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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
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

The architect whose creation defied convention and the photographer who shot it share their thoughts on an inside-out marvel.

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
Hintegro founder Keith Chan’s Sha Tin retreat. Photo: Keith Chan

An interior designer on finally designing for his own home

Reading Time:4 minutes
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

Reading Time:7 minutes
Bryn Terfel, the bass-baritone. Photo: Rolex/Elisa Haberer

A legendary opera singer on playing the ‘bad boy’ on stage

Reading Time:3 minutes
New Zealand’s Dallas Seymour powers his way through the mud as his team faces Hong Kong at the 1992 Cathay Pacific-Hongkong Bank Invitation Sevens at Hong Kong Stadium. The All Blacks won, obviously. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: 50 years of mud, sweat and beers at the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens

Reading Time:1 minute
MORE IN POSTMAG
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Tourists walk at a shopping area in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA
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

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Tourism

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

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.

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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.

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.

Hainanese chicken rice at a restaurant in Hong Kong. From humble origins on the Chinese island of Hainan, the dish spread across Asia, evolving into much-loved local variations from Singapore to Vietnam. Photo: Warton Li
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.

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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.

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.

The deer at Nara Park in Japan are popular with tourists and locals. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Profile | How a third-culture COO navigates culture clashes in frosty Niseko

The Luxe Nomad executive Patrick Ohtani talks about overcoming the issues that arise as cultures mix in the popular Japanese ski resort.

Niseko, with its ski slopes and onsen resorts that attract both local Japanese and visitors from around the world, is a place where cultures intersect – and not always harmoniously. Photo: The Luxe Nomad
Tourism

Visiting South Korea? 10 BTS pilgrimage spots every Army should visit

Explore iconic landmarks throughout the K-pop band’s history, from the current Hybe headquarters to their trainee-era haunts.

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China trade

Chinese island province wants more than beachgoers as it chases economic growth

After three speculative booms – and busts – the island province is seeking sustainable growth based on new status as a free-trade port.

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Malaysia

Malaysia wanted 43 million tourists this year. Then the Iran war happened

Malaysia’s reliance on Gulf hubs is exposed as long-haul fares soar, but 21 million annual arrivals from Singapore offer a buffer.

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Members of the Iranian women’s football team seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday after staying in a hotel in the Malaysian capital while awaiting the next leg of their journey home. Photo: AFP
Japan

Video | Tokyo’s cherry blossom season kicks off early

This year’s sakura season is 5 days earlier than usual.

A foreign tourist tries to touch the early-flowering cherry blossoms at Ueno Park in Tokyo, Japan, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
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Japan

MORE: An SCMP travel series

Today’s travellers want more out of their trips. More purpose. More authenticity. More connection. They’re wary of the dangers posed by over-tourism. They’re less likely to follow algorithms, and more likely to champion sustainability. And in a world over-reliant on smartphones, the modern traveller wants to be in the moment. They want more — and the travel industry is adapting to meet that demand, as this series explores.

Malaysia

Some tourists in Malaysia make most of ‘extended’ holiday amid flight mess

Stranded European visitors in Malaysia navigate visa extensions and rebooking woes as the conflict shows no sign of easing.

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