Japan moves toward tentatively opening

The Prime Minister of Japan indicated that the country is planning to re-open its borders to international tourists beginning in June. Prime Minister Funmio Kishida stated that the country plans a “period of transition back to normal life.” The ban on foreign tourists would be eased in stages with arrivals having to show proof of three vaccination shots.

ICC Sydney aims to hit pre-COVID numbers

Management at ICC Sydney expects to host about 600 events during in 2022 – including business events aimed at global audiences. The open question is when China participants will return and if those numbers will recover to pre-COVID levels.

Malaysia removes most restrictions

As of 1st May, COVID-19 insurance is no longer a requirement to enter Malaysia. In addition, fully vaccinated travellers no longer have to undergo PCR tests before and after arrival. Business events are not required to enforce physical distancing and all economic sectors in the country are allowed to re-open. Good news, indeed.

A different Ma

Ma is a common surname in China, but when a person in Hangzhou named Ma was detained by Chinese security authorities, Alibaba’s stock lost billions in market value. It turns out that Jack was not detained. It was someone else. Oops. That was a costly misunderstanding.