February 2026

A global community of bold leaders advancing sustainable travel, Beyond Green has join forces with Travalyst Coalition as its newest accommodation industry partner. Representing a diverse portfolio of independently owned and operated properties, Beyond Green will strengthen the accommodation sector’s voice within Travalyst by ensuring that emerging tools, data models, and solutions reflect the realities of hotels across scales, regions, and operational context.

Through this partnership, Beyond Green will also participate in Travalyst’s working groups, policy discussions, and knowledge‑sharing forums helping shape industry‑wide solutions while keeping its member hotels, informed of evolving sustainability guidance and regulatory trends.

The timing of this announcement is especially meaningful as Travalyst has recently launched its new Data Hub to bring greater consistency and transparency to sustainability data across the travel and tourism sector. Begining with accommodation, future iterations of the Data Hub will expand to rail, destinations, and data from other verticals in the industry.

Together, Beyond Green and the Travalyst Coalition are advancing the industry’s commitment to responsible tourism, creating pathways for travellers, accommodations, and destinations to contribute meaningfully to people and the planet.

Travalyst is an independent not-for-profit entity working to change the way the world travel founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in 2019 and, has some of the biggest brands in travel and technology such as Amadeus, Sabre, Google and Expedia Group, Trip.com Group, Skyscanner and Tripadvisor within its global coalition.

RateHawk the business-to-business online system for booking hotels, air tickets, and transfers has integrated several digital wallets as a new payment option in Asia. The platform now accepts payments through GCash in the Philippines, TrueMoney in Thailand, TNG in Malaysia, Dana in Indonesia, and AlipayHK for customers in China.

The platform has chosen the most popular service of each country to ensure fast, secure, and convenient transactions tailored to local preferences. Besides digital wallets, the platform offers a wide range of payment options from traditional credit cards, wire transfers, and cash payments at check-in to, innovative solutions such as pay-by-link and PayPal.

“We’ve integrated digital wallets in Asia due to their outstanding popularity among both businesses and consumers. This update enhances payment flexibility, which is essential for travel professionals navigating a fast-moving market and increasingly fragmented customer preferences,” said Erik Akhmetgaliev, regional director for APAC at RateHawk.

Since 2020, digital wallets have emerged as the leading payment method in Asia, particularly within the Asia Pacific region. Recent analysis shows that digital wallets account for nearly 70 percent of all transactions in in the Asia Pacific region, highlighting their rapid adoption and dominance in the regional payments landscape.

RateHawk established its Asian headquarters in Singapore in 2024 with a team of 29 commercial specialists. The platform is available in 33 languages which include Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese.

MICE leaders within the Asia Pacific region can look forward to the next Connect Marketplace Hong which is set to return after its successful inauguration in 2025. This year, it will take place from on March 18 and 19 at AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong.

CMHK will host a series of forum sessions featuring leading MICE industry speakers. Highlights include Day 1 keynote by Greeley Koch, professor of Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality at New York University and managing director of 490 Consulting LLC, and Andrée Jetté, a renowned neuroscientist specialising in stress management through humour and co-founder of Gestion Immobilière Immosoul Inc.

Bringing together sought-after speakers and a wide range of topics, the forum delivers practical insights which keep professionals at the forefront of the industry.

The event also offers curated networking experiences, including a Networking Night on Day 1 and a Gala Dinner on Day 2, uniting industry experts in a lively, engaging networking environment. Following the exhibition, invited business leaders will embark on a familiarisation trip to explore MICE venues and infrastructure firsthand, unveiling the city’s strengths as a leading MICE destination in APAC.

CMHK 2026 is set to go above and beyond, creating an experience that is welcoming, valuable, and empowering for industry professionals. Ranging from curated networking opportunities to thought-provoking forums, every aspect of the event is designed to foster meaningful connections, provide actionable insights, and inspire professionals to thrive in the MICE industry.

The event is open exclusively to trade professionals and accredited media. Visitors must be aged 18 or above. Free admission is available for registrations on or before 22 February.

For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/46Bq2Sf

Japan’s only international payment brand JCB, announced a new collaboration with Resorts World Sentosa Pte Ltd targeted at Japanese tourists. The partnership with Resorts World Sentosa is designed to enhance the travel experience for Japanese visitors to Singapore.

Singapore’s premier resort island, Resorts World Sentosa is the nation’s leading integrated lifestyle destinations, welcoming millions of local and international visitors annually across its attractions, dining, entertainment and lifestyle offerings. This collaboration aims to curate meaningful experiences that enhance every stage of the visitor journey for Japanese guests.

At the same time, JCB and RWS has launched exclusive privileges for Japan-issued JCB cardmembers visiting Singapore’s leading integrated resort.

Under this collaboration, eligible JCB cardmembers booking online will enjoy up to 20 percent savings on selected attractions, accommodation, dining and retail privileges at participating outlets within the Resorts World Sentosa.

These privileges are designed to enhance every stage of the visit, from iconic attractions to hotel stay, delivering seamless, rewarding experiences for international guests.

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. Its card business was launched in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981.

Its acceptance network includes about 71 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 175 million cardmembers.