Lina Batarags
Business Insider
Singapore
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Past articles by Lina:
Sri Lanka is running out of food, medicine, gas, and money — but the tourists just keep coming
"I was just there, didn't even notice. I had an amazing three weeks," one woman wrote on Facebook in response to a question about protests and safety. → Read More
You can kiss your 4-star Thailand vacation goodbye — and that's a good thing
Five-star hotels across Thailand are dropping their nightly rates as low as $118. With prices like these, why would anyone pay for a four-star hotel? → Read More
Luxury real estate on Thailand's biggest island is making a post-pandemic rebound, but it has changed in 3 major ways
Before the pandemic, the entry-level real-estate market was dominant in Phuket. Now, the luxury sector is seeing the most demand. → Read More
Thailand's top beach destination is missing its Russian tourists — but not that badly
Efe, the owner of the eponymously named Cafe Efe in Phuket Town, likened a Phuket without Russian tourists to a non-stop low season. → Read More
Airbnb is suspending operations in Russia and Belarus, CEO Brian Chesky announces
Airbnb joins the likes of Apple, General Motors, Ikea, and Shell in pulling out of or suspending operations in Russia. → Read More
How Singapore's COVID border strategy has evolved, as told by 2 flights 363 days apart
I've flown into Singapore twice during the pandemic. While the flights were nearly one year apart, the experiences were worlds apart. → Read More
China's middle class is starting to look a lot like America's, and that's not a good thing
Rising levels of household debt, unaffordable homes, and a risk of falling out of the middle class — wait, is this the US or China? → Read More
Singapore-based Grab is set to make its Nasdaq debut, months after agreeing to go public in the largest-ever SPAC merger
Founded as a ride-hailing service, Grab has since expanded to include delivery, shopping, and more. It's set to make its Nasdaq debut on December 2. → Read More
A housing crisis in China would look nothing like what's happening in the US — it could wipe out entire families instead of one generation
Evergrande's debt woes have put China's enormous housing market — which accounts for 29% of the country's GDP — on edge. → Read More
What will happen if Evergrande collapses, and how China will manage the fallout
"The priority for the government in managing bankruptcies or defaults is always to ensure social stability," Dr. Xin Sun told Insider. → Read More
China has at least 65 million empty homes — enough to house the population of France. It offers a glimpse into the country's massive housing-market problem.
In the US and Japan, abandoned homes have earned cities the titles of "ghost towns." But China's are different — they're not abandoned, just empty. → Read More
The Evergrande crisis: 4 questions that explain why China's property market, which is twice as big as America's and where 20% of homes are empty, matters
"Over past decades, the price of Chinese real estate has gone up. This has generated a popular belief that real estate is always safe to invest in." → Read More
Inside Thailand's grand plan to reopen its top party island, Phuket, to all vaccinated tourists on July 1
The "Phuket Sandbox" scheme is designed to draw in 129,000 tourists by the end of September — but similar plans in Thailand have failed before. → Read More
The hunt for the next Bali: Inside Indonesia's plan to save its tourism industry by minting 5 new hubs for international travelers
Experts told Insider they worry the $275 million plan will destroy the natural wonders that draw people there in the first place. → Read More
5-star hotels in Bangkok are being repurposed as hospital rooms for the wealthy as COVID-19 cases in Thailand rise
COVID-19 cases in Thailand are on the rise, and Bangkok is at the epicenter of the country's latest wave. → Read More
Not even the pandemic and political unrest could knock Hong Kong from its spot as the world's most expensive city to rent a luxury apartment
A $10,000 monthly budget in Hong Kong will get a renter less than 1,500 sq. ft. of living space. One home in the city is being rented for $2 million a year. → Read More
The Maldives is planning to offer vaccines to tourists after vaccinating its entire 530,000-person population
The initiative is part of Maldives Tourism Minster Dr. Abdulla Mausoom's "3V tourism" plan: Visit, Vaccinate, and Vacation. → Read More
Home prices in Seoul rose by 22% last year, the biggest increase in any major city in Asia
As the South Korean city tries to position itself as an alternative to Asia's financial hubs, locals find themselves priced out of the market. → Read More
The price of membership to one of Singapore's top golf courses has soared by 40% since the pandemic started
If you want to go golfing in Singapore, be prepared to spend: Membership to Sentosa Golf Club now runs upwards of SG$350,000 ($261,000). → Read More
The youngest billionaire in the world right now is a teenager in Germany
Forbes' 35th billionaires list knocked Kylie Jenner from its ranks of youngest billionaires and put 18-year-old Kevin David Lehmann in the top spot. → Read More