During the recent launch of Virgin Galactic's commercial space travel experience, Chinese travel agency HHtravel (鸿鹄逸游) was the only mainland Chinese company invited to witness the manned space flight, after officially securing China sales rights. During the flight, passengers can experience 3-4 minutes of weightlessness while overlooking the Earth's surface, before returning to Earth for a runway landing. The entire journey lasts roughly 90 minutes.
Virgin Galactic owns the world's first commercial space travel route, with the launch point at Spaceport America in New Mexico, USA. Two reusable spacecraft, VSS Unity and VSS Imagine, are specifically used for suborbital flights with tourists. As a Virtuoso Member in China, HHtravel has officially obtained the sales rights for Virgin Galactic space travel in China, and has opened priority booking rights for its Honghu Black Card Club members.
Azerbaijan unilaterally waives visas for Chinese citizens
According to Xinhua News Agency, Azerbaijan has decided to implement a one-year unilateral visa exemption policy for Chinese citizens. After the news was released, the search volume for Azerbaijan travel products on a number of online travel platforms surged.
Huacheng's "Love in Cuba" VIP tour group debuts
At 7am on July 2nd, the "Love in Cuba" VIP in-depth travel group organized by Huacheng International Travel Group departed China. This is the first tour group organized by Huacheng to Cuba since Cuba announced visa-free travel for Chinese citizens in May this year. The VIP travelers, hailing from from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanjing, Changzhou, and other cities across the country, gathered at Beijing Capital International Airport and took Air China flight CA865 directly to Havana, beginning an 11-day journey in Cuba.
Fliggy announces six major guarantees to as OTA competition intensifies
Fliggy recently followed in Douyin's wake to announce the launch of core guarantees for the summer holidays, including measures covering flight and train ticket refunds and changes, hotel price changes, itinerary connections, and high-risk overseas experiences, covering potential losses for tourists in the coming summer holidays.
Tongcheng Travel and Qingdao Airlines collaborate on expanding international business
On July 4, Tongcheng Travel and Qingdao Airlines signed an agreement to establish a formal cooperative relationship around international business. The agreement covers areas such as international joint transportation, overseas market expansion, joint marketing, and brand promotion. Additionally, the two parties will work together on product development, membership system construction, digitization and big data applications.
Air China to resume Shanghai Pudong-Barcelona route end of August
On July 2, Air China announced that, starting from August 27, it will resume its Shanghai Pudong-Barcelona route, with flight numbers CA839/40 operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, using Airbus A350 aircraft. Currently, Air China operates daily flights from Beijing Capital to Madrid and Barcelona, twice-weekly flights from Beijing Capital to Madrid-São Paulo, and Beijing Capital to Madrid-Havana. With the resumption of the Shanghai Pudong-Barcelona route on August 27, Air China's flights to Spain will increase to 42 round trips per week.
First direct regular flight route from Shanghai to Marseille opens
On July 2, the Shanghai Airlines FM871 Shanghai-Marseille flight took off from Pudong International Airport with 242 passengers on board. This marked the opening of the first regular direct passenger flight route between China and southern France. The new Shanghai-Marseille route operates three weekly round-trip flights on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, with a flight duration of about 12 hours.
Yantai airport to open direct flight to Kuala Lumpur this summer
At a summer flight promotion meeting held on July 4, Yantai Airport announced the opening of a direct flight route to Kuala Lumpur starting from July 28. This new route by China Eastern Airlines will use A320 aircraft and operate two flights per week.
Juneyao Air's direct Brussels-Shanghai route launches
On July 3, Juneyao Air launched its direct Brussels-Shanghai route. The airline will operate three weekly flights on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Shanghai Disneyland summer ticket prices soar to ¥719
Recently, a post on social media highlighted the increase in ticket prices at Shanghai Disneyland, with tickets now costing ¥719 (US$99) for a standard day pass from July 1. This sparked discussions among netizens, with some commenting that the price is quite high. According to a Disney customer service representative, the ¥719 ticket is for peak days, covering most summer dates and some holidays. The highest ticket price at Shanghai Disneyland is ¥799 ($110) for "super peak days."
Hong Kong plans to resume hotel accommodation tax next year
On July 3, the Hong Kong SAR Government notified the Legislative Council of its intention to reintroduce the hotel accommodation tax under the SAR's "Hotel Accommodation Tax Ordinance". As part of the comprehensive fiscal consolidation plan, the tax is set to resume on January 1, 2025, at a rate of 3%, aiming to balance the government's revenue and expenditure within a few years.
New Zealand Tourism Bureau holds "Slow Travel in New Zealand" sharing session in Shanghai
Recently, the New Zealand Tourism Bureau held the "Slow Travel in New Zealand" experience-sharing session in Shanghai. This event is a continuation of the Bureau's "Slow Travel" project, which invites to Chinese tourists to participate. Several bloggers who recently returned from New Zealand shared their winter travel stories, discussing their unique experiences of off-season travel in New Zealand.
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