Michael Allen Editor

Last issue, I introduced myself to you as your new editor. This issue, I’m delighted to welcome two new Destination writers and two new Opinion columnists to Business Traveller Asia-Pacific (see “Contributors” on page 6). New columnist Ken Hickson’s article on hotel sustainability reminded me of when I was in a Beijing hotel room last year and was bemused to discover a small plastic bottle of mineral water next to my bed with an accompanying note: “Water for fire protection”. I scratched my head and put out a call on social media asking what on earth this was, but no one could explain.

So our editorial assistant did some research: the bottles are distributed in some Chinese hotels so you have water with which to wet a towel and hold over your mouth to protect yourself from smoke inhalation if there’s a fire. They’re also sometimes available in subway stations to extinguish cigarette butts.

I wonder if we’ll see Chinese hotels introduce sustainable alternatives to these plastic fire protection bottles…

Up in the New Territories

I’ve been spending a lot of time in Hong Kong’s New Territories lately, researching our Destination feature “Beside the Border” (page 32). I’ve been based in Hong Kong for nearly three years, and still the beauty of this far-flung yet readily accessible hinterland never fails to impress me.

You could spend weeks here exploring the various hiking trails, secluded outlying islands and local villages.

Business travellers to Hong Kong are spoilt with a plethora of high-end hotels, fine-dining restaurants and world-class bars. It may seem difficult to justify leaving this lap of luxury to schlep up to an area where donning a suit and tie may earn you a quizzical look, and where wild boar, civet cats and even monkeys roam free.

But take the plunge – or, rather, hop on the super-efficient MTR – and I doubt you’ll regret your excursion.

Be sure to go there soon, though, because as you’ll learn from the people to whom we spoke, parts of this stunning region may be living on borrowed time.