Tag Archives: Tourism

Chinese island Hengqin set to become tourist hotspot

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Helen Li| Leave a comment

Hengqin, an island located off the southern coast off China, is fast becoming a tourism hotspot.

The island is becoming China’s latest holiday destination resort, with a number of major companies such as Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide investing in the region, reports Reuters.

After China announced plans to turn the island into a tourist destination two years, a number of developments have been springing up in Hengqin.

Starwood Hotels has announced that it is planning to build Sheraton and St Regis properties in Hengqin, complete with luxury rooms and top quality amenities.

Within the next year, a number of recreational facilities are scheduled to open up, including a massive shark and whale aquarium, which, at 22,000 cubic metres, is reported to be the largest in the world.

The island will also be the site of the biggest aquatic theme park in Asia and an international business district spanning 5.8 square kilometres.

In addition, developers are working on a large-scale water and land transportation network that will include multiple highways. An undersea tunnel from Macau to Hengqin is expected to be unveiled in 2012.

Although no gambling will be allowed on the island, the destination is expected to be a major draw for foreign visitors planning tailor made holidays to China.

Neighbouring region Macau is expected to benefit from the development of Hengqin into a seaside tourist resort, as it strives to gain more revenue from mass market holidaymakers and reduce its reliance on business travellers.

Zhao Zhen Wu, a Chinese government official working on the development of Hengqin, told Reuters: “In the coming year there will be big changes.

“Hengqin’s investment philosophy is geared to the world, particularly Hong Kong and Macau. We welcome foreign investment, especially from Fortune 500 companies.”

Hengqin, which is a free trade zone, is expecting to attract some 200 billion yuan (£20 billion) in investment by 2015.

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China to launch new tourism zone

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Helen Li| Leave a comment

A new national tourism zone is set to be launched in north-west China in a bid to promote China tours among foreign visitors.

The Chinese government granted permission for the Dingjun Mountain National Tourism Vacation Zone to be created in the Dingjun mountain region of Mianxian County, Shaanxi Province, on Sunday November 20th, reports the City Channel of CRI Online.

The tourism region is the first of its kind in the north-west part of China and boasts a rich history. It is the site of a well-known battle during the Three Kingdoms period (220 to 280 AD).

Liu Bei, the founder of the Shu Kingdom, won a battle against Cao Cao, the founder of Wei Kingdom in the region, and rose to prominence thereafter.

It is hoped that the new tourism zone will attract the attention of foreign holidaymakers who are interested in improving their knowledge about China’s ancient cultural past.

As well as the historical aspect to the Dingjun Mountains, the region also includes the Moon River hot spring wellness area, which will appeal to those interested in improving their health and fitness in relaxing surroundings.

In addition to this, the area also features the Yanghe River sightseeing area and the Tiandang Buddhism cultural area.

The Dingjun Mountain National Tourism Vacation Zone has earned support from the National Tourism Administration and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Proposals for the Dingjun Mountain National Tourism Vacation Zone were put forward by Mianxian County in July 2010 and now permission has been granted, the zone is expected to help develop the local tourism industry.

China’s first national tourism vacation zones were set up in 1992 after permission was granted by the state council. In total, 12 vacation zones were initially set up, including Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province and Yalong Bay in Sanya, in Hainan Province.

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UK tourists choose China

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Helen Li| Leave a comment

UK globetrotters returning from a visit to China have voted the country as the top destination out of the BRICS nations.

The international organisation, made of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, comprises of the top emerging economies in the world, with China being singled out by the World Travel Market (WTM) 2011 Industry Report.

Among the 1,006 UK holidaymakers surveyed, 46 per cent said they were interested in visiting China, while a further eight per cent claimed they had already visited.

Additionally, over 1,000 senior executives of businesses in the tourism industry highlighted China as the most important country for their company.

The professionals said that the country’s natural beauty, booming economy and the availability of direct flights were key reasons for the China’s tourism success.

World Travel & Tourism Council figures show that China is the world’s largest market for outbound tourists as well, spending around 455 billion abroad in 2010.

Furthermore, the country received 56 million international tourists over the same 12-month period, netting the region $46 billion in revenue.

WTM announced that it plans to expand its Vision Conference into both Shanghai and Moscow next May, following the increased popularity for the destinations registered in the surveys.

“China is an obvious destination for the WTM Vision series, as it is already one of the most important outbound and inbound tourism markets,” commented Fiona Jeffery, chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions.

The China Tourism Academy recently announced that the emerging superpower has seen a spike in domestic tourism during the first nine months of 2011.

Over the first three quarters the total number of trips in and out of China is expected to be 2.08 billion, a growth of 12 per cent year-on-year.

Foreigner satisfaction after visiting the country was also registered as improved on the domestic travellers’ index.

“In the third quarter, the comprehensive tourists’ satisfaction index is 80.48, which means ‘satisfied’,” the group explained.

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China sees tourism spike

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Helen Li| Leave a comment

Travellers planning to book a China tour package may be interested to hear that they’re not alone in visiting the country, as local tourism experts say more travellers are arriving than ever before.

The emerging superpower has reported strong developments in its domestic and outbound tourism sector during the first nine months of 2011, according to the China Tourism Academy.

While the number of people visiting the country is increasing, China is becoming a global leader in outbound tourism at a faster rate.

The total number of trips in the first three quarters is expected to be 2.08 billion, up by 12 per cent year on year, reports Breaking Travel News.

Additionally, the country saw a total travel income of 1.66 trillion yuan (£163 million), which represents an increase of nearly 20 per cent when compared to 2010.

There has also been improvement recorded on the country’s national tourists’ satisfaction index, with domestic travellers’ index also showing an improvement in most cities.

“In the third quarter, the comprehensive tourists’ satisfaction index is 80.48, which means ‘satisfied’,” the group explained.

“The gap between the tourism economy of each region, classed as eastern, central and westerly China, is small; all stand at ‘relative prosperity’ in the first three quarters.”

High-speed rail travel, summer holidays, “red tourism” and the recent horticultural exhibition in Xi’an have boosted the tourism market in the three regions.

Further tourism was generated by special events, such as short-tern fairs, however, the industry is relying more on local environmental attractions as well as social development.

Shanghai plans to attract thousands of tourist to its International Arts Fair which kicks off on November 13th.

The event is known for opening with a home-grown act and closing with a foreign performance highlight.

“We have chosen the ballet, The Taming of the Shrew, from Bavaria for the closing performance this year,” revealed Liu Wenguo, the festival’s art director.

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