Drawn by the Great Wall and the Terra-Cotta Soldiers in Xian, overseas tourists are flooding into the country. And despite the current unrest in Tibet, the draw of the mainland is unlikely to weaken any time soon. Last year’s 132 million visitors spent $42 billion, making China the fourth most popular destination country, behind France, Spain, and the U.S.

By 2015, the World Tourism Organization estimates, it will be No. 1.

Perhaps, even more important is domestic tourism, which makes up three-fourths of total revenues. Propelled by double-digit gross domestic product growth and rising urban incomes — up more than 12% last year — increasingly well-off Chinese are opting to travel within China for fun and relaxation.

Good news for Wyndham Worldwide’s Super 8 franchise (Wyndham also has Howard Johnson and Days Inn properties on the mainland). Since opening its first hotel in Beijing in 2004, the chain has grown to 67 properties in cities across the mainland. By year end, Super 8 plans to double its locations in China.

Mitchell Presnick, Super 8 China’s chief executive, said, ‘When economies experience this kind of growth, one of the first things that happens is people want to travel.’

Treu. But this is not all good news. The writer was in Paris in January and it was bitterly cold. And there were long lines to get into everything. In the end, one gave up in disgust. If that was January what will September be like?
Source: BusinessWeek

Citigroup’s property investment arm plans to invest in a hotel owned by China’s Ginwa Enterprise, part of the U.S. investment bank’s program to acquire shopping malls and hotels in China’s major cities.

Citigroup will soon sign an agreement with Ginwa to invest in its five-star Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza Hotel, in the northwestern city of Xian. It did not say how big a stake Citigroup was buying or for how much.

In February, Citigroup raised $1.29 billion in its Asia opportunities fund and plans to invest $600 million of the fund in China and $400 million in India.

David Schaefer, Asia head of Citigroup’s property investment arm, said in April that the Citigroup fund had already made three investments in Shanghai, including buying a 75% stake in the Novel Plaza office building, but was looking at up-and-coming second-tier cities including Xian and Chengdu in the west, as well Tianjin, which neighbours Beijing.

The Chinese government last year imposed restrictions on foreign investment to curb overseas speculation and a surge in domestic property prices.
Source: Reuters

Howard Johnson will manage Howard Johnson Plaza Yixing and Howard Johnson Kaina Hotel Changzhou developed by Yixing Garden Hotel Changzhou RPD Property Development respectively.

Howard Johnson Plaza Yixing will be one of the first international hotels located in the industrial park of Yixing. This is a five-star business hotel with 210 rooms and suites, a 900 square meters pillar-less (important for meetings) ballroom and 6 function rooms which makes it a MICE hotel. Should open early 2008.

Howard Johnson Kaina Hotel Changzhou is centrally located in the city of Changzhou, along the lower Yangtze River in southeastern China’s Jiangsu province. It is 15 minutes to Changzhou Railway Station and 10 minutes to the Shanghai – Nanjing Freeway.

The 50-storey skyscraper hotel and serviced apartments overlooking the city. The 250-room hotel, which will have extensive facilities MICE events, is scheduled to open in 2009.

Howard Johnson International (China) has 13 hotels in operation and 28 hotels slated to be open by 2007, 50 hotels open by 2008 and 100 hotels by 2010.
Source: Asia Travel Tips

Wilburt Chang, Chairman & CEO of Howard Johnson International (China) has been named ‘One of the Top 10 personalities of China’s Hospitality Industry 2006′. (Pictured on the left receiving the award).

The event was sponsored by Hotel Modernization Magazine, China Tourism Association and the Tourism Commitees of Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang.

Mr Chang said, ‘The key to success is our strong philosophy, that is, to localize the international experience and to put our feet into partners’ and customers’ shoes so as to gain the win-win situation.’

Howard Johnson currently operates 13 four- and five-star hotels in China with plans to run 55 hotels by 2008.
Source: PR Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson International (China) has signed two management contracts with hotels in Taiyuan, Shanxi province and Fuzhou, Fujian province.

The four-star Howard Johnson Caton Hotel Taiyuan will be the first international hotel in Taiyuan city and is scheduled for opening in September. The other is a five-star establishment in Fuzhou, the Howard Johnson Plaza Fuzhou. The two hotels are developed by Shanxi Caton Group and Fuzhou Greattown Group respectively.

‘The two new hotels are just the starting point for the promising year of the Golden Pig,’ said Wilburt Chang, Chairman and CEO.

Howard Johnson currently has 13 hotels across China and says this figure will rise to 28 by the end of 2007 and 100 by 2010.

Pictured is Wilburt Chang (right) and Zhang Shan Dai, Chairman of Shanxi Caton Group (left). 
Source: PR Howard Johnson