FYI Miami: May 25, 2017

Below are some of the FYIs in this week’s edition. The entire content of this week’s FYIs and Insider sections is available by subscription only. To subscribe click here.

JAPAN-MIAMI AIR LINK?: Miami International Airport officials who have been seeking the first non-stop Miami-Asia air passenger link with mainland China and Taiwan last week hosted the first meeting of the MIA Asia Task Force with an Asian airline – Japan Airlines. More than 100 business representatives gathered downtown for the half-day event to demonstrate high demand for a non-stop Tokyo-Miami link. More than 415,000 passengers travel between Asia and Miami annually via connecting flights, the county’s Aviation Department said. “I appreciate Japan Airlines for taking the time to meet with our local business leaders and hear their interest in a Miami-Tokyo route,” said Aviation Director Emilio González. Direct flight links are considered vital to generate Asian tourism and enhanced investment in Miami.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS: City of Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and Mayor Menderes Tevfik Turel from the Municipality of Antalya, Turkey, participated in a Sister City Agreement Signing Ceremony on Tuesday. The signing occurred at Miami City Hall. The Mayor’s International Council has been working on this agreement with Antalya for about two years, Mr. Regalado said. Antalya is a Turkish resort city on the country’s southwestern coast. The mayor’s council was created in part to plan and implement the city’s international trade promotion policies to stimulate commercial and residential development and expand the city’s tax base through the promotion of foreign trade and local investment.

HOTELS UP 6% FOR WEEKEND: Hotel prices in Miami Beach for Memorial Day weekend have risen 6% compared to 2016, according to hotel price comparison platform HotelsCombined. On average, rooms are costing $254 per night, compared to $238 last year. Hotel prices are expected to drop 34% the following weekend, June 2-4, saving travelers an average of $87 per night on accommodation, with a hotel room costing an average of $167.

BUS FOR RAIL RIDERS: Miami-Dade’s transit operations, which this week cut back late-night and early morning Metrorail and Metromover service, has begun at the same time a new shuttle bus between the Government Center and Palmetto rail stations and added service on the Route 500 Midnight Owl bus. The late shuttle will serve all Metrorail stations between Government Center and the Palmetto stations, leaving Government Center at 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. and leaving the Palmetto Station at midnight and 1:30 a.m. The Midnight Owl added late-night trips Monday through Thursday, pre-dawn trips Saturday and both pre-dawn and late-night trips Sundays.