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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
Pete Sabine, aka DJ Fabsabs (right), and Joshua Wolper DJ a Cantomania set at the after party for the Black Eyed Peas’ gig at the AXA x Wonderland, in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, on November 19 last year. Photo: Alan Yiu Photography

Where Hong Kong’s teens and an 88-year-old share the dance floor

As Leslie Cheung and Faye Wong echo through the nightclub, a love letter to Cantopop gives the city a space for joy and belonging.

Reading Time:6 minutes
David Michael Webb (born 29 August 1965) is an activist investor, transparency advocate and public data archivist/analyst. Long based in Hong Kong, he was formerly an investment banker. He maintains a large, open set of highly synthesised public data records, at Webb-site.com, photographed in Mid Levels Hong Kong, 29May25 SCMP / Jocelyn Tam

He held Hong Kong’s elites to account. Now he’s running out of time

Reading Time:5 minutes
Ship ahoy ... the Sail Training Association of Japan’s full-masted brigantine, the Kaisei, visits Hong Kong to drum up support for an Asian society of novice sailors, in 1994. Photo: SCMP Archives

In Pictures: majestic sailing ships that made Hong Kong a port of call

Reading Time:1 minute
A room painted in Cloud Dancer (white), Pantone’s 2026 colour of the year. Photo: courtesy Pantone

Interior design trends for 2026 reflect a decade of change

Reading Time:4 minutes
The outdoor pool at Swim Club at Kimpton Tsim Sha Tsui, which boasts impressive harbour views. Photo: Swim Club

The buzziest openings in Hong Kong, from Japanese delights to a new literary museum

Reading Time:2 minutes
Shanghainese tailor George Kay at his shop, Baron Kay’s Tailor, in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 1987. Photo: SCMP Archives

How Hong Kong’s tailoring industry has evolved through the ages

Reading Time:3 minutes
MORE IN POSTMAG
Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Members of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), look out from a helicopter on Saturday, after a passenger aircraft lost contact while approaching a mountainous region between Java and Sulawesi islands. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Indonesia finds 1 body, wreckage from missing surveillance plane

There were seven crew members and three passengers on the plane chartered to conduct air surveillance on fisheries.

Luxury travel

Looking for a luxury Vietnamese escape with Spanish flair? We know a place

Luxury travel

Review | How the Osaka and Kyoto Ritz-Carltons blend luxury with Japanese tradition

China travel

‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less abroad than before?

China’s outbound travel sector has bounced back from the pandemic, but the era of duty-free shopping sprees appears to be over.

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Customers shop for skincare products at a duty-free shopping mall in China’s southern Hainan province. China has opened up to more duty-free retail in recent years, reducing the need for Chinese tourists to splash out while abroad. Photo: Getty Images
Tourism

What’s fuelling South Korea’s running boom? A look at the fitness obsession

From office workers to ultra-marathoners, South Korea’s running boom is reshaping streets, travel and retail as millions hit the pavement.

Tourism

3 underrated ski resorts that should be on your radar this winter

Ski in sight of Italy’s Mont Blanc, go from piste to onsen in Niigata and Nagano in Japan, or hit the snow at Quebec’s Club Med in Canada.

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The Philippines

Philippine tourism chief’s magazine cover draws backlash as visitor numbers slip

Christina Frasco’s cover appearance has drawn accusations from critics that self-promotion is being prioritised over strategy and results.

Christina Frasco, secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Tourism. Photo: Handout
China travel

China’s outbound travel set to soar by 10 million trips – but halve in Japan

Chinese tourist flows to Japan could plunge to as low as 4.8 million this year from 9.3 million in 2025 amid political dispute, survey finds.

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Japan

Meow arriving: Japan railway’s newest cat stationmaster clocks in

Yontama is the third cat to become stationmaster on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama prefecture after the death of her predecessor last year.

Tourism

Inside central Vietnam’s first integrated resort, a stone’s throw from Hoi An

Hoiana Resort & Golf has four properties, more than 20 restaurants and bars, a golf course and a casino, and is close to Hoi An Ancient Town.

Guests at Hoiana Resort & Golf have access to a four-kilometre-long secluded beach, as well as multiple pools. Photo: Hoiana Resort & Golf
Thailand

Thailand tightens cannabis sales as dispensaries face closure ahead of election

Thailand, the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, tightens rules to appeal to conservative voters ahead of pivotal election.

A staff member prepares a cannabis flower for a customer in Bangkok in June 2025, after Thailand banned sales without a prescription. Photo: AP
Food and Drinks

Unsung Eats: 5 best places to eat – and drink – in Bangkok

Besides Bangkok’s Michelin-starred tables and famed street food are intimate supper clubs and ‘social kitchens’ that are reinterpreting Thai flavours.

Vietnam

Vietnam overtakes Thailand as Chinese tourists' top choice for travel

Chinese visitors to Vietnam jumped 41 per cent to 5.3 million, topping the 4.5 million to Thailand, where safety concerns reduced Chinese travellers.

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Luxury Hotels

Welcome to Ananda, the luxury Indian retreat favoured by celebrities and royalty

India’s first luxury wellness retreat, Ananda offers Ayurvedic medical consultations in addition to yoga, meditation and singing bowl healing.

The spa pool at Ananda in the Himalayas, India’s first luxury wellness retreat, established a quarter of a century ago. Photo: Handout
Luxury Hotels

Review | Mett Singapore is a secluded retreat right in the heart of the city

Set in a beautiful 1926 colonial building, the hotel blends heritage charm with modern luxury, fine dining and a prime city location.

Mett Singapore is located in the heart of Fort Canning Park in central Singapore. Photo: Handout
Luxury Hotels

Review | Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur: a luxurious escape in Asia-Pacific’s tallest building

The luxury hospitality brand’s first hotel in the country is a serene urban retreat blending modern comfort with Malaysian heritage.

Luxury Hotels

Review | Old-world charm meets modern refinement at The Edison George Town, Penang

Set in a heritage colonial building dating back to 1906, the hotel underwent a 4-year restoration to bring it up to contemporary standards of luxury.

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Malaysia

‘Warm hospitality’: Chinese tourists eye return trips for Visit Malaysia 2026

Sabah’s natural beauty and events linked to the tourism drive entice travellers as the Malaysian state aims for 4 million arrivals.

A diving site on Sipadan Island, Malaysia’s Sabah state. Photo: Facebook/malaysia.travel.my
Tourism

Asian travellers brace for ‘chilling’ US social media scrutiny

The proposal, which requires visa-exempt visitors to provide five years of social media history, comes amid moves to toughen US borders.

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Malaysia

‘Less than friendly’: Malaysia’s tourism minister flags visitor complaints

Authorities have also called for a major clean-up ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 in response to reports of dirtiness in tourist areas.

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China travel

China’s service sector shines as holidaymakers eye bespoke adventures with pets

While broader consumption remains soft, demand for personalised itineraries and snow sports is growing, offering a boost to the holiday economy.

More Chinese travellers are pivoting from mass-market sightseeing to bespoke adventures, fuelling a surge in demand for pet-friendly itineraries and winter excursions. Photo: Getty Images
Tourism

7 travel tips for 2026 – one of them is to play board games with locals

Forget TikTok recommendations and soulless one-star restaurants; focus instead on the experiences you want to taste, drink, and enjoy.

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Snakes and Lattes, a board game cafe in Toronto, has many games on site. Play games in places like this to connect with locals when you are on your travels. Photo: Toronto Star via Getty Images
Locals' Guide

Insider’s guide to Perth, from sun-kissed beaches to local fine wines

Most of the action in one of the world’s most remote major cities is to be found in the suburbs – but don’t forget your swimsuit for the beautiful beaches.

Crime

Mile-high crime club: theft syndicates target Asia’s airlines

Experts say rising passenger volumes, including an influx of Chinese travellers amid visa-free schemes, have attracted gangs operating in the skies.

Food and Drinks

Travel stories from 2025 that will fuel your wanderlust for the year ahead

We recall 7 travel stories from the past year to inspire you in 2026, covering China food trips to a Hongkonger’s life-changing adventure.

Kaylie Lau outside Kalan Mosque, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Earlier this year, the Post spoke to the Hongkonger who is currently on a trip from Asia to Europe, taking no flights and carrying only one backpack. Photo: Kaylie Lau
India

Duopoly of Air India, IndiGo to face challenge from 2 new airlines

The approval for Al Hind Air and FlyExpress to operate in India comes amid mounting calls to challenge the dominance of Air India and IndiGo.

Aircrafts queue up on the tarmac before taking off at Mumbai airport. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

‘Nothing has changed’: safety gaps, old facilities hobble Malaysian tourism

‘We must clean this up. Tourists must feel safe and happy so they leave with good memories of Malaysia,’ Tourism Minister Tiong says.

China-Latin America relations

Brazil weighs visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and business travellers

Brazil saw nearly 80 per cent growth in Chinese tourists in 2024 and would join only two neighbours offering visa-free entry.

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