Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Edition June 2019

Welcome to the June 2019 issue of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific, in which our Destination features take you to Switzerland on page 20, East China on page 26 and Lucknow, India on page 32. We also introduce some new airlines that are entering the market in Asia and beyond on page 40, as well as a host of new hotels in the vibrant Pearl River Delta region on page 44. If you’re a fan of golf, you’re going to want to turn to page 50, where we introduce some stunning courses in and around the Spanish capital Madrid. If dining is more your thing, page 54 takes you on a culinary journey through the fascinating food scene of Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island. On page 62 you’ll find my review of Cathay…

SUMMER IN SWITZERLAND The Alps in summer are magical, but surprisingly few people travel there during the hottest time of the year PEARL RIVER DELTA HOTELS This dynamic Chinese region, recently dubbed the Greater Bay Area, is seeing a host of new hotel openings START›UP AIRLINES From Bamboo Airways to Zipair Tokyo, flyers in Asia and beyond are set to see several new carriers take to the skies WHINING AND DINING Prices at fine-dining restaurants in Asia are spiralling out of control, our columnist Chris Dwyer argues…

MARK GRAHAM Mark Graham, who on page 26 of this issue explores three cities in Eastern China, first visited Shanghai more than 30 years ago, when the Pudong waterfront was lined with crumbling warehouses rather than today’s glittering high-rises. Graham writes for many international magazines and newspapers including the South China Morning Post, Discovery, Silkroad, Prestige and Vogue. He is an avid distance runner, competing regularly in 10K and half marathon races in China and internationally. AMAR GROVER Lawyer turned journalist Amar Grover grew up in Hong Kong and has contributed features to most of the UK broadsheet newspapers and quality travel magazines. He has been a freelance travel writer and photographer for over two decades and has been visiting India regularly since the late 1980s, but this was his first (and long-anticipated)…

QANTAS has launched a new initiative dedicating entire flights to frequent flyer redemptions. The first Points Plane service will be an A380 flight between Melbourne and Tokyo Narita on October 21, with redemption bookings opening on May 16. Members of the carrier’s Frequent Flyer scheme will be able to redeem points across the superjumbo’s cabins, with economy tickets valued at 35,000 points, premium economy at 54,000, business class at 72,000 and first class at 108,000. Taxes, fees and carrier charges apply to all redemptions. There will be a total of 371 economy seats up for grabs, as well as 35 premium economy, 64 business class and 14 first class seats. The airline said that all members will have an equal opportunity of securing a booking, regardless of tier status. The service will…

KOREAN AIR has decided to remove first class seating from some of its international routes. From the beginning of June, the airline will start removing the seats, leaving only economy and Prestige (Korean Air’s business class product) on 76 of its 111 international routes. As of June 1, only 35 routes – some 30 per cent of Korean Air’s international flights – will offer first class seats. For short-distance flights, Korean Air said it will offer first class seats only on major routes such as those to Beijing, Osaka, Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta and Hanoi. A Korean Air spokesperson told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific that through the removal of first class seating from some aircraft, the airline expects to “achieve better operational efficiency, while improving in-flight service for Prestige class…

YET another high-profile name is set to grace Bangkok’s ever-booming hotel sector with The Ritz-Carlton being the latest brand to set its sights on the Thai capital. The Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok is scheduled for a 2023 opening and will occupy the first 25 floors of a 50-storey tower in the upcoming One Bangkok mixed-use development – itself opening in 2022 – on Wireless Road in the Thai capital’s Lumpini central business district. Construction of the hotel is already under way, and its planned 259 guestrooms (including 32 suites, one of which is a signature Ritz-Carlton Suite) are expected to offer panoramic views of the adjacent Lumpini Park. Although this is Bangkok’s first Ritz-Carlton hotel, the brand does already have a presence in the Thai capital in the form of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Bangkok, located…