China Travel
News, December 2012
The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Terra
Cotta Warriors, Dining/cuisine, and Natural
landmarks/landscapes are the top five most popular
attractions or cultural features among leisure travelers
to China.
CNTO Study on Tourism to China
As
noted in previous newsletters, the China National
Tourist Office (CNTO), through PhoCusWright, fielded
a survey of more than 30,000 individuals, targeting
U.S. adults who have traveled to Asia in the past
two years or who are likely to travel again in the
next two years. As promised, we will continue to
share the results of this survey over the course of
the next year. This month we focus on leisure
travelers’ favorite attractions in China.
Interpretation: The
Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Terra Cotta
Warriors, Dining/cuisine, and Natural
landmarks/landscapes are the top five most popular
attractions or cultural features among leisure
travelers to China.
China Travel News
72-Hour
Visa-Free Stay in Beijing and Shanghai for
American Travelers
Both Beijing and Shanghai have announced that,
effective January 1, 2013, transit passengers from the
U.S. and Canada will be permitted to stay in
these cities for 72 hours without a visa. In
Shanghai, transit passengers holding third
country visas and plane tickets can enter
Shanghai through the city’s two airports,
Hongqiao (SHA) and Pudong (PVG); in Beijing,
transit passengers can enter only through
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK).
Tourism in China Contributes More to
GDP Than Automotive Manufacturing
According to new research
undertaken by the WTTC (World Travel and Tourism
Council) and conducted by Oxford Economics,
China’s travel and tourism industry is
substantially larger and contributes 13% more to
the GDP than its automotive manufacturing. In
addition, the travel and tourism industry in
China supports over 62 million direct and
indirect jobs (compared to the 48.5 million jobs
in the financial services sector). It is
predicted that China’s travel and tourism
contribution to GDP will grow by more than 9%
over the next ten years, a faster growth rate
than the overall economy (7.6%).
China
to Open World’s Longest High-Speed Railway
December 26 is the birthday of late Chairman Mao
Zedong; it also marks the opening of the world’s
longest (2,298 km or 1,428 miles) high-speed
railway, linking the cities of Beijing and
Guangzhou. Traveling at an average speed of 300
km per hour (or 186 miles per hour), the railway
will cut travel time between the country’s
capital and the southern economic center to
about eight hours.
Upcoming Events in China
Chinese
New Year 2013 (February 9 through 24)
The most important Chinese holiday is the Chinese New
Year, which is known in China as Spring Festival. The
festival ushers in the lunar New Year and is the
equivalent of the western hemisphere’s Christmas and New
Year’s Eve rolled into one.From sun
up to sun down, this is a time when the whole country
throws itself into celebrating and eating. According to
the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the Year of the Snake, and
“all things are possible” in the coming year.
Airline Partner News
Shenzhen
Airlines Joins Star Alliance
At the end of November, Shenzhen Airlines, China’s
fifth largest carrier, joined the Star Alliance.
This is a major benefit for Star Alliance customers,
who will gain improved access throughout the
economically important Pearl River Delta and across
southern China. Shenzhen adds some 400 daily flights
serving 70 destinations to the Star Alliance
network. Among these are five new destinations in
China: Juzhou (Zhejiang Province), Linyi,
Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang, and Zhoushan. For more
information, please visit: http://www.staralliance.com/en/press/zh-joining-prp/.
Xiamen Airlines Joins SkyTeam
In
November, Xiamen Airlines joined the SkyTeam
Alliance. Based in Xiamen, a coastal city in East
China's Fujian province, Xiamen Airlines operates a
network of domestic and regional services throughout
China and Asia, predominantly from the
hub airports of Xiamen, Fuzhou and Hangzhou. Fujian
is one of the more prosperous provinces in China and
tourism is one of the highlights in the region’s
economy. Xiamen Airlines’ goal is to boost its
international traffic by expanding the network to
serve major long-haul destinations in Australia,
Europe and North America, starting in 2014. For more
information, please visit: http://www.skyteam.com/en/About-us/Press/News/2011/Xiamen-Airlines-Joins-SkyTeam/.
China
Southern Buys 10 Airbus A330-300 Aircraft to Boost
Capacity
China Southern Airlines Co. recently
ordered 10 aircraft from Airbus,
as it seeks to expand capacity and improve
efficiency. The new planes will be delivered between
2014 and 2016, and will increase China Southern’s
capacity by 5.7%. For more information, please
visit:http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/12/05/china-southern-buys-10-airbus-a330-300-aircraft-to-boost-capacity/.
China
Eastern Orders 60 A320s to Expand the Airline's
Domestic Services
China Eastern Airlines has ordered 60
Airbus A320s, to be delivered between 2014 and 2017,
which will be used to expand the airline’s domestic
services. In addition, the carrier also announced it
plans to open new routes from Shanghai
to Amsterdam and San Francisco by 2015. For more
information, please visit: http://atwonline.com/aircraft-engines-components/news/china-eastern-orders-60-a320s-1126.
New Tourism Developments
Ice
and Snow Theme Park to Open in Heilongjiang
The Harbin Ice and Snow World Theme Park in
northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province is
scheduled to open to the public on December
24th. A 48-meter (157-foot) high ice palace will
become the landmark artwork of the park. The
600,000 square meter (148-acre) theme park will
host the 29th Harbin International Ice and Snow
Sculpture Festival beginning January 5, 2013
(see the “Upcoming Events and Festivals in
China” section at the beginning of this
newsletter).
Ritz-Carlton to Open Hotel in Chengdu
The Ritz-Carlton is expanding its presence in
China with a new hotel located in the heart of
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. The
Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu will become the luxury
hotel operator’s first flag in Southwest China,
when it opens in summer 2013. The Ritz-Carlton,
Chengdu in Tianfu Square will have 353 rooms,
including 55 suites. The property will feature
three restaurants including an elegant Cantonese
restaurant with eight private dining rooms.
China
Grand Canal Seeks World Heritage Status
The Grand Canal, the longest artificial waterway
in the world, will bid for UNESCO World Heritage
status in 2014. The 2,400-year-old Grand Canal,
or the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, with a
length of 1,794 kilometers (1,115 miles), runs
through eight provinces and municipalities and
35 cities, and was once a major waterway linking
Beijing and resource-rich Hangzhou, capital of
east China's Zhejiang Province. In order to
qualify for the list, conditions at every relic
site must be in order before UN experts inspect
and assess the cultural heritage sites along the
waterway in June 2013.
Shangri-La Opens 35th Hotel
in China
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts marks the opening
of its 35th hotel
in China with the debut of the Shangri-La Hotel,
Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province. Long renowned for
its beauty, history and culture, the
2,500-year-old city of Yangzhou is the newest
destination in the luxury hotel group’s global
collection, and Shangri-La Hotel, Yangzhou is
the city's first international five-star hotel.
The 369-room hotel overlooks the Mingyue Lake
and sits amidst its own classic Chinese garden
with poetic pavilions, pagodas and koi ponds.
Culture Corner
The
Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill in
Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It
is the highest ancient palace in the world,
reaching 3,767 meters (12,360 feet) at its
highest point. It symbolizes Tibetan
Buddhism and its central role in the
traditional administration of Tibet.
The stone-and-wood-structured complex
consists of the White Palace and Red Palace
with their ancillary halls, temples and
courtyards. The palace also collected and is
exhibiting a large number of sculptures,
scriptures and other valuable cultural
relics. The beauty and harmonious
integration in a striking landscape add to
its historic and religious significance.
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