Why Chinese travelers are still cautious about visiting US
China is addressing the bottlenecks that have restricted outbound travel from the country. But the enthusiasm among Chinese travelers to visit the US is diminishing, according to the latest survey from China Trading Desk, a marketing technology company. Limited flight capacity, expensive tickets, hate crimes concerns, visa policies and accessibility to other countries are among the reasons, according to China Trading Desk.
China has scrapped visa requirements for 11 nations in past year: Bloomberg
A Bloomberg report said that China has removed stringent visa requirements for 11 countries in the past six months as Beijing takes steps toward opening up and encouraging more cross-border exchanges. These countries include France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Malaysia, Thailand, Switzerland and Ireland.
Beijing's Daxing airport handles over 39.4 million passenger trips in 2023
Beijing Daxing International Airport handled over 290,000 inbound and outbound flights, and more than 39.4 million passenger trips in 2023, the airport said on Wednesday. The international airport, hailed as the new gateway of China, saw over 2 million arrivals and departures at its entry-exit port in 2023.
Boeing Max 9 crisis upends Hong Kong airline startup’s growth
Hong Kong startup carrier Greater Bay Airlines’ plans to challenge the dominance of Cathay Pacific Airways have been thrown into disarray, with delivery of an order of Boeing Max 9 jets likely to be delayed after the mid-flight panel blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight. Greater Bay is midway through a yearlong process to prove to Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department that the Max 9 jet is airworthy. However, after the Jan 5 near-disaster when a door plug panel blew out not long after takeoff, the US Federal Aviation Administration has grounded most Max 9 jets, a measure it intends to keep in place until extensive inspections are complete.
Cathay Pacific opens first ferry lounge at Shenzhen’s Shekou Cruise Home Port
Cathay Pacific said its first-ever lounge outside of an airport is now open to guests at the Shekou Cruise Home Port in Shenzhen. This new ferry lounge further enhances the intermodal travel experience for customers and elevates sea-to-air connectivity between Hong Kong International Airport and the whole of the Greater Bay Area.
Online buzz not necessarily key to reviving tourism
Influencers and self-media personalities are known for generating online buzz. Surprisingly, tourism officials in China are also competing for online attention. To capture attention, tourism departments in China flood social media platforms with dozens of short videos on their official accounts daily, even posting videos at four in the morning.
Hilton opens 600th hotel in Greater China
Hilton celebrates the opening of its 600th hotel in Greater China, the Hilton Nanjing Niushoushan, marking significant growth and diverse brand presence. Hilton has been the fastest-growing hotel company in the Asia Pacific region, with a third of the hotel rooms under construction in Greater China carrying the Hilton brand. Hilton Honors’ membership base has increased by over 56% year-on-year in China.
Chinese buyers are increasingly drawn to hotels and cruises, with 70% seeking accommodation services, particularly favoring hotel chains (80%), resorts (40%), conference hotels (33%), and wellness/spa hotels (25%), according to an ITB report. Over a third express interest in cruise lines or river cruises. The demand also extends to MICE & corporate travel products, with two-thirds emphasizing both accommodation and transportation.
DerbySoft and WebBeds subsidiary ROOMDEX announce partnership
ROOMDEX, the sole provider of attribute-based upselling for hotels, has announced a strategic partnership with DerbySoft. The arrangement is the latest collaboration between DerbySoft and WebBeds (the parent company of ROOMDEX), who are working together on hotel solutions that reduce the cost of distribution and drive incremental revenue through inventory merchandising innovation.
