|
China reports 8.77 mln inbound tourist arrivals in May
Xinhua News, June 18, 2004 - China's tourism administration reported
8.7747 million tourists from outside the Chinese mainland visited the mainland
in May, up 61.42 percent year-on-year, and 11.37 percent over the same period of
2002...
Survey: 24 million tourists from China's mainland
to visit Asia in 2004-2011
Xinhua Net, China, June 24, 2004 - An industry survey showed that more than 24.3
million tourists from the Chinese mainland will visit four major tourism cities
in Asia from 2004 to 2011. The four major tourism destinations are Bangkok of
Thailand,
China's Hong Kong, Singapore, capital of Singapore and Seoul, capital of the
Republic of Korea (ROK). The survey noted that shopping is the major attraction
of tourist cities in the Asia-Pacific region, so competitive retailing will be
an crucial standard for the selection of tourists.
First-quarter Asia Pacific arrivals best since
2000
travelbiz.com.au,
Australia, July 10, 2004 - PATA research has revealed a 21 per cent increase in
international visitor arrivals (IVA) in 30 Asia Pacific destinations for the
first quarter of 2004. According to the study, the
destinations in total welcomed an additional 15.3 million visitors when compared
with the same period last year. While these are only
preliminary results reflecting the first months of 2004, PATA’s strategic
intelligence centre managing director, John Koldowski, said signs were positive.
“The PATA region is on track for IVA growth of more than 15 per cent for
calendar year 2004 compared to calendar year 2003,” he said. “By taking a
similar first reporting period comparison back through to 2000 it becomes
apparent that gains in international arrivals are consistently positive, with
the 2004 result the best - in volume terms - since 2000.” Koldowski said that
while drawing comparisons with 2003 was not ideal because of the outbreak of
SARS, the good news was that the destinations most directly affected by the
virus last year were collectively well ahead in 2004.
China:
World's Tourists' Destination in the Making
Chinabroadcast.cn, July 2, 2004 - A Chinese tourism official says the
country is quickly becoming a major destination for international tourists. Sun
Gang, vice director of the National Tourism Administration, said at a tourism
forum in Beijing that early last year's SARS outbreak took a heavy toll in the
Chinese tourism industry. However, the industry has bounced back and is now
growing faster than expected. He notes that during the period from 1996 to 2002,
the number of overseas arrivals and those going abroad as well as domestic
tourists grew much faster than the prediction of eight percent increase given by
World Tourism Organization and the World Bank. The first five months of this
year saw more than 42 million overseas arrivals in the Chinese mainland, the
highest number ever recorded during this period throughout history. At the same
time, more and more countries have opened their doors to Chinese tourists.
China's Inbound Tourists Up
in April
CRI.com May 28, 2004 - Statistics
released by the National Tourism Administration show a 70 percent increase in
the number of inbound tourists to China in April over the same period last year.
Last April, the country was hit by the SARS outbreak, and this led to a sharp
decline in the number of tourists at that time. The national foreign exchange
earnings from tourism exceeded US$2 billion in April, an increase of 125 percent
over the same period last year.
Nevada Will Open Only U.S. Tourism Office in China
Yahoo! Financial, USA, May 19 - The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT)
will officially open Nevada's first tourism office in Beijing June 11, becoming
the only U.S. state tourism department to be represented in the People's
Republic of China, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt announced Wednesday.
China sees growth of business travel
Xinhua News, China, May 23, 2004 - Business tourism in
China has been expanding
alongside economic growth in recent years and China has a big potential in this
sector, said a Chinese commerce official here Sunday.
Economic globalization has
boosted business tourism, and China's rapid economic growth has also created
favorable conditions for its development, said Yu
Guangzhou, Chinese vice minister of commerce. China will promote comprehensive
and harmonious development of business tourism, said Yu at the International
Business Tourism Summit. Sun Gang, deputy director of the China National Tourism
Administration, said business tourism has contributed to the economy with the
development of globalization. Sun said business tourists to China account for 25
percent of all tourist arrivals, and China will give priority to boosting
commerce and tourism in a bid to serve overseas guests. The development of
business tourism can benefit from foreign investment in China. Flourishing
tourism in China also creates conditions for the further development of business
tourism. China topped Japan in 2002 for the first time in terms of outbound
travel with 16.6 million departures, ranking first in Asia, said a board member
of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
WTO: China to become world's largest
tourist destination by 2020
Menafn.com,(Middle East North Africa
Financial Network), May 16, 2004 - Predictions of the World Tourism Organization
(WTO) showed that China will be the world's largest tourist destination by 2020,
Xinhuanet News Agency reported. So far, China has signed tourism agreements with
53 nations, Ireland in May and with the Seychelles in late April being two of
the most recent. China has given 67 nations with Authorized Destination
Status (ADS) to date. The 10 new members of the European Union (EU) were
automatically added to the list on May 1.
China Signs Tourism MOUs with 53 Nations
Xinhuanet, China, May 13, 2004 -
China has signed tourism Memorandum of
Understandings on visa and related issues with 53 nations, with the two most
recent signed with Ireland on Tuesday and with Seychelles in late April.
More Chinese Regions Open to Australia, NZ Tour
Xinhua News,
May 11, 2004
- From July 1, six more Chinese regions will be allowed to
organize group tours to Australia and New Zealand, according to a source from
the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The six are Tianjin and
Chongqing municipalities and Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
This is a new measure after the two governments recently agreed to expand the
regions inChina organizing group tours to cover the whole nation. Group tours to
the two Ocean nations started in 1999, but were restricted to Beijing, Shanghai
and Guangdong. During the past five years, tourism links not only satisfied the
travel desire of those inhabitants, but also strengthened friendship between
China and the two nations. In 2003, over 170,000
Chinese people traveled to Australia, and nearly 80,000 people to New Zealand.
Holiday tours to China still on despite SARS cases
The Star, Malaysia, May 5, 2004 -
Many people will be visiting China during the coming
school holidays despite the recent reports of a recurrence of Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) there. A
check by The Star yesterday showed that many travel agencies had recorded
full bookings for their Beijing tours, especially during the school holidays
from May 29 to June 13.
Holiday to see 90m travellers
China Daily April 29, 2004 -More than 90
million tourists were expected to travel during the seven-day holiday that
starts on May 1.
NW China region to open tourism for overseas investors
People's Daily, China,
April 20, 2004 - Overseas businesses are welcome to invest in tourism in
northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to a local updated
regulation on tourism administration due to take effect on May 1.
China joins South Pacific Tourism Organization
Xinhua News, China, April 20, 2004 -
China joined the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) on Tuesday, becoming
the organization's first member from outside the region. Officials attending the
ceremony held in Suva, capital of South Pacific island state of Fiji, said
China's presence in the organization will help boost the regional tourism and
enhance the understanding between China and the island countries.
Beijing, China, tourism players form alliance
TravelVideo.tv April 20, 2004 - China Beijing Quanjude Group and
Beijing New Yansha Group, two major tourism commercial service companies in the
Chinese capital, merged at the weekend to become the Beijing Tourism Group. The
1.17 billion yuan (US$140.9 million) equity belonging to Quanjude, famous for
its roast duck, and New Yansha, which owns the Beijing Lufthansa Centre, is now
being managed by the tourism group. The tourism group and its two subsidiaries
are all State-owned. Saturday's merger puts the new company's assets in excess
of 15 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion), said Duan Qiang, chairman of the Beijing
Tourism Group.
eLong, Inc. Announces Appointments of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President
Yahoo News, April 28 - eLong, Inc., one of China's leading online
travel service providers, announced today the appointment of Derek Palaschuk as
Chief Financial Officer and Richard Xue as Vice President Strategy and Business
Development...
Tourist Arrivals in China
Resume Rising in February
Xinhua News,
Mar. 27, 2004 -
China's tourist arrivals started to resume rising in February to 7.533 million,
up 2.13 percent over the same period last year, sources with the National
Tourism Administration said. Compared to February last year, when China's
tourism suffered from SARS, China this year saw a rise in tourist arrivals from
Hong Kong, Macao and foreign countries, but not Taiwan. According to the
statistics, the number of tourists from foreign countries, Hong Kong and Macao
reached 1.1022 million, 4.6579 million and 1.5201 million, up 5.72 percent, 2.05
percent and5.62 percent respectively over the last same period. Among 16 major
tourism source countries, five Asian countries saw a decline in the number of
tourists going to China due to the bird flu epidemic, while 11 countries
achieved a rise and eight of them reached double-digit growth, the statistics
show. The total tourism income in foreign exchange in February reached US$1.561
billion, down by 1.37 percent over the previous same period, the statistics
said.
Inbound Tourism Resumed in China
People's Daily, Mar.22, 2004 - With
sources from the National Tourism Administration, the once SARS-stricken Chinese
inbound tourism has begun to resume since February 2004. According to the latest
statistics, China saw 7.533 million inbound tourists in February, 2.13 percent
up over last year.
Asian travel bookings surge in January despite avian flu: Abacus
Channel News Asia, Singapore, Mar. 9, 2004 -
Travel bookings in Asia grew an annual 10 percent in January with more than 3.3
million reservations as travellers brushed off the avian flu outbreak, a major
industry player said Tuesday. Abacus International, Asia's largest air ticketing
and reservations company, said there had been initial fears the bird flu crisis
that had affected at least 10 Asian countries and parts of the United States and
Canada would cause a massive drop in air travel similar to the impact of SARS...
China, Kenya Sign Tourism MOU
Xinhua News, Mar.
17, 2004 - The China National Tourism Administration and the Kenya Tourist Board
Tuesday signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation plan for
organized group travel by Chinese citizens to Kenya. The signing of the MOU
indicated the implementation phase of eight African nations which gained
Approved Destination Status from the Chinese government at the end of last year.
Besides Kenya,the other seven nations are expected to sign similar MOUs with
China in the future. Experts said the signing of the MOU will enhance friendship
of Chinese and African people, enable Chinese citizens to know more about Africa
and promote mutual exchanges of tourists.
City-China Tourism Bid
ic liverpool UK, Feb. 9, 2004 - NEW tourism
links between Liverpool and China could be possible, either by a "hub" air link
or direct service.Liverpool already has a twinning arrangement with Shanghai,
but the possibility of cementing ties between the two tourist industries were
discussed during a trade mission to the city by senior Chinese figures.
State looks to tap China outbound travelers
Starbulletin.com, USA, Feb. 19, 2004 - More
than 1 million Chinese visitors travel to the United States each year, but only
about 3 percent or 4 percent of them stop in Hawaii.
Closer tourism ties with China
The Star, Malaysia, Feb.
27, 2004 - With this year being Friendship Year
between China and Malaysia, the two countries are enjoying closer co-operation
in the promotion of tourism.
China January Tourism Arrivals Fell on Bird Flu, SARS (Update1)
Bloomberg.com, USA,
Feb.21, 2004 - China's tourism arrivals in January fell by 5.2 percent from a
year ago to 8.09 million people after the country reported new cases of severe
acute respiratory syndrome and outbreaks of bird flu, the National Tourism
Administration said on its Web site.
China's Largest Tourism Group Jinjiang Has Plans To Lis
Quicken.com, (Dow Jones) Feb. 20, 2004 - China's largest tourism
group, Jinjiang International Holdings Co., eventually plans to raise funds
through a stock market listing, a company official confirmed Friday.
Macao receives over 1.33m tourists in January
People's Daily, China, Feb. 20, 2004 - The number of
tourists to Macao exceeded 1.33 million in January, up 35.1 percent over the
same period last year, marking a record high of the monthly number of tourists
to the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).
Weeklong Fest Attracts Fewer Foreign Tourists
Shanghai Daily, Jan. 30, 2004 - Overseas travelers visiting Shanghai
during the past week as the lunar New Year celebrations were underway saw a less
crowded but more boisterous city than usual. The number of foreign visitors who
came to the city for Spring Festival holiday was less than that of last year,
according to top four local travel agencies, which provided services to a total
of 5,300 inbound visitors in the weeklong holiday.
Tibet
Receives 930 Thousand Tourists in 2003
Xinhua News, Jan. 25, 2003 - Tibet Autonomous Region in southwestern
China hosted more than 928,600 tourists from home and overseas last year, a
year-on-year rise of seven percent, local tourism sources said on Wednesday...
World
body plans forum to enhance China tourism
Travelbiz.com.au Jan. 14, 2004 - A proposed
World Travel and Tourism Council business leaders forum will be aimed at working
closely with the Chinese government to fulfil the potential of the country’s
travel industry.
Fewer
People Cross Borders in 2003
China Daily Jan. 12, 2003 - After 13 years of consecutive growth, the
number of people who crossed China's borders declined in 2003, a year haunted by
the specter of SARS. The Ministry of Public
Security said Sunday more than 220 million people entered and left the nation,
2.57 percent less than the previous year. An official with the MPS Exit-Entry
Administration blamed the decline on the outbreak of SARS (severe acute
respiratory syndrome).
Plan
Seeks 36 Million Overseas Tourists
China Daily Jan. 9, 2003 - China will step up efforts
to revive a tourism industry hurt last year by the outbreak of severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS). In a plan released
yesterday, He Guangwei, general director of the National
Tourism Administration, said the country expects a total of 36.8 million
tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and abroad to visit and stay overnight in
China this year. The number of tourists last year was 32.7 million, a drop of
11.1 percent from 2002.
Shanghai
Welcomes World Travel Agencies
China Daily, Jan. 6, 2004 - Several new international
and joint-venture travel agencies will be launched in Shanghai this year,
highlighting the city’s new popularity as a tourist mecca.
Ups and downs of China tourism in 2003
Xinhua News, Dec. 30, 2003 - For China's tourism, 2003 is definitely an
impressive year. The ups and downs of tourism affected by the happenings of some
major events of this year showed that tourism is a very vulnerable industry.
Because of the Iraq war and SARS plague, China's tourism output had decreased to
zero in a short time in the first half of the year. However, the industry
recovered soon and eventually went through the hardest time, regaining its vigor
and momentum.
See Beijing for Under $600 with Go-Today.com, Return Airfare, 5
Nights Hotel and More!
Primezone.com, USA, Dec. 4, 2003 - This 5-night package to China's
premiere city is a great deal with available regularly scheduled flights,
roundtrips transfers and breakfasts daily plus choose from our lead priced hotel
category or upgrade to deluxe hotel accommodations. The choice is yours, either
way at these prices this deal is hard to resist. You're sure to enjoy all of the
fascinating and intriguing sites Beijing has to offer; from the Forbidden City,
Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven to Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall, this
5 night package is the perfect base for exploring this remarkable city, or
extend your stay to explore more Beijing and beyond.
Islands
reach for China
Guampdn.com - Numerous challenges await both Guam and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands as both are trying to attract mainland China
travelers.
Visa
and the China National Tourism Association Sign Global Agreement
PR News Wire Dec. 18, 2003 - Visa
International and the China National Tourism Association (CNTA) today announced
a five-year global alliance to promote China worldwide as a key travel
destination and declare Visa the "Official Partner of China Tourism."
China
tourism potential touted
Reviewjournal.com, USA - Nevada's tourism industry must continue to
expand its offerings and reach out to diverse markets that range from outdoor
enthusiasts to residents of the world's most populous nation, the state
government's top two officials said Tuesday in Las Vegas.
ChinaPulse.com
Wi-Fi Hotspot Directory Helps Travelers Surf The Internet In China
ChinaTechNews.com, Dec. 10, 2003 - For the hundreds of thousands of
business and leisure travelers in China, the hassle of finding a wireless WLAN
or Wi-Fi Hotspot is over. ChinaPulse.com, a service of BDL Media Ltd, recently
unveiled an enhanced English-language Wi-Fi online search engine that contains
information for many of China's largest cities and where to spot WLAN and Wi-Fi
locations.
Travel-Related
Internet Stocks Are 'Booking' Investor Interest
Axcess News, Dec. 11, 2003 - announced today that they have
released a story covering the overwhelming depth of interest by investors in
travel-related services stocks, from Ctrip.com's recent IPO to little-known
companies like DigiLava, Inc.That interest may be fueled by the fact that 60
percent of adults have shopped for travel-related services on the Internet
within the last six months according to the latest Nielson NetRatings.
Travel
portal Ctrip.com raises US$75.6 mln from IPO
Forbes, Dec. 9, 2003 - Ctrip.com International, which provides
information on hotels and airline tickets in China, said on Tuesday it had
raised US$75.6 million from a U.S. initial public offering after it was priced
at the top of its range
SINA
to Acquire Online Travel Company in China
Xinhua News, China, Dec. 9, 2003 - SINA Corporation (Nasdaq: SINA),
a leading online media company and value-added information service provider for
China and for global Chinese communities, announced today that it has entered
into a definitive agreement to acquire Fortune Trip, an online hotel booking
company based in Shanghai. After the acquisition, SINA expects Fortune Trip to
become a cornerstone of its expanded effort into E- Commerce.
China
Opens Door to Zim Tourism Firms
AllAfrica.com, Dec. 8, 2003 - ZIMBABWE is among six African countries
that have been granted the highly esteemed Approved Destination Status (ADS) by
China and the move might result in direct flights between Harare and Beijing, it
has been established.
First Foreign Holding Tourism Company Establishes
People's Daily, China, Dec. 2, 2003 - TUI China Travel Company Ltd,
China's first Sino-foreign tourism joint venture controlled by foreign shares,
was established in Beijing Monday. Visiting Germany Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
attended the opening ceremony. Schroeder said the joint venture is an important
part of the bilateral cooperation between Germany and China, will provide
opportunity for the two sides to better understand each other and will
strengthen economic connection. Based in Germany, TUI is the largest tourism
company in Europe. "I hope the cooperation between TUI and its Chinese partner
China Travel Service Head Office (CTS) will be successful," said Schroeder.
About 1.7 Million Tourist Visited Hong Kong in October
People's Daily Nov. 27, 2003 - A
record 1.69 million visitors came to Hong Kong in October this year, the highest
ever recorded for a single month, registering a seven percent increase from that
of the same month last year, the
Hong Kong Tourism
Board said in a press release on Wednesday.
Macao's Tourism Arrivals Expected to Edge Up in 2003
Xinhua News, Nov. 25, 2003 - Given the current momentum of tourist
arrivals, Macao's tourist authority foresaw a 1 percent ofannual increase in the
category in 2003, which was severely marredby the outbreak of severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS), said a tourist official here Tuesday.
Promoting Tourism in China Popular Worldwide
Chinaview.cn Nov. 24, 2003 - Foreign countries promoted their tourism
industries at the four-day China International Tourism Mart (CITM) here in
Kunming, Yunnan Province.
Peru, China sign traveling agreement
Xinhua News - Peru and China signed an agreement here on Monday to ease travel
for citizens between the two countries.
Link-up to Foster Business Travel
China Daily - China Travel Net, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based China Travel
Services (CTS), yesterday said it would form a partnership with Synergi, a
global travel-management company, to capture the fast-growing corporate travel
market in Hong Kong.
Chinese Tourists to Hit Germany's Highways
DW-World.DE, Germany - Since
February of this year, when it became officially possible for groups of Chinese
tourists to travel to Germany, both Chinese citizens and the German tourist
industry have been making the most of the new found freedom.
Europe Woos China's Tourists
BBC News Online, UK - As China's rapid growth continues to fuel speculation
about its future status as a global economic power, one truly global industry is
now contemplating the giant on the horizon.
Chinese Travel Site Files $60 million IPO
Newsday.com, USA - Ctrip.com
International Ltd., a Chinese travel-booking Web site, filed an initial public
offering Thursday to sell up to $60 million in American depositary shares,
according to a filing.
Air Canada's new owner could help entry into big Chinese market: analysts
Canada.com - Air Canada could be in good position to take advantage of
growing Asian markets when it emerges from bankruptcy protection with Hong Kong
businessman Victor Li as its controlling shareholder, analysts said Tuesday.
MOU
with 5 countries on tourism to be inked
PakistanLink, Pakisan will sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with five more
countries including Greece, Spain, Sweden, Italy and Iraq for exchanging
cultural troupe and tour operators to strengthen bilateral ties in tourism and
culture sectors....
EU
urges China to further open its travel industry
EUbusiness.com
American
Express Taps Chinese Tourism Market
Xinhua News Nov. 4, 2003 - American Express, one of the largest tourism and
transportation companies in the world, has signed a cooperative agreement with
the China International Travel Agency recently to tap the Chinese tourism
market.
China
Set to Provide Tour Boom
The Age, Austrilia, Oct. 27, 2003 - Setting their sights on China's rapidly
growing middle class with hard cash for travel, Australian tourism authorities
have set their sights on attracting a million Chinese visitors a year within a
decade.
Chinese
Tourism Market Opens Ahead of Schedule
CCTV, China, Oct. 21, 2003 - China is opening its tourism market ahead of
schedule under its WTO commitments. The country's first foreign-controlled
travel agency joint venture and first foreign-owned travel agency has been
launched recently...
HK
Tourist Industry to Grow Jobs on China Travel Boom
Reuters, October 15 - Hong Kong's reviving tourism industry will generate
15,800 new jobs a year in the territory in the next decade, thanks mainly to
surging outbound travel from China, the World Travel and Tourism Council said on
Wednesday.
Chinese
Cheapies
MSN, USA Oct. 8,
2003 - China is cheap these days, my friends, the culturally rich and
vastly ancient Middle Kingdom still suffering from dismal tourism numbers
since the long-gone SARS epidemic put it out of favor last spring. That’s why
we’re still seeing $499 price tags on week-long air-hotel vacations, including
departures from the East Cost for well under $600, to the sprawling capital
Beijing with its fabulous Forbidden City and nearby Great Wall, the glittering
commercial megalopolis of Hong Kong, or the combo nineteenth century
port-cum-emerging city of tomorrow Shanghai.
International
Business Travelers Sacrificing Comfort for Low Prices, American Express Survey
Shows
Canada News Wire, Oct. 8, 2003 - Poll of Frequent Business Travelers Reports
Nearly 40% Plan to Travel More Next Year; Most Will Hunt for Bargains - While
Minimizing Inconvenience
China's
Australian market on Way to Recovery
Travelbiz.com.au Australia Oct. 3, 2003 - Australian visitor numbers to China
continue to recover, with the August figure of 21,600 less than one per cent
below the total for the same month in 2002....
"Golden
Week" Boosts China's Sars-Hit Tourism
Financial Times, UK, Oct. 2, 2003 - China's first major holiday season since the
outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus brought travel to
a halt has seen a solid bounce back in volumes in domestic and overseas
markets...
Hong
Kong Launches Global Tourism Campaign
Canada NewsWire Sep. 24, 2003 - The
Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) unveiled its new global tourism marketing
campaign here today, amid a colourful display of the tradition, culture,
mystique and festivity that entices 260,000 Canadians a year to discover Hong
Kong for themselves...
Business
Travel Market Booms in China
China Daily, China - Sep. 4, 2003 China is likely to
replace the United States as the world's largest business tour
destination by 2020, according to a message from the ongoing Asia
Business Travel Market (ABTM) held in Shanghai Wednesday.
Now
Is the Time to Visit China, Traveler Editor Says
National Geographic
USA - for the price of one night in a
five-star hotel in Manhattan, you can stay in a comparable hotel
in China - plus, get three extravagant meals, a tour guide ...
Major
Travel Firms Form JV
Eastday.com, China - Sep. 4, 2003 Business
Travel International announced Wednesday that it has
formed a joint venture firm with Jin Jiang International in
Shanghai, which targets China's business travel market.
|
