Flight movements at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) registered 28,140 for the month of March, translating to a 15.5% jump year-on-year. The airport also broke the previous single-day record of flight movements with 971 flight movements on 31 March 2011. In addition, driven by travels to and from Southeast Asia and mainland China, the HKIA saw 4.2 million passengers in March, a jump of approximately 2% year-on-year. The Airport Authority Hong Kong commented that the increase in flight movements was attributable to airlines increasing flights on the back of the strong economic performance of the region.

Accor Group’s Ibis brand has opened its second hotel in Singapore on 2 April this year. The opening of the new Ibis Singapore Novena comes approximately two years after the first Ibis hotel in the city-state – Ibis Singapore Bencoolen. The 241-key hotel, which is owned by Cockpit International, offers an international buffet restaurant and a bar. With increasing visitor arrivals to Singapore expected in the coming years, Shamila Rolfe, General Manager of Ibis Singapore Novena, expects the hotel to be well-positioned to capture the demand for quality yet affordable accommodation from neighbouring countries as well as long-haul markets.

Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts has made its entry into the Singapore market with the soft-opening of the Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa. The hotel is located within the Sentosa integrated gaming resort and will be spread out over two distinct wings, the traditional Heritage wing and the Contemporary wing. For the initial phase, the modern Contemporary wing opened with 105 guestrooms and 25 suites. The Heritage wing will be opened during the next phase by end of 2011 with 61 guestrooms and suites.