After a 4 percent drop in 2009, travel bookings in China will grow by 5 percent in 2010, projects a new PhoCusWright report, “Emerging Online Travel Marketplace in China.”
The same report predicts that travel will expand to become a $65 billion industry by 2011, and that 20 percent of that market would be online.
Where opportunities lie in that growth, and what kinds of companies might be positioned to seize them was one topic of discussion at the recent China Travel Distribution Summit, hosted by China Travel Daily at the OCT …

Despite delays to direct flights, Hawaii’s service industry already has been getting acquainted with the Chinese
Hainan Airlines, China’s largest private carrier, seems to be on Hawaii time when it comes to introducing direct service to the islands; however, members of the state’s hospitality sector are ready for the influx of visitors that direct service could bring.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Wang Qian, left, and his bride, Wang Li Qiang, were among 20 couples from the Tianjin region of China who made their way down the aisle at the Sheraton …

The fast pace of change in social media tools and the travel market in China are combining to inspire a search for the best way to reach China’s increasingly affluent, increasingly independent travelers. The future of social media’s role in China’s travel market was a hot topic at the recent China Travel Distribution Summit at the OCT Interlaken Resort in Shenzhen. Online travel agencies like Ctrip and Elong, as well as hotels, airlines, and travel meta search sites—all kinds of companies effected by online travel research and booking—are looking for …

VANCOUVER, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) — Canada needs to be “cautious” about developing its recently acquired Approved Destination Status(ADS) that allows Chinese tour groups to visit the country in providing a complete package to “get it right” and grow the business, according to local tourism officials.
On the occasion of a Canada-China business forum held here Tuesday, Albert Tseng, president of the Canadian Inbound Tourism Association, a non-governmental, non-profit group that works to increase inbound tourism, particularly from Asia Pacific, told Xinhua with the announcement that Canada had received ADS …

ARLINGTON, Va. — Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), a leading hotel real estate investor and the nation’s largest independent hotel management company, today announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Hotel Acquisition Company, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between subsidiaries of Thayer Hotel Investors V-A LP, a private equity fund sponsored by Thayer Lodging Group, and Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels (Group) Company Limited (“Jin Jiang Hotels”) in a transaction valued at approximately $307 million. Under the agreement, Hotel Acquisition Company, LLC would …

Opening Of Raffles Tianjin, Set For March 2010, Marks City’s Emergence As Major Commercial Hub
Raffles Tianjin will be the tallest penthouse hotel in the city when completed in March 2010
New construction in Tianjin, the sixth-largest city in China and an up-and-coming commercial hub that has beneffited greatly from its proximity to Beijing, has increased several-fold in recent years, mainly on the strength of the city’s manufacturing industry. More recently, however, Tianjin has taken great pains to project itself both in China and overseas as a modern city, with ample room for growth …

I was tinkering with some statistics last night, considering that strange idea of the Insularity of the Chinese Internet that we’ve been discussing lately. The expression itself is odd, because “internet” and “insularity” form an oxymoron, but you hardly notice these things when you live here. They are normal routine in the land of  socialist market economy.
Whatever we make of the phrase, the fact is that it comes up every time, whether we are speaking of language, media or politics,  all seems to point in that direction.  The pictures below …

Revenues accelerate at Baidu
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Google is not on top everywhere. In China, homegrown search giant Baidu snaps up more than one-half of the market by catering to local needs.
According to Analysys International, search revenues in China reached RMB1.81 billion ($265 million) in Q2 2009 alone—a 33% increase over the previous quarter and a 47% increase over the same period the prior year. Baidu saw more than twice the share of those dollars as Google.
Popularity in the world’s largest country has made Baidu the third-biggest search property in the world, …

Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis of the Seas,” Largest International Cruise Ship Departing From Mainland China, To Begin 39 Routes In February 2010
The Oasis of the Seas cruise liner can hold 2,074 persons in its 11 decks
Despite rapid growth in the Chinese tourism sector, luxury cruises have not caught on there as they have in most major global markets. Aside from the American-built Victoria Jenna, the largest river liner in the world, which offers cruises in China’s southwestern Sichuan province for upwards of $5,000 for a four-night package, and a limited number …

Chinese search engine firm Baidu Inc. is launching a new company to provide advertising-supported online video services in China.
The company, which operates the Baidu.com website, will establish a new independent company to provide licensed online video to Chinese Internet users. The new company will work closely with content providers to provide copyrighted premium video content including movies, TV series, sporting events, animation and other varied content to Internet users through an advertising supported model. Yu Gong, formerly president and chief operating officer of China Mobile’s 12580 business, has been appointed …

Here is a great article from SinoTech founder Matt McDougall.
There has been a lot written about the online travel sector in China but there is not many putting out a view for the future for Chinese online travel ecommerce. In this article, I will take out my crystal ball and make some predictions about what the possibilities hold for the future of the online travel market. This is simply my view of the travel ecommerce space and although history may prove me wrong; that’s just the risk of being …

Number of tourists from China expected to jump by 15 per cent
Tour operators plan to ramp up their marketing efforts in China to cash in on a projected tourism boom following a surprise decision by China to grant Canada so-called “approved destination status.”
The number of visitors from China is expected to immediately jump by 15 per cent as a result of the agreement, which would allow Canada to better market itself to Asian tour groups and operators.
James Wang, owner of Swan Travel, which specializes in Canada-China travel, said approved destination …

A decision by China to bestow approved destination status on Canada will open the gates for tourists from that country, pumping millions of dollars into Canada’s tourism industry, experts say.  It’s a designation that makes it easier for Chinese nationals to visit Canada on tourist visas, not just as students, or for business reasons, as well as allow Canada to advertise as a tourist destination in China and authorize Chinese travel agencies to market and promote leisure group tours for travel in Canada.  Canada is the 135th country to …

Fast food chain Burger King is planning to open six more restaurants in Beijing by June next year, as part of a major expansion in China.
The company, which has 25 outlets in the country, officially opened its first restaurant in downtown Beijing this week in Joy City in the Xidan area.
John Chidsey, chairman and chief executive of Burger King Holdings (BKC), who was in Beijing for the opening of what was the company’s 12,000th restaurant worldwide, said the group was aiming for fast growth.
“We intend to be on a similar …

Luxury hotel group Kempinski Hotels, is doubling the number of hotels under its management in China over the next three years to capitalize on the nation’s fast economic recovery, said a top company official yesterday.
The German firm is also launching a new five-star hotel brand called Nuo exclusively for the Chinese market.
“We have 11 hotel properties under operation (in China), and we will add 12 more to our line up over the next three years,” said Reto Wittwer, president and chief executive officer of Kempinski.
Although China is still “young” in …