The Golden Week concept created more problems than it solved. It strained the transport system, drove away overseas visitors — a source of revenue — and generally created havoc. In the current state of relative prosperity they are an anachronism and now the word is the government is likely to scrap up its ‘golden week’ holiday system and make public holidays of more traditional festivals by 2009.

Zhang Hui, dean of the tourism administration department at Beijing International Studies University, told a forum in Xiamen, east China’s Fujian Province the week-long May Day holiday would be shortened to one day and the National Day holiday to two days.

Zhang Hui said the conclusion was drawn from discussions among domestic tourism experts.

According to a story published in the China Youth Daily experts suggested choosing three traditional festivals as public holidays.

Zhang Hui said, ‘Experts all agree that Mid-Autumn Day should be set as a public holiday and the government can choose two more from the Lantern Festival, the Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragon-Boat Festival and Double Nine Day.’

In addition, compulsory paid vacations, which might be written into the labor law, would be granted to employees. This is the key. Unless these holidays are written into law then many smaller employers will simply forget about them.

In theory the law will be that each person will have a basic seven-day paid leave a year, increasing by one day for every year of employment. The longest paid leave would not exceed 14 days.

How does that compare to other countries? If you look at Germany or Australia it is woeful. On the other hand, if you look at the United States it is not too bad at all.

One confusion arises from the term ‘golden week’ of which China currently has three. They are not weeks. The are for the Spring Festival, Labor Day and National Day holidays and are actually only three days holiday as a weekend on one side of the holiday is designated as two working days.

Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year, is something else again. It is a golden week of long, long standing-tradition and Zhang Hui said it would be preserved.
The ‘golden week’ holidays were introduced in October 1999 to boost tourism and holiday consumption. They are well past their usefulness.
Source: China.org.cn

The Internationally Branded Hotels of Shanghai (IBHS) are holding their fourth Charity Golf Tournament at Shanghai West Golf Club on June 1. IBHS is a group of 53 four- and five-star hotels in Shanghai who promote Shanghai as a destination and it is part of the Shanghai Hotel Industry Association.

Last year, the tournament raised RMB 160,000 for the Shanghai Charity Association and this year it has a target of RMB 200,000, says IBHS Chairman William Hall. “The tournament has been a great success over the last three years and is a major charity fund raiser for the association”.

This year, the event has attracted major sponsors such as Shanghai General Motors who are providing a Buick LaCrosse for a hole in one.
Source: PR IBHS 

Singapore-based Abacus International is Asia Pacific’s leading travel facilitator with more than 15,000 agency locations in 24 markets. The company’s President and CEO Don Birch reviewed the potential of the China travel market. He said, ‘The full extent of pending change has not been obvious to the Asian travel industry, because of China’s relative isolation until the last few years and many changes have occurred behind partially closed doors.

‘China-driven travel growth provides an excellent opportunity for forward-thinking private operators, National Tourism Organisations and Governments to work together to plan and invest in infrastructure, and ensure the quality of current and future experiences and attractions through their joint actions.’

As Asia’s major economic power, China has climbed from fifth to fourth place in the World Tourism Organisation’s rankings since 2002, with tourism accounting for over 5% of its GDP in 2005 or 5.5% of the world’s total travel and tourism industry.

Besides generating an expected value of $354 billion of economic activity in 2006, China’s tourism industry has catalysed the country’s development, driving many major infrastructure and transportation initiatives, particularly in Beijing and Shanghai.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council capital investments in the tourism sector were estimated to be $100 billion in 2006

‘We expect China to be the fastest growing outbound tourism market over the next fifteen years, outpacing even the UK and the US, with more than 110 million trips in 2020. . . . While these figures suggest stratospheric growth and a highly-mobile population, the reality is that currently only 1.3% of the Chinese population travels overseas for leisure.’

Don Birch said, ‘Business travelers are a key market for the estimated 200 new 4-5 star hotel properties in development by major international chains such as InterContinental and Accor, which will be opened within the next three years in various key locations in China. China is slowly growing into a choice destination for MICE events. . . Government investment in infrastructure for events such as the 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai will certainly leave a venue legacy that will boost China’s position as a key player in the MICE industry.’
Source: 4 Hoteliers

China is to develop its MICE market where MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. (Do not confuse these MICE with the mice shown in our illustration which are to be used to test the food at the 2008 Olympics.) As China is the third largest business travel market in the world there is a very considerable potential for more MICE.

Two events will help push this ahead.

IT&CM China 2007 will bring 1,500 delegates to INTEX Shanghai. The odd initials stand for Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia and this will be held in Shanghai from 23 to 25 April 2007. It will be selling China to the world and the world to China. The 6,000 square meter venue has enough space for 300 standard booths. At the moment it looks as though this monster cheese trap will bring MICE buyers from 22 countries making it over a thousand delegates.

At the same time there will be CT&TW China 2007. Those initials stand for Corporate Travel and Technology World which you already knew but it had slipped your mind for the moment. That is running at the same time in the Millennium Hongqiao Hotel.

TTG Asia Media managing director Darren Ng said, ‘You can look at both trade events as coming together into China at the most opportune time. Many see IT&CM China 2007 as a golden gateway to cultivate China’s buoyant MICE industry. Similarly, they are a great opportunity for China suppliers to reach local and international MICE buyers.

‘IT&CM China 2007 is indeed the fitting platform to promote China to the world and the world to China.”
Source: eTravelBlackboard and IT&CM China

In just under a month, the ‘golden holiday week’ will be upon us. In an effort to combine culture and tourism, three big resorts in Hainan’s Sanya will hold the first Jazz Festival on Yalong Bay Beach.

The Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa, Sanya Marriott Resort & Spa and Sheraton Sanya Resort are organizing the event which will host local and international jazz bands. All proceeds go to charity.
Source: PR Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa

On March 24, Hilton Hefei welcomed Hong Kong film actress Carina Lau (picture here shaking hands with General Manager Luc Bollen) at the launch of Longines BelleArti collection in Hefei. Lau is an ambassador of the Longines watch brand.

Hilton Hefei opened for business earlier this year and is one of the newest hotels in Anhui’s capital. The 561-room hotel is located in Hefei’s new Railway Business Development Area and is managed through a partnership with Anhui Yuan Yi Hotel Company Ltd.

It houses a huge 6,000 square meter health club and spa and has extensive MICE facilities.
Source: Hilton Hefei

It is intended that this will be a seriously green Olympic Games. All hotels that will house media and others associated with the 2008 Olympic Games have to reach certain environmental standards. According to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics it they do not meet those standards they will be struck off the list of acceptable Olympic hotels.

Xiang Ping, vice-director of the BOCOG Games Service Department said the organization hopes that the process will be completed by the end of this year. He told a press conference, ‘The hotels that fail to meet the environmental standards will be struck off the list of Olympic hotels.’

At the moment a total of 112 star-rated hotels have been designated as official hotels of the 2008 Games.

BOCOG published a set of standards in 2003 requriing all official hotels of the Games to meet a series of environmental standards in management, energy-saving, pollution prevention as well as in their guest services.

In early 2006 the National Tourism Administration released the LB/T007-2006 industrial standards which covers pretty much the same area and defines the Green Tourist Hotels.

Xiang Ping said, ‘Any hotel that passes the “Green Tourist Hotels” verification standards will be considered as having fulfilled BOCOG’s guidelines, because the two standards are almost the same.’

At least 1,500 mainland hotels had met the green criteria by the end of 2006.
Source: Xinhua

Two hotel connected forums due, one in Shanghai, the other in Beijing.

On April 11 in Shanghai Interval International is organizing the Vacation Ownership Investment Conference (VOIC) at the St Regis Hotel which is shown here. Topics including timesharing, fractional ownership, private residence clubs, and condo-hotels.

Meanwhile IFCOT (International Forum on Chinese Outbound Tourism) will start May 13, 2007, in Beijing. IFCOT has become known as the top conference for the China (PRC) outbound market. This event receives support from PATA, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), China Tourism Association (CTA) and World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The Great Wall Sheraton Beijing has an Austrian executive chef, Josef Gschwandtner, (pictured right) who will bring his country’s cuisine to the hotel’s Silk Road Trattoria between March 11 and March 17. 

Vienna Backhendel, Tiroler Knoedel and Kaisererschmarren are among the authentic dishes on offer, all to be washed down with a manly-sized tankard of beer, and accompanied by the Folkloric Austrian Musicians.

The 827-room hotel isn’t actually located by the Great Wall as the name suggests, but in the Chaoyang diplomatic district in central Beijing.
Source: PR Great Wall Sheraton Beijing

Following the first of the James Bond films ever to be screened in Chinese cinemas, the cast, producer and director of Casino Royale recently paid a visit to Shanghai where they stayed at Le Royal Meridien.

New James Bond actor, Daniel Craig, and Bond Girl Eva Green, attended a press conference at the hotel followed by the movie’s premiere at Shanghai Film Art Centre.
Source: Le Royal Meridien Shanghai PR