China Travel and Tourism News Links

Air China to launch direct route linking Beijing, Athens
Xinhua Oct 14, 2007 - Air China will launch a direct route linking Beijing and Athens via a stopover in Dubai on November 28, which is also the first direct flight between China and Greece. The flight No. CA943 will depart from Beijing at 8:40 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays, and arrive in Dubai at 1:10 a.m. After one and half an hour's stop, the aircraft will continue its journey to Athens, arriving at 5:50 a.m. The flight No. CA944 will take off at 9:30 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and reach Beijing at 5:20 a.m. the next morning. This route came as cooperation between the two countries is becoming more frequent on sports, culture and tourism in the run-up to the Olympics, Air China sources said.

Emirates Airline to Double Flights to Shanghai
Xinhua News Agency August 24, 2007 - The Dubai-based Emirates Airline will launch an addition daily flight linking Dubai and Shanghai from Feb. 1, 2008, Emirates News Agency reported on Thursday. The airline's second daily flight to Shanghai will be served by the wide-bodied Airbus A340-300s with 267 seats in a three-class configuration, offering 13 tons of cargo capacity. On Tuesdays, the service will be operated by an Airbus A330-200 with 237 seats.

Tibet Receives More Tourists than Expected
Aug. 24, 2007 - A train ticket to Lhasa is among the hardest-to-get passes in China this summer as the southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region is receiving more tourists than expected.By the end of July, Tibet has received more than 1.7 million tourist arrivals, according to the regional tourism administration. The administration has been forced to reset its forecast of tourist arrivals for the whole year to 3.5 million, up from 3 million projected at the start of the year. (Click title of the news for full coverage.)

Terracotta Warriors Visit British Museum
August 22, 2007 - The first batch of terracotta figures, including the famed warriors, arrived at the British Museum in London on Tuesday, as part of the exhibition "The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army" which opens on September 13. (Click the title of this news for full report on China.Org.cn.)

China National Tourist Office opens in India
Aug. 21, 2007 - China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and Indian Tourism and Culture Ministry jointly hosted the inauguration of the China National Tourist Office opening in New Delhi Monday night. It is the official Chinese tourist office affiliated to CNTA with a responsibility to promote China as a tourist destination in the growing Indian outbound travel market. (Click title of this news for full report from Chinaview.cn)

Tibetans Celebrate Shoton Festival
Aug.13, 2007 - On Sunday, tens of thousands of Tibetans and other visitors flocked to the Zhebung Monastery in the western suburbs of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, to celebrate the opening of the annual Shoton (Yogurt Banquet) Festival. (Click title of this news for for photos and full report.)

Beijing, Seattle Air Link on the Way
China's Hainan Airlines has applied to operate a non-stop flight between Beijing and Seattle in the United States starting next June. Sources with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) confirmed the news on Saturday.After the application is approved, the airlines will become the fourth Chinese carrier for flights between China and the US. The other three are Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. (Click title of this news for for photos and full report.)

Tourists Beat Summer Heat in Beidaihe
Aug. 13, 2007 - The Beidaihe beach has been packed with tourists since the start of the summer holiday. According to statistics from the local tourism bureau the beach has received over one million tourists over the past two months. (Click title of the news for photos and report.)

China Warns of Tropical Storm in South
Aug. 6, 2007 - Xinhua News - A tropical storm will bring heavy rains to most parts of South China's Hainan Province on Sunday night and Monday, with gales hitting the central and southern parts, said the Central Meteorological Station (CMS) on Sunday. Hainan Province has earlier ordered inspections of reservoirs to brace for the storm and the flood control authorities in the province were told to keep vigilant. Another tropical storm, called Pabuk, was formed on the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines on Sunday afternoon. It will not affect the country's coastal waters in the coming 24 hours, said the CMS.

Airlines Streamline Beijing to Shanghai Route
Aug. 6, 2007 - Delayed flights will no longer cause headaches for travelers between Beijing and Shanghai after today, now that five domestic airline companies have cooperated to streamline travel procedures between the two cities. (Click title for full report.)

Extreme Weather to Continue
Aug. 2, 2007 - There will be no respite from the current heat wave or rainstorms this month, meteorologists are predicting. And two or three typhoons are also forecast to hit coastal areas. Areas south of the Yangtze River delta in China's southern area, including the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian and Shanghai Municipality, will continue to experience high temperatures and low rainfall throughout this month. (Click the title of this news for full report.)

Climbing High to Blessed Coolness
Aug. 2, 2007 - As the temperature keeps climbing, it takes a lot of patience to stay in the oven of Shanghai. Even the dust in the air seems roasted. So why not slip away to somewhere cool for a refreshing holiday? Besides Yellow Mountain, there are many other mountain resorts for you to go to ward off the heat. Here's a list for your reference.(Click the title of this news for full report.)

Online Travel Services Ready for Take-off
July 31, 2007, China Daily - China's online travel services are taking off, with even greater growth forecast for the next few years. Last year, at least 2.75 million Chinese booked hotel rooms, air tickets and other travel services on the Internet, up 72 percent from the previous year, according to a report recently released by Shanghai-based iResearch Consulting Group. China's online travel market was worth some 1.54 billion yuan ($204 million) last year, a growth of 82 percent from 2005, the report said.

To show people real China important
July 28, 2007 - Foreign tourists in Shanghai are often amazed by the city's futuristic skyline, trendy bars and restaurants, glitzy theaters, large ex-pat community and vibrant economy. They often say the city makes New York look like a village. Some, before departing Shanghai, say they are leaving the future for the past. (Click title of the news for full report.)

1 Millionth Tourist to Lhasa
July 27, 2007 - Bardet Tanguy from France is honored as the 1 millionth tourist to Lhasa, capital of Southwest China�s Tibet Autonomous Region, on Tuesday. The total number of tourists to Lhasa so far this year reached one million Tuesday as a good sign of tourism development in Lhasa. (Click the title of this news for photo and report.)

Tibetan Kangba Art Festival
July 27, 2007 - A man wears a mask during the Tibetan Kangba Art Festival in Yushu county, northwest China's Qinghai province July 25, 2007. The five-day art festival provides visitors with folk performances, costume displays and horse racings, local media reported. (Click the title of this news for photo and report.)