Ming Cheng Travel News tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008-08-01:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2 2009-01-05T06:31:57Z Current China related news and information from Ming Cheng Educational Travel and the travel industry. Movable Type Pro 4.21-en Tibet cuts fares, hotel rates to attract winter tourists tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2009:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.194 2009-01-05T06:26:26Z 2009-01-05T06:31:57Z Tibet's tourism market -- badly affected by riots in March -- has cut travel and hotel costs in hopes of luring domestic and international sightseers.  Deputy chief of the tourism bureau, Wang Songping, said the bureau is promoting a winter... mingcheng_admin
Deputy chief of the tourism bureau, Wang Songping, said the bureau is promoting a winter tour package:'Most of the tourist attractions, airline companies, hotels and travel services joined the promotion and offer discounts.'

]]> Northwest Wants Delay In New China Service tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2009:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.193 2009-01-05T01:44:34Z 2009-01-05T01:46:08Z Advance bookings for U.S.-China services in March have dropped nearly 30% year-over-year, Northwest said Dec. 19 in a request seeking U.S. Transportation Dept. permission to delay the start of its new services between the countries.  The Delta subsidiary needs DOT... mingcheng_admin
The Delta subsidiary needs DOT approval to defer the Detroit-Shanghai and Seattle-Beijing startup dates without losing its rights to the routes. The airline cited the 30% drop in U.S.-China bookings as evidence of the "extraordinarily adverse market conditions" in the U.S.-China market that justify its request.

Full Story - Aviation Week
]]> Beijing, Shanghai brace for Spring Festival rush earlier than usual tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2009:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.189 2009-01-02T16:44:25Z 2009-01-02T16:46:52Z An early Spring Festival rush hit two of China's largest metropolises on the first day of the new year yesterday, as many home-going migrant workers advanced their vacation plan.  The Beijing West Railway Station logged 130,000 departure passengers yesterday, 38,000... Dawei http://www.mingchengtravel.org
The Beijing West Railway Station logged 130,000 departure passengers yesterday, 38,000 people more than its averaged daily handling, said the station authority.

Full Story - Shanghai Daily
]]> China's 1st road tunnel under Yangtze River opens to traffic tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.183 2008-12-28T22:37:07Z 2008-12-28T22:39:41Z China's first road tunnel beneath the Yangtze River was open to traffic on Sunday in central China's Hubei Province. The 3.63-km, bi-directional four-lane road tunnel started a three-month trial operation at about 10 a.m. in Wuhan City. The tunnel cuts travel... mingcheng_admin
The tunnel cuts travel time to seven minutes from half an hour between the city's major areas -- Wuchang, where government offices and universities are based, and Hankou, the business center.

]]> University project brings historic Shikumen online tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.182 2008-12-26T17:19:31Z 2008-12-26T17:24:13Z A BROTHER and sister at East China Normal University have devised a geographic data system that will give people an interactive overview of shikumen and longtang, the traditional Shanghai-style housing and lanes. Shikumen, literally a stone gate house, was the... mingcheng_admin
The data system was unveiled after the two geography major students collected community information and set up a database of 6,000-plus local lanes and more than 200 shikumen areas. By typing the name of a shikumen house or a longtang into the system or by clicking on an electronic map, users can learn about individual shikumens, community pictures, history, preservation records and even a satellite image.

Full Story - Shanghai Daily
]]> Electronic maps to give a new view of Shanghai tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.181 2008-12-26T17:11:16Z 2008-12-26T17:16:42Z EAST China Normal University researchers are making multi-media electronic maps of the city, school officials said, and a virtual version of the city's famous shopping hub, Nanjing Road, is also being planned.  The new electronic maps will give locals access... mingcheng_admin
The new electronic maps will give locals access to photos of buildings, traffic signs and city roads across the city. Users click the corresponding place on the electronic map to see the images.  
]]> Tibet cuts fares, hotel rates to lure winter sightseers, revive tourism tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.180 2008-12-24T18:59:30Z 2008-12-24T19:03:45Z Tibet's tourism market, battered by riots here in March, has cut travel and hotel costs in hopes of luring domestic and international sightseers.The tourism bureau is promoting a winter tour package, deputy chief Wang Songping said on Tuesday. "Most of... mingcheng_admin
The tourism bureau is promoting a winter tour package, deputy chief Wang Songping said on Tuesday. "Most of the tourist attractions, airline companies, hotels and travel services joined the promotion and offered discounts." 

Many hotels in Lhasa have taken 20 to 70 percent off their room rates, while air tickets from Beijing to Lhasa are now available at 70 percent or 80 percent of the original fare.

The tourism bureau has promoted tours in major Chinese cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the island province of Taiwan as well as the United States, Canada and Australia, said Wang.

Full Story - Xinhua
]]> Golmud to spend more on tourism infrastructure in 2009 tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.178 2008-12-24T03:06:50Z 2008-12-24T03:10:16Z Golmud, a major city in Qinghai province along the Qinghai-Tibet railway, will spend RMB 31.2 million on seven tourist projects next year in a bid to improve the tourism infrastructure in the region, sources reported. The seven projects, including scenic spots... Laoming http://www.mingchengtravel.org
The seven projects, including scenic spots in the desert, lakes and mountains in the city, are expected to enhance the popularity of Golmud as a tourist city and further boost the development of the tertiary industry in the city. 

There have been a growing number of tourists to Tibet since the Qinghai-Tibet railway was put into operation on Jul. 1 2006. Golmud, rich in tourism resources, hopes to catch the opportunity to attract more tourists through the new tourist attractions.

]]> Guangzhou contributes 48.6 bln yuan to clean up Pearl River tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.177 2008-12-24T03:01:06Z 2008-12-24T03:05:10Z A total of 48.6 billion yuan (about 7.1 billion U.S. dollars) will be spent by mid 2010 to clean up the Pearl River and its tributaries in China's southeastern Guangzhou City, the municipal government said Tuesday.  The announcement was made... Laoming http://www.mingchengtravel.org
The announcement was made in a city program on sewage treatment and comprehensive improvement of streams. The program went into effect as workers began construction on the sewage treatment plant for the Shijinghe River on Tuesday afternoon.

]]> Beichuan rebuild from Sichuan quake wins approval tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.176 2008-12-22T07:43:35Z 2008-12-22T07:46:04Z The first phase of the 10-square-kilometer county seat will take shape in three years, with public welfare facilities, government headquarters and housing. The core area will have a population of 61,000. More than 80 percent of the residents are expected... Laoming http://www.mingchengtravel.org
The plan drafted by the China Urban Planning and Design Institute aims to turn the new county seat into a cultural city featuring ethnic Qiang characteristics.

]]> China's Hainan Airlines announces new route to Kiev tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.175 2008-12-22T07:40:45Z 2008-12-22T07:42:05Z China's Hainan Airlines has announced it would launch a new route from Beijing to Ukraine's capital of Kiev next year. From Feb. 10, 2009, passengers would be able to take a flight between the two cities on Tuesday and Saturday.... Laoming http://www.mingchengtravel.org
]]> China withdraws lift of liquids, matches ban on civil flights tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.174 2008-12-20T19:01:45Z 2008-12-20T19:06:15Z China has postponed the decision to lift the ban on liquids, lighters and matches on board civil flights, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in an urgent notice on its website. The move, which came only three days after... Dawei http://www.mingchengtravel.org
The move, which came only three days after the agency decided to lift the ban, was because of "practical situation and the need of work", the CAAC said in the brief notice, without elaborating.

]]> China cuts fuel surcharges on domestic flights tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.173 2008-12-19T15:22:21Z 2008-12-19T15:25:22Z China will reduce fuel surcharges on domestic flights by up to 75 percent, starting Dec. 25 of this year, the top economic planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Friday.  For flights more than 800 kilometers, the... Laoming http://www.mingchengtravel.org
For flights more than 800 kilometers, the surcharge will decline to 40 yuan (5.6 U.S. dollars) from 150 yuan per ticket. Fees on routes shorter than 800 km will fall from 80 yuan per ticket to 20 yuan.

]]> China allows lighters, matches on civil flights tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.172 2008-12-17T16:23:59Z 2008-12-17T16:27:52Z Passengers may carry lighters and matches on board civil flights from Dec. 20, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said Wednesday. Each passenger is allowed to carry one lighter, except windproof one, or a box of matches. But the lighter... Laoming http://www.mingchengtravel.org
The agency also removed liquids, except flammable and explosive ones, from the banned lists on domestic flights. But each bottle of liquid should be less than 100 ml and the total amount should be less than 1000 ml. 

]]> Some relief for visitors tag:www.mingchenginstitute.org,2008:/ming_cheng_travel_news//2.171 2008-12-16T21:19:52Z 2008-12-16T21:22:44Z SHANGHAI is to build 1,039 new public toilets across the city to serve the hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to the 2010 World Expo, an official of the city management authority said yesterday. The city now has about 7,000... mingcheng_admin
The city now has about 7,000 public toilets. More than 3,000 were built by the city government, said Lu Jianping. All the Metro stations in the city will have at least one public toilet before the Expo, said Lu.

The city will have five public toilets in every square kilometer by 2010, according to the Shanghai City Management and Administration Execution Bureau. The city now has three toilets in every square kilometer.

Shanghai Daily
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