of the last year. 

Malaysia is now aiming to target of 728,000 Indian tourists to visit Malaysia.

Hello Kitty to close operation in Johor Bahru

Hello Kitty theme park will cease operations as of 31st December. It seems that is the decision taken by the local government and the operator of Hello Kitty theme park. The reason? Its lower than projected visitation.

Chairman of the state tourism, Liow Cai Tung stated in the news, 

“The state government does not depend on one particular type of tourism product.

Besides that, Johor is also promoting eco-tourism as well as nature-based tourism and medical tourism.”

Sad to hear that the theme park based on a fictional Japanese character will close shop only after seven years of operation.

Qatar Airways coming to Langkawi

In expectation of more tourists coming to Malaysia during Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, Qatar Airways has started a new route from Doha to Langkawi starting from Tuesday 15th October 2019. According to Qatar Airways, they will fly four times a week, with a plan to increase the service in the near future.

Quoting Mr Akbar Al Baker, CEO of the group Qatar Airways:
“I am thrilled to have been on today’s special flight to Langkawi and to be here celebrating our arrival to this stunning archipelago. Langkawi marks the eighth new destination added to Qatar Airways’ rapidly expanding network in 2019.”

Qatar Airways will operate the flight using Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Currently they're selling seats for Economy or Business class.

Image courtesy of Qatar Airways.

More news can be read here:

https://simpleflying.com/qatar-airways-langkawi-malaysia/