Tag Archives: China

Jumeirah Group has announced the launch of Jumeirah Nanjing on September 10. Under the direction of Jumeirah CEO, José Silva, the group is in a phase of accelerated expansion and this new Jumeirah-branded property in China represents an important deliverable in achieving the brand’s global growth ambitions. Located on the banks of the city’s Yangzte river, the hotel is situated on the 39-67th floors North Tower within the prestigious International Youth Cultural Centre (IYCC) of the Hexi New District. The striking and iconic architecture was created by the legendary architect Zaha Hadid, whose design took inspiration from a graceful sailing ship, capturing Nanjing’s blend of traditional and cosmopolitan style. Jumeirah Nanjing, which offers 212 rooms and 49 suites as well as range of exceptional dining experiences, is set to inspire and delight both local and international guests. José Silva, Chief Executive Officer, Jumeirah Group, said, “Jumeirah Nanjing is a stunning addition to our portfolio and we are exceedingly proud to be selected as guardians of such a significant property. The International Youth Cultural Centre is an architectural masterpiece and its iconic stature is truly impressive. Jumeirah Nanjing is a remarkable destination which will boost tourism to the city.” With this strategic addition, Jumeirah will expand its luxury portfolio, which currently extends to 22 luxurious hotels and resorts around the world. The Jumeirah Group will be opening additional properties in the Asia-Pacific region, including in China and Bali.

Emaar has announced landmark developments that will further strengthen UAE-China relations. To honour Chinese expatriates in the UAE and further bolster business ties with China, Emaar will develop the Middle East’s largest Chinatown within the retail district of Dubai Creek Harbour, its six-square-kilometre mega-development, only 10 minutes from the Dubai Internal Airport and the iconic Burj Khalifa. The retail precinct will occupy a central location within Dubai Creek Harbour – a destination which will be home to the world’s new icon, Dubai Creek Tower, and encompass vibrant lifestyle elements. Set by the Dubai Creek waterway, elegantly designed homes in Dubai Creek Harbour will offer spectacular views of the city’s dramatic skyline, the waterfront and the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary – home to over 450 animal species and migratory birds, including pink flamingos. Further strengthening Emaar’s outreach to China, the company also announced that it will open three dedicated pavilions in China – Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, all cities served by direct daily flights to Dubai on Emirates Airline. The three offices will promote tourism, education, trading and investment between UAE and China. In a third significant announcement, Emaar will expand its premium luxury hotel and serviced residences brand, Address Hotels + Resorts, to China. Discussions are ongoing to develop and operate Address branded hotels in key cities in the country, given the strong appeal and familiarity that the brand enjoys among Chinese tourists.

Dubai has seen a surge of 41.4 per cent in overnight Chinese visitors from 2016 to 2017 combined with a number of key agreements signed with major players in China. Now one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets, closing the first five months of 2018 with a record 400,547 visitors, this growth is predicted to continue in 2018. Speaking ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the UAE this week, HE Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism, said, “Our approach to engaging Chinese tourists is two-fold, with landmark partnerships, investments and marketing activities undertaken in 48 cities across China, partnered with a city-level China-readiness strategy in Dubai to enhance the experience of Chinese tourists. The introduction of visa-on-arrival for Chinese nationals in 2016, working in conjunction with the increase in air capacity by national carriers from China – currently standing at 30 flights a week, a 13% increase in non-stop seat capacity in 2017- has also contributed to rapid growth.” Earlier this year, Dubai Tourism signed an agreement with Huawei, one of China’s leading smartphone manufacturers, in January which pre-loads devices with both user-generated and official cinematographic content of Dubai.

A tourism delegation led by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) visited three major cities in China this month, to help raise awareness about the emirate as a holiday destination for Chinese travellers. The delegation, which included Etihad Airways, hotels, tour operators and attractions, first visited capital city Beijing, followed by Nanjing and finally Guangzhou, for its annual roadshow. China is now the leading overseas source market for Abu Dhabi hotel guests, with the latest figures revealing a 40.9 per cent increase, year-to-date, from visitors from China compared to 2017. In the first two months of 2018, 86,400 Chinese visited the emirate, with February alone accounting for an impressive 83.6 per cent increase. The Department is targeting 600,000 Chinese hotel guests a year by 2021. DCT Abu Dhabi has been spearheading a number of delegations visiting the Chinese market on roadshows and promotional exhibitions. Mubarak Al Nuaimi, Director Promotions and Overseas Offices, DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “With a diverse range of leisure, entertainment options, high-quality hotels and shopping malls, Abu Dhabi will continue to position itself as an attractive destination for Chinese travellers. Moving forward, we will continue to promote Abu Dhabi’s unique offerings focused on presenting the best culturally-enriching experiences to our Chinese visitors who are seeking to experience new cultures.”

Dusit International is set to manage Dusit Thani Zhouzhuang, a luxury hotel in Zhouzhuang, China after signing a hotel management agreement with Kunshan Yuanwanggu IOT Industrial Park Company Limited. Phase one is expected to open in 2018, with phase two following in 2022. Set within the Yungu Pastoral Valley, approximately 50 minutes by car from Shanghai and 40 minutes from Suzhou, the five-star hotel will comprise 30 rooms in traditional houses and 160 hotel guest rooms. The traditional houses will open next year in phase one of the development alongside an all-day-dining restaurant. The main hotel building will open in phase two and will include a dining restaurant, Chinese restaurant with private dining rooms, gym, swimming pool and conference facilities. “We are honoured to be given the opportunity to manage such a luxury hotel in this historic location,” said Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Operating Officer, Dusit International. “By exceeding guests’ expectations with each and every experience, the hotel will be perfectly positioned to meet the needs of domestic and international travellers alike.”

The latest partnership of Etihad Airways and Alibaba’s Tmall and Alitrip for the Global Shopping Festival 2017 includes five specially-branded exteriors of aircrafts which will depart from Abu Dhabi to four destinations in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong. In the coming month, the aircrafts will carry this unique branding to over 40 cities across Etihad Airways’ global network. Tmall’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival has quickly become the largest and most influential online shopping festival in China. The partnership executes China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, facilitating economic ties and cultural exchange between China and UAE. At the same time, it takes Chinese culture to Europe, the US and Africa via the Abu Dhabi hub. Etihad Airways continues to build its long-term relationship with Alibaba Group. With access to nearly 200 million registered Alitrip users, the online store has significantly enhanced Etihad Airways’ digital reach in the Chinese market. By seizing the opportunities presented by the Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival 2017, the two parties will expand their innovative partnership across the ecommerce arena.

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai sent a team on a special sales mission to China for the 2017 Dubai China Roadshow organised by The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). They visited Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou to explore the various colours of China and locate opportunities to extend their hotel business. Dubai is witnessing unprecedented demand from Chinese visitors. China is among the Top 5 source markets for Dubai. Elaborating on the success of the mission, Binu Varghese, Director of Sale and Marketing, Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, said, “China is a growing market for us and holds strong potential. This year’s roadshow was hugely successful and gave us the opportunity to meet over 300 buyers from four key cities. FIT market development was a key focus for us along with continuous promotion of group business. In addition to highlighting our various offerings to buyers through one-on-one table talk, we got fantastic networking opportunities with local travel industry opinion leaders.”

Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) reported a 12 per cent year-on-year growth over the first two months of 2017, which saw Dubai welcoming just over three million visitors, nearly four times the rate of the previous year. Supported by growth in all key markets, China and Russia in particular drove the volumes and set the stage for a strong first quarter result. This period witnessed a 60 per cent growth in overnight tourists from China with January alone peaking at a dramatic 102 per cent, while attracting a total of 157,000 Chinese visitors across just the first two months. Reflecting an even more significant percentage increase, Russian visitation jumped 84 per cent over the same period last year with February delivering a massive 140 per cent volume increase to bring a total of 65,000 travellers in the first two months. Consequently, both contributing countries moved up in their rankings as key source markets for inbound tourism to Dubai with China entering the top 4 for the first time and Russia moving to just outside the top 10, up 4 places from 15. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai Tourism, said: “As we continue to invest in raising consideration for Dubai as the destination of choice for global travellers, our focus at Dubai Tourism is equally on increasing Dubai’s accessibility and removing barriers to travel by working closely with partners and stakeholders in the public and private sectors on both a federal and emirate level. Ultimately our collective aim is to make it as easy and seamless as possible for any prospective tourist from our diversified base of source markets to visit and revisit Dubai. We …

‘Building the bridge between East and West,’ an exclusive ITB China preview event with more than 60 journalists from China and 15 other countries concluded at the Jin Jiang Tower in Shanghai. Three months before the official opening of ITB China, the new marketplace for the Chinese travel industry, experienced industry professionals shared and discussed their point of view and insights on the Chinese travel industry. Among the distinguished speakers were Dr. Martin Buck, Senior VP Travel & Logistics/Messe Berlin, David Axiotis, General Manager/ITB China, Eduardo Santander, Executive Director/European Travel Commission, John Li, Vice President /Jin Jiang International Hotel Management Co.,Ltd, Mason Ma, General Manager All Region-based Tourism Strategic Marketing & Advertising Department/Ctrip, Frank Wu, General Manager of Overseas Sourcing Center / Tuniu, Tom Jenkins, CEO / ETOA – European Tour Operators Association and Charlie Li, CEO / TravelDaily China. 

Consulate General of the United Republic of Tanzania in partnership with Holidays and Incentives and Regency Travels conducted a road show at the Hyatt Regency in Creek. Some of the leading travel agents in the UAE attended the event whilst four of the most luxurious properties in Zanzibar made their presentations. From Zanzibar the four properties  included The Residence, Melia, Park Hyatt and Elewana. The travel agents were given quite an opportunity to learn about the destination and the exclusive properties available for their clientele. Lastly was the presentation by the Tanzania tourism office where the spokesperson explained from traditional source markets Italy remains on top with over 65% traffic to the destination with other countries such as UK, France, Germany, Kenya, South Africa and North America  and the emerging countries are India, China, Russia and Middle East.