China Tourism Industry Booming
2010 Canada ranked No 3 as a favoured destination among Chinese tourists
Chinese international travellers, especially those travelling long distance are not travelling for their personal enjoyment. More important are trips with a major purpose of business, education or Visiting Friends and Relatives.
But even the “leisure” trips to Europe, Australia, North America or Africa are not performed by “holiday makers”. To
have a good time with decent food and people who understand the Chinese
language and culture is easier, cheaper and more convenient to get
within the “Chinese world” of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Southeast
Asia. Intercontinental travel is first of all for
prestige and status, for the traveller him/herself and for China as a
whole, demonstrating Soft Power by the number of Chinese who can afford
to go abroad.
Having
prestige and status is not just vanity, but a necessary precondition to
be a successful member of the in-groups of the different part of the
Chinese upper class. Accumulation of social and cultural
capital is needed especially in a group-orientated society with only
weakly established rule of law.
For
western leisure tourists, to economize on travel expenses is a private
decision, for affluent Chinese it would be a sign of weakness to the
surrounding society. An economic downturn might hurt the sales
of Rolls Royce in China, but a few thousand dollars for an international
trip will still be seen as a necessary and affordable investment.
Hong Kong Report
China's
leading online travel service said the country's tourism industry is
booming, and it expects a 50 per cent jump in mainland customers
travelling to Hong Kong this year.
That will come as good news for Hong Kong, whose tourism industry is powered by the millions of visitors who cross the border each year.
China's
top online travel service Ctrip.com and Hong Kong beauty products
retailer Bonjour, have joined hands to promote tourism on the mainland
and in Hong Kong.
The two firms are launching a joint VIP card with special deals for cardholders travelling around China, Hong Kong and Macau.
After a pick-up in 2009, Ctrip.com said tourism business is booming, especially with customers travelling to Hong Kong.
Tang Lan, VP of Sales & Marketing at Ctrip.com
said: "Now we are the number one travel agency for mainland China
travellers going to Hong Kong. And the number in 2008 was about 90,000.
And 2009, it reached 150,000."
Ctrip.com
expects to see a 50 per cent jump this year in mainland customers
travelling to Hong Kong. Mainland visitors are a key driver of Hong
Kong's tourism industry. An estimated 17 million of them flock across
the border each year.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong-grown Bonjour has seen sales jump by 33 per cent in the first half of the year.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong-grown Bonjour has seen sales jump by 33 per cent in the first half of the year.
And with a growing number of Mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong, it is keeping positive on its sales outlook.
"Up
to now, (sales) is about 35 per cent. We expect the percentage will
increase to about 50 per cent in the next few years," said Alan Chan,
executive director of Bonjour.
In the first half of this year, more than 10 million mainland tourists visited Hong Kong, an increase of 23 per cent compared to a year ago.
In the first half of this year, more than 10 million mainland tourists visited Hong Kong, an increase of 23 per cent compared to a year ago.
They all want to see Niagara falls
Top 10 Canadian Attractions
1. The Canadian Rockies
2. Niagara Falls
3. Pacific Rim National Park
4. Cabot Trail (Nova Scotia)
5. Baffin Island (Oikiqtaaluk)
6. Vancouver/Victoria
7. The Prairies
8. The Rocky Mountaineer
9. Old Québec City
10. Bay of Fundy
President: James McNaught, MBA, MTH
Catherine Yan Xu, B.Sc., Dip. Int'l Trade
Nancy Rajabian, BSN, MSC, PHD, ABMPP
Brenda Russell, REALTOR®
Sarah Yan Ping Gu, MA
Jane Wang, MBA
Mandy Li, MA
PacWest International Management Inc
Government and Corporate Development
America-Canada-England-Switzerland-China
Since 1985
