CWT expands central payment solution in China to cover hotel bookings
CWT has introduced a new end-to-end central payment solution for hotel bookings in China. Developed in partnership with corporate payments specialist AirPlus, the solution is integrated into the myCWT platform. CWT’s customers in China can now book, pay, and reconcile travel expenses for flights, hotels, and rail tickets from a central account.
China’s largest bank to provide $41 billion in tourism financing
The Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. will offer 300 billion yuan ($41 billion) in financing to boost the nation’s tourism sector amid sluggish consumer spending in the world’s second-largest economy. The country’s biggest bank signed a cooperation pact with China’s culture and tourism ministry on Tuesday to “stimulate” tourism investment and spending, according to a statement posted on the ministry’s official WeChat account.
San Francisco mayor heading to China in April to promote tourism
Mayor London Breed will leave for China on April 13, reportedly to strengthen relations with Shanghai and hopes to return with good news about pandas potentially coming to the San Francisco Zoo. She'll travel to the country to promote tourism. Chinese tourists spent more than 1 billion dollars a year in the city pre-pandemic.
Quake causes railway delays in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanchang
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred at 7:58 a.m. on April 3 at a depth of 12 kilometers in the sea off Hualien County in Taiwan, according to the China Seismological Network. Several railway stations felt different degrees of tremor, according to the Shanghai Railway Bureau Ningbo section. Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Nanchang Railway activated emergency plans immediately.
Taiwanese top ranking of foreign spenders in Japan
Taiwanese were the biggest spenders among foreign visitors to Japan last year, edging out visitors from China for the top spot, Japan Tourism Agency figures showed. Taiwanese spent about USD 5.16 billion in Japan over the year, up 42 percent from 2019, the last full year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
China sees nearly 119 million domestic tourist trips during Qingming holiday
China saw about 119 million domestic tourist trips made during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, ending on Saturday, up 11.5 percent from the same period in 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Domestic tourism revenue during the period totaled 53.95 billion yuan (about 7.6 billion U.S. dollars), up 12.7 percent from the same period in 2019.
China Tourism Group reports 24% revenue growth in 2023 to USD 9.3 billion
China Tourism Duty Free Corporation, the parent company of China Duty Free Group (CDFG) saw a 24% increase in revenue last year, driven by swells in both domestic and international tourism, to RMB 67.5 billion (USD 9.3 billion). The figures mark a significant increase on the RMB54.4bn recorded in 2022, but stay slightly short of the company’s record revenue figures of RMB67.7bn from 2021.
First nonstop service to Chinese capital since pandemic resumes at Seattle Airport
The first nonstop service to the Chinese capital since the COVID-19 pandemic resumed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Seattle Airport) on Tuesday. Seattle Airport has 48 international services, surpassing its pre-pandemic total of 42. According to a release, Seattle Airport had more international passengers in 2023 compared to 2019.
Hong Kong records over 2.27 million outbound trips during Easter holiday
Hong Kong residents made over 2.27 million outbound trips during the Easter holiday, and over 1.9 million people headed north to the mainland, according to preliminary data from the city’s Immigration Department. The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge saw over 19,000 inbound and outbound vehicles on Monday, marking a record high since its opening, official data showed on Tuesday.
China Southern Airlines launches new Beijing-Macau route
China Southern Airlines has launched a new route between Beijing and Macau, with the first flight taking off on Monday as part of plans to add 17 international routes to its schedule. Executives of China Southern Airlines said they hoped to launch all of the new routes by 26 October, pushing its route network to 85% of 2019 levels from the current 80%.
