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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
Joe Wong poses for a portrait after his Joe Wong: The Twin Tariff Show in Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

Joe Wong, Ronny Chieng and the rise of Asian voices in comedy

Asian comedians were once forced to resort to stereotypes to find a platform – but a wave of pioneering stars is changing that.

Reading Time:8 minutes
Lam Lau with his son Aidan at Lau Kee Boat Noodles in Hong Kong, which has been in business since 1981. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

How a vanishing Hong Kong boat culture has kept its cuisine afloat

Reading Time:7 minutes
A sliding wall shrinks or expands the living area and guest room at this flat in West Kowloon designed by Norman Ung, co-founder of design studios Form and Design Eight Five Two (Deft). Photo: Eugene Chan

Rooms in this flat flex and contract to suit different needs

Reading Time:3 minutes
The study of a lawyer’s dream flat in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong, with interior design by Win Key Workshop. Photo: Eugene Chan; Styling: Flavia Markovits

Dream flat in Hong Kong’s Repulse Bay a fortuitous find

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Christmas lights on Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong, in 1981. Photo: SCMP Archives

How a washing machine inspired Hong Kong’s most magical Christmas lights

Reading Time:4 minutes
A picture of a young Teresa Teng in Bangkok from The Story of Teresa Teng by Billy. A former employee of the Chiang Mai hotel where she lived and died reveals what happened on the day she died in 1995. Photo: The Story of Teresa Teng by Billy

The day Teresa Teng died in Thailand – what the butler saw

Reading Time:12 minutes
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Mainland Chinese tourists visit Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Thursday Photo: AP
China-Japan relations

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

Mainland visitor numbers rose just 3% in November after flight cuts and travel warnings took effect as diplomatic strains escalated.

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Food and Drinks

‘Crazy cocktail menu’ at Macau bar honours bartender’s travels in Asia

China travel

Why South Korea is becoming China’s new bargain travel hotspot amid Japan spat

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Two Seasons, Two Strangers: a hypnotic ode to writing and travel

Starring Shim Eun-kyung and Yuumi Kawai, Japanese drama Two Seasons, Two Strangers is both fascinating and beautiful.

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Yuumi Kawai in a still from Two Seasons, Two Strangers
Mainland China

China-led Asia-Pacific lifts global aviation outlook as profits set to soar

Passenger demand from China and India, eased visa rules and freight resilience drive growth as IATA forecasts record airline profits in 2026.

Trip Inspiration

What the festive season looks like across Asia’s most vibrant cities

Christmas markets, fireworks and giant lanterns are all in store if you’re seeing in the season elsewhere in Asia.

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China consumption

‘A violation’? China’s airlines in the hot seat over hidden extra fees

Seat selection fees are becoming more common in China as airlines grapple with squeezed profit margins, but consumers are pushing back.

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Passengers board an Air China flight at an airport in Beijing. China’s major airlines are facing criticism for charging extra seat selection fees. Photo: Getty Images
United States

US plans to order foreign tourists to disclose social media histories

The move requires tourists from 42 nations to share five-year social media history, igniting privacy debates and free speech worries.

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North Korea

North Korea promotes new beach resort to Chinese tourists in 2026 plan

The Wonsan beach resort and the Pyongyang Marathon highlight plans for Chinese visitors in a post-pandemic tourism push.

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World of performing arts

New arts venues in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, including the ‘Airpod building’

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Square and Aranya Art Centre Guangzhou show the Greater Bay Area’s ongoing efforts to become a cultural destination.

Shenzhen Bay Culture Square opened in November 2025, the latest public cultural landmark to open in the Greater Bay Area (Photo: Zhu Yumeng; Courtesy of MAD Architecture Studio)
Luxury Hotels

Is Hoiana Resort & Golf Vietnam’s ultimate seaside escape?

The luxury resort along the central Vietnam coast boasts over 20 F&B establishments, golf, a casino and endless activities for both grown-ups and children.

One of Hoiana Resort & Golf’s several pools. Photo: Handout
India

IndiGo flight chaos exposes risks of India’s aviation duopoly

India’s largest airline grounded nearly 3,000 flights last week, showing how easily a staffing crunch at one carrier can paralyse the sector.

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Tourism

This Japanese farm homestay lets you get involved in producing organic food

Part of the global Wwoof programme, the Sho Farm near Tokyo lets visitors get their hands dirty and learn all about organic farming.

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India

India regulator faults airline CEO amid severe disruption

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has been ordered to explain the cancellations that affected almost half of its flights.

A passenger waits outside the IndiGo Airlines kiosk at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Saturday. Photo: AFP
India

India caps airfares as IndiGo crisis hits 5th day, stranding hundreds

IndiGo’s spate of cancellations has prompted fare increases on flights operated by other airlines on popular routes.

Travellers look at updates on flights, as they stand next to a screen displaying details of cancelled IndiGo airlines flights, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Bali mulls Airbnb ban to put a lid on revenue leak, overtourism

Airbnbs have emerged as a cheaper alternative to the sprawling resorts that dot the island, eroding tax revenue from hotels.

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India

‘Complete mayhem’: chaos after India’s largest airline cancels 1,200 flights

IndiGo blamed the disruption on ‘unforeseen operational challenges’ including technical glitches, adverse weather and new rules for workers.

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South Korea

Chinese tourists pivot to South Korea, Thailand amid Japan travel ban

Spat began when Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi suggested potential military intervention in Taiwan Strait, leading Beijing to issue a travel warning.

An alley crowded with tourists in central Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village. Photo: Korea Times
Malaysia

Penang set to scoop up Chinese tourists skipping Japan, Thailand’s Hat Yai

Penang anticipates a surge in year-end visitors, with events and food-driven itineraries boosting hotel bookings.

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India

Air India probed for flying plane without valid safety certificate

India’s aviation regulator said it was investigating the carrier after it operated eight flights without a valid airworthiness certificate.

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Malaysia

‘Malaysian promoting Singapore’: viral video sparks debate over talent use

Social media users question why Malaysian tourism authorities have not engaged local talent effectively to promote the country.

Two shots from the short film produced by Malaysian VFX artist Mohamad Sofian Abdullah, better known as Sofyank, in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board. Photos: Instagram / sofyank96
China travel

1,900 China-Japan flights cancelled in December as political row continues

Airlines have now scrapped over 40 per cent of their China-Japan flights scheduled for this month amid a diplomatic spat over Taiwan.

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Chinese airlines have cancelled large numbers of flights to Japan amid a political dispute over Taiwan. Photo: Shutterstock
China trade

From immigration to investments: China’s middle class is unwinding bets on Japan

Popular destination for capital feels the chill, with cruise lines cancelling trips, investors selling property and parents questioning if it is safe to send students.

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Travel news and advice

Top 10 travel trends for Hongkongers in 2026, from road trips to ‘romantasy’

Booking.com’s ‘Travel Predictions 2026’ survey also finds Hongkongers are seeking nature, thinking of their skin and open to robot help.

Nepal

Last frontier: Nepal slashes pricey permit, but will it boost tourism, economy?

Upper Mustang residents worry that they will not be able to reap the benefits from the cheaper permit and instead be like ‘animals in a zoo’.

Visitors watch the sunrise in the mountains of Nepal’s Upper Mustang. Photo: Getty Images
Singapore

Singapore becomes Plan B for Chinese travellers giving Japan a wide berth

Beijing’s call to boycott Japan after Sanae Takaichi’s remarks is benefiting Southeast Asian countries, travel agents say.

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Tourists take photos with the Merlion statue in Singapore. Chinese visitors say the city state is an “easy and comfortable” travel destination. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Opinion | Why Chinese are cancelling their trips to Japan

The Japanese prime minister crossed a red line and reopened old wounds in employing language that echoed rhetoric used by imperial Japan to justify invasion.

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Japan

Hotels hit back as Tokyo plans to hike lodging tax with percentage-based system

The plan would replace the current flat-rate hotel tax with a 3 per cent levy that hoteliers say would unfairly burden certain travellers.

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