Cathay Pacific suggests tapping transit passengers for tourism dollars, plus more news

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways suggested the government tap transit passengers to generate more tourism dollars for the cash-strapped city. In other headlines, January 2025 was the world’s warmest on record, continuing a streak of extreme global temperatures despite a shift towards the cooling La Nina weather pattern. Lastly, Ly Raksmey has transformed himself into a respected safe camping trainer and tourism promoter, bringing Cambodia’s hidden gems to life through social media.

Hong Kong’s Cathay calls for tapping transit passengers to create tourism dollars

Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has suggested the government tap transit passengers as part of a strategy to generate more tourism dollars for the cash-strapped city. As mentioned in Bangkok Post, the company’s spokesman told the South China Morning Post that in a budget consultation session with the government last month, the carrier’s management suggested authorities roll out targeted measures to cash in on the city’s largely untapped transit passengers to cater to the airport’s expansion, boosted by the launch of its three-runway system in November. “One of our suggestions is for authorities to attract more transit passengers to travel to Hong Kong during the break between flights,” he said. “Given the launch of the three-runway system of the airport, the move could help boost its development with more tourists being lured to transit via the city.”

The year begins with the warmest January despite the shift towards cooling La Nina

Last month was the world’s warmest January on record, continuing a streak of extreme global temperatures despite a shift towards the cooling La Nina weather pattern, European Union scientists said on Thursday. January extended a run of extraordinary heat, in which 18 of the last 19 months saw an average global temperature of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin and reported by Reuters. The global average temperature in January was 1.75C higher than in pre-industrial times. Copernicus assesses that La Nina has not yet fully developed, and the world is currently in neutral conditions between the two phases.

From hiking trails to tourism trailblazer: one man’s quest to showcase Cambodia’s beauty

Armed with a mobile phone and a passion for photography, Ly Raksmey has transformed himself into a respected safe camping trainer and tourism promoter, bringing Cambodia’s hidden gems to life through social media. “When I was young, my father liked to take me for a ride because my house was near Mount Chisoe,” Raksmey told The Phnom Penh Post. “I remember that my father had a camera and I loved taking pictures of him. I started camping in 2014 and 2015,” he added. His passion for travel led him to a role as a translator for foreign journalists in 2017. This role exposed the 34-year-old to a wealth of well-known and hidden tourist destinations at a time when tourism promotion relied heavily on the press and television.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].