28.5% more travelers visit China in December in wake of visa-free policy
China welcomed about 214,000 inbound travelers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia in December 2023, up 28.5 percent compared with November 2023 after a new visa-free policy. More than 55 percent of the inbound travelers were from the six countries and entered China through visa-free channels.
Online giant Trip.com signs 2,100 brick-and-mortar stores in 2023 (in Chinese)
China's online travel giant Trip.com Group said it signed 2,100 brick-and-mortar stores in 2023, breaching a new record in annual new signings. The company has recovered to 6,500 offline stores in operation under the three brands of Ctrip, Qunar and Traveling Bestone.
Trip.com partners with Hong Kong airport authority (in Chinese)
Trip.com Group has reached a strategic partnership with Hong Kong's airport authority to jointly develop intelligent technologies including smart airport construction, big data empowerment, and multimodal cross-border transportation to provide more personalized and customized services to users. They will jointly conduct marketing activities, such as hosting large-scale ticket shopping festivals and promoting tourist destinations and attractions.
Hotel giant H World changes CFO
H World Group, a Shanghai-headquartered hotel chain, announced major leadership changes in the company's CFO and CSO. Ms. Jihong He will step down as H World's chief financial officer and serve as chief strategy officer of the company, effective from January 2, 2024. Mr. Jun Zou, executive vice president of the company, has been appointed as the new chief financial officer, effective from the same date.
Shanghai airports see massive increase in daily flights
Shanghai's two airports saw their daily flights more than double and daily passenger trips triple, according to official sources. A total of 700,000 aircraft landed or took off at Pudong airport and Hongqiao airport throughout 2023, up by 114% from 2022. As many as 96.75 million passenger trips were handled at the city's two airports last year, or 270,000 passenger trips daily, soaring 235 percent year-on-year.
Hong Kong airlines to increase mainland flights as exchanges surge
Hong Kong Airlines, one of the major Hong Kong-based local carriers, and Cathay Pacific Airways, another Hong Kong airline, said they would continue to expand their flight networks connecting Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland as passenger demand in the region is growing. Hong Kong Airlines said its operations returned to normal in 2023. In the Chinese mainland, flights to eight cities (totaling 10 airports) were resumed last year. The airline anticipated its average passenger load factor to rebound to 85 percent in 2023, as full-year data for last year are yet to be finalized.
Sichuan Airlines to be boosted by cash injection from China Southern
Chengdu-based Sichuan Airlines has welcomed the news that one of its largest shareholders, China Southern Airlines, will invest approximately RMB 4.7 billion (USD 659 million) into the carrier. The agreement will also include transferring an Airbus A330-300 to the fleet.
Air China, Comac strike deal amidst escalating aviation market competition
Air China, the nation’s flagship carrier, has inked an agreement with Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac), acquiring six C919 planes and 11 smaller ARJ21 regional jets. Deliveries for the freshly struck deal are slated for 2024 and 2025. The C919, now priced at USD 108 million per plane, marks a significant uptick from the 2022 price of USD 99 million seen in the previous deal with China Eastern.
China's first domestically built cruise ship begins maiden voyage
China's first domestically built cruise ship set sail on its maiden voyage from Shanghai on Monday, a sign of the nation's growing prowess in sophisticated construction as it seeks self-sufficiency in key technologies. The Adora Magic City left port on its first commercial cruise late afternoon, en route to South Korea and Japan.
China’s north province Heilongjiang sees surging railway travels
China’s northeasternmost province, Heilongjiang, has received 10.09 million tourists via railway, up 372% year on year, according to the China Railway Harbin Group Co., Ltd. The province’s capital city, Harbin, and the country’s northernmost cities, Mohe and Yichun, stand out as top destinations for ice and snow tourism.
