NY PATA Holiday Party

An Evening of Merrymaking

Tuesday, December 20th, 2022

5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

House of Joy

28 Pell Street

New York, NY 10013

M103 bus | Parking garage nearby

Family-Style 10-course Dinner

Wine and Prosecco

Entertainment

Lucky Draw

Members and Family

$65 per person

Please bring a wrapped gift to play Secret Santa

Gift limited to $15

SAVE YOUR SEAT NOW!

Holiday Party Registration/Payment

Check to be made payable to: NY PATA. Please copy & email to: newyorkpata@gmail.com

Payment by check must be received by 12/15/2022. Please send check to:

NY PATA | c/o Irene Sino, Treasurer | 58 W 58th Street, Apt 6E | New York, NY 10019-2507

Member Online Registration/Payment: https://newyorkpata.org

Online Registration/Payment by credit card will open on or before Tuesday 06 December.

You will be notified as soon as Online Registration is open.



1. Increased affluent travelers and opportunity for luxury travel: premium class travellers are leading the recovery. South Asian destinations such as Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Maldives are seeing high numbers of affluent visitor arrivals, benefitting from the multiplier effect of affluent travelers plus luxury travel.

2. Mid-long-haul travel is reviving faster than short haul travel: short-haul travel is recovering slower due to a lack of connectivity, which will lead to a destination’s lost opportunity of longer stays and higher spending to transfer points - a critical bottleneck for APAC to recognize and address

3. Increased long-haul, multi-destination travel: markets near trending destinations (e.g. Japan, Qatar) will benefit from the trend. That said, APAC can support its own recovery if dysconnectivity has been ironed out.

By taking lessons from the US and Europe, APAC’s recovery can be quicker and of higher quality despite coming later than the rest of the world.

Travel Recovery News:

• China’s travel stocks are benefitting from COVID-19 relaxations. Morning Star (Nov 23)
• RV Tourism increases popularity in China. China Daily (Nov 26)

Pandemic Status: 

• Beijing rolls out inhaled vaccine during its biggest COVID-19 surge ever. El Pais (Nov 22)

Travel Policy Updates: 

• China currently allows foreign nationals with valid residence permits and visas to enter the country under certain very limited conditions. A negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology), health screening procedures in place at airports, and a minimum of 10-day quarantine are required for entry. U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China
• Quarantine for inbound travellers is cut to five days of quarantine at designated sites plus three days of home quarantine, instead of seven-day quarantine at designated sites plus three-day health monitoring at home. The State Council, China

The FORMULA ONE race in Shanghai – due to take place on 16 April 2023 – has been scrapped amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions in the country.

The cancellation of the race in China will mark the fourth season it has been scrubbed from the schedule. It last took place in 2019, when it was won by Lewis Hamilton.



Travel Recovery News:

• Chinese Taipei to ease mask mandate starting Dec. 1. Focus Taiwan (Nov 28)
• Chinese Taipei's largest airline company will bring in bigger aircraft to meet demand. The Star (Nov 26)

Pandemic Status: 

• CECC eases rules for how often rapid tests are performed in residential, community care institutions; regular rapid testing measures at these institutions are extended until December 31.  CDC, Chinese Taipei (Nov 23)
• Second batch of 613,000 doses of Moderna BA.4/5 bivalent COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Chinese Taipei on morning of November 24. CDC, Chinese Taipei (Nov 24)

Travel Policy Updates: 

• From October 13, arriving travellers are no longer required to quarantine and have to instead undergo a seven-day period of self-initiated prevention after arrival. CDC, Chinese Taipei
• Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that effective 00:00 on December 1, 2022 (incoming flight's scheduled arrival time), it will increase the weekly cap of arriving passengers to 200,000 people. CDC, Chinese Taipei

Full information from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese Taipei >

Travel Recovery News:

• Japan to continue nationwide travel discount programme in 2023. Skift (Nov 25)
• Japan opens to Australia as Jetstar resumes flights. Daily Mail (Nov 28)

Pandemic Status:

• Japan approves first domestic oral COVID-19 drug. NHK World (Nov 22)
• Pharmaceutical firm Shionogi has applied with the health ministry for approval of its coronavirus vaccine, marking the first application of a COVID-19 vaccine developed in Japan. The Japan Times (Nov 24)

Travel Policy Updates: 

• On October 11, visa exemption arrangements were resumed and the suspension of visa validity under the border measures was lifted.
• On-arrival test at the quarantine station, self-quarantine, and refraining from the use of public transportation is no longer required. However, a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate (3 doses) or a certificate of a negative result of a pre-departure COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to departing is required. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Full information from Japan National Tourism Organization >



TOKYO

Tokyo Now December Newsletter: https://conta.cc/3XW4Gcy

Contributed by Aki Hirai

FIFA WORLD CUP

Japan defeated World Cup-favorite Spain, 2-1, on Thursday 01 December in Qatar to win Group E in shocking fashion, cementing their spot in the round of 16.

Japan will take on 2018 finalist Croatia in the Round of 16 stage of the FIFA World Cup at Al Janoub Stadium on Monday 05 December.



Travel Recovery News:

• Korea (ROK) increases popularity as student exchange destination. CNBC (Nov 23)
• Singapore Air adds flights to Korea (ROK). Bloomberg (Nov 22)

Pandemic Status: 

• The production of the country’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine was indefinitely suspended Tuesday, amid the slowdown in demand for vaccines tailored to combat SARS-CoV-2, the original strain of coronavirus. Inquirer.net (Nov 24)
• Korea (ROK)’s new COVID-19 cases came in the 50,000 range on Saturday for the third day in a row, continuing the recent mild resurgence on the back of the winter virus wave. Inquirer.net (Nov 27)

Travel Policy Updates: 

• All individuals entering Korea are required to go through a special immigration process.

1. Fill out the Health Questionnaire and Travel Record Declaration (Special Quarantine Report) on board the plane
2. Upon arrival at the airport, proceed to check temperature and submit documents
3. Individuals who are fully vaccinated and show no signs of symptoms may proceed to their destination. Travellers with symptoms within three days after arrival can get tested for free at a COVID-19 test centre or local health clinic.

Korea Tourism Organization

• All inbound travellers to Korea (ROK) are free from any PCR test requirement. The Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) is mandatory for foreigners from visa-free country. Korea Tourism Organization

Full information from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROK >

FIFA WORLD CUP

South Korea and Portugal faced off in their final group stage matches on Friday 02 December. South Korea beat Portugal 2-1, and will go through to the last 16 with Portugal from Group H.

South Korea will face Brazil in the Round of 16. Brazil lost 1-0 to Cameroon on Friday but secured first place in Group G when Switzerland couldn’t score enough goals to overcome the tiebreaker. This will be the eighth match between Brazil and South Korea in international competition. Brazil is 6-0-1, but this will be the first time they’ve met in the World Cup.



Spain is home to a myriad of delicious traditional foods, sweets, and unique dishes. While each region of Spain has a unique cuisine, Barcelona is the ultimate destination. Not only is Barcelona one of Spain's best cities to live in but also one of the best Spanish cities for food.

Heavily influenced by neighboring France and Italy, Catalan cuisine is truly Mediterranean, stemming from both the land and sea. Catalonia, centered along the eastern coast of Spain, has a cuisine all its own.

Traditional Catalan cuisine is quite diverse, ranging from pork-intensive dishes cooked in the inland part of the region (Catalonia is one of the main producers of swine products in Spain) to fish-based recipes along the coast. These meat and seafood elements are frequently fused together in the Catalan version of surf and turf, known as mar i muntanya. Examples include chicken with lobster (pollastre amb llagosta), chicken with crayfish (pollastre amb escarmalans), rice with meat and seafood (arròs mar i muntanya) and cuttlefish with meatballs (sipia amb mandonguilles).

No visit to Spain would be complete without having one of its quintessential dishes: paella. Purists say the Valencian version is the most authentic, but this seaside staple is done just as well in Barcelona

Cava is Catalonia's sparkling wine and point of pride for Catalan winemakers. The region of Catalonia is one of the only places where cava can be officially produced (similar to champagne and the region in France) and about 95% of cava is produced in the Penedès region in Catalonia.

The absolute number 1 attraction in Barcelona Spain is the Sagrada Familia; the holy cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudí. The unfinished church will probably be completed in 2026 and has to be part of your city break.

Barcelona is one of the best cities in the world for food lovers! Whether you're the type to splurge on Michelin stars or simply enjoy a good, home cooked meal, there's foodie fun for everyone in the Catalan capital.

Happy Holiday Season!

Here’s wishing you all the joys of the season, and the happiness all throughout the upcoming year.

New York PATA Board of Directors

New York PATA

Pacific Asia Travel Association

Technology | Relevance | Innovation | Resilience

Elizabeth Chin, Executive Director, PATA New York Chapter 

Email: newyorkpata@gmail.com | https://newyorkpata.org

2022-12-04 CC158