Local Market Knowledge Helped Baidu, but So Did Piracy, Nationalism and Marketing
HONG KONG (AdAge.com) — Google’s decision to pull out of China unless the authorities will allow uncensored search results — an unlikely outcome — probably does stem from moral outrage over the government’s heavy-handed tactics.
But it could be a face-saving way to exit a market where Google has made surprisingly little progress. Most research companies agree Google controls at most one-quarter of China’s search market. That’s hard to swallow, given Google’s dominant position in the U.S. and many other …

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 …

China* may lower tariffs on luxury goods by 10% — International Finance News
The Ministry of Commerce is drafting a motion to lower China’s tariffs imposed on luxury import goods in an effort to boost sales revenue of the country’s luxury market, the International Finance News reported Thursday.
The draft, which will lower import duties on cosmetics, jewelry and leather goods, is expected to be announced by the end of the year and go into effect early next year, the newspaper said.
The newspaper reached out to the Ministry of Commerce but failed …

BEIJING – Twenty years after the toppling of the Berlin Wall, another “wall” is facing intense public scrutiny in China.
The so-called Great Firewall of China, the online filtering and surveillance program run by the communist government’s Ministry of Public Security, is alive and well and censoring freedom of expression for millions of Chinese.
But over the past few months, Chinese discontent with the Great Firewall has bubbled over with increasing frequency and fervor.
Chinese netizen’s ire was recently sparked by the Green Dam censoring software that was proposed last summer and the …

Source: China Solved (Aug-Nov 2009)
Chinas Fractured Web, Part 1 – Opportunities and Challenge
With the effective blocking of You Tube, Facebook and Twitter, Beijing is succeeding in splitting the Chinese internet away from the global system. A few years ago China’s “Great Firewall” was considered anachronistic and laughably outdated. But instead of crumbling into cyberdust, the digital version of the Great Wall of China has become broader, higher – and more comprehensive.
What are the implications of a fractured internet that excludes not only individual sites but entire communication platforms? It is …

Chairman Shao Qiwei of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) speaks to PATA Compass about his country’s plan to promote and boost tourism. Despite the economic downturn, he is confident of the future prosperity of tourism development.
So far 2009 has seen a slight decline for inbound tourism to China (PRC). What do you expect for the rest of the year and into 2010?
Since the second half of last year, we have had the financial crisis and, even more serious the Type A (H1N1) pandemic. This has affected the global tourism industry, …

BEIJING — China has stopped issuing travel documents to foreigners seeking to visit Tibet, according to local tour operators, another indicator of the government’s skittishness over the coming anniversary of the Communist victory in 1949.
The ban on new permits, which took effect on Monday, will last at least three weeks, travel agents say.
This is the third time foreign travel to Tibet has been halted since March 2008, when rioting killed at least 22 people in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, and left part of its main business district in flames.
Tour operators who arrange the paperwork …

China International Travel Service Corp has set the price range for its Shanghai IPO, aiming to raise up to 2.6 billion yuan for an expansion, adding to a slew of fund-raisings that have already unsettled the country’s stock market.
Beijing-based China Travel, the country’s top tourist agency, priced its 220 million A shares denominated in yuan, or 25 percent of its expanded capital after the initial public offering, in the 10.80-11.78 yuan range, it said in a statement published in the official Shanghai Securities News on Tuesday.
The range would allow China …

According to the Chinese government, Namibia— a southern African country with a population of 2 million — does not exist.
Government censors ordered Chinese search engines to show no search results for the country’s name this week, following a corruption scandal involving a Chinese tech company’s dealings with Namibia’s government.
The company, Nutech, was formerly run by the son of Chinese president Hu Jintao. It is under two separate investigations by Namibian and European Union officials for allegedly using illegal methods, including bribery and unfair trade practices, to secure a USD55.3 million contract to sell …

The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), the country’s tourism regulator, announced Friday that it will resume accepting and reviewing applications for the establishment of foreign-financed travel agencies.
In a statement published on its Website, the CNTA says that starting September 15, applicants can submit their request forms to the Division of Travel Agency Administration under the Department of Quality Standardization and Administration of the CNTA.
According to the application instructions released along with the statement, applicants need to have a minimum registered capital of 300,000 yuan (about US$43,918), a stable business location …

Roy Graff, Managing Director of ChinaContact, who has recently accepted an offer from Expedia, has posted the key pieces of his “China Outbound Travel Handbook, 2008 Version” on the ChinaContact blog. . It was written from two distinct business views – Chinese local expertise and Western experience of doing business in China.
The China Outbound Travel Handbook provides a basic understanding and insight to begin operating in this challenging, complicated but potentially hugely profitable market place.
The China Outbound Travel education series – part 1
Part 01:  Introduction to the China Outbound Tourism
After …

From September 15, nine countries will be added to the list of China’s outbound tourism destinations for group tours.
The nine countries are Guyana in South America; Ecuador and Dominica in Central America; Mali, Cape Verde, and Ghana in Africa; Papua New Guinea in Oceania; Montenegro in Europe; and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.
According to some professionals, except for UAE, due to problems of visa, flights and familiarity, it will be difficult for travel agencies to organize tour groups for the other eight countries. However, UAE has long …

ADS was first introduced in the early nineties for destinations in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Prior to ADS, travelling abroad was only allowed for business purpose and official visits with government approval needed for every single visit. ADS policy was created to account for the growing interest of Chinese citizens in foreign travel and the fast increase in disposable income.
ADS is granted to overseas destinations through a bilateral government agreement. The ADS only concerns tourism groups handled by assigned Chinese local travel agencies. Business and official …

May 25, 2009
The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and the China National Tourism Administration (the “CNTA”) adopted and promulgated new Regulations on Travel Agencies (the “Travel Agency Regulations”), which came into effect on May 1, 2009. The Travel Agency Regulations comprehensively revised the prior Regulations on the Management of Travel Agencies, promulgated in 1996 (the “1996 Regulations”) and fulfills China’s commitment to the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) to permit the establishment of wholly foreign-owned travel agencies and lift restrictions for setting up branches for foreign-invested travel …

Seven different government agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security and the State Council Information Office declared war on Internet smut today. 19
Seven different government agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security and the State Council Information Office declared war on Internet smut today. 19 Internet companies, including Google, Baidu, Sina, and others, were cited for “violating public morality and harming the physical and mental health of youth and young people.”
The official government online announcement is here. Another Chinese language report, including video of a TV report with footage of computer servers being …

The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced that starting on June 17, 2008, Chinese leisure travelers may travel to the United States in group tours under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by both countries. CNTA Chairman Shao Qiwei will lead the inaugural Chinese tour group on June 17 to Washington, D.C.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said: “This MOU opens China’s growing market to U.S. travel and tourism industries. Now, more Chinese visitors can experience America’s hospitality, cultural diversity, and natural beauty. Increased …