Meetings in Asia Will Continue to Be Mostly Virtual

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, October 12. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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Episode Notes

Popular Asian destinations such as Japan and Hong Kong have significantly eased travel restrictions in recent weeks. But companies on the continent are more likely to stick with virtual and hybrid meetings next year compared to those in other regions, reports Corporate Travel Editor Matthew Parsons.

Forty-seven percent of companies in the Asia-Pacific region expect meetings in 2023 to be hybrid, according to a survey by the American Express Global Business Travel’s meetings division. That figure is higher than the ones recorded for companies throughout Europe, Latin and North America. Parsons cites the higher costs of meetings in the Asia-Pacific region as one reason more companies there are sticking with a hybrid format. Meetings in the region next year are projected to be more expensive per attendee than those held in North America and Europe.

Meanwhile, 61 percent of companies based in the Asia-Pacific region predicted in-person attendee numbers will return to 2019 levels within the next two years.

Next, companies on both sides of the Atlantic are grappling with a possible recession. But United Airlines announced plans on Wednesday to add seven transatlantic routes to its 2023 schedule despite the economic uncertainty, writes Edward Russell, editor of Airline Weekly, a Skift brand.

United is planning new transatlantic routes to destinations such as Stockholm, Berlin and Rome as well as increased frequencies in other markets. United’s planned schedule expansion comes amid credit rating agency S&P Global projecting economic turbulence in both the U.S. and Europe next year. However, Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of global network planning and alliances, said the company is confident in flying its planned 2023 schedule. Quayle cited the strong demand United saw for transatlantic flights this summer as a reason for its confidence.

We conclude today with Southeast Asia’s strategy to encourage tourists to explore the region by car. Ten Southeast Asian countries have collaborated to publish a road trip manual with information about travel in the region, reports Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia.

The guidebook, an initiative launched by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is part of an effort to promote overland tourism in the area, Bhutia writes. The manual contains information such as entry requirements, speed limits, and emergency contact numbers in each country. Bhutia adds the guidebook, which is designed to help tourists create their own itineraries, also lists second-tier destinations in an attempt to steer travelers toward lesser-known attractions.