Stay healthy when traveling

While China covers a vast geographic area, with various mountains and rivers, these grand landscapes are not suitable for all people. High altitudes, cold sea water and pollen can prevent certain groups of people to visiting these areas. People with acute otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear), coronary heart disease, angina and seriously high or low blood pressure as well as pregnant women are advised to stay away from high mountains, because high altitude sickness could pose a serious physical challenge to these people. Those with rheumatism, diabetes, chest pains and overactive thyroid glands are strongly advised to stay away from seaside. In autumn, the seaside temperature is lower than land temperature on average. This an the combination of high humidity and abundant sodium ions in the air will aggravate the health of these people and lead to contraction of the alleged "seaside exposure syndrome".

China to end rigid air travel insurance pricing

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) has issued a circular to end the unified price system for aviation accident insurance and to encourage insurance companies to develop diverse traffic accident insurance products. The former guideline to aviation passenger accident casualty insurance, issued in 2003, was designed by three leading insurance firms

China eases travel restrictions

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security is simplifying entry and exit procedures.
With China's seven-day National Day holidays approaching, foreign or Chinese transit passengers will not need to fill entry or exit forms. In addition, all Chinese citizens, including those living in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas, need not fill the exit forms when they leave the country from Oct 1st. Existing regulation requires transit passengers to fill in at least two forms, one for entry registration and the other for exit.

Sina And Qunar Jointly Launch China's First Travel Blog Platform

Sina.com, China's largest portal with over 100 million monthly unique visitors, announced a strategic cooperation with Qunar.com, China's largest travel search engine and second largest travel media with over 8 million monthly unique visitors.
The two companies will launch "Free Talk Travel", a blog publishing platform that will allow Chinese travelers for the first time to share their travel experiences in an innovative and interactive way. "Free Talk Travel" is expected to be one of China's most popular blog platforms and an asset to online travelers everywhere in China.

Airport to shine for Olympics

Beijing - Mixing state-of-the-art systems and Chinese characteristics, a revamped Beijing airport set to open for the Olympics looks likely to finally give China an air gateway worthy of its rising status. With 98 hectares of floor space, it will boast one of the world's largest airport terminals, marking a great leap forward in preparations for next August's Olympics and China's skyrocketing air travel market. Airport officials pulled back the curtain on the $2.7bn expansion with a media tour that revealed a gleaming facility they say will be one of the world's showcase airports when it fully opens by July.

The China diaries

Shanghai is my jumping-off point for covering the Women's World Cup, and specifically the United States women's national team's attempts to reclaim a title lost four years ago on home soil. But while I'm traipsing around the country, attempting to figure out just how Abby Wambach's toe is feeling and if North Korea is indeed a sleeper or just the most overhyped flop-in-waiting since the Segway, the good folks at Page 2 agreed to humor my attempts at sharing some of the sights and sounds of both the tournament and the country that will host next year's Olympics.

Regional air travel market hot for domestic airlines

China Eastern Airlines confirmed yesterday it has signed a letter of intent with AVIC I in Shanghai to establish a regional airline joint venture in the western China. China Eastern will hold 40 percent of the new airline, and AVIC I the rest. In the early stage of operation, the new carrier will mainly operate the Modem Ark 60 (MA60) airplanes, a turbo propeller regional aircraft manufactured by Xi'an Aircraft International Corp, an affiliate of AVIC I's Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group. It will then add the ARJ-21 regional planes, to be launched this year, to its fleet.

Travel opens up new silk route for China

China can expect to receive 24 million foreign travellers this year, up from 22 million last year. This year’s figures are already optimistic. Nearly 12.12 million foreigners came to the Chinese mainland for sightseeing from January to June, up 18.47 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest figures from the China National Tourism Administration. Tourism generated nearly $17.94 billion in foreign currency in the first six months, up 13.1 per cent year-on-year. More than half or $10.25 billion came from foreign tourists, up 19.64 per cent over the same period of last year.

Getting to Tibet is easier than ever

LHASA, Tibet — At sunrise and sunset, the air is cool, the scent of burning juniper incense is strong, and a river of pilgrims flows in a sacred circle around Jokhang Temple. Every day, they walk the perimeter of Lhasa's holiest shrine to accrue blessings in the next life because, the precepts of Tibetan Buddhism say, their lot in this one is preordained when they come into it. About 2.6 million people visited Tibet last year, many of them newly affluent Chinese, their love of travel unleashed by boom times in their homeland. To them, Tibet is the Wild West, an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China, and in big Chinese cities, Tibetan style is suddenly chic.