China says visa-free travel policy has boosted tourism
China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday its visa-free travel policy has produced a clear effect, making things easier for travelers. Daily average tourist numbers from those countries have risen by 39% on the first three days of December compared to the last day of November, Wang said. Germany's ambassador to China had expressed hope that China would extend the measures to all European Union members.
North Korea accelerates efforts to revitalize tourism
North Korea has recently been making plans to revitalize its tourism industry, one of the few legal avenues for the regime to earn foreign currency. The Ministry of External Economic Relations [MEER] is working on plans to attract investment in the Kalma-Wonsan complex from individuals and organizations in China and Russia.
China-made C919 passenger jet to conduct Hong Kong harbor flyby
China’s domestically manufactured Comac C919 aircraft will fly outside the mainland for the first time next week and head to Hong Kong, where it will conduct a low-altitude flyby over the city’s Victoria Harbour on Dec 16. Comac is raising its profile and seeking international buyers.
Klook teams up with Google on generative AI
Travel and experiences platform Klook has partnered with Google Cloud to amplify Klook’s activity content and customer engagement channels with generative AI. The company will initially use Google Cloud’s PaLM 2 to translate activity content across 10 languages, before extending its capabilities to content generation and its K.AI chatbot.
Accor brings MGallery to Taipei
Accor and Hezun Hotel Inc. recently announced the signing of the first MGallery hotel in Taipei – a 100+ guestroom boutique hotel designed by world-renowned architect, Philippe Starck in 2016. Now joining the MGallery Hotel Collection, the 13-storey hotel will undergo refurbishments and upgrades.
China's hospitality technology provider Shiji said it has implemented its integrated F&B solutions at the iconic Jeju Dream Tower, Grand Hyatt, the largest Hyatt hotel in the Asia Pacific region. The deployment includes Shiji's Infrasys Cloud POS, Shiji Payment Platform, and Shiji Kunlun Smart Tools, across their 14 specialty restaurants and bars marking a significant milestone for technology integration in the hospitality and casino sector.
China-Laos Railway's Laos section breaks daily record with over 10,000 passengers
The Lao section of the China-Laos Railway achieved a milestone on Saturday, setting a new daily record by transporting 10,565 passengers. This marks a historic high since the inception of its operations, as reported by the Laos-China Railway Limited Company.
1,000 runners join Vietnam-China cross-border marathon
Some 1,000 runners from Vietnam, China and countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) participated in the first International Friendship Marathon 2023, taking place in the border city of Mong Cai, Vietnam's northern border province of Quang Ninh, on December 3.
Hebei sees surge in tourism as visitors flock to ski resorts
The beginning of December has witnessed a tourism boom in Chongli district, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, with many snow sports enthusiasts stepping on their snowboards and skis and racing down slopes. Since the snow season kicked off on Nov 8, the region, which staged most of the events of the 2022 Winter Olympics, has received a total of 511,400 visits and achieved a tourism revenue of 449 million yuan ($63 million) as of Saturday, according to the district's culture and tourism bureau.
