NEWS
Around Asia Pacific in seven stories… A E R O S PAC E
B U S I N E S S T R AV E L
SUSTAINABLE PACIFIC PARADISE
CHINESE INNOVATION SKYROCKETS THREE DARING CHINESE astronauts are beginning a six-month mission to work on the country’s new space station, as China aims to become a leading cosmic power for the years to come. Last year, China launched into orbit the first module of its Tiangong space station, meaning “Heavenly Palace”. China plans to add subsequent
modules, such as the Mengtian science lab, by the end of this year. Only the third country in history to have put both astronauts into space and to build a space station, after Russia and the US, China’s ambitions don’t end there. By 2030, it aims to have put its first astronauts on the Moon and to have sent probes to collect samples from Mars and Jupiter.
ALTHOUGH STILL A long shot from pre-pandemic levels, international tourism is growing again. The return of global travel signals an opportunity for nations like the Philippines, shut off to international explorers for the past two years, to display the key, futureconscious changes they have made. As host of the 21st Global Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Philippines proved it can meet the demands of today’s socially conscious travellers. The vastly popular island nation spent the pandemic-forced downtime reimagining its tourism sector. The Philippines’ white sand beaches, exotic jungles, delicious cuisine and action-packed nightlife offer anything a traveller could want, but now with an environmentally sustainable mindset.
FOOD & DRINK
PLEASE ROMAINE CALM FAST FOOD COLOSSUS KFC has been forced to swap lettuce for cabbage in its burgers and wraps throughout Australia, as the nation is hit with a dramatic shortage of the salad item. After flooding in New South Wales and Queensland destroyed large reserves of the required crops, the 6 | APAC Outlook issue 56
company announced to customers that it is temporarily using an emergency mixture of lettuce and cabbage. Shoppers across Australia have recently faced soaring prices for some fresh fruits and vegetables. Like countries around the world, Australia has been hit by food supply chain issues caused by a combination of the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.
