HOW TO SELL 27 china HOW TO SELL... China by Jeannine Williamson
CHINA ESSENTIALS VISAS: Pre-paid visa required before travel. Many operators arrange visas and include fees in the tour price.
chinese-embassy.org.uk TIME ZONE: GMT+8
CURRENCY: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (£1 = RMB10.25)
LANGUAGES: Mandarin (Standard Chinese) is the official language with Cantonese spoken in southern provinces. English is increasingly spoken in the tourist service sector
CAPITAL CITY: Beijing SEE:
cnto.org.uk
BOOK IT: Wendy Wu Tours has a new fully-inclusive 11-day gastronomic tour accompanied by Chinese chef Ching He Huang. It takes in Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and Shanghai and is priced from £4,990pp for travel in September 2014. Based on two sharing, it includes cookery demonstrations, excursions and flights.
wendywutours.co.uk
OTHER TOUR OPERATORS:
abercrombiekent.co.uk coxandkings.co.uk hayesandjarvis.co.uk intrepidtravel.com/uk justyou.co.uk kuoni.co.uk regent-holidays.co.uk travel2.com travelindochina.co.uk travelsphere.co.uk
GETTING THERE:
airchina.co.uk batraveltrade.com flychinaeastern.com
The Terracotta Army is the world's most famous 'fi nd'
Home to the world’s largest man-made structure, its biggest population, greatest hydropower project and one of the most signifi cant archaeological discoveries of our time, China is an immense destination in every sense. Combine these sights with a stay in fast-paced Shanghai and historic Beijing for a totally unforgettable trip.
WHY SELL?
It is only in relatively recent
years that China has embraced mainstream tourism, which adds to its appeal. A host of hotel openings, new itineraries from tour operators and increased airlift has provided agents with even more opportunities to sell. The China National Tourist Offi ce (CNTO) assists agents by providing sales tools, including brochures, videos and displays, and organising travel trade shows and fams.
SELL WHAT? The wow-factor sights are the
main attractions. Highlights include the Great Wall – which stretched for 13,170 miles when it was built to repel invaders between the 14th and 17th centuries – and the 7,000-strong Terracotta Army, which lay buried for 2,000 years before being discovered by farmers in 1974. The Yangtze is Asia’s largest river and cruises take in the Three Gorges Dam, which took 17 years to build, with land stays in Shanghai and Beijing, home to Tiananmen Square and the ancient Forbidden City.
The Great Wall of China can be seen from space
“See a different face of China in winter and enjoy its famous sites away from high season crowds”
MANDA CHURCHILL, GENERAL MANAGER, TRAVEL INDOCHINA
WHO TO?
Land-based tours will appeal to active,
well-travelled clients interested in culture and history. For mature clients or people seeking a more leisurely introduction to China suggest an Asia cruise, with ports of call at Shanghai and Hong Kong, or a river itinerary. The long-haul fl ight, coupled with internal travel to see the main sights, make it unsuitable for families with young children.
SELL WHEN? China’s size means there are
big climate differences across the regions, so check temperatures for destinations your clients want to visit. Generally, March-June and September- November are good times to travel, to avoid the summer heat and humidity. Agents can book packages to coincide
www.sellinglonghaul.com
with the colourful calendar of year- round festivals. The largest is Chinese New Year and 2015 celebrations for the year of the goat run from New Year’s Day, February 19, to the Lantern Festival on March 5.
WHAT'S NEW? Air China recently
reintroduced its Gatwick-Beijing service, Air France has launched fl ights to Wuhan via Paris and Etihad Airways now has a daily Abu Dhabi-Chengdu service, with Heathrow connections. The newly opened 327-room
Langham Place in Xiamen marks the group’s ninth hotel in China. The butler-serviced 279-room St.
Regis Chengdu opens in July. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s new Beijing property opens late 2014, followed by openings in Chengdu, Chongqing and Shenzhen over the next three years. Travel Indochina, Regent Holidays and single specialist, Just You, have all added new itineraries. Intrepid Travel’s day tour brand, Urban Adventures, has launched food-themed tours in Beijing, Shanghai and Xian, which agents can book as stand-alone tours or add-ons.
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