It seems likely that with the easing of tensions between the mainland and Taiwan then we can look forward to something of a tourist boom. Hoteliers and guides and restaurants plainly think this is a good thing.

However, the prospect of a mainland tourist invasion has not been view throughout with unalloyed delight.

Skeptics say only a few privileged businesses would benefit, and that the island’s scenic spots could be spoiled by greedy developers and a tourist stampede.

Long off-limits to the mainland Taiwan is now popular among mainland tourists for its scenery, preservation of Chinese tradition and for historical sites.

Chinese tourists were first officially admitted to Taiwan in 2002. But visits are capped at 1,000 a day, and tourists must travel to the island via third locations because of restrictions on direct cross-strait flights.

If Ma Ying-jeou, the president-elect, (seen looking dashing in our illustration) has his way, that will change.

Ma, who takes office on May 20, has promised to reach an agreement on more Chinese tourists and weekend cross-strait charter flights by early July, expanding to weekday charters by the end of the year and regularly scheduled flights by summer 2009. All this is part of his election pledge to stimulate the island’s laggard economy with closer cross-strait economic ties.

Under the plan, the cap would be tripled to 3,000 Chinese tourists a day, or more than 1 million per year. Last year, 320,169 mainlanders visited Taiwan, only 81,900 of whom officially came as tourists. The rest were listed as business travelers or ‘others.’

In a few years, Ma hopes, the cap could rise to 10,000 tourist visits per day.

Tourist revenues will have benefits throughout the economy, he says, especially helping lower- and middle-income Taiwanese in the service sector.

The investment bank CLSA estimates that if 1 million Chinese tourists visit Taiwan each year they will spend $1.3 billion, and help boost GDP by up to 1.4% of 2007 levels.

Not everyone has such a rosy view. Some point out that the economic benefits will not be spread around, because Chinese tend to travel to Taiwan in regimented tour groups that only stop at contracted businesses.
Source: NewsWire

One gets cynical about travel awards because there are so many of the damn things. It the then travel editor of the Sydney Morning Herald could garner three awards — and he did and it was me — then it is pretty much open season.

However the inaugural TTG China Travel Awards have just been held and 39 best performing travel trade organizations operating within China were honored. There were 400 people at the event which means one award for every ten attendees which seems a fairly normal proportion.

This year’s awards covers 6 categories, with 39 awards in total. All readers of TTG China, TTG-BTmice China, TTG Asia and TTGmice were invited to vote for their favorite travel and tourism organizations. More then 12,600 TTG readers across the Asia Pacific participated in the voting exercise.
1. Best China Airline Overall — Air China
2. Best International Airline Serving China — Singapore Airlines
3. Best Business Class Airline in China — China Southern Airlines
4. Best Global Hotel Chain Operating in Greater China — InterContinental Hotels Group
5. Best Local Hotel Chain Operating in Greater China — Gloria International Hotels
6. Best Luxury Hotel Brand in Greater China — Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
7. Best Mid-range Hotel Brand in Greater — China Novotel
8. Best Luxury Hotel in Beijing — Raffles Beijing Hotel China
9. Best Luxury Hotel in Shanghai — The Westin Bund Center Shanghai
10. Best Luxury Hotel in Guangdong — InterContinental Shenzhen

And it went on from there. If it gets down to awarding a prize for the best MICE city in China — it was Shanghai — it is time to draw a line. Our illustration shows the statue. Decorously fuzzed around the important parts.
Source: Travel Daily News

The head of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Shao Qiwei, pictured here, has said the country’s fast-developing tourism industry is expected to boost the hotel sector.

He said this will mean about 200,000 new hotels, resorts and guesthouses are likely to be built by 2015.

Addressing a seminar on domestic and international hotels’ groups, he said the new structures will include about 10,000 star-rated hotels. The number of five-star hotels in the country is expected to rise from 361 to 500.

Shao Qiwei said, ‘The World Tourism Organization has forecast that China will grow into a huge tourism market, and have 100 million each of inbound and outbound visitors and 2.8 billion domestic tourists by 2015.’

The booming tourism market has created the need for new hotels and other infrastructure facilities.

The general manager of Traders Hotel at China World Trade Center in Beijing, Xin Tao, said Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts plan to open five new facilities in the country this year, and at least 13 more in big cities such Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an in the near future. That is at least 40 new hotels in the country by 2011.

She said, ‘The Olympic Games has brought us unlimited business opportunities and the increase of leisure, as well as business, travel in China will add to the appeal of hotel operators.’

The CNTA has forecast that investment from home and abroad into hotels will hit RMB340 billion ($47.14 billion) between 2006 and 2010.

The hotel sector was one of the first to be opened up in China, with Jianguo Hotel in Beijing being the first foreign-invested hotel to be approved by the State Council in 1979.

Since then, 67 hotel brands of 41 international groups have entered the country and are managing 516 hotels at present.

By the end of last year there were more than 14,000 star-rated hotels, 100 times more than in 1978.
Source: China Daily

For the first time ever, 31 leading Chinese tourism officials met with more than three dozen U.S. state tourism directors during a day long summit in Charlotte, North Carolina, to explore ways for the two countries to increase cooperation on travel-related matters.

In 2006, according to the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, China and the U.S. shared a total of 3.68 million visits, (this includes visitors to and from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan). But with the rapidly growing exchange between the two countries in trade, culture, education and health care, tourism exchange between the both countries has a great potential and a bright future.

The summit also explored ways to improve structures between the national tourism administrations of the two countries. Efforts were made to actively explore opportunities for cooperation and exchange among the Chinese provinces and the American states.

Roger J. Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Travel Industry Association and seen in our illustration, based in Washington, DC. said, ‘We can learn a lot from each other. During the next 10 years, the amount of travelers from both countries is expected to grow significantly. It makes sense that we explore ways to encourage travel to our respective countries.’

The summit was arranged by the Travel Industry Association (TIA), in conjunction with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The National Council of State Tourism Directors, an industry council housed within and administrated by TIA, also participated in the summit.
Source: Hospitality News

31 leading Chinese tourism officials met with more than three dozen U.S. state tourism directors during a day long summit in Charlotte, NC, to explore ways for the two countries to increase cooperation on travel-related matters.

The idea is to increase the two-way tourist traffic volume between the two countries. In 2006, China and U.S. combined reached a total of 2.35 million visits.

Efforts were made to actively explore opportunities for cooperation and exchange among the Chinese provinces and the American states.

Dr. Du Jiang, Vice Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, led the delegation of 31 tourism directors from various provinces, municipalities and regions of China.

During the next ten years, the number of travelers from both countries is expected to grow significantly.
Source: Hotel Interactive

By 2020, China will replace traditional tourist destinations, and rank as the world’s first, according to one somewhat optimistic analysis. Others are more cautious but there is little doubt that China will, for the foreseeable future, remain permanently in the top five of world tourist destinations.

Chinese tourist officials are even more optimistic. Perhaps this massive optimism could be put down to the Olympics and Expo effect.

Shao Qiwei, director of the State Tourism Bureau and seen here, said that by as early as 2015, China will become the world’s largest country welcoming tourists, and the fourth largest source of outbound tourists.

Possibly. Perhaps. Maybe.
Source: People’s Daily Online

For outbound travel from China tackling unethical business practices is a top priority. This is true for the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), as well as for anyone who wants to effectively compete for the emerging China mega-market.

CNTA has set up a web page for consumers to register their complaints.

Nearly 900 complaints about outbound tours were logged in 2006 (78% more than 2005), and from January-June this year, Chinese travelers had logged 466 complaints.

Complaints were about shopping tours, quality standards, hidden costs, accommodation standards, shortcuts in tour programs, and surcharges for younger or older tour members.

Kate Chang of PATA said, ‘Given the growth in the number of outbound trips taken by Chinese travellers the number of complaints seems very small. However, according to Chinese culture, people do not like to complain unless it is a big deal to them.’

For destinations competing for Chinese travelers, reputation based on honesty, quality and value will be a critical factor for success. There is a very full report which you can get by clicking on Travel Daily News.
Source: Travel Daily News

To develop tourism in the Three Gorges Dam region China will invest RMB26.9 billion between 2007 and 2020. The funding is aimed at developing tourism in the region to provide jobs for local people.

The forecast is this investment will generate a RMB20 billion return, or 24.7% of the area’s gross domestic product, by 2020.

Li Chunming, vice-governor of China’s Hubei province, is reported as saying that booming tourism will provide jobs and economic growth without posing a threat to the fragile ecological environment.

The money will be used to improve tourist ferry services along the valley, build roads and docks to form a traffic network and improve other tourist facilities around the Three Gorges Dam.

Spanning the Yangtze River, the hydroelectric dam is the largest structure of its kind in the world, more than five times the size of the Hoover Dam.
Source: Opodo

26.9 billion RMB ($3.5 billion) will be invested in China’s Three Gorges Dam from 2007 to 2020 to develop tourism to provide jobs for people relocated for the project.

Tourism will be a pillar sector in the Three Gorges Dam region and should generate24.7% of the area’s GDP by 2020.

The Three Gorges tourism development plan has been issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and has been approved by a group of experts in tourism and city planning.

The fund, financed by government allocations and outside investments, would be used to upgrade the tourist ferries along the valley, build roads and docks forming a traffic network, improve tourist facilities and traffic infrastructure such as accommodation and catering, preserve historic sites and the develop culture-oriented attractions.
Source: People’s Daily Online

Almost every tourist destination looks with envious eyes at the potential of China. Guam, the American island in the Marianas, is no exception.

While the topic of the military expansion dominates the thoughts of much of the government — the US American marine base in Okinawa is moving to Guam — the tourism industry is hoping the federal and local government don’t lose sight of what truly brings in Guam’s bread and butter. According to statistics from the Guam Visitors Bureau last year the island’s tourism industry generated $1.3 billion for the local economy.

As well, tourism accounts for approximately 20,000 jobs on island, or 35% of the island’s employment.

Almost all of the tourists are from Japan. Very few are from China.

Chair of the Guam Visitors Bureau board of directors Dave Tydingco, said, ‘China is the single largest growth market. This year there were 38 million outbound from China going around the world and Guam has a minuscule amount of visitors coming from that area.

‘We want our U.S. representatives to look at encouraging a visa waiver only program for Guam. We want to push forward with an approved destination status with the mainland Chinese government. . . It’s to sustain our economy by allowing to continue to allow tourism to grow.’

The visa waiver idea is interesting. In 1969 Guam initiated its visa waiver program whereby citizens of more than a dozen countries are allowed entry to Guam without a visa for a period of up to 14 days. However travel onward to other U.S. points is not allowed.
Source: Kuam