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As
you discuss 2011 vacation and travel plans with
your clients, look beyond the Great Wall when
selling China. Once your clients have visited
Beijing, Shanghai and the Yangtze River, there
is still so much more to discover throughout China.
Here is an introduction to just a few destinations
that may be new to you.
Dalian
Located at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula,
Dalian is a flourishing coastal city with many
natural resources. Every year, Dalian hosts events
and activities such as the Chinese Scholar Tree,
International Fashion Festival, and International
Marathon Competition.
Hangzhou
Hangzhou is located along the banks of the Qiantang
River, at the southern end of the Beijing Hangzhou
Grand Canal. One
of the seven capitals of ancient China, Hangzhou
is an ancient cultural city. In the 13th century,
Marco Polo praised Hangzhou as the most beautiful
city in the world. Hangzhou is also famous for
its silk and tea products.
Nanjing
Nanjing is located on the lower reaches of the
Yangtze River, surrounded by mountains and rivers.
Nanjing served as the capital for ten dynasties.
A metropolis both ancient and modern, Nanjing
has many places of interest, such as the Confucian
Temple and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.
Qingdao
Qingdao is located on the Jiaodong Peninsula on
Jiaozhou Bay in the Yellow Sea. The city is admired
for its clear fresh air, blue sea, red-tile-roof
houses and the abundance of trees and flowers.
It is a popular summer resort, a coastal city,
and an ancient cultural city.
Tianjin
Located just 85 miles southeast of Beijing,
Tianjin is a special place, mingling both ancient
and the modern Chinese and Western styles. For
travelers interested in commerce, study or tours
centered on such things as preventative medicine
or folk customs Tianjin has many advantages.
Xiamen
Xiamen is a picturesque city off the coast of southeastern
China. It was one of the first four special economic
zones to open to the outside world. Xiamen
is charming because of its beautiful island scenery,
pleasant subtropical climate, and brilliant culture.
To
learn about these destinations and more visit
CNTO.org.
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| Tourist
Arrivals from U.S. to China from July through
September 2010 |
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Arrivals
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Growth
over 2009
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July |
183,600
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14.33%
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| August |
163,100
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14.36%
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September
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171,300
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30.78%
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| Vacation
Packages to China |
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Learn
more about some of the many great tour packages
that are available now to let your clients
discover China -- everything from Hot Deals
and Luxury Trips to Cruises, Hotel Offers
and Shanghai 2010 World Expo packages.
Click
here to see vacation
packages to China!
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| 2010
Shanghai World Expo Sets Attendance Record |
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The
2010 Shanghai World Expo completed is successful
program on October 31, 2010 and when all
was said and done, the event attracted more
than 73 million visitors -- shattering Japan’s
Expo attendance record of 64 million, set
in Osaka in 1970.
 With
pavilions and exhibition halls representing
nearly every country in the world, the 2010
Shanghai World Expo was an unqualified success,
fulfilling its theme of "Better City,
Better Life."
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| Featured
Destination: The Silk Road Cultural Tours |
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It
was the world's first superhighway, a series
of desert and mountain crossing that enabled
silk to make its way from the ancient Chinese
capital of Xian to Europe. The Silk Road
allowed links between China and the West
to flourish, an exchange of art, ideas and
culture as well as trade. Visitors to today's
Silk Road begin their journey in Xian, marvelling
at the inventiveness of the Emperor who,
as well as unifying the country and introducing
standard weights and measures began work
on the Great Wall, a structure which survives
to this day along parts of the Silk Road
route.
 The
Silk Road has more than 2,000 years of history.
It began in Chang'an (present Xi'an, Shaanxi
Province) in the east and stretched to Rome,
Italy in the west. The route crosses Shaanxi,
Gansu, Qinghai provinces, Ningxia Hui and
Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions and then
passes over the Pamirs, to extend to Central
and West Asia and finally reaches the east
bank of the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern
Europe. The total length of the Silk Road
is more than 2,485 miles, over half of the
width of China.
The
Silk Road played an important role in the
exchanges of cultural and trade-goods. As
many people already know, China's four major
contributions to civilization are papermaking,
printing, compass and gunpowder. They were
introduced to Western countries via the
Silk Road. In return, many aspects of Western
civilization that influenced Chinese society
made their way back along this road. Although
modern society is no longer dependent upon
this ancient and time consuming method of
interaction, the history and spirit of the
Silk Road are still a dream sought by tourists
either from the East or the West.
 Just
one of the many sites to be experienced
on the Silk Road are the Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha
Grottoes, some of the most famous grottoes
in Xinjiang, situated about 21 miles northeast
of Turpan. The earliest of the Thousand-Buddha
Grottoes were built in the Tang Dynasty.
Only sixty-four grottoes remain today. Most
of the paintings in the grottoes have been
destroyed, and only a few remain as colorful
as they once were. On both sides of many
of the statues are two rows of Buddhist
scripture written in Han and Huihu, revealing
the prevalence of Buddhism in the Western
Regions.
To
learn more about the Silk Road and the many
amazing sites of cultural history along
this fascinating route, visit cnto.org/silkroad.asp.
To learn more about Silk Road cultural tours
that you can share with your clients, vist
the website
of Silk Road Travel Management.
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