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Asia travel

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Asia travel
Survival guides, insider secrets, top things to do, eco-tours, independent hotel reviews, family-friendly itineraries: fire your imagination with the South China Morning Post’s travel guides and must-see lists for holiday destinations across China and the rest of Asia.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Stephen Buckle, from Aspect, a global landscape architecture company, says that the most successful way to strike a balance between commercial and design aspirations is to make ecologically minded greening the focal point of any project, including this, The Roof, a Shanghai lifestyle complex, designed in collaboration with French architect Jean Nouvel. Photo: Courtesy Aspect

From Hong Kong’s Taikoo Square to Seoul’s Gangnam forest and Chengdu’s Hyperlane, nature is reshaping Asia’s cities

Urban greening is evolving: Asian cities are embracing biodiverse urban forests, moving beyond mere decoration to create ecological, human-centric spaces.

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Innocent and Chihiro Mutanga on the rooftop of Chungking Mansions, in Tsim Sha Tsui, the spot where they got engaged. Photo: Tracy Wong

The cross-cultural love story that forms the heart of the Africa Centre

Reading Time:6 minutes
Mentors and mentees mingle during Rosewood Foundation’s Rise to the Table programme in March. Photo: courtesy Rosewood Foundation

Rosewood throws its weight behind female empowerment in hospitality

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The summit of Norman Foster’s HSBC Main Building in relief against The Peak, 1986. Photo: Ian Lambot

The building that rewrote architecture – 40 years ago

Reading Time:7 minutes
Zizi, a Chinese participant performing fire spinning at “Shambhala in Your Heart” festival. Photo: David Frazier

Chinese youths swap the rat race for fun and freedom at Thailand’s hippie Shambhala festival

Reading Time:9 minutes
Children play on an iron climbing frame in the new Wah Fu Estate, 1968. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: Hong Kong’s groundbreaking Wah Fu public housing estate

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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Foreign journalists are guided along with tanks containing treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Okuma town, northeastern Japan, in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

Japan injects new life into Fukushima with nuclear plant ‘hope tourism’

Visitors flock to barely inhabited towns, attracted for the most part by the very catastrophe that drove their residents away.

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Tourism

This mall is one of the best places to buy anime and fan merch in Seoul

Thailand

Hit by Iran war, Thai hotels woo Asian guests to make up for loss of Europeans

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China travel

2,700 China-Japan flights axed in March as rift between Asian powers deepens

Nearly half of the planned flights between China and Japan were cancelled last month, as Beijing and Tokyo remain locked in a diplomatic feud.

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Air China planes are seen parked on the tarmac at an airport in Beijing in 2020. Photo: AFP
Tourism

10 tips for retirement travel, from planning with AI to packing your bag

With travelling after retirement a growing trend, intrepid mature globe-trotters share tips on how to get the most out of more relaxed trips.

Food and Drinks

Asia’s next cocktail capital? The rise of Phnom Penh’s vibrant drinks scene

Bars in the Cambodian capital are redefining the city’s mixology with their focus on local ingredients, creativity and sustainability.

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New Zealand

Air New Zealand economy passengers can join world’s first mile-high sleep club

Socks are mandatory and crumbs, strong perfumes and bed-sharing are forbidden as fliers get cosy with their fellow passengers.

Air New Zealand unveils sleeping pods in a mock-up of a plane cabin in Auckland. Photo: Air New Zealand/AP
Indonesia

Bali wants illegal rentals to be legitimate as operators flag red tape

Authorities want to help unregistered accommodation providers secure permits to plug the tax collection gap.

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South Korea

BTS comeback drives record 2.06 million tourists to South Korea

Foreigners who went to South Korea for the K-pop group’s concerts spent US$38 million in purchases between January 1 and April 12 ‌.

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Tourism

The best things to do in Gwangju, South Korea, from buildings to buns

Gwangju is known for its fine architecture, including traditional Korean hanok houses, as well as its cafes and a certain sticky rice cake.

Gaeseong juak, a traditional Korean rice doughnut, and iced coffee are served at Hoyang Horim in Yangnim-dong, Nam district, in Gwangju, South Korea. Photo: The Korea Times
US, Israel war on Iran

Lack of fuel reserves forces Southeast Asian flight cuts amid Hormuz crisis

Airlines are cutting flights, as dependence on Middle Eastern fuel hits operators from Pakistan to New Zealand.

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A Vietjet Airline airplane in front of a Vietnam Airlines airplane, at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Food and Drinks

André Chiang recaptures the magic of Raffles at his new Singapore restaurant

The Taiwanese chef’s 1887 by André at Raffles Singapore serves ‘heritage gastronomy’ dishes drawn from the hotel’s founding era.

Luxury Hotels

Review | Park Hyatt Tokyo reopened after a 2-year renovation – here’s a look inside

You may know it from 2003’s Oscar-winning Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson – take a look inside the iconic hotel.

Tourism

They came to see the cherry blossoms. A Japanese town isn’t happy about it

Fujiyoshida’s cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji views have sparked overtourism chaos, with a local festival cancelled as a result.

Mount Fuji is seen through cherry blossoms at Arakurayama Sengen Park, in Fujiyoshida, Japan, on April 8, 2026. Photo: AP
Luxury Hotels

Review | The newly opened 1 Hotel Tokyo, a sustainability-driven hotel in Akasaka

1 Hotels – which has outposts in cities like London, Copenhagen, Melbourne and West Hollywood – has opened its first Asian location in Akasaka, Tokyo.

1 Hotel Tokyo’s design features plenty of natural materials such as stone and wood. Photo: Handout
Japan

‘Making a racket in Chinese’: Japan’s cherry blossom season stirs cultural rift

A report claims residents of Dazaifu in Fukuoka prefecture complained about groups ‘making a racket in Chinese’ at a popular hanami spot.

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Food and Drinks

Hainanese chicken rice origins and its versions in Singapore, Malaysia and more

With roots in Hainan’s Wenchang chicken, Hainanese chicken rice shows how a dish can quietly evolve into distinct regional iterations.

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Thailand

Chinese youths swap the rat race for fun and freedom at Thailand’s hippie Shambhala festival

At a hippie festival in northern Thailand, mainland Chinese youths are swapping involution for personal freedom.

Zizi, a Chinese participant performing fire spinning at “Shambhala in Your Heart” festival. Photo: David Frazier
Food and Drinks

How sake breweries near Japan’s Mount Fuji are taking the drink to new heights

From elevated premium spirits to sparkling sake and even a rosé-inspired red sake, two Yamanashi sake makers are elevating the drink.

Luxury Hotels

Review | Regent Bali Canggu brings coastal luxury to the island’s trendiest beach

Bali’s hottest spot now boasts a beachfront resort with stunning views, top-notch service and seclusion for those seeking peace and quiet.

China travel

South Korea opens door wider to Chinese travellers – but will they come?

Higher airfares and fierce regional competition may blunt impact of new policy, analysts say.

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Tourists walk around Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, South Korea, on March 15. Photo: EPA
Indonesia

Bali rocked by spate of murder cases – is Indonesian island more dangerous now?

The cases allegedly involving foreign suspects have spurred concerns that gang disputes have moved from other countries to the island.

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Igor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian, was kidnapped and later found dead in a suspected murder in Bali in February. Photo: YouTube
Japan

Litterbugs in Shibuya to be fined on the spot as visitor numbers surge

The initiative, which will see offenders fined US$12.50, reflects a broader rethink of the ward’s earlier decision to remove public rubbish bins.

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Indonesia

‘Disturbing’: are Indonesia’s borders prone to systemic immigration corruption?

Some Singaporean tourists to Batam say they have paid nearly US$200 to clear entry checks that should have been free for Southeast Asian visitors.

China travel

Amid soaring airfares, Chinese bookings up 20% ahead of Ching Ming holiday

Global instability fails to deter Chinese holidaymakers with airlines selling 2.04 million tickets in the lead-up to Ching Ming Festival.

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A China Eastern Airlines flight takes off from an airport in Shanghai. Demand for flights over the upcoming Ching Ming Festival holiday remains robust in China despite soaring airfares. Photo: Xinhua
North Korea

Video | Air China resumes direct flights to Pyongyang

The route resumption is seen as a sign of warming economic ties between China and North Korea.

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Luxury Hotels

Review | Explore a new side of the city from the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan

The new Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan, with its futuristic facade, is situated in one of the city’s most stylish areas – and is Hilton’s 888th property in China.

Japan

Sacred deer have been a fixture of Japan’s Nara. Now they’re wandering away

More green spaces in nearby cities and the deer’s adaptable nature have led to them straying as far as 40km away from their habitat.

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