spring festival
Spring Festival reveals China's travel preferences
Now that China's week-long Spring Festival holiday has wrapped up, analysts are gleeful to discover travel – both domestic and foreign – are on the up and up.
The National Holiday Tourism Office said on Saturday that more than 140,000 people left Shanghai to go abroad, up 20 percent year on year. In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, 6,690 people went overseas, up 36 percent, the agency said. The office, citing tourism authorities in South Korea, said 45,000 Chinese citizens visited that country during the holiday, up 30 percent year on year.
Chinese supermarket chains expand "farmer-store link" programme
Chinese supermarket chains are busy preparing for the New Year and the Spring Festival seasons. At such time, five supermarkets, including Chaoshifa, CR Vanguard and Shaanxi Minsheng Jiali, initiated a new round of "farmer-store link" programme with the help of China Chain Store & Franchise Association. This round is aimed at both festivals and covers nearly 20 provinces.
China's Suguo to open 50 stores by year end
Chinese company Suguo is going to open over 50 direct-selling stores, including shopping centres, community stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in the last 50 days before year end, a move that is aimed to support its strategic plan, to reach annual performance targets and to prepare for the shopping season during the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival, Suguo said on Tuesday.
Air China providing 11.5pc more seats this Chinese New Year
Air China is laying on 11.5 percent more seats this Chinese New Year holiday.
The nation's only flag carrier has scheduled 7.2 million seats on 40,000 flights for the year's busiest travel period, set to begin on 19 January. Not only that, but some customers can purchase tickets for their Chinese New Year travels from Air China at discounts of up to 80 percent.
HK tourism boom ahead
After reporting already stunning results for 2010, Hong Kong's tourism industry is expecting a huge influx of tourists from Mainland China during the Spring Festival.
According to a provisional report from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, 36 million tourists came to Hong Kong in 2010, a year-on-year rise of 21.8 percent.
