Bed bugs take a bite out of Asia tourism recovery
Bed bug fears have taken hold across Asia with a growing anxiety over infestations.
There have been no major cases of bedbug infestation but it is still causing alarm with travellers.
Fears over the insects have been growing in South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.
It comes as much of Asia is still in recovery mode after the pandemic.
Cases of bed bugs in France and in London received a lot of media attention in Asia.
Bed bug cases started being reported in South Korea hotels a few weeks ago and the anxiety has spread both for travelers and hotels.
Singapore pest control firms said demand for their services have jumped by up to 50% in the past month.
“Bedbugs have always been around,” said Darian Ee, director of a Singapore pest control company.
He puts the demand spike down to overblown media coverage.
Stories of suspected bed bug infestations at Seoul and Hong Kong airports garnered a lot of media attention for days.
Recently, Hong Kong started handing out leaflets to outbound passengers warning them about ‘‘the chance of transmission of bedbugs from overseas to the local community.’
Related News Stories: Bug bites from few days in Japan? Help? : r/JapanTravel Bedbugs threaten to bite Asia's post-COVID travel recovery - Nikkei ... Do I really need a mosquito net for 1 year of Southeast Asia ... Bites - insect ? in Vietnam - Vietnam Forum - Tripadvisor I Got an Infection from a Scolopendra Centipede Bite While on the ... Lexie Alford | Travel isn't always pretty Sometimes it means risking ... Bed bugs bite the hospitality industry? A framing analysis of bed bug ... Bed Bugs Hong Kong Tourism Board - TravelMole Insects - japan-guide.com forum
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt