News in Asia

Mandalay's famous Buddha image at Mahamuni Paya needs protection from golden leaves pilgrims put on it, experts say. 

Indonesia's famous Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, will stay closed for tourists till the end of March. But there are some positive news about the temple, too – read on.

The inaugural bus trip between Mandalay in Myanmar and Imphal, the capital of Manipur, a northeastern Indian state, is cancelled over the COVID-19 concerns. 

Important: Malaysia closes on Wednesday, March, 18, for two weeks till March, 31 due to the Covid-19 outbreak. If you are a foreigner and need to entry the country, do it before Wednesday. 

AirAsia's customers who booked flights to/from select destinations, including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Korea and Taiwan now can apply for credit for their international flight bookings until 30 April after the airline extended the period for obtaining credit.

Wings Air, a scheduled commuter passenger low cost airline based in Surabaya and a subsidiary of Lion Air Group has announced the laucnh of a new route from Pontianak in West Kalimantan to Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan effective from April, 3, this year.

Taiwan's famous leopard cat-themed train now boasts an updated edition. With a livery painted after Taiwan's only surviving wild cat, the train is scheduled to make its maiden trip on March, 20.

A series of measures to halt the spread of the Covid-19 disease have been announced by the Cambodian today.

All domestic land, sea and air travel to and from Manila were put on a halt yesterday after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced a "lockdown" of the capital in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

International tourist arrivals at Indian airports are reduced significantly in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak and they are expected to fall even further after the recent tightening of travel restriction by the Indian government.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is mulling the idea of moving all major celebrations except for religious ones related to the Thai New Year, or Songkran, from April to July in a bid to prevent spreading of the coronavirus.

Thailand cancelled the visa on arrival and visa exemption for several countries with high numbers of coronavirus infected cases yesterday. 

Shanghai Disney Resort will partially reopen on Monday, the management of the resort has announced recently. While the Disneyland park itself will remain closed, selected shopping, dining and recreational venues will welcome guests again.

For the global air transport industry, the COVID19 outbreak can result in USD63 billion – USD113 billion revenue losses, according to the latest IATA's updates of the pandemic financial impact.

Bangkok Airways, Thailand-based regional airline and the country's first boutique airline, will decrease flight frequency and terminate service indefinitely on selected routes as a response to the decrease of passenger demand.

Some good news from Bali where the famous Tanah Lot festival is confirmed for March 13 to 15. The biennial event will not be cancelled as many other events this spring, hurray.

While more and more major international events around the SEA are being cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19 outbreak, the 15th Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon will take place as scheduled, the organiser has confirmed recently.

Qatar has barred entry to the country for travellers from 14 nations around the world. Yet if you are connecting via the Hamad International Airport in Doha flying on Qatar Airways you will not be affected and will be allowed to proceed to your destination, even if your flight originates from one of the countries listed below.

Both Bangkok's airports, Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport enhance existing measures for COVID-19 surveillance.

Thai Airways has added more destinations to the list of flights which can be changed on request of the customer without any fees normally associated with ticket changes.