As foreigners travel more and more extensively on the mainland, outlets such as Zhuji, not far from Shanghai, could mean a decreasing number of pearl shoppers for Hong Kong. Even Joanne Larby, headed next to Beijing, decided to hold off on her shopping. "If bargains are this good here," she says, "imagine how great they'll be in China."
SHANGHAI: You can't imagine how many flights there are in China until you've had the experience of waiting for a delayed plane at Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport, and the impression of abundance doesn't come from watching planes take off. China, a state run by engineers, is a builder's paradise, where almost no expense is spared for infrastructure. Lots of Chinese cities, including many the average reader may have never heard of, have smart airports of recent vintage and clean, well thought out design that compare favorably to their American and European counterparts.
HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong shares of mainland flag carrier Air China Ltd. jumped to a record high Wednesday after the company said its first-half net profit would surge more than 20 times, helped by the yuan's appreciation and improved investment returns.
The Beijing-based company's shares rose 17.6% to close at 7.27 Hong Kong dollars (93 U.S. cents) after hitting a record HK$7.33 near the end of the trading session.
July 23 (Bloomberg) -- Air China Ltd., the nation's largest international carrier, will add routes and staff as the 2008 Olympic Games fuel demand for travel to its hub, Beijing. Air China will increase the frequency of flights to Britain, France and Russia, as well as to the U.S., said Zhang Lan, senior vice president of Air China, in an interview in Beijing.
China expected to be a key travel market, United is working on a bid to win approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation for direct service from Los Angeles to Shanghai. The agency will award four new direct routes to U.S. airlines in 2009.
"Today, a lot of U.S. travelers are using foreign airlines to travel to China, " Whitaker said. "For example, Air Canada has five daily flights to China. So it's important for U.S. airlines to get more of that business. As well, passengers would prefer to have direct flights," he said.
In 2006 alone, China had 129 million outbound travelers and 1.3 billion inbound tourists that generated revenues of around 893.5 billion yuan and provided 10 million jobs. In the next decade, the industry's annual growth rate is expected to reach 10.4 percent. Revenues from individual tourism is projected to enjoy an annual growth rate of 9.8 percent, with group tourism projected to grow 10.9 percent.
Flight Centre explained summer's Olympic Games, which run from August 8th to 24th 2008, will see hotels increasing their prices from April next year. It reports some hotels are insisting on a 20-night minimum stay for £500 per night."China has been growing in popularity over the past few years due to more tour operators featuring the destination and increased publicity from the Beijing Olympics, however many of our suppliers are finding it difficult to negotiate decent prices for hotel rooms for next year," commented Brent Novak, of Flight Centre.
he most important criteria are the hotel brand and accessibility. We would usually make the decision based on the purpose of the meeting. For example we might select Grand Hyatt Beijing for a launch or news release. However we would often choose Shangri-La Hotel Beijing or Crowne Plaza Parkview Wuzhou since they are also good choices, and are conveniently located for our offices.
The trip from Macau to Guangzhou can be made by a bus of Kee Kwan Motor Road Company. It drops you at an outpost where after completing the immigration procedures, you go to an underground bus park, where you are taken by a Kee Kwan tourist bus coach to Guangzhou after a two-hour drive. Our hotel in Guangzhou was along a main road, which further away turned pedestrian in the evenings, with lots of young Chinese couples wandering among the shops or having food in the numerous pavement restaurants. At the riverfront, in the opposite direction, lots of Chinese can be found sitting on the benches or playing kites. The Shamian Islands can be reached from the centre by the underground railway, while the Pearl River separating the mainland to Shamian Island can be crossed by ferry. In the Yuexin Park there are lakes, flowers and music, with a splendid view of the mountain in the distance. The China Export Commodity Fair is nearby
The U.N. World Tourism Organization predicts that China could very well surpass Spain as the second most popular destination after France by 2010. Beijing alone – the host for the 2008 Summer Olympics – is expecting to have over 4.4 million overseas and 150 million domestic tourists.
The tour included the Great Wall and Terra Cotta Warriors, two of China's world heritage sites. Included in the itinerary were visits to a myriad of shops and points of interest such as Beijing's "Hutongs" (old neighborhoods), Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City.
The 21 air ticket agents are Foreign Enterprise Aviation Service, CTS Head Office, Huaxia Aviation Service, CITS Head Office, Huabei Yuntong, Tianyi Baode, China Youth Travel Service, Aobote, Shenzhou Travel Service, Civil Aviation Business Building, China Travel International Ltd, Xinhua Aviation Service, Yangguang Zhilv, Kunpeng Zhilv, Xianglong Aviation Service, Tianyuan Aviation Service, Feima Aviation Service, Huayi Logistics, Pengjun Aviation Service, Beijing Freight, and Anzhen Aviation Service.
Beijing? Check. Shanghai? Check. The Great Wall and Forbidden City? Can't miss. They are all worth the trip, beacons of China's 5,000-year-old civilization, and the Olympic Games are coming in summer 2008 to further enrich the mix. But here is something you or your travel agent may not have thought of as part of China tourism: beach time.
Sandeep Bahl is the China general manager for Northwest Airlines. The company has a long history of shuttling passengers across the Pacific and is preparing for greater growth.
