China to offer visa-free travel to travelers from six European countries
China will offer visa-free travel to nationals from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg from March 14, foreign minister Wang Yi said on March 7. The trial visa-exemption policy applies to holders of ordinary passports from these six European nations. Visa-exemption period is from March 14 to November 30 this year.
Big Three US airlines again delay resumption of further China flights
The three largest US airlines are pushing back until at least late October the resumption of many flights to China that they cut early during the Covid-19 pandemic. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines received authority from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to delay by another 90 days the resumption of nearly 100 weekly flights to China, according to regulatory documents released on 5 March.
Chinese diplomat calls for enhancing China-U.S. tourism exchanges
Tourism exchanges have always been an important component of China-US relations, said a Chinese diplomat Jing Quan in the United States at a recent symposium, calling on the two countries to expand and deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
China is becoming a major tourism power, thanks to TikTok
The popular video app TikTok may be seen as a Chinese propaganda app. But it presented itself as a new, major force in the global tourism business at the recent ITB Berlin 2024. Traditionally, travel experience involves a linear process that starts with booking and ends when they return home. But TikTok said now its users are kept in an endless loop when it comes to vacation: Inspiration, search, trip, then reviews and recommendations for other users.
Shanghai's airports break travel records for Spring Festival
Shanghai's two airports received some 13.76 million passenger trips and handled 89,000 flight landings and takeoffs during this year's Spring Festival travel rush that concluded on Monday, hitting a record high among the annual peak travel periods, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority.
Rising Chinese outbound trips fuel global tourism revival in 2024
While the travel craze during the Spring Festival holidays has only just ended, Chinese tourists are eagerly planning their upcoming trips for the May Day holidays, summer vacation and even National Day holidays in October, with bookings for outbound trips already picking up steam, according to online travel agencies.
The number of users who have shown an early interest in travel for the upcoming May Day holidays is up more than 50 percent compared with 2023, according to data from Tongcheng Travel.
Holiday, tourism boom buoy Hong Kong luxury sales
Hong Kong’s retail sales rose in January as the municipality benefited from a resurgence in tourism and a change in the timing of the Lunar New Year. Revenue from jewelry, watches, clocks and valuable gifts surged 25% year on year to HKD 5.54 billion ($707.9 million) for the month, the government’s Census and Statistics Department reported last week. Sales across all retail categories increased 0.9% to HKD 36.52 billion ($4.66 billion).
Hotelbeds and H World International sign a new strategic partnership
Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group, consolidated its strategic partnership with H World International with a new distribution agreement offering clients enhanced access to premium lodging options across 21 countries. Through the deal, Hotelbeds will leverage its global network of more than 71,000 travel distributors across 190 source markets to seamlessly integrate H World International’s properties. These include hotels from the Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, IntercityHotel and Zleep Hotels brands, amplifying distribution opportunities for clients worldwide, including in hard-to-reach areas.
China Eastern Airlines to operate more C919 planes
Li Yangmin, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the general manager of China Eastern Airlines, proposed to scale up operation of domestically manufactured civilian aircraft while phasing in an operational coordination mechanism. Li said that large-scale commercial operation of home-developed aircraft is still in its nascent stage, and it is important to continuously explore a proper operational model and elevate core competitiveness of domestically manufactured planes. COMAC has delivered four aircraft to China Eastern Airlines.
