China tourists drop $1.3 mln in Taiwan

TAIPEI - Chinese tourists who just finished a historic trip to Taiwan, which normally bans them for security reasons, spent about T$40 million ($1.3 million), a perk for the island's sagging economy,

Three female Chinese tourists reported missing in Taiwan

Taipei - Three female Chinese tourists, who came to Taiwan via Thailand as part of a tour group, went missing in northern Taiwan Tuesday, according to a news release issued by the National Immigration

China reassures Taiwan its tourists will behave

BEIJING - China sought to reassure Taiwan on Monday that its first tour groups to the island will behave well, and told tourists to be good ambassadors following a warming of ties between the two ofte

Taiwanese officials urge Falun Gong to leave Chinese tourist sites, sect refuses

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Falun Gong followers said Wednesday they will keep promoting their movement at Taiwanese sites popular with tourists from China, where the sect is banned, despite official requests fo

Taiwan drivers learn to smile at Chinese tourists

Taipei - Taiwan's largest bus company is teaching its drivers how to flash the best smile to welcome Chinese tourists.

Beijing tourists to France drop 70 percent, ambassador says

BEIJING - The number of Chinese tourists from Beijing to France has fallen by 70 percent in recent weeks, the French ambassador here has said, following attacks on the Olympic torch in Paris.

First group of mainland tourists to directly visit Taiwan due on July 4

TAIPEI - China is ready to permit the first group of mainland tourists travelling to Taiwan directly to depart on July 4, helping Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou make good on one of his campaign promises, the Commercial Times reported, citing a mainland source familiar with the matter.

President-elect of Taiwan hopes for 1 million visitors

Ilan, Taiwan - Nearly 60 years after splitting from China, Taiwan is laying out the red carpet for tourists from the mainland.

New England states doing more to lure Chinese tourists

NEWPORT, R.I. - New England tourism officials are seeing opportunity in China as a booming economy there produces a larger middle class.

That middle class is venturing abroad, and tourist destinations from Rhode Island to Vermont want to be ready.

Luring 300,000 Chinese tourists to Indonesia is not easy

Hong Kong - The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing projected the number of Chinese tourists coming to Indonesia this year at 300,000, for which promotions are being conducted.

The campaign on Visit Indonesia Year (VIY) 2008 launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Jakarta since December last year, had been hailed by many circles in ... read more

Jamaica pushes for more Chinese tourists

The tourism ministry is projecting a sharp increase in visitors from China this year following the removal of the major stumbling blocks.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says getting flights from China to Jamaica was the main problem restricting the number of Chinese visitors to the island.

NZ tourism cannot afford to hold back on the Chinese market

Too few New Zealand tourism operators are tapping into the nearly 40 million Chinese who travel every year, says Tourism New Zealand.

Tourism New Zealand's regional manager for North Asia, Mark Frood, said many New Zealand tourism operators were waiting to see where the China market was headed.

Chinese are on their way to Israel

The Tourism Ministry is seeking for tour guides in the Chinese language in preparation for the arrival of 15,000 tourists to Israel in 2008. Chinese tourists will visit Israel following the signature on an agreement with the Chinese government that allows organized tour groups of visitors from China to travel Israel.

Officials see obstacles to increasing China tourism

Hawaii's visitor industry is readying itself to handle an increase in Chinese leisure travel this year, but officials say there remains a lot of work to be done.

Sometime this summer, Chinese travel agencies will be allowed to work with U.S. companies to organize and market packaged group leisure tours to the United States.

Britain cuts visa price for Chinese tourists

BEIJING - Britain will cut the price of its group tourist visas for Chinese travelers by almost a third for three months from March 3, said the British Ambassador to China Sir William Ehrman on Wednesday.

Taiwan to receive largest group of Chinese tourists

Nearly 700 Chinese tourists are set to arrive in Taiwan on a foreign cruise ship, becoming the largest group of Chinese tourists to visit the island, which still regards China as its enemy.

Why Vegas courts China

Growing Chinese wealth, relaxed visa rules promise explosion of nation’s visitors.

The financial windfall that arrives with Chinese New Year — one of the most profitable and active periods of the year on the Strip — is only a fraction of what’s in store for Las Vegas.

Chinese visitors help South Africa's tourist industry

Growing prosperity in China is beginning to affect the global tourism industry. More and more Chinese are traveling abroad - especially this week, which includes the lunar New Year.

One place that is benefiting from this trend is South Africa. A surge in Chinese visitors is helping South Africa's tourism industry achieve double-digit ... read more

Chinese flock to Japan in tourism boom

The number of Chinese visitors to Japan exceeded the number of Americans for the first time in 2007, data published on Monday showed, highlighting a boom in regional tourism fuelled by Asia’s growing wealth.

Hong Kong vies with Macau for 2008 China tourists

Hong Kong - Hong Kong, one of Asia's hottest destinations, hopes to welcome more than 30 million visitors in 2008 as mainland Chinese throng the city's shops and restaurants despite global stock market turmoil. The tiny city of 7 million has as many visitors a year as Japan, Thailand and Singapore combined but is fending off a resurgent ... read more