Australian firms expect strengthening China-Australia ties amid Chinese minister’s visit
Australian companies have expressed high hopes for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Australia, saying that they hope to expand their presence in the Chinese market and strengthen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with their Chinese partners. The two sides may also conduct dialogue on tourism since Australia reportedly hopes for China to be its top tourism market again.
Social platform Xiaohongshu invests in a homestay tech startup (in Chinese)
China's popular social media platform Xiaohongshu has invested in hotel and homestay rental management startup SmartOrder (also known as DingDanLaiLe), according to enterprise information website TianYanCha. SmartOrder's business scope includes internet data services, daily necessities sales, marketing planning, ticketing agency services and more. The PMS startup is also backed by Tencent.
Chinese "internet-famous cities" find key to development
This past winter, Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang province just went viral, gaining huge fame on the internet as a tourism hot spot. Harbin's popularity reminds people of other Chinese cities that have previously captured internet stardom: Chongqing, Changsha in Hunan, Zibo in Shandong, Litang in Sichuan...
Club Med owner courts investors on return to profitability
Fosun Tourism Group, the leisure and tourism unit of Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, is courting domestic and international investors with its asset-light strategy. The owner of popular resort chain operator Club Med, reported a net profit of 307.2 million yuan (US$42.69 million) for 2023, turning around from a net loss of 544.9 million yuan in the previous year.
Cathay Pacific chairman dismisses rumor of Air China adding stake
Cathay Pacific chairman Patrick Healy responded that the recent rumor of Air China boosting stake was just market speculation with no real basis, and refused to comment further. Asked whether the company would re-launch the Cathay Dragon brand, which was suspended during Covid, CEO Ronald Lam said the current dual-branding strategy of Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express was working well and catering to different customer needs. The company had no intention of changing its strategic approach for now.
Greater Bay Airlines joins IATA as airline member
Greater Bay Airlines announced that it has become a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) following the successful completion of the prerequisite certification process of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). The IATA membership will enable GBA to begin collaborating with other member airlines bilaterally on various aspects such as interline and codeshare arrangements.
China becomes Singapore's largest source of tourists after visa waiver
China surpassed Indonesia to become the biggest source of tourists for Singapore for the first time in February. Some 327,000 Chinese visitors arrived in the city-state, accounting for 30% of all foreign arrivals, according to Singapore Tourism Board. The surge in numbers was due to the mutual visa waiver that took effect on Feb. 9, the tourism board said.
Elderly make beeline for niche destinations
A growing number of sophisticated travelers, mostly elderly Chinese, are venturing far out of the country this spring, heading to niche destinations such as Serbia, Morocco and Tunisia, benefiting from lower hotel and flight rates after the Chinese New Year break. For tourists above 55, the average flying distance exceeds 1,200 kilometers this month, over 30 percent farther than last year, Qunar has found.
Nepal names Pokhara tourism capital, to urge China to operate more flights
Signalling that Nepal will seek China’s help in development, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamla Dahal Sunday said he would urge China to treat the Pokhara International Airport as a “grant project” from its side and operate regular commercial flights to and from China. Prime Minister Prachanda announced Pokhara while declaring it the “tourism capital of Nepal”.
