Asia loves Japan. Klook seeking ‘Chief Spring Officer’. Sabre adds 100k Chinese Hotels. Air New Zealand backs OneReg.

70% of Japan travel searches come from Asia ahead of Lunar New Year

Agoda says Lunar New Year travel demand is being driven largely by regional travellers, with its search data showing that 70% of interest in trips to Japan and more than 25% of searches for Thailand are coming from within Asia ahead of the festive period. Based on accommodation searches, the most popular Asian destinations during Lunar New Year are Tokyo, Bangkok, Taipei, Osaka, and Seoul. According to Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President, Supply at Agoda, cultural moments like Lunar New Year are key demand drivers in Asia, and partners that respond quickly to real-time demand signals with the right pricing, packages, and visibility are best positioned to benefit from the peak travel period.

PKFARE taps Trip Affiliates Network to boost direct DMC connectivity across APAC

Global travel wholesaler PKFARE has partnered with Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) to strengthen its direct connectivity with regional and local destination management companies (DMCs), with an initial focus on APAC. Through TA Network’s infrastructure, PKFARE will gain access to more accurate real-time rates and inventory, improved rate competitiveness, and tighter inventory control, enabling faster responses and more reliable service for travel partners. Jason Song, Founder and President of PKFARE, said the partnership supports PKFARE’s long-term sourcing strategy by enhancing its ability to deliver well-curated and competitive hotel content, while Jean Hsieh, Regional Director – Ecosystem & Partnerships, North Asia at TA Network, highlighted the collaboration’s role in helping DMCs connect more efficiently with international demand. The partnership will begin with onboarding DMCs via TA Network’s ecosystem, with plans to expand coverage across key destinations and directly contracted hotels, supported by close collaboration to ensure seamless connectivity, scalable growth, and consistent service standards.

Klook opens applications for ‘Chief Spring Officer’ ahead of peak Cherry Blossom season

Klook is inviting applications for a new, time-sensitive role dubbed Chief Spring Officer, created to help travellers navigate the increasingly complex spring travel period across Japan, South Korea, and Mainland China. The role is designed for individuals with firsthand experience managing peak cherry blossom season, as rising demand and tighter bloom windows make spring travel more competitive and operationally challenging each year. Sitting at the intersection of travel trends, seasonal expertise, and experience-led discovery, the Chief Spring Officer will contribute real-time, on-the-ground insights to support Klook’s 2026 spring campaign as conditions evolve. 

Applications are now open via LinkedIn, and Klook has also noted that journalists are welcome to apply for the role themselves.

Sabre adds 100,000 Chinese hotels, making SabreMosaic a domestic China lodging exclusive

Sabre has signed a new agreement with Shanghai Fuxun Information Technology to add more than 100,000 domestic hotels across China to its SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace, making it the only global travel marketplace to include domestic Chinese lodging content. The inventory spans over 70 major domestic hotel chains, some of the world’s largest by room count, alongside the China operations of international brands and a wide range of independent hotels that have historically been difficult for international agencies to access. 

According to Fuxun Co-founder and CMO John Chen, the partnership gives China-based properties instant exposure to global travel buyers, including business travellers, tour operators, and multinational corporations, while supporting Fuxun’s international growth ambitions.

For Sabre-connected travel sellers, the new Fuxun content brings access to 100,000 additional properties, competitive discounts of 15–25% (often including breakfast), and more prepaid rates to improve booking flexibility. Deepshikha Sehgal, Head of Lodging, Ground & Sea, APAC at Sabre, said access to domestic Chinese lodging has been a critical gap for agencies, while Chinese hoteliers are seeking greater global visibility, needs the partnership aims to address by enabling end-to-end booking in one platform.

OneReg wins Air New Zealand backing as flag carrier takes stake and rolls out platform

Aviation compliance platform OneReg has secured a strategic investment from Air New Zealand, with the national carrier taking a 5% stake at the end of last year and rolling out the technology across nearly all of its operational and safety units. Announced during OneReg’s participation at the Singapore Airshow, the deal marks a major passenger airline contract and a significant endorsement of OneReg’s mission to modernise aviation regulatory and safety workflows. Founded in New Zealand, OneReg addresses long-standing industry reliance on outdated, document-based processes by enabling real-time version control and faster certification, approval, and audit cycles. Air New Zealand’s adoption, championed by former Chief Digital Officer and now CEO Nikhil Ravishankar, has already seen the platform deployed across Engineering and Maintenance divisions to manage policies and procedures critical to airworthiness and maintenance operations.

With Air New Zealand now both a customer and shareholder, OneReg is accelerating its global expansion. The company already supports most New Zealand airports and a growing number in Australia and is in active discussions with airlines and airports across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.