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Legendale Hotel

The Legendale Hotel, invested, designed and run by Macau investors, has held its grand opening ceremony, with Mr. Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of the Macau SAR, other Chinese leaders, and ambassadors of more than 100 countries.

The Legendale Hotel is invested and founded by The Macau Legend Development Ltd.

David Chow Kam Fai, founder and chairman of Legendale Hotel Beijing, said the Legendale Hotel was the result of support from the national and local governments of China, including Beijing, Macau and Beijing Dongcheng District.

The 5-star Legendale Hotel Beijing has 390 luxury rooms including 81 suites, 79 opulent serviced apartments and 126 private residential apartments. There are also 8 restaurants and bars of different styles. The hotel lobby features a 17-storey atrium.
Source: MarketWatch

author Gareth Powell, source feedproxy.google.com

Unsmiling gamblers. Gamblers do no smile - ever

Of all the victims of a downturn in Chinese tourism, Macao stands to lose the most.

About 58% of all inbound travelers come from mainland China, where gambling is outlawed. Although the number of mainland tourists to Macao increased by 10.6%  in August, it is a far cry from the 29.9% growth registered in July and the even faster rate of 36.6 % recorded in June.

The slowdown is already affecting casino revenue, which rose more than 50%  in the first six months of this year but was flat in the first half of last month, according to Standard & Poor’s.

Since Stanley Ho’s monopoly on the gaming market was ended in 2002, Macao, which has 30 casinos and has attracted heavy investments from Las Vegas casino operators, is now the world’s biggest gaming market.

Most analysts forecast that the total September figure, which will be released later this month, will fall. If it does, it will be the first monthly drop in casino revenue since November 2005.

The decline is being anticipated after Beijing announced a series of measures to tame explosive growth in the Macao gaming market this year. The Chinese government has in the past few months repeatedly tightened the frequency and ease with which mainland gamblers can travel to Macao.
For more click HERE.
Source: The Financial Times

author Gareth Powell, source feedproxy.google.com

Typical Hainan seaside scenery. Another day in Paradise.

The Outrigger Enterprises Group will develop and manage the Outrigger Qingshui Bay Resort, Sanya a new 500 plus room, five-star, full service luxury hotel to be built as part of Qingshui Bay Resort. This is a new, multi-billion dollar mixed use development being built on the island of Hainan.

Set in 7.5 miles of prime beachfront property within Hainan Island’s Sanya Administrative Prefecture on the South China Sea, the Qingshui Bay Resort will feature six luxury hotels, a range of residential apartments and villas, championship golf courses and a comprehensive mix of commercial, retail and entertainment offerings.

The Outrigger Qingshui Bay Resort, which should be completed 2013, will be one of six luxurious accommodation choices within the Qingshui Bay Resort.
Source: Asia Travel Tips

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Mainland visitors to Taiwan

The number of sightseeing trips to Taiwan by mainland citizens has been far lower than expected since the two sides of the Taiwan Strait reached an agreement in mid-June on opening Taiwan up to more  tourists, from the mainland.

According to the Workers’ Daily, just over 21,000 tourists from the mainland have visited Taiwan since the agreement, signed by the heads of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation, formally took effect on July 18.

The figure represents only 28% of the maximum number of Chinese tourists allowed to visit Taiwan under the agreement — which the paper said established a quota of 1,000 tourists per day in its initial stages.

In fact, however, the deal allowed up to 3,000 tourists per day,and it was unclear if the newspaper simply made a mistake or was reflecting an official decision by Beijing.
Source: Taiwan News

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

The lights of Macau

Sino Express Travel will manage a 160-room hotel in Macau for 10 years. Construction and furnishing installations of the Macau hotel are at the final stages with a target completion by the end of this year.

Macau’s economy is largely based on tourism and casino gambling; the gambling revenues from Macau’s casinos made news in 2006 by surpassing those of Las Vegas strip.

Sino believes the hotel in the vibrant market of Macau will add great value to its growing portfolio of hotels and attractions.

The potential problem is that the Chinese government may not totally agree with Sino Express Travel and Macau.

It has already started slowing down the visas issued and there is a strong change that it may go further if the financial situation worsens. 50% of the gambling money lost in Macau comes from China.
Source: MarketWatch

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Map of Fujian

Nearly 300 tourists from the Mainland become the first to visit Taiwan via Kinmen on Fujian Island.

Some 282 Mainland tourists from Fujian province — including 134 tourists from five groups from Xiamen, 96 tourists from three groups from Quanzhou and 52 tourists from two groups from Fuzhou — became the first groups to take advantage of the government’s announcement in early September that people from the Mainland could visit Taiwan via the ‘mini link’ route.

The ‘mini links’ refer to direct sea transportation links between Kinmen and Matsu and several ports in Fujian province that are around 40 kilometers away.

Some 230 travelers took ferries from Xiamen and Quanzhou to Kinmen’s Shuitou wharf, and were scheduled to continue on to Taiwan on separate domestic flights later yesterday and today.
Source: Taiwan News

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Tourist in China

The China National Tourism Administration states China’s tourism income reached RMB1,095.7 billion ($160.328 billion) in 2007, up 22.6% year-on-year.

Last year China had 131.87 million inbound tourists. Domestic were 1.6 million and outbound travelers 40.95 million.

International tourism income reached $41.91 billion, up 23.5%. Domestic tourism income reached RMB777.06 billion, up 24.7%.

Tourists from other Asian countries took up 61.5% of all international tourists. The Republic of Korea continued to be the first on the list of nations.

By the end of 2007, the country had 13,583 star hotels, up 6.5%, while the number of travel agencies increased to 18,943 from 17,957 in the previous year.
Source: China View

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Macau gambling casino

Uncertainty over Beijing’s policies is worrying major casino operators in Macau’s fast-growing gambling market.

Shares of Las Vegas Sands and MGM Mirage fell when Portuguese news service Lusa reported that Beijing might make it harder for mainland Chinese to visit the one part of the country where gambling is legal.

China’s government has previously taken incremental steps to limit visitor numbers from the mainland in an apparent effort to cool Macau’s scorching economic growth and keep inflation in check.

According to the report, the central government might soon allow mainland Chinese to visit Macau only once every six months. Current rules allow them to visit once every two months.

The question is: how much business does Macau get from China and the SARs? If Beijing seriously clamps down on visas then there will be problems. Much more HERE.
Source: Wall Street Journal

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

China tourism

State media has reported that China’s tourism industry is expected to employ 100 million people by 2015. That means that, if it works out that way, one in every 14 Chinese will work in the sector.

The People’s Daily said the government will introduce various policies to help the industry reach the goal, which marks a steep increase from the 60 million currently employed in the industry.

Authorities will adopt measures to facilitate job hunting and subsidise training of new staff, according to a statement posted on the National Tourism Administration’s website.

They also plan to launch a campaign to expand tourism infrastructure in less developed areas.

Labour Minister Tian Chengping said earlier this year that the employment situation in China was ‘very severe,’ as 20 million new jobseekers emerge annually — a situation that will continue for a very long time.
Source: AFP

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

China tourism authorities have been working hard with a view to reaping future benefits from the Beijing Olympics.

Past experience indicated tourism received the most direct, marked and sustained benefits from hosting an Olympics.

Du Jiang, China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) deputy director, seen here, said China had been taking many measures in the pre-Games years to promote its tourism image and lure more visitors.

Measures had been taken by tourism authorities across the country:

Enhancing supervision on service quality.
Improving management of tourism market.
Standardizing services at scenic spots.
Expanding service facilities.
Source: China Daily

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

A pilot scheme for Mainland-authorized Hong Kong travel enterprises to organize group tours to Hong Kong for non-Guangdong residents in Shenzhen —  these are currently allowed — will bring extra Mainland tourists to Hong Kong and contribute to the Hong Kong economy.

The Tourism Commission said the scheme is part of the Central Government’s policy. And that it should happen quite soon as part of services liberalization and facilitation measures.

Depending on the results, it is hoped the Central Government will extend it to other cities in Guangdong Province.

China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong has been authorised to operate this business and is discussing the details with Mainland authorities.

The company plans to organise ‘three-day-two-night’ tour groups to Hong Kong. These groups’ itinerary will include Hong Kong Disneyland (it is to be hoped this is not compulsory) and other attractions.
Source: Business and Finance HK

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Hotel MGM Grand Macau

Helena Fernandes, deputy head of Macau’s tourist office, told a news conference that Macau wants to attract more international visitors to reduce its reliance on Greater China. It hopes to do that partly by moving upmarket.

Tourism in Macau has been affected by a massive expansion of its gambling industry.

Revenues in Macau’s $15 billion gaming industry overtook those of Las Vegas in late 2006. Macau now has 29 casinos and more are on the way.

Last year almost 30 million people visited Macau, a year-on-year rise of more than one-fifth, but less than one-tenth came from outside of mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, and most did not stay overnight.

Tourism and gambling revenues make up more than half of Macau’s GDP.

The push to look past China was partially sparked by new restrictions on mainlanders visiting Macau, introduced last month to try and slow the territory’s galloping economy and over concerns too many Chinese officials were frittering money away in Macanese casinos.

Helena Fernandes said, ‘Obviously from a strategic point of view we feel this is a very good moment for us to not just pursue quantity but also to give a very good look at the quality of what we’re providing.’
Source: Yahoo News Asia

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Chinese tourists in Germany

Leisure travelers account for 85% of all outbound trips. Chinese outbound departures more than doubled in the last five years, from 16.6 million in 2002 to 40.9 million in 2007.

New international agreements and loosening visa restrictions are making it easier than ever for Chinese citizens to travel abroad.

The 2007 Neilsen China Outbound Travel Monitor Report shows that Chinese travelers spend an average of $2,913 per trip per person.

Europe is the top destination for Chinese travelers, followed by Australia and New Zealand.

The number of Chinese leisure travelers to the United States has been very small. 397,000 Chinese tourists entered the U.S. in 2007, accounting for 0.7% of all inbound tourists.

Much more of this article by Yao Xu, a graduate of the the University of California at Irvine with a degree in English, HERE.
Source: China-USA Today

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Sino Express Travel is encouraged by recent reports confirming China’s hotel boom.

The number of domestic tourists soared to 1.61 billion in 2007, an increase of 15.5% from 2006. There will be a small set-back which could be thought of as the post-Olympics effect but it is not expected to be crucial nor yet long-lasting.

According to the China Statistical Yearbook:

* The number of hotels in China increased at an average annual growth rate of 20.12% for the period 1998–2006.
* China had 12,751 star-rated hotels in 2007.
* The country has 1,689 budget hotels with over 180,000 guest rooms in 2007.
* The hotel occupancy rate had been consistently high over the years (66-70% for three to five-star hotels and 88-92% for budget hotels).

Sino believes there is ample demand to fill more hotel rooms.

Sino has previously announced development plans for its Southern Silver Resort & Beach property in Yangjiang and a potential property acquisition in Chengdu for hotel renovation.
Source: BusinessWire

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

From July 18 Taiwan will open its borders for the first time to up to 3,000 visitors per day from the mainland. The tourists will be subjected to a number of restrictions. The tourism agreement between the mainland and Taiwan stipulates no gambling by Chinese tourists in Taiwan.

The agreements on charter flights means that tourists from the mainland will only be able to travel only with tour groups.

The travel agencies that arrange the the trips will not be allowed to arrange any activities that have to do with gambling or pornography, although pornography was not defined.

Managers from mainland travel agencies traveled to Taiwan to see the various hotels and transportation options available to tourists. They also were working on packages that could be offered to their customers.

The agreement that is in place will send a maximum of 3,000 Chinese tourists a day to Taiwan. 36 charter flights will be available at weekends.

In Taiwan the Mainland Affairs Council said visitors from China will have to a fixed travel schedule. The duration of stay will initially be limited to ten days. Prospective visitors will also have to show they have assets equivalent to $6,500 when applying for their permit to travel.
Sources: Casino Gambling Web and Radio Taiwan International

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

China has been restricting foreign visitors from entering the country in the hope of guarding against terrorist threats or unruly visitors who might plot to disrupt the Games, which begin August 8.

The government appears to be approving fewer tourist visas. Business executives say they face new bureaucratic hurdles to visiting the city. And hotels are being asked to give the government detailed information about foreign guests.

The high published rates for Beijing hotels during the summer and difficulty getting Olympic tickets have also dampened expectations, even though many five-star rated hotels say they are fully booked during the Olympics.

For a wide range of hotels, many economists are beginning to doubt whether Beijing will get the kind of windfall it was hoping for during the Games, which analysts had once forecast would bring 500,000 foreign visitors and an extra $4.5 billion in revenue to the city this summer.

Instead, in the weeks leading up to the Olympics, Beijing hotels are struggling to find guests; some large tourist agencies have closed for the summer; people traveling here for seminars and conferences are canceling.

Beijing appears less concerned about being the host of a global party, experts say, and more concerned with making sure no one spoils it.

Qin Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a May news conference said, ‘In order to secure a safe environment in Beijing, we will carry the new visa policy for a certain time. This new visa policy is just temporary, not a permanent one.’
Source: International Herald Tribune

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Koos Klein, Asia Pacific Hotelier of the Year is overseeing the largest development pipeline in Hilton International’s history in Asia, with the group poised to open 300 hotels in the next nine years

For the company this is a time of great change – Hilton was acquired by the Blackstone Group late last year – and the intent of the new investors is clear. Grow the company and sell it.

Koos Klein said, ‘It is clear that Blackstone did not buy Hilton to hold on to it forever. They are acting as our balance sheet which is good. It means more money for development. But private equity is opportunistic and the company is extremely active in gearing for growth.’

Five of the six top leaders at Hilton International have changed after the acquisition.

The accelerated rate of growth of Hilton in Asia Pacific can be put down to the fact that the company is introducing its Hilton Family of Brands across the market segments.

When Klein arrived in 1998 to run Hilton in the area, Asia represented only 5% of the company’s bottom line.

In China, the company will operate 26 hotels in China by 2011 and has entered into a deal to franchise 25 hotels under its mid-scale brand, Hilton Garden Inn to RREEF Alternative Investments (the global alternative investment management business of Deutsche Bank) and H & Q Asia Pacific.

Efforts to develop the flagship Hilton brand continue, while the company expects to bring more luxury properties into the pipeline under the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria Collection brands.
Source: 4Hoteliers

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

The government has brought in new visa rules in order to keep better tabs on the more than 1.5 million visitors expected for the Olympic Games in August.
While the new regulations are having more of an impact on foreigners living and working in China, tourists are also being required to jump through a few extra hoops.

According to the Chinese consulate in New York, people applying for a 30-day tourist visa must now provide proof that they have purchased round-trip airplane tickets and have made reservations at hotels for their entire stay.
Here are the required documents for tourist visas:

1. A completed visa application form, which can be downloaded at china-embassy.org/eng.
2. A passport with plenty of extra pages, valid for at least six months.
3. One recent passport photo.
4. Copies of hotel bookings from the day you arrive to the day you leave.
5. Copies of your round-trip airplane tickets. (This one is a bit tricky since airline tickets no longer exist. It will have to be a print out of the itenerary.)

China has also suspended multiple-entry visas until October which means side trips to, say, Thailand, where this is being written and back to China on the same visa will not be possible.

Lastly, you cannot submit a visa application to the Chinese embassy or any consulate in by mail — you have to either take it to the office personally, or have a friend or travel agent do it.

Visa prices have also gone up to $130 for individual applicants, and $110 per person for people applying as part of a tour group. That is a lot of money for a visa.

There is not that much change from the earlier rules. And one thing will hopefully remain constant — the courtesy and helpfulness of the issuing bureaux. The one in Sydney, Australia, is exemplary.
Source: Budget Travel

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

Hong Kong is expecting a slump in tourism in August when it hosts the equestrian events for the Beijing Olympics with hotels only half-full and visitor growth down sharply.

This seems to have come as a major surprise to the hoteliers of Hong Kong even though every Olympics, without exception, has overall had an adverse affect on hotel occupation in one way or the other.

Hong Kong spent more than $4 million promoting the events worldwide which suggests the tourist board has lost touch with reality. While it may be true in England that there is a following in most other countries people simply do not go to horse events. At the Australian Olympics you could stroll up to many events without having booked a ticket.

Yet there is another effect. Because of the magical words Olympic Games — and perhaps because of the publicity which has been created to attract people — other travelers plan their visits to avoid being near the Games because of a false feeling that the place will be over-crowded.

Hoteliers say advance bookings for August indicate occupancy of only 50%.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board meanwhile estimates that month-on-month visitor growth will slump to single figures from last year’s 16.9% growth because of the Olympics.

Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners Michael Lee said he believed that only 3,000 to 5,000 people would come to Hong Kong specifically to watch the equestrian events — a tiny number in a city that attracts some 30 million visitors a year.

He said, as if it were some sort of revelation, ‘The equestrian events are not a popular sport like soccer.’

No, they are not and other tourists will stay away from Hong Kong fearing overcrowding and high prices.

But all of this was well known. Hong Kong Tourism Board chairman James Tien said tourists normally stayed away from Olympic host cities to avoid crowds, as they did in Sydney in 2000 and again in Athens in 2004. If it was that well known why did the Tourism Board waste $4 million trying to get people to come and watch the unspeakable ride the uneatable over fences? It wonders me.
Source: Bangkok Post

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com

According to a report issued by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) the annual inbound tourist arrival in China will surpass 163 million in the next three years.

PATA said in the report that China’s tourism industry recorded a staggering growth in the past two decades, and the industry is now worth more than $100 billion a year and creates 90 million jobs nationwide.

Peter de Jong, PATA chief executive officer said , ‘While the overall statistics are undoubtedly impressive, maximising tourism potential is not just about swelling numbers, but it is also about sustainability and even guaranteeing repeat traffic.’

Last year, 132 million overseas tourists visited the country.

What PATA did not say and what Peter de Jong apparently ignored is one simple fact. Whether those growth figures are met depends on the price of oil. Yes, it is daft that the tourism industry should be controlled by such a simple figure but it is true.

As the price of oil increases so will airfares. At the same time there will be a reduction in the number of flights and a lot of el cheapo airlines will go to the wall. The result will be that for a lot of tourists closer destinations will be more attractive. If the price of oil reaches $200 a barrel then these figures will have to revised downwards.

For the tourist industry this, at the moment, is the key figure to watch. It affects every single forward forecast.
Source: China Daily

author Gareth Powell, source www.chinaeconomicreview.com