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As dragon boats swiftly navigated the narrow waterways of the Diejiao water town in Foshan, Guangdong province, the crowds were thrilled at the jaw-dropping maneuvers and fierce competition.当龙舟在广东佛山叠滘水乡狭窄的水道中飞速穿行时，观众为其令人叹为观止的操控和激烈的角逐兴奋不已。The traditional racing event attracted more than 2 million visitors to the town during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.端午节假期期间，这项传统赛事吸引了超过200万游客前来参观。The Diejiao dragon boat race is an intangible cultural heritage in Foshan. The narrow and winding rivers there prompt the rowers to perform dramatic stunts and sudden stops during the race, earning it the nickname of the "fast and furious".叠滘龙舟赛是佛山市的非物质文化遗产。由于河道狭窄蜿蜒，赛艇运动员在比赛中需要做出各种惊险刺激的动作和急停，因此被称为“速度与激情”。For example, in the Dongsheng competition section, each team of nearly 40 members must navigate a 25-meter-long boat at a high speed through a 560-meter course consisting of six sharp turns.例如，在东胜赛区，每支近40人的队伍必须驾驶一艘25米长的龙舟，高速穿越560米长的、包含六个急弯的赛道。The roar of paddles was matched by the thunderous shouting and cheering of excited spectators. Among the visitors was a 27-year-old marketing manager from Shenzhen, surnamed Zhu.桨声震耳欲聋，现场观众的欢呼声也如雷鸣般震耳欲聋。来自深圳、27岁的市场经理朱先生也在观赛人群之中。"It was my first time seeing a dragon boat race up close, especially the thrilling bend sprints unique to Diejiao," he said. "The atmosphere was marvelous and unbelievable, and crowds packed the riverbanks and even rooftops."“这是我第一次近距离观看龙舟比赛，尤其是叠滘独有的惊险刺激的弯道冲刺，”他说。“现场气氛精彩绝伦，令人难以置信，河岸甚至屋顶都挤满了人。”"From incense rituals and firecrackers to dragon boat races and lively food stalls, the village was alive with tradition," he said.“从上香仪式、鞭炮声，到龙舟竞渡和热闹的小吃摊，整个村庄都洋溢着传统气息，”他说。During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, from Saturday to Monday, Foshan received over 2 million visitors, marking a 46.11 percent year-on-year increase, said the local government.当地政府表示，端午节假期（周六至周一），佛山接待游客超过200万人次，同比增长46.11%。Tourism revenue is estimated to have surged to 1.015 billion yuan ($141 million) during the three-day holiday, up 49.26 percent year-on-year, it added on Monday.周一，佛山市政府补充道，预计三天假期旅游收入将飙升至10.15亿元人民币（1.41亿美元），同比增长49.26%。The competition in Foshan will last until June 15, and top teams from across Guangdong and those from other cities such as Hong Kong and Macao will be invited to participate.佛山的比赛将持续到6月15日，届时将邀请来自广东省各地以及香港、澳门等其他城市的顶尖队伍参赛。Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday honoring Qu Yuan, one of ancient China's greatest patriotic poets, and is marked nationwide by thrilling dragon boat races.端午节是纪念中国古代最伟大的爱国诗人屈原的传统节日，全国各地都会举行精彩纷呈的龙舟比赛。Data from travel services provider Qunar showed that, as of Monday, searches containing keywords like "dragon boat" and "zongzi" more than doubled compared with the previous month, and bookings for destinations offering folk culture experiences rose more than 40 percent.旅游服务提供商去哪儿网的数据显示，截至周一，“龙舟”和“粽子”等关键词的搜索量环比增长了一倍多，预订提供民俗文化体验的目的地的数量增长了40%以上。In recent years, more areas have expanded their festivities by blending the races with local culture and tourism, creating richer and more immersive experiences for visitors and boosting the local economy.近年来，越来越多的地区将龙舟比赛与当地文化和旅游相结合，拓展了节日庆祝活动，为游客创造了更丰富、更沉浸式的体验，促进了当地经济发展。In Haikou, Hainan province, about 40 teams, including those from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, competed in international dragon boat racing from Saturday to Sunday, attracting over 219,000 visitors, Haikou Daily reported.据《海口日报》报道，海南省海口市在周六至周日举办国际龙舟邀请赛，约有40支队伍参赛，包括来自马来西亚、新加坡、菲律宾的代表队，共吸引游客超过21.9万人次。In Fujian province, Fangzhuang village, one of China's largest wood dragon boat manufacturing hubs, received over 200 orders for dragon boats this year, setting a record.在福建省，作为中国最大的木制龙舟制造中心之一，方庄村今年接到了超过200艘龙舟的订单，创下了历史新高。Fang Jianwei, a dragon boat craftsman, said they have received orders from Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. There were also overseas orders, including those from the United States and Japan.龙舟工匠方剑伟表示，他们接到了来自福建、广东和江西等地的订单，也包括来自美国和日本的海外订单。Dragon boat traditions go beyond southern China. This year, northern-style racing returned to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Cangzhou, Hebei province, after nearly 200 years.龙舟传统远不仅限于中国南方。今年，北方风格的龙舟赛事时隔近200年，重返河北沧州的京杭大运河。"The race highlights not just speed, but also skill and creativity," said Zhang Ge, deputy general manager of Cangzhou Grand Canal Development Group, adding that the city plans to turn dragon boat shows into a regular tourism product, integrating cultural, social and economic benefits to boost Cangzhou's cultural tourism appeal.“龙舟赛事不仅注重速度，更注重技巧和创意。”沧州大运河发展集团副总经理张阁说道。他还表示，沧州计划将龙舟表演打造成常态化旅游产品，集文化效益、社会效益和经济效益于一体，提升沧州的文化旅游吸引力。intangible cultural heritage非物质文化遗产maneuver/məˈnuːvər/n.精巧动作；策略；演习v.熟练地移动；操纵immersive/ɪˈmɜːrsɪv/adj.身临其境的；沉浸式的patriotic/ˌpeɪtriˈɒtɪk/adj.爱国的

China's inbound tourism market saw strong recovery and growth during the just-concluded May Day holiday, with smaller cities attracting more foreign visitors seeking cultural experiences, according to industry insiders.业内人士表示，在刚刚结束的五一假期期间，中国入境旅游市场强劲复苏并实现增长，不少寻求文化体验的外国游客开始青睐小城市。During the five-day break, inbound travel bookings surged 130 percent from a year earlier, said Trip.com Group, China's largest online travel agency. While top-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai remained popular, destinations including Chengdu in Sichuan province, Chongqing, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Zhuhai in Guangdong province, and Xi'an in Shaanxi province also made the list of top inbound choices.中国最大的在线旅行平台携程集团表示，在为期五天的假期期间，入境游预订量同比增长130%。虽然北京和上海等一线城市依然受欢迎，但四川成都、重庆、浙江杭州、广东珠海和陕西西安等目的地也跻身热门入境游目的地之列。China has been opening its doors wider to international travelers. In 2024, the country expanded its unilateral visa-free policy to include 38 countries, allowing visits of up to 30 days, according to the National Immigration Administration.中国持续扩大对国际游客的开放。据国家移民管理局消息，2024年中国将单方面免签政策扩大至38个国家，允许最多停留30天。Favorable tax refund policies have also boosted inbound travel. In late April, China lowered the tax refund threshold from 500 yuan ($68.80) to 200 yuan and raised the cash refund limit from 10,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan. There is no limit on refunds processed by bank transfer, according to a guideline issued by the Ministry of Commerce and five other departments.优惠的退税政策也促进了入境游的蓬勃发展。根据商务部等六部门发布的指导意见，4月下旬中国将退税起征点从500元人民币（68.80美元）降至200元人民币，并将现金退税限额从1万元人民币提高至2万元人民币。银行转账退税不受限额限制。"We encourage relevant institutions to provide tax refund services through various means such as mobile payments, bank cards and cash, and to better meet the diverse payment service needs of overseas travelers," said Sheng Qiuping, vice-minister of commerce, at a recent news conference in Beijing.商务部副部长盛秋平在最近于北京举行的新闻发布会上表示：“我们鼓励相关机构通过移动支付、银行卡、现金等多种方式提供退税服务，更好地满足境外旅客多样化的支付服务需求。”During the holiday, tourists from the United States, South Korea and Japan made up the largest share of inbound visitors. The number of travelers from Australia, Vietnam and Canada also rose significantly, according to Beijing-based travel platform Qunar.假期期间，美国、韩国和日本游客占入境游客的最大份额。据北京旅游平台去哪儿网的数据，来自澳大利亚、越南和加拿大的游客数量也大幅增长。Foreign visitors are venturing beyond major cities. Hotel bookings by foreign tourists in Zhuhai rose 70 percent year-on-year, while Qingdao in Shandong province and Wuhan in Hubei province saw increases of 60 percent and 50 percent, respectively, Qunar reported.外国游客开始深入探索非一线城市。据去哪儿网报道，珠海的外国游客酒店预订量同比增长70%，山东青岛和湖北武汉的酒店预订量分别增长了60%和50%。China's picturesque landscapes and rich culinary culture have frequently been featured in South Korean TV dramas and variety shows, piquing travel interest. The May Day holiday also coincides with a public holiday in South Korea, encouraging young travelers to visit China.中国风景如画的自然风光和丰富的饮食文化频繁出现在韩国电视剧和综艺节目中，激发了人们的旅游兴趣。五一假期恰逢韩国的公共假期，吸引了大量年轻游客赴华旅游。South Korea's leading travel agency, Hana Tour, said January trips to China rose 77 percent year-on-year, outpacing a 20 percent increase for trips to Japan. The surge was mainly driven by China's visa-free policy.韩国知名旅行社哈拿多乐表示，1月份赴华旅游同比增长77%，超过赴日旅游20%的增幅。这一增长主要得益于中国的免签政策。Major South Korean airlines have responded by expanding their international flight offerings to China to meet rising demand.韩国各大航空公司纷纷扩大赴华国际航班服务，以满足日益增长的需求。Meanwhile, more foreign visitors are seeking immersive cultural experiences in rural areas. A Trip.com resort in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, reported a surge in bookings from tourists from the US, Italy and Spain since April.与此同时，越来越多的外国游客正在寻求乡村地区的沉浸式文化体验。据携程网报道，湖南省张家界一家度假村自4月份以来，来自美国、意大利和西班牙的游客预订量激增。"Besides sightseeing, foreign tourists have shown increasing interest in in-depth tours and diverse experiences, such as participating in farming activities and attending ethnic concerts," said Fang Zexi, a Trip.com Group researcher.携程集团研究员方泽茜表示：“除了观光，外国游客对深度游和丰富多彩的体验项目也越来越感兴趣，例如参与农耕活动、聆听民族音乐会等。”Their cultural curiosity extends into everyday life. In Chengdu, a popular southwestern city, more foreign visitors are booking culinary experiences, visits to local farmers' markets, cooking sessions, table presentations and food tasting, Trip.com said.他们对文化的好奇心延伸到了日常生活中。携程表示，在西南热门城市成都，越来越多的外国游客预订了美食体验、参观当地农贸市场、参加烹饪课程、体验餐桌演示和品尝美食等活动。In the first three days of the holiday, more than 5,700 inbound passenger trips were recorded by Chengdu's border inspection authority, a year-on-year increase of over 170 percent, according to the Sichuan provincial entry and exit bureau.据四川省出入境管理局统计，假期前三天，成都边检部门共接待入境旅客超过5700人次，同比增长超过170%。surge/sɜːrdʒ/n.激增，猛涨unilateral visa-free policy单方面免签政策immersive/ɪˈmɜːrsɪv/adj.沉浸式的culinary/ˈkʌlɪnəri/adj.厨房的，烹饪的

La red de aeropuertos del Grupo Aena cerró febrero con un nuevo récord de pasajeros, hasta los casi 20 millones (+4,4%), mientras que en los dos primeros meses de 2025 recibió la llegada de 49,5 millones de de viajeros, un 5,3% más que en 2024.La Comunitat Valenciana ha solicitado al Gobierno ayudas urgentes para el sector turístico tras las pérdidas que superan los 4.000 millones de euros provocadas por la DANA.World2Meet, la división de viajes del Grupo Iberostar, ha conseguido la validación de sus objetivos para la reducción de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero dentro de la iniciativa Science Based Targets (SBTi). La compañía se compromete a alcanzar cero emisiones netas en toda su cadena de valor para el año 2050.Turespaña mantuvo un encuentro con el grupo asiático Trip.com (Ctrip, Trip.com, Qunar y Skyscanner) en la feria ITB Berlin para impulsar la disponibilidad y comercialización de productos y experiencias turísticas españolas, a través de los diferentes canales de distribución digital.IAG ha cerrado con una caída del 7,02% en Bolsa, la más alta del Ibex 35, hasta los 3,432 euros por título, en una jornada de descensos generalizados en todo el sector aéreo tras los malos pronósticos lanzados por aerolíneas estadounidenses para el arranque del año en el sector del transporte aéreo.César Gutiérrez Calvo ha sido reelegido presidente de la Federación Empresarial de Asociaciones Territoriales de Agencias de Viajes Españolas (FETAVE). En su nuevo mandato, priorizará la exclusión de las agencias de viajes del Real Decreto 933/2021, que regula el registro del viajero. La asamblea general de FETAVE ha acordado emprender acciones legales si el Ministerio del Interior no atiende sus alegaciones contra esta normativa.

Tourism authorities in several provincial-level regions have vied to promote their areas as the "real birthplace" of the Ne Zha character, hoping to ride the wave of popularity of the hit blockbuster, attract more tourists and boost economic growth.多个省级地区的旅游部门争相将本地宣传为哪吒的“真正诞生地”，希望借助这部热门大片的浪潮吸引更多游客并推动经济增长。tourism authorities 旅游部门real birthplace 真正诞生地ride the wave of popularity 借助热潮boost economic growth 推动经济增长However, experts have called for some restraint as the fervor over the mythical character has gone beyond expectations.然而，专家呼吁保持克制，因为对这一神话角色的狂热已经超出预期。fervor 狂热mythical character 神话角色The animated film Ne Zha 2, or Ne Zha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea, has become China's highest-grossing movie of all time, with over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in ticket sales since its opening on Jan 29 during the Spring Festival holiday.动画电影《哪吒2》（又名《哪吒：魔童闹海》）自1月29日春节档上映以来，票房已突破100亿元人民币（约合14亿美元），成为中国影史票房最高的电影。highest-grossing movie 票房最高的电影ticket sales 票房The box-office sensation is adapted from Chinese mythology and loosely based on the novel Fengshen Yanyi, or The Investiture of the Gods, which was written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).这部票房奇迹改编自中国神话，并部分借鉴了明代（1368-1644年）小说《封神演义》。box-office sensation 票房奇迹loosely based on 部分借鉴In the film, a boy named Ne Zha, who was born with a demonic destiny and mighty power, fights against his fate and takes down villains with his best friend Ao Bing.在电影中，一个名叫哪吒的男孩天生背负魔童命运并拥有强大力量，他与好友敖丙一起反抗命运并击败反派。demonic destiny 魔童命运mighty power 强大力量take down villains 击败反派According to the novel, Ne Zha was born in Chentang Pass during the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC). However, the location of Chentang Pass in real life remains controversial, causing a "bidding war" for Ne Zha's birthplace online.根据小说，哪吒出生于商代（约公元前16世纪至公元前11世纪）的陈塘关。然而，现实中的陈塘关位置仍存在争议，引发了网上对哪吒诞生地的“争夺战”。Chentang Pass 陈塘关bidding war 争夺战Yibin, a city in the southwestern province of Sichuan, said that it has over 20 places, relics and natural sites closely related to the folklore around Ne Zha.四川省西南部的宜宾市表示，该市有20多处与哪吒传说密切相关的地点、遗迹和自然景观。folklore 传说relics 遗迹Other cities and provincial-level regions such as Tianjin, Henan and Anhui are also claiming to be Ne Zha's birthplace based on their folk tales or historical relics.其他城市和省级地区，如天津、河南和安徽，也根据民间传说或历史遗迹声称自己是哪吒的诞生地。folk tales 民间传说historical relics 历史遗迹Experts said that it is still difficult to determine the real locations depicted in Ne Zha's story, as the character is a fictitious one, though it is loosely modeled on a real person in history.专家表示，由于哪吒是一个虚构角色（尽管部分借鉴了历史人物），因此很难确定故事中的真实地点。fictitious 虚构的loosely modeled on 部分借鉴The fact that Chinese regions are vying to be known as the character's birthplace shows that local authorities are trying to benefit from the in-vogue film to boost their tourism and economies, they said.专家称，中国各地争相成为哪吒诞生地的事实表明，地方政府正试图借助这部热门电影推动旅游业和经济发展。in-vogue 热门的boost tourism 推动旅游业Figures from travel portals appear to support this claim. According to online travel agency LY.com, the number of Yibin hotel room bookings and the average price of the rooms both grew 30 percent year-on-year from Feb 1 to Feb 9.旅游门户网站的数据似乎支持这一说法。根据在线旅游平台同程艺龙的数据，2月1日至2月9日期间，宜宾酒店预订量和平均房价同比均增长30%。travel portals 旅游门户网站year-on-year 同比Travel portal Qunar also reported that during the Spring Festival holiday from Jan 28 to Feb 4, hotel bookings in Yibin rose 50 percent year-on-year on its platform.旅游平台去哪儿网也报告称，1月28日至2月4日春节期间，宜宾酒店预订量同比增长50%。Spring Festival holiday 春节假期It is not the first time that a Chinese folklore or film or entertainment product based on mythology has intrigued people's interest in Chinese traditional culture and prompted hordes of enthusiasts to visit certain regions.这并非中国神话、电影或娱乐产品首次引发人们对中国传统文化的兴趣，并促使大批爱好者前往特定地区。intrigued people's interest 引发兴趣hordes of enthusiasts 大批爱好者The Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong, based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, was all the rage worldwide after being released last year.基于中国经典小说《西游记》的中国电子游戏《黑神话：悟空》去年发布后在全球掀起热潮。all the rage 掀起热潮A large number of gamers and fans have flocked to Shanxi province, which is home to 27 of 36 scenes in the game, with most of the scenes closely related to Buddhist culture and Taoism.大量玩家和粉丝涌入山西省，该省是游戏中36个场景中的27个所在地，其中大部分场景与佛教文化和道教密切相关。flocked to 涌入Buddhist culture 佛教文化Taoism 道教Tang Yezhe, a 32-year-old engineer in Beijing, said he's a fan of the Ne Zha films and Black Myth: Wukong.32岁的北京工程师唐烨哲（音译）表示，他是《哪吒》系列电影和《黑神话：悟空》的粉丝。fan 粉丝"Ne Zha 2 is really stunning. The story, the characters and the special effects of the film are all exciting and vivid. I watched the film twice with my wife," he said.他说：“《哪吒2》非常震撼。电影的剧情、角色和特效都令人兴奋且生动。我和妻子看了两遍。”stunning 震撼的special effects 特效He added that he traveled to Datong, Shanxi, in October with his family to see sites associated with the Black Myth: Wukong game.他补充说，10月他与家人前往山西大同，参观了与《黑神话：悟空》游戏相关的景点。sites associated with 相关景点"I've heard about the online birthplace contention of Ne Zha. I think it's hard to define where exactly Ne Zha comes from as he is a mythical figure," Tang said. "Sichuan and Tianjin are so far the two strongest candidates, and I may pay a visit to Sichuan's Yibin city to see the relics about Ne Zha."“我听说过网上关于哪吒诞生地的争论。我认为很难确定哪吒到底来自哪里，因为他是一个神话人物。”唐烨哲说，“四川和天津是目前最有力的两个候选地，我可能会去四川宜宾看看与哪吒相关的遗迹。”birthplace contention 诞生地争论mythical figure 神话人物Wang Peng, an associate researcher from the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said in a recent interview with news outlet CQCB.com that Ne Zha is one of China's most popular mythical figures and has boosted short-term public attention to destinations concerning Ne Zha's story.北京市社会科学院副研究员王鹏近日在接受《重庆晨报》采访时表示，哪吒是中国最受欢迎的神话人物之一，并短期内提升了与哪吒故事相关目的地的公众关注度。associate researcher 副研究员boosted short-term attention 提升短期关注度He suggested local authorities combine their own cultural and tourism advantages with the influence of Ne Zha to ensure more sustainable tourism development, rather than blindly jumping on the bandwagon or ignoring their local tourism resources.他建议地方政府将自身的文化和旅游优势与哪吒的影响力结合起来，以确保更可持续的旅游发展，而不是盲目跟风或忽视本地旅游资源。sustainable tourism development 可持续旅游发展jumping on the bandwagon 盲目跟风

Andy Wang, a young office employee working in Shanghai, recently booked flights from Shanghai to South Korea's Jeju island for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday. The round-trip airfare cost him a little over 2,000 yuan ($274), half the price for round-trip flights from Shanghai to popular domestic destinations such as Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.在上海工作的年轻人王安迪最近预订了春节期间从上海飞往韩国济州岛的往返机票，票价为2000多元人民币（约合274美元），这一价格仅为上海飞往国内热门城市如东北黑龙江省哈尔滨市等地往返机票价格的一半。Going on a trip to celebrate the holiday, which starts in late January, has become a new trend among Chinese consumers, and many like Wang have found that some overseas destinations offer better value for money compared with domestic ones. For example, it is cheaper to book flights to Bangkok, Thailand, than to Sanya, Hainan province, during the break.春节期间外出旅行已成为中国消费者的新潮流，许多像王先生这样的消费者发现，与国内旅游相比，一些海外旅游目的地更具性价比。例如，春节期间飞往泰国曼谷的机票比飞往中国海南省三亚市的机票更便宜。Spring Festival bookings for outbound flights and international hotels this year have already more than doubled compared with the same period last year, according to Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency.据总部位于北京的在线旅游机构去哪儿网的数据显示，今年春节期间出境航班和国际酒店的预订量较去年同期已翻了两倍以上。International airfares for the eight-day holiday have on average dropped 12 percent year-on-year, while airfares for some popular destinations such as Tokyo in Japan, Cairo in Egypt and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have on average dropped 20 percent year-on-year, data from Qunar showed.去哪儿网数据还显示，在春节八天假期期间，国际机票价格同比平均下降了12%，而前往日本东京、埃及开罗和越南胡志明市等热门目的地的机票价格同比平均下降了20%。For some niche destinations in countries such as India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Argentina, hotel rates for the Spring Festival holiday have on average plummeted by over 40 percent year-on-year, the online travel agency found.该在线旅游机构还发现，春节期间，印度、南非、沙特阿拉伯、墨西哥和阿根廷等小众旅游目的地的酒店价格同比平均下降了40%以上。"Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China, and Chinese people tend to go home for family reunions or take short trips within the country. Therefore, major domestic destinations, especially those popular for winter tourism, witness a surge in prices during the holiday," said Cai Muzi, a researcher for Qunar.去哪儿网研究员蔡木子表示：“春节是中国最重要的传统节日，中国人更倾向于选择回家团圆、国内短途游。因此，国内各大旅游城市、尤其是适合冬季旅游的城市，在春节假期会出现不同程度的涨价。”As most foreign countries neither have the tradition of celebrating Spring Festival, nor do they have public holiday during the time, the travel rush is relatively low, Cai said.蔡木子说，由于国外并没有过春节的传统，也不处于假期，因此旅游高峰期相对平缓。"With fewer number of tourists, the price fluctuations are not significant overseas, which makes outbound travel to some places cheaper than domestic tourism," she added.“由于国外游客数量减少，海外价格波动不大，会出现一些出境游比国内游更便宜的现象。”她补充道。According to Qunar, Chinese users of the online platform have booked flights to more than 1,300 cities in 96 countries for the Spring Festival break.据去哪儿网称，今年该平台的中国用户春节预订遍布96个国家的1300多个城市。Some overseas destinations that have recorded higher growth in terms of flight booking volume include Siem Reap in Cambodia, Nagoya and Sapporo in Japan, Budapest in Hungary and Hanoi in Vietnam. Flight bookings to these places have more than tripled year-on-year, Qunar said.去哪儿网表示，航班预订量增长较高的出境游城市包括柬埔寨暹粒、日本名古屋、匈牙利布达佩斯、越南河内、日本札幌等，增幅均在2倍以上。To cash in on this holiday travel trend, a number of domestic carriers have increased their capacities on multiple international routes.为了抓住这一假日旅行热潮，多家国内航空公司增加了多条国际航线的运力。In mid-December, China Southern Airlines increased the frequency of its flight between Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and Phuket, Thailand, raising the number from seven round-trips per week to 14. The carrier has also increased the frequency of its flights connecting Guangzhou to Chiang Mai in Thailand and Sabah in Malaysia.12月中旬，中国南方航空将广东省广州市与泰国普吉岛之间的往返航线从每周7个增加至14个。同时，该航空公司还增加了广州与泰国清迈、广州与马来西亚沙巴的航线。China Southern has announced that starting in January, it will resume its flights from Zhengzhou, Henan province, to Bangkok; from Shenyang, Liaoning province, to Bangkok; and from Changsha, Hunan province, to Singapore.中国南方航空还宣布，从1月起，将恢复郑州至曼谷、沈阳至曼谷和长沙至新加坡的航班。A recent trend report by Singapore-based budget carrier Scoot said that Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have become popular destinations for Chinese travelers, partly due to their visa-free entry policies and proximity to China, with many people buying tickets just one week in advance.新加坡廉航公司酷航最近的一份趋势报告显示，新加坡、马来西亚和泰国已成为中国游客的热门目的地，部分原因在于这些国家与中国相邻且对中国游客免签，许多中国游客会提前一周购买机票。plummetv.暴跌，急剧下降

Starting from January 2025, public holidays will be extended by two days as per revised measures on holiday arrangements unveiled by the State Council, or China's Cabinet, on Tuesday.11月12日，中国国务院发布关于修改《全国年节及纪念日放假办法》的决定，自2025年1月起，全体公民放假的假日增加2天。The Spring Festival holiday will be extended from the previous three days to four days, including the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year on Jan 28, while the May Day holiday will be increased from one day to two days, with May 2 newly added, according to the latest measures.根据最新安排，春节假期将从之前的3天延长至4天，包括1月28日农历除夕；而劳动节假期将从1天增至2天，新增5月2日放假。A new provision was added to the measures, stipulating that public holidays can be arranged to combine with adjacent weekends or paid annual leave to form longer holiday periods.《办法》中新增一项规定，即全体公民放假的假日可与相连周末或带薪年休假结合，实际形成较长假期。After the adjustment, the Spring Festival holiday next year will span eight days, starting from Lunar New Year's Eve, and the May Day holiday will be observed with a five-day holiday.调整后，明年春节自农历除夕起，放假调休8天；劳动节放假调休5天。The time off will include days off that people will get for working additional days before and after the holidays to compensate for the long breaks.新假日将包括人们在节假日前后额外工作的天数，以补偿长时间的休息。For example, for Spring Festival, Jan 26 and Feb 8 will be the make-up days. People will need to report to work on both of these days, which will allow them to enjoy a longer holiday period of eight days instead of just the four.例如，春节期间，1月26日和2月8日将是调休日。人们需要在这两天报到上班，这样他们就可以享受长达8天的假期，而不是只有4天。In addition to the New Year's Day holiday that falls on Jan 1, the Tomb-Sweeping Day and Duanwu Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival, will each have a three-day holiday. The Mid-Autumn Festival overlaps with the National Day holiday next year, so the period will be extended to eight days beginning on Oct 1.除1月1日的元旦假期外，清明节和端午节也将各放假3天。明年的中秋节与国庆节假期重合，因此双节合并自10月1日起放假8天。In response to public concerns about the additional working days to compensate for the long holiday breaks, the revised measures stipulated that the working days surrounding national holidays generally won't exceed six consecutive days, except in rare cases.为回应公众对为补偿长假而调休工作日的担忧，修改后的《办法》规定，除个别特殊情形外，法定节假日假期前后连续工作一般不超过6天。The new measures will come into effect on Jan 1, the State Council said.国务院表示，新规定自2025年1月1日起施行。Data from multiple travel platforms revealed a surge in ticket searches and bookings within half an hour of the announcement about the extended holidays.多个旅游平台的数据显示，在宣布假日增加的半小时内，机票搜索和预订量激增。The number of ticket searches for the 2025 Spring Festival holiday on online travel agency Qunar was 2.2 times higher than normal, with travelers from cities like Chengdu in Sichuan province, Zhengzhou in Henan province and Shanghai already booking flights for the evening before Lunar New Year's Eve.在去哪儿网上，2025年春节假期的机票搜索量是平时的2.2倍，来自四川成都、河南郑州和上海等城市的旅客已经预订了农历除夕前一晚的航班。Similarly, Tongcheng Travel, another agency, reported that searches for Spring Festival flights increased more than threefold compared with the previous day. Some travelers also began looking up international flights for the National Day holiday, it said.同样，同程旅行报告称，春节假期航班的搜索量比前一天增加了三倍多。该机构称，一些旅客也开始搜索国庆假期的国际航班。Wang Yalei, an analyst at Trip.com Research Institute, said the addition of two extra public holiday days in 2025 has been widely welcomed.携程研究院行业分析师王亚磊表示，2025年法定节假日增加两天受到广泛欢迎。Moreover, the adjustment eases the burden of "holiday shift adjustments", allowing travelers to enjoy longer, uninterrupted holidays. This flexibility supports staggered travel, reducing peak-time crowding, Wang said.王亚磊介绍，这一调整还减轻了节假日调班的负担，使旅客能够享受更长的连续假期。这种灵活性促进了错峰出行，减少了高峰时段的拥挤。Zhou Zitong, a 32-year-old who works in the banking industry in Beijing, said he supports the revised measures, but he is still worried that the additional work days on weekends surrounding public holidays would affect his work schedule.在北京银行业工作的32岁员工周子通表示，他支持修改后的规定，但仍担心法定节假日前后周末调休的工作日会影响他的工作安排。"According to the new holiday arrangement, we will still work for six consecutive days at least twice next year, which has probably led to negative reactions among the public," Zhou said.“根据新的放假安排，明年我们仍将至少两次连续工作6天，这可能会在公众中引起负面反应。”周子通说。stipulatev. (尤指在协议或建议中)规定, 约定paid annual leave带薪年休假staggered travel错峰出行compensatev. 补偿

Chinese tourism agencies are gearing up for an earlier-than-usual summer travel surge, fueled by pent-up demand.在被压抑的需求推动下，中国旅行社正为更早到来的夏季旅游激增做准备。Traditionally, the peak travel season runs from July to August. However, platforms like Tuniu predict the first wave this year will hit as early as late June due to people's growing desire to travel and optimized visa processes.以往的旅游旺季为7月至8月。然而，途牛等旅行社预测，由于人们的旅行欲望日益强烈，加之签证政策优化，今年的第一波旅游浪潮最早将于6月下旬到来。Long-distance family vacations are the trend, with destinations like the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and overseas locations attracting significant interest. Border regions offer cooler climates and unique cultural experiences, making them popular choices.长途家庭度假是大势所趋，新疆维吾尔自治区和海外地区引人入胜。边境地区气候凉爽，文化独特，也是（人们的）热门选择。Data from Trip.com Group highlights this shift, with summer trip bookings to domestic destinations already significantly exceeding last year's numbers, and overseas bookings nearly doubling. Half the bookings are for family trips.Trip.com携程给出的数据突出了国内旅行地的夏季旅行预订量已远超去年，海外预订量几乎翻倍，家庭旅行占其中一半。The drama To the Wonder, showcasing the breathtaking scenery of Xinjiang's Altay region, has given it a boost as a top summer pick. The region's cooler temperatures and exotic cultures make it a welcome escape from scorching heat.电视剧《我的阿勒泰》展示了新疆阿勒泰地区令人叹为观止的风景，凉爽的气温和异域文化使其成为远离酷暑的最佳选择。Yang Nan, a human resources professional in the nation's capital, has planned a seven-day family trip to Xinjiang in late July.杨楠是北京的一名人力资源从业者，他计划在7月下旬与家庭成员一起进行为期七天的新疆旅行。International sporting events such as the Paris Olympics and the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Germany are also expected to drive outbound tourism growth.巴黎奥运会和在德国举办的2024欧洲足球锦标赛也有望推动出境旅游增长。Other popular overseas destinations include Japan, Thailand and Singapore, with bookings to longer-haul locations in Europe, Central Asia and Africa also on the rise.其他受欢迎的海外旅行地包括日本、泰国和新加坡；欧洲、中亚和非洲的长途旅行地预订量也持续增长。Trip.com Group reports a significant increase in visa applications for long-distance destinations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Half of its customers who plan to travel in summer have applied for visas to such destinations so far this year, compared with less than a third last year.据携程报道，美国、英国、澳大利亚和加拿大等长途旅行地签证申请量大幅增加。截至目前，已有半数计划夏季旅行的游客申请了前往这些国家的签证，而去年的夏季签证数还不到今年三分之一。Qunar, another online travel agency, said Euro 2024 is a major draw for European travel.另一家旅行社去哪儿表示，2024年欧洲杯是欧洲旅游的一大亮点。Bookings for Berlin have surged 400 percent year-on-year, and those for Munich are up 300 percent. Meanwhile, summer travel bookings to Italy, France, Spain and the UK have doubled or tripled.柏林的预订量同比增长了400%，慕尼黑的预订量增长了300%。前往意大利、法国、西班牙和英国的夏季旅游预订量增加两倍或三倍。The tourism industry anticipates a rise in inbound tourism as well, given China's welcoming attitude and relaxed entry policies for international travelers. The recent announcement of a unilateral 15-day visa-free policy for Australian tourists exemplifies this shift.出于中国对国际游客的欢迎态度和宽松的入境政策，今年夏季入境旅游预计也将增加，近期对澳大利亚游客的单方面15天免签政策也映证这一预测。Trip.com Group reported an 80 percent surge in searches for trips to the Chinese mainland by Australian travelers within 30 minutes of the policy's announcement. Australia is already the fifth-largest source of tourists to China, with trip bookings up 155 percent year-on-year.携程报告称，在免签政策宣布后的30分钟内，澳大利亚游客对来华旅游的搜索量突增80%。澳大利亚已成为中国第五大游客来源国，旅游预订量同比增长155%。Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regionn. 新疆维吾尔自治区Paris Olympicsn. 巴黎奥运会Euro 2024 soccer tournamentn. 2024欧洲足球锦标赛

An aerial drone photo taken on June 9 shows a nighttime dragon boat race held to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in Sanxi village of Changle district, Fuzhou, capital of Southeast China's Fujian province.6月9日，无人机航拍图展示了在中国东南福建省福州市长乐区三溪村举行的龙舟夜渡。Dragon Boat Festival, which in 2009 became the first Chinese holiday inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, concluded with traditional festivities that added vibrancy to popular tourist destinations.2009 年，端午节成为中国第一个被列入联合国教科文组织非物质文化遗产名录的节日。作为传统节庆活动，端午节也为热门旅行地增添活力。Figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed a 6.3-percent year-on-year increase in domestic tourism during the three-day holiday period, which started on Saturday. Over 110 million tourist visits were recorded, generating about 40.4 billion yuan ($5.57 billion) in tourism revenue, an 8.1-percent rise compared with last year.文化和旅游部数据显示，从6月8日周六开始的三天假期期间（6月8日至6月10日），国内旅游业同比增长 6.3%。游客人数超过 1.1 亿人次，旅游收入约 404 亿元人民币（55.7 亿美元），相较去年增长8.1%。Travel agencies noted a slight decrease in overall crowds this year due to the scheduling overlap with China's crucial college entrance examination, or gaokao, which was held from Friday to Monday.不少旅行社留意到今年端午节的游客总体人数略有减少，其原因可能与6月6日至6月8日的高考时间重叠。However, destinations known for their traditional Dragon Boat Festival celebrations, particularly dragon boat races, remained popular.然而，以传统的端午节庆祝活动（尤其是赛龙舟）而闻名的旅行地仍受广大游客欢迎。"Guangdong province, renowned for its long history of dragon boat racing, saw a doubling of online searches for tour packages during the holiday," reported travel portal Qunar.去哪儿旅行社公布：“以悠久的赛龙舟历史而闻名的广东省，端午假期中旅行套餐的在线搜索量翻了一番。”Beyond the thrilling races, the festival is celebrated through various customs and activities, including preparing zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), hanging mugwort for good health, and consuming medicinal liquor for blessings.除激动人心的赛龙舟之外，人们还通过各种习俗和活动来庆祝端午节，如包粽子、挂艾草、喝药酒等，以此来祈福。Shi Yuanyuan, a 28-year-old resident of Shenzhen, Guangdong, shared her experience."We brought our 3-year-old son to witness the dragon boat races in Foshan, another city in Guangdong. He was mesmerized by the boats. While he may not grasp the historical significance yet, experiencing the festive spirit and team energy is valuable," she said.28 岁的石媛媛来自广东深圳，她分享了自己的经历：“我们带着 3 岁的儿子去广东佛山欣赏赛龙舟，他看得非常入迷。虽然他现在可能还没有领会赛龙舟的历史意义，但感受节日气氛和团队精神很有价值。”According to travel platform Tuniu, the most popular domestic destinations during the holiday were Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou in Guangdong, Nanjing in Jiangsu province, and Chongqing.根据途牛旅途网，端午假期中最受游客欢迎的国内旅行地是上海、北京、广州、江苏南京和重庆。Shorter travel times due to the merely three-day holiday also enticed Chinese tourists to explore short-distance overseas options. "Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and South Korea were top choices due to their flight times," reported Fliggy, an online travel agency. Cross-border cruises also experienced a surge in popularity, with bookings jumping 14-fold year-on-year.三天的端午短假也吸引了中国游客探索短途海外旅行。旅行社飞猪称：“航班时间较短的日本、泰国、香港、马来西亚和韩国是游客首选。”跨境邮轮也大受欢迎，预订量同比增长 14 倍。Qunar highlighted the cost-effectiveness of traveling abroad during the Dragon Boat Festival, compared with the upcoming peak summer season.去哪儿旅行社突出了端午节相较暑假旺季出国旅游的高性价比。"International flight prices dropped 20 percent year-on-year, and overseas hotel rates remained around 70 percent of what they typically are in July and August," it said, adding that sales for international flights departing during the holiday increased more than 60 percent compared with last year.去哪儿旅行社公布数据：“国际航班价格同比下降20%，海外酒店价格仍保持在7月和8月正常水平的70%左右。”端午假期中起飞的国际航班销售量相较去年增长了60%以上。Ministry of Culture and Tourism n. （中国）文化和旅游部

Chinese holidays have injected impetus into the world economy, with the just-concluded May Day holiday bringing a strong burst of tourism growth to domestic as well as overseas destinations, travel experts said.They added that the holiday's prosperity marks the all-around recovery of the nation's tourism industry.The holiday brought good tidings from travel agencies, which said that long-distance tour products were hot sellers over the five-day holiday, which ended on Sunday. The holiday's good performance is also expected to promote the healthier, more sustainable development of the industry.More Chinese people chose to spend the break at overseas destinations. Travel portal Qunar said that countries and regions in and near Central Asia and in Europe were hot choices, with flight bookings to Saudi Arabia and Egypt seeing triple growth year-on-year on the platform. Flight sales heading to some European destinations, including the United Kingdom, Hungary, Ireland, Spain and Croatia, doubled at Qunar over the holiday.The recent currency declines of the Japanese yen made the nation one of the top choices for Chinese travelers, who went on sightseeing tours and shopping sprees, according to Qunar. Traditionally popular overseas destinations such as Thailand and Singapore were also overwhelmed by Chinese travelers during the holiday."The popularity and prosperity of overseas destinations with shorter travel times have exceeded our expectations. I think the main reasons lie in the adding of international flights, more friendly visa policies for Chinese people, and the longer duration of the holiday," said Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu.Domestic scenic spots also witnessed a travel boom. Shanghai, Beijing and the tropical coastal city of Sanya in the southern island province of Hainan were the top three choices on Tuniu, while some inland provinces with cultural heritage or special cuisines went viral as well, according to the platform.During her holiday trip to Datong in North China's Shanxi province, Wei Jiajia wore a mamianqun, a Chinese traditional skirt, while visiting the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a history of about 1,600 years.Wei said she gained a better understanding of the cultural relics by wearing the dress, and she felt like she was a messenger of traditional Chinese culture.Xiao Peng, a researcher at Qunar, said that Chinese travelers have shown more balanced consumption preferences this holiday, leaving no destinations "untapped or unheard of", and tourism services chains have stabilized and seen a good recovery."Our figures show that reception capacities of airlines, trains, hotels and rural homestays registered a big boost this holiday. The prosperity of the May Day holiday marks a full recovery of the tourism market, which will also bring a healthier and more sustainable development of the tourism industry," he said.

Bookings to overseas destinations in Asia and Europe have also increased"I was holding my breath and clicking the screen very quickly. I grabbed the ticket in just a couple of seconds, then all the tickets sold out," said Li Yufang, 29, who bought a high-speed train ticket from Beijing to Huangshan, Anhui province, on Wednesday for the May Day holiday."It was like the Spring Festival holiday, like all the Chinese people holding their phones grabbing tickets, which was crazy. And I can't relax now because I have to grab myself a return ticket."On Wednesday morning, train tickets to some hot domestic destinations sold out in a few minutes. People are allowed to book train tickets 15 days before departure and Wednesday was the first day for booking train tickets for the five-day May Day holiday, which will begin on May 1.The busy train booking system shows people are enthusiastic about holiday travel, and travel agencies and tourism industry insiders expect a travel boom over the holiday.Travel portal Trip.com Group said that, as of Tuesday, searches for domestic hotels and flight tickets on the platform had seen steady growth, and searches for flight tickets heading to overseas destinations had surged 56 percent year-on-year.Prices of flight tickets have risen because of that demand. Online travel agency Qunar said the cost of flights to domestic destinations on its platform averaged around 990 yuan ($137), up 60 percent from last month."We see strong travel demand this May Day holiday and some flights may be in short supply as the holiday approaches," said Xiao Peng, an analyst from Qunar."Customers with clear travel plans can purchase the tickets as soon as possible, while those who choose to visit a random place for the holiday can wait and see for possible discounts."Travel agencies said long-distance trips are in favor for the holiday, and they expect some overseas destinations to do well.Domestically, the most popular cities remain traditional top destinations including Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing. Other less-known places, such as Tianshui in Gansu province, which is famous for its hotpot soup with scarlet chili oil, have also become popular destinations for the holiday since their cultures and cuisines went viral online, Trip.com Group said.Domestic destinations will also see more international travelers during the holiday. Trip.com Group said inbound trip bookings on the platform have risen by 130 percent, with most from people from Japan, the United States, South Korea, Canada and Malaysia.It said Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, are top choices for international visitors.Travel bookings to overseas destinations have also increased. Trip.com Group said that in addition to Asian countries including Japan, Thailand and South Korea, some destinations involved in the Belt and Road Initiative such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have also seen growing bookings on the platform.International travel cruises departing from Shanghai and Xiamen, in Fujian province, for the May Day holiday have already sold out on the platform, it said.Tuniu, another online travel agency, said, "Southeast Asian countries remain popular, and we've also received many bookings and inquiries for trips to New Zealand, Turkiye, and to European countries like Germany, France, Spain and Portugal."

It's all about travel today as we speak to one of the world's leading online travel agencies – Trip.com.  On its own, Trip.com is a familiar name to many, with a network of over 1.4 million hotels in 200 countries and regions, as well as more than 2 million individual flight routes connecting over 5,000 cities around the globe.  It is actually part of the NASDAQ and Hong Kong Exchange listed Trip.com Group which includes other brands such as Ctrip, Qunar and more notably, Skyscanner.  The Group had in February reported a 105 per cent year-on-year growth in Q4 revenue to RMB 10.3 billion (US$1.5 billion), higher than market expectations of RMB 10.2 billion.  The showing was said to be boosted by China's tourism recovery post-pandemic. But what were the other factors at play and how far did Trip.com as a brand contribute to the Group's balance sheet? Speaking of growth drivers, Trip.com Group had earlier noted that it is embarking on a “Hotel + X” strategy” to cater to millennial and Gen Z consumers who are looking to purchase both accommodations and experiences in one go.  So what does this strategy look like when it comes to Trip.com as a standalone platform and how far has the move to cross-sell products bolstered its top and bottom lines? Meanwhile, Trip.com Group recently signed a deal with AirAsia owner Capital A to enhance travel offerings within Asia. But again, what will this mean for the platform Trip.com? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway's finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Schubert Lou, Chief Operating Officer, Trip.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's tourism market showed a better-than-expected performance over the just-ended eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which started on Feb 10.从2月10日起，为期8天春节假期刚刚结束，中国旅游市场表现好于预期。Some overseas destinations also offered goodwill gestures and created a festive atmosphere for Chinese travelers, and Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, has officially been listed as a United Nations floating holiday starting this year, which means UN bodies are encouraged to avoid holding meetings on that day.一些海外热门景点也纷纷释放善意，为中国游客营造了节日气氛，而从今年开始，春节已被正式列为联合国浮动假期，联合国机构需要尽量避免在春节当天举行会议。The latest figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed that traveler numbers as well as tourism-related revenue during the holiday reached record highs, thanks to people's ever-stronger desire to travel, ample market supplies and good tourism policies.文化和旅游部最新数据显示，人民群众旅游意愿不断增强、市场供给充足和旅游政策大力推动，节日期间出游人次和旅游收入创历史新高。The ministry said on Sunday that the domestic tourism market saw 474 million trips during the holiday, up 34.3 percent year-on-year. The number marked a 19 percent increase compared with the same holiday period in 2019.旅游部周日表示，长假期间国内旅游市场接待游客4.74亿人次，同比增长34.3%。与2019年同期假期相比增加了19%。Domestic tourism-related revenue reached 632.69 billion yuan ($87.95 billion) during the holiday, a striking increase of 47.3 percent year-on-year and 7.7 percent growth from the same holiday period in 2019.假期期间国内旅游相关收入达到6326.9亿元人民币（合879.5亿美元），同比增长47.3%，较2019年同期增长7.7%。"I haven't seen so many people jammed in alleys! The food stores and stands along the alley were crowded with people, and I felt like I was floating with the crowds rather than walking by myself," said Lin Jieyi, a 29-year-old who visited Changsha, Hunan province, with her husband during the holiday.29岁的林杰伊在假期期间和丈夫一起去了湖南长沙，她表示：“我从没见过这么多人挤在巷子里！巷子里的食品店和摊位都挤满了人，我感觉自己只能跟着人潮移动，脚也不听使唤了”。"I love the city, which is filled with a festive atmosphere. The food here is very delicious, and I almost stuffed myself with rice noodles, pork cooked with peppers, and milk tea every day," she added.她补充道：“我喜欢这座充满节日气氛的城市。这里的食物非常美味，我每天都在炫辣椒猪肉米粉、喝奶茶”。Xiao Peng, a researcher with travel portal Qunar, said that the longer holiday this year — it usually lasts seven days in other years — made tourism-focused trips a more popular choice among the Chinese.旅游门户网站去哪儿网的研究员肖鹏表示，往年春节假期通常为7天，今年假期较长，更多中国人选择出门旅行。Southern destinations with warmer climate or tropical views, such as Kunming, Yunnan province, and Sanya, Hainan province, remained top choices for tourists, according to travel agencies. Return-flight tickets in economy class departing Sanya were sold out early, leaving only tickets in business or first class.据旅行社称，气候温暖或拥有热带景观的南方旅游景点，如云南省昆明市和海南省三亚市，仍然是游客的首选。三亚出发的返程经济舱机票早早售空，只剩下公务舱或头等舱机票。Tuniu, another travel portal, said that destinations and museums with a rich cultural atmosphere or those highlighting cultural elements of the dragon were favored by travelers marking the beginning of the Year of the Dragon.另一家旅游门户网站途牛表示，龙年伊始，文化氛围浓郁或突出龙文化元素的旅游景点和博物馆受到旅客的青睐。In addition, some northern destinations with snow and ice views also proved popular during the holiday. Among them, Harbin Ice-Snow World in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang received 329,000 visits from Feb 10 to Wednesday — the first five days of the holiday — with the traveler number marking a surge of 115 percent from the previous year, according to Harbin's culture and tourism bureau.此外，一些北方的冰雪旅游城市也在春节期间广受欢迎。据哈尔滨市文旅局介绍，2月10日至2月15日（前五天），黑龙江哈尔滨冰雪大世界共接待游客32.9万人次，同比增长115%。In addition to the prosperous domestic tourism, the inbound and outbound tourism market also delivered a surprisingly good performance during the holiday. The Culture and Tourism Ministry said that around 3.6 million overseas trips were made during the holiday, while the Chinese mainland received about 3.23 million visits from overseas travelers.除了国内旅游繁荣之外，假期期间出入境旅游市场也呈现出令人意外的好表现。文化和旅游部表示，长假期间出国旅游人数约360万人次，其中内地接待海外游客约323万人次。A total of 13.52 million inbound and outbound trips were made during the holiday, marking a nearly threefold increase from the holiday period last year, according to the National Immigration Administration.据国家移民管理局统计，假期期间，全国出入境旅游1352万人次，比去年假期增长近3倍。Travel portal Trip.com Group said that among the top 10 overseas destinations, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia were the biggest winners, with total bookings to the three destinations marking growth of over 30 percent at the group's platform, thanks to their visa-free policies for Chinese travelers.旅游门户携程集团表示，十大出境旅游目的地中，新加坡、泰国和马来西亚是最大赢家，受益于对于中国游客的免签政策，这三个目的地的总预订量增长超过30%。Some festive celebrations and folk shows such as lion dancing, traditional Han costume shows and Chinese cuisine shows were organized at overseas destinations like Bangkok and Paris during the holiday, allowing Chinese travelers and local residents to become immersed in cultural ambience.假期期间，曼谷、巴黎等海外目的地举办了舞狮、汉服表演、中国美食表演等节庆庆典和民俗表演，让中国游客和当地居民沉浸在文化氛围中。Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that the industry's performance over the holiday exceeded expectations, thanks to people's strong desire to travel and improved visa policies.中国旅游研究院院长戴斌表示，得益于人们强烈的旅游愿望和签证政策的改善，假期期间行业的表现超出了预期。Folk activities highlighting traditional Chinese culture are increasingly attractive to travelers, Dai said. He added that positive reports in foreign media about the Spring Festival holiday will help China build an increasingly positive global image and boost international tourism cooperation.戴斌表示，彰显中国传统文化的民俗活动对游客的吸引力越来越大。外国媒体对春节假期的积极报道将有助于中国树立日益积极的国际形象，促进国际旅游合作。visa-free policies免签政策portal英 /ˈpɔː.təl/ 美 /ˈpɔːr.təl/n. 门户网站

While China's northern and southern attractions are in a tight contest to lure travelers during the approaching Spring Festival holiday that runs from Feb 10 to Feb 17, some overseas destinations have also joined the "traveling carnival" by issuing visa-friendly policies and showing goodwill gestures.随着春节假期的临近（2月10日至2月17日），中国南北各大旅游景点正展开激烈竞争，以吸引游客。同时，一些海外目的地也通过发布签证友好政策和展示善意姿态加入了这场“旅游狂欢”。Of the overseas destinations, Singapore and Thailand may be the biggest winners after China recently announced the mutual exemption of visas with these two countries.在众多的海外目的地中，新加坡和泰国可能成为中国近期宣布与这两国互免签证后的最大赢家。Chinese people holding ordinary passports can stay up to 30 days without a visa in Singapore for tourism, family visits and business trips, and the mutual visa-free policies with Singapore will come into effect from Feb 9 — the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. The policy with Thailand will take effect from March 1, following a temporary visa-free arrangement currently in effect.持普通护照的中国公民在新加坡旅游、探亲或商务出行时，可享受最长30天的免签停留。与新加坡的互免签证政策将于2月9日，即中国农历新年前夕生效。而与泰国的相关政策将从3月1日开始实施，目前已有临时免签安排。"It's good news and it will be more convenient for us to travel to these Southeast Asian countries in the future. I've booked a four-day trip to Singapore this Spring Festival holiday with my family members and we will depart on Feb 13 — the fourth day of the holiday — after we finish gatherings with relatives," said Liu Lei, a 32-year-old from Huangshan, Anhui province.来自安徽省黄山市的32岁游客刘磊表示：“这是好消息，将来我们去这些东南亚国家旅游会更方便。我已经预订了春节期间与家人前往新加坡的四日游，计划在与亲戚聚会后的2月13日，即假期的第四天出发。”"I did some research online and found Singapore will organize some celebration events during the Chinese Spring Festival holiday like music shows, lantern shows and flower shows. I can't wait to experience the views and cultural atmosphere there," she added.她补充道：“我在网上做了一些研究，发现新加坡在春节期间会举办一些庆祝活动，如音乐表演、灯会和花展。我迫不及待地想体验那里的风景和文化氛围。”Fan Dongxiao, director of travel portal Tuniu's short-distance overseas travel department, said that Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are popular among Chinese travelers and China's mutually friendly visa policies with these destinations will boost outbound tourism. She said that tour products linking these destinations, like five-day tours to Singapore and Malaysia for the Spring Festival holiday, are hot items on the platform.途牛旅游网短途海外旅游部门总监范冬晓表示，新加坡、泰国和马来西亚一直受到中国游客的欢迎，中国与这些目的地之间的友好签证政策将进一步推动出境旅游。她指出，平台上连接这些目的地的旅游产品，如春节假期的五天新加坡和马来西亚之旅，非常受欢迎。Some European countries are also rising as popular choices for Chinese travelers thanks to the increasing numbers of flights, said travel agencies.旅行社表示，由于航班数量不断增加，一些欧洲国家也成为中国游客的热门选择。According to travel portal Qunar, hotel bookings to Russia, Spain, Italy and France for the holiday have seen continuous growth on the platform, and hotel bookings for overseas destinations peaked around Jan 10, while flight bookings peaked at the end of January. The Spring Festival holiday this year will see a consumption boom in tourism in the post-pandemic era, it said.据去哪儿网数据显示，春节期间前往俄罗斯、西班牙、意大利和法国的酒店预订量持续增长，海外目的地的酒店预订量在1月10日左右达到高峰，而航班预订量在1月底达到高峰。今年春节假期将迎来疫情后时代的旅游消费热潮。North European destinations with beautiful snow views and the aurora borealis including Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland are seeing skyrocketing popularity on Qunar because of people's growing passion for winter tourism.由于人们对冬季旅游的热情不断高涨，去哪儿网上北欧目的地，如挪威、芬兰、丹麦和冰岛的受欢迎程度飙升，这些地区拥有美丽的雪景和极光。According to Qunar, searches for distinctive hotels in North European destinations — for example, cabins with dome-like sunroofs in cedar forests — have doubled on the platform as of Jan 22 compared with the previous month, as travelers may have a better experience of appreciating the aurora borealis in these rooms.据去哪儿网数据显示，截至1月22日，平台上北欧目的地特色酒店的搜索量较上月翻了一番，例如松树林中带有圆顶天窗的小屋，因为游客在这些房间里可以更好地欣赏极光。The travel portal said that as of Tuesday, some popular domestic destinations such as Beijing and Shanghai have also seen hotel bookings more than triple year-on-year, and about 70 percent of people who booked tour products on the platform will start their trips from Feb 11 — the second day of the holiday.该旅游网站表示，截至周二，一些国内热门目的地，如北京和上海的酒店预订量也同比增长超过三倍。约70%在平台上预订旅游产品的游客将从2月11日，即假期的第二天开始他们的旅程。Train and flight tickets to these popular destinations sold out within seconds after becoming available to travelers. Economy class flights from Beijing to Xishuangbanna and Shanghai to Dali — two popular destinations in Yunnan province on Feb 8 — a day before New Year's Eve, were already sold out, Qunar said.这些热门目的地的火车和航班机票在开售后数秒内就被抢购一空。去哪儿网表示，2月8日，即除夕前一天，从北京飞往西双版纳、从上海飞往大理这两个云南热门目的地的经济舱航班机票已经售罄。Figures from online travel agency Trip.com Group show bookings for the holiday to Sanya have doubled year-on-year as of mid-January. Bookings to Kunming, with its year-round spring weather, have seen a sixfold surge as of mid-January compared with the previous year, according to the group.携程集团的数据显示，截至1月中旬，春节期间前往三亚的预订量同比增长了一倍。而前往昆明，这个四季如春的目的地的预订量，截至1月中旬与去年同期相比增长了六倍。Visa-waiver Policy互免签证政策 Auroran. 极光

Ban Ruiqi and her family recently took a trip to Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. Despite the extremely cold weather there, the tourists from Beijing skied, shopped and generally had a good time during the three-day New Year holiday.恰逢三天元旦假期，来自北京的班瑞琪和她的家人前往中国东北部黑龙江省哈尔滨旅行。虽然天气极其寒冷，他们依然体验了滑雪、购物，总体上玩得很开心。"We went to the Chinese-Baroque Historic Block in the morning, and the Harbin Ice and Snow World in the afternoon, where I saw some local souvenirs and specialties. I bought some for my friends and relatives back home. I especially liked the hand-drawn postcards," Ban said.班瑞琪说：“我们上午去了中国巴洛克历史街区，下午去了哈尔滨冰雪大世界，在那里看到了一些当地纪念品和特产，就给家里的朋友和亲戚买了一些。我特别喜欢手绘明信片。”As an increasing number of travelers show greater enthusiasm for winter tourism, Harbin's ice and snow economy is booming.随着冬季旅游受到越来越多游客的青睐，哈尔滨的冰雪经济也得以蓬勃发展。With the opening of various ice and snow-themed parks, the city has become popular among tourists. In the two weeks since the opening of the Harbin Ice and Snow World on Dec 18, the city's popularity in searches on China's travel website Mafengwo surged 300 percent, making it an "internet celebrity" city, data from the online platform showed.随着各种冰雪主题公园的开放，哈尔滨吸引来了众多游客。在线平台数据显示，自12月18日哈尔滨冰雪大世界开放以来的两周内，哈尔滨在中国旅游网站马蜂窝的搜索频次飙升了300%，成为了一座“网红城市”。According to Harbin Taiping International Airport, the airport realized an annual throughput of 20 million passenger trips on Dec 20, setting a record for the Northeast China region.哈尔滨太平国际机场的数据显示，12月20日该机场年旅客吞吐量达2000万人次，创下了中国东北地区的纪录。A report released by online travel agency Ctrip showed Harbin ranked on a list of hot New Year holiday tourism destinations in China this year.携程在线旅游发布的一份报告显示，哈尔滨在今年中国春节热门旅游目的地名单中名列前茅。During the three-day holiday period, air and train ticket bookings to Harbin grew by 631 percent year-on-year.在为期三天的假期期间，飞往哈尔滨的机票和火车票预订量同比增长了631%。The Harbin airport added 11 domestic routes, and operated 463 flights, on Dec 22, transporting over 70,000 passengers, setting a record for passenger flow.12月22日，哈尔滨机场新增11条国内航线，运营航班463架次，运送旅客7万余人次，创下客流纪录。On Dec 26, hotel bookings in Harbin for the New Year holiday on Beijing-based online travel agency Qunar surged 2,570 percent on a yearly basis, while those for bed-and-breakfast stays on homestay platform Tujia soared 2,700 percent.12月26日，北京在线旅游去哪儿网显示，哈尔滨元旦假期酒店预订量同比飙升2570%，而民宿平台途家的民宿预订量飙升2700%。“进入冬季旺季，尤其是哈尔滨冰雪大世界开业后，我们的房间预订一直保持满员状态，这种情况将持续到春节期间，”哈尔滨现代酒店总经理助理邓一波说。"Entering the winter peak season, especially after the opening of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, our room reservations have remained full, and the situation will last until the Spring Festival period," said Deng Yibo, general manager assistant at the Modern Hotel in Harbin. “进入冬季旺季，尤其是哈尔滨冰雪大世界开业后，我们的房间预订一直保持满员状态，这种情况将持续到春节期间，”哈尔滨现代酒店总经理助理邓一波说。"Tourism souvenirs have mostly been sold out, especially hand-drawn postcards. Postcards of various tourist spots are popular; so are candies and chocolates from Russia. The shelves are basically empty," said Meng Fanbo, a staff member at a gift shop in Harbin.哈尔滨一家礼品店的工作人员孟凡波说：“旅游纪念品大多卖完了，尤其是手绘明信片。各种旅游景点的明信片很受欢迎；来自俄罗斯的糖果和巧克力也很受欢迎，货架基本都被扫空了。”Wang Hongxin, head of the bureau of culture, broadcasting, TV and tourism of Harbin, said, "The winter tourism season in Harbin has been so popular that we expect such a 'heat' will last until the end of March."哈尔滨市文化广电旅游局局长王洪新表示，“哈尔滨的冬季旅游旺季非常受欢迎，我们预计这样的‘热度'将持续到3月底。”In January 2023, the China Tourism Academy issued a report on the development of Harbin's ice and snow tourism.2023年1月，中国旅游研究院发布哈尔滨冰雪旅游发展报告。It said that with a high concentration of ice and snow resources in China, Harbin has gone through the primary stage of serving human transportation through ice and snow, and entered the advanced stage of using ice and snow resources to drive urban development.报告显示，哈尔滨已经走过以冰雪运动服务人类交通运输的初级阶段，进入了运用冰雪资源驱动城市发展的高级阶段。In May 2022, Harbin launched a development plan for its ice and snow economy.2022年5月，哈尔滨市启动了冰雪经济发展规划。According to the plan, by 2025, total output value of the city's ice and snow industry should reach 75 billion yuan ($10.5 billion), taking up over a quarter of the province's total in the sector.根据规划，到2025年，全市冰雪产业总产值要达到750亿元（105亿美元），占全省冰雪产业总产值的四分之一以上。By 2030, that should take up over a third of the province's total and surpass 150 billion yuan.到2030年，冰雪产业总值将占全省GDP的三分之一以上，超过1500亿元。Huang Dawei, deputy head of the bureau of culture, broadcasting, TV and tourism of Harbin, said, "Through coordinating the development of four key ice and snow industry clusters — ice and snow sports, ice and snow culture, ice and snow equipment, and ice and snow tourism — Harbin was successfully granted the right to host the 9th Asian Winter Games 2025."哈尔滨市文化广电旅游局副局长黄大伟说：“通过协调冰雪运动、冰雪文化、冰雪装备和冰雪旅游四个重点冰雪产业集群的发展，哈尔滨成功获得了2025年第九届亚洲冬季运动会的主办权。”Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the e-commerce research institute of the Ministry of Commerce, said: "Harbin's ice and snow economy is on the rise, bringing real benefits to the local merchants. To promote the long-term development of the industry, it is suggested that the government offer more favorable policies, such as helping lower merchants' winter operating costs, and providing marketing platforms. Meanwhile, enterprises should offer high-quality goods and services to meet consumer demand against the backdrop of a consumption upgrade."商务部电子商务研究所副研究员洪勇表示：“哈尔滨的冰雪经济正在崛起，给我们本地商家带来了实实在在的好处。要促进行业的长期发展，政府还要提供更多优惠政策，如降低商家冬季运营成本、提供营销平台。同时，在消费升级的背景下，企业应该提供高质量的商品和服务来满足消费者需求。”homestay英 /ˈhəʊm.steɪ/ 美 /ˈhoʊm.steɪ/noun 寄宿，民宿boom英/buːm/ 美 /buːm/noun 蓬勃发展

China's major railway ticket booking platform 12306 showed that, as of 15:00 on Dec 17, tickets for a number of trains are sold out, including those departing from Beijing to Wuhan, Nanjing to Hefei, Hangzhou, Chengdu to Chongqing, and Xi'an, as train tickets officially went on sale on Dec 16, the first day available to book trains for the 2024 New Year's Day holiday, China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday.据《中国证券报》12月19日报道，中国铁路大型售票平台12306数据显示，截至12月17日15时，从北京出发前往武汉，南京出发前往合肥、杭州，以及成都出发前往重庆、西安等城市的多趟列车车次已显示“售罄”。12月16日，2024年元旦假期首日火车票正式开售。Data from Chinese travel agency Tongcheng Travel showed on the first day of the New Year's Day holiday (Dec 30), tickets for short-distance travel in urban areas such as Beijing to Tianjin, Shanghai to Nanjing, Shenzhen, Guangdong province to Guangzhou, and Chongqing to Chengdu are in high demand. The travel demand is mainly to visit relatives.国内旅行机构同程旅行数据显示，元旦假期首日（12月30日），核心城市群的短途线路车票较为紧俏，比较热门的线路主要有：北京至天津、上海至南京、深圳至广州、重庆至成都等，出行需求主要以探亲为主。According to research institute of Tongcheng Travel, travelers who are visiting relatives and ice-snow tourism will heat up destinations such as Harbin, Shenyang, Urumqi and Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia autonomous region in Northeast and Northwest China, as well as Zhangjiakou in North China.同程研究院认为，元旦假期探亲与旅游客流叠加，同时受冬季冰雪旅游热的带动，预计哈尔滨、沈阳、乌鲁木齐、呼伦贝尔以及张家口等冰雪游目的地人气将大幅上升。In terms of hotel booking, home stays and hotel rooms for New Year's Eve are popular choices for tourists. As of now, orders for 2024 New Year holiday home stays in popular cities on Tujia, a home stay online platform, increased nearly four times year-on-year. Data from travel portal Qunar also showed hotel rooms for Dec 31 - Jan 1 in Harbin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Beijing, especially those in luxury hotels, have higher bookings. Tickets for Universal Beijing Resort, Disneyland in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai Guangdong province and Harbin Ice and Snow World are rapidly booking out in advance.从酒店预订情况来看，特色民宿和跨年夜酒店是游客的热门选择。截至目前，途家民宿平台上热门城市2024年元旦假期民宿的订单同比增长近4倍。旅游门户网去哪儿数据显示，哈尔滨、南京、武汉、上海和北京的跨年夜（12月31日-1月1日）酒店，特别是豪华型酒店预订量较高。北京环球度假区、上海迪士尼乐园、香港迪士尼乐园、珠海长隆海洋王国、哈尔滨冰雪大世界等景区的门票提前预订量较高。In addition, Tongcheng Travel's data also showed that the popularity of domestic islands travel on its platform for the New Year's Day holiday increased by 72 percent year-on-year, and the popularity of Southeast Asian islands travel increased by three times year-on-year.同城旅行数据还显示，平台上元旦假期国内海岛游热度同比上升72%，东南亚海岛游热度同比上升了3倍。Luxury hotelsn. 豪华型酒店

Malaysia's new visa-free policy for Chinese travelers is a positive response to China's announcement that it will grant unilateral, visa-free entry to travelers from six countries including Malaysia, tourism industry insiders said.The move will also boost travel to Malaysia, they added.Malaysia's visa-free policy for up to 30 days for Chinese travelers will take effect on Friday, China Central Television reported.Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news conference in Beijing on Monday that China is pleased to see Malaysia's visa-free policy for Chinese travelers. He said that China and Malaysia are friendly neighbors whose friendship has been witnessed by history.He also said that China and Malaysia will embrace the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations next year, and the visa-free policy will further boost the communication of people from the two countries.Tourism industry insiders and travel agencies noted that China extended a friendly gesture to the world by optimizing entry policies for international travelers from some countries, aiming to improve the nation's high-quality development and opening-up, and such goodwill was expected to receive a positive response from the market. That, in turn, will lead to economic benefits in the future, they added."We've seen growing searches and bookings of tour products to Malaysia on our platform. Chinese travelers will get easier and quicker access to Malaysia after the policy takes effect, which will also accelerate the sales of our products," said Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu.Searches for and bookings of trips to Malaysia also show strong, growing momentum on other travel portals. For example, online travel service provider Qunar said that, as of Sunday night, searches for trips to Malaysia had doubled on its platform compared with the previous week. Travel portal LY.com said that searches for Malaysian tour products have so far increased by 173 percent month-on-month on the platform.Nonetheless, China still faces difficulties in resuming its inbound tourism, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report released in September by the World Tourism Alliance, China saw 18 million entries in the first half of 2023 — roughly 12 percent of the figure for the same period in 2019, before the outbreak.Facing fluctuations in the growth of inbound tourism and the not-yet fully recovered outbound tourism market, China has made continuous efforts to optimize entry policies for international travelers to revitalize the tourism industry and deepen opening-up for better economic development.China's Foreign Ministry announced on Friday the granting of unilateral, visa-free entry to travelers holding ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.Under the policy, citizens of the six countries can enter China for business, tourism or family trips, and also for transit purposes, without a visa for up to 15 days. The policy will start on Friday and expire on Nov 30, 2024.In July, China resumed visa-free entry for up to 15 days to citizens of Singapore and Brunei. The policy had been suspended since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic."We and many other tourism companies all feel very excited about the optimized entry policies," said Liang Jianzhang, chairman of the board at Trip.com Group. "We hope that more practical moves can be taken to improve the entry policies, internet use and mobile payment to strengthen China's competitiveness in the world's tourism market."Reporter: Cheng Si

Longer Spring Festival holiday elicits cheers for travelChinese people will embrace a longer Spring Festival holiday next year after the State Council released the holiday arrangement on Wednesday morning, which soon made headlines online.根据国务院10月25日上午发布的节假日安排，全国人民将于2024年迎来一个更长的春节假期。消息发布后迅速成为热搜。According to China's Cabinet, the Spring Festival holiday — the traditional Chinese festival for family reunions — will last eight days from Feb 10 to Feb 17. It is also encouraging government bodies and companies to give employees paid leave on Feb 9, the Eve of Lunar New Year.春节是阖家团聚的传统中国节日。国务院消息，明年的春节将从2月10日持续至2月17日，为期8天。同时，国务院鼓励政府机关及企业于2月9日(农历除夕)批准员工带薪休假。The holiday may be extended to nine days including the flexible one-day paid vacation, making it longer than the usual seven days of previous years.与往年的七天假期相比，明年春节假期或将延长至九天，其中一天为弹性带薪假期。Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that the arrangement is a balanced plan that can help people avoid traffic peaks, and secure a safer and better organized tourism market.中国旅游研究院院长戴斌表示，这样的安排是平衡的，既可帮助人们避免交通高峰，又能确保旅游市场更加安全有序。Online travel services provider Qunar said that searches for train tickets and international flights doubled on its platform in just 30 minutes after the arrangements were released. It said that some "early birds" in Shanghai and Changsha in Hunan province have made bookings on the platform.在线旅行服务提供商去哪儿网消息，假期安排发布后的30分钟内，该平台火车票与国际航班的搜索量翻了一倍。上海和湖南省长沙的部分“早鸟”旅客利用平台完成了订票。Travel portal Trip.com Group said that within two hours of the announcement, searches and page views on the platform more than tripled from the day before, and searches for flight tickets for the Spring Festival holiday surged by over 40 percent.携程集团数据显示，在公告发布两个小时内，平台搜索量及页面浏览量较前一天增加了三倍以上，春节假期机票的搜索量暴涨超过40%。"It was like a big surprise to me and to all Chinese people as we can have such a long holiday!" said Yu Jiemin, a 31-year-old from Shanghai. "Previously, the Spring Festival holiday usually lasts seven days and we spend two days traveling to the destination and returning, which means it leaves us only five days visiting family members or for leisure."31岁来自上海的Yu Jiemin说，“这么长的假期对我和所有中国人来说都是巨大的惊喜！以往春节假期通常只有七天，出行来回花掉两天，便只剩五天时间拜访亲戚、休闲娱乐。”She said her only wish is that her employer can let her start the holiday from Feb 9.Yu Jiemin唯一的愿望是领导能准许她从2月9日开始放假。"It's not a compulsory requirement for the company to extend the holiday for one more day, but we Chinese people usually spend Lunar New Year's Eve with family members just like Christmas Eve in Western countries."她说，“公告并没有强制公司延长一天假期，但中国人习惯了和家人一起过除夕，就像西方人过圣诞节一样。”Long-distance destinations will be popular choices, Qunar expected. It said that Sanya in Hainan province, Dali in Yunnan province and Beihai in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region are so far the most searched domestic destinations on the platform, and visa consultancy to overseas destinations including Australia, Spain and Switzerland has seen remarkable growth.去哪儿网预计，长途旅行目的地将备受欢迎。海南省三亚市、云南省大理市及广西壮族自治区北海市是该平台目前搜索量最大的国内目的地，前往澳大利亚、西班牙和瑞士等海外目的地的签证咨询服务也呈现显著增长。Yang Guanghui, Qunar's director of the holiday department, said: "We suggest our customers spend at most five days traveling in one single destination, and visiting two to three places if they have a break of seven to eight days. Taking the coastal province Hainan as an example, we suggest the customer spend at most five days in Sanya for a thorough trip, while he or she can book a trip to the island's Haikou, Wanning, Lingshui and Sanya using seven to nine days."去哪儿网假期部门主任Yang Guanghui说：“我们建议旅客在某一目的地的旅行时间不要超过五天，七至八天的假期可以前往两三个地方。以沿海省份海南为例，我们建议旅客在三亚的深度游最好不超过五天，若有七至九天的时间，可以考虑前往海口、万宁、陵水和三亚。”On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport said small passenger cars will be able to travel toll free from Feb 9 to Feb 17.交通运输部10月25日表示，小型客车在2月9日至2月17日期间出行免收过路费。The ministry estimates that traffic flows nationwide will hit a new high in the coming Spring Festival due to people's stronger travel desires during the lengthened holiday.该部门估计，明年春节假期延长后，人们的出游意愿增强，全国交通流将达到新高。In addition to the Spring Festival holiday, the State Council also published holiday times for seven other traditional holidays in 2024, such as the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday from April 4 to 6 and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Sept 15 to 17.除春节假期外，国务院还公布了2024年其他七个传统节日的假期时间，其中清明节假期为4月4日至6日，中秋节假期为9月15日至17日。Paid leaven.带薪休假

Travel demand, especially a preference for high-speed rail journeys, saw a strong upsurge during the just-completed combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, with bullet trains attracting some foreign celebrities to experience the concept of“China speed”.在刚刚结束的中秋国庆双节期间，出游需求尤其是高铁出游的需求显著增加，其中子弹头列车，即高速列车，吸引了不少外国名人前来体验“中国速度”。This year's eight-day holiday from Sept 29 saw the Mid-Autumn Festival combined with the National Day holiday.今年的中秋节和国庆节假期合并，自9月29日起，共八天。Online travel agency Lvmama said that railway ticket bookings on its platform for the combined holiday soared 67 percent from the same period of 2022. On Thursday — the penultimate day of the eight-day break — Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev was seen taking a high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai after he finished as runner-up at the China Open men's singles final in Beijing on Wednesday.网上旅行机构驴妈妈旅游网的数据显示，该平台的双节期间的铁路车票预定数量比2022年同时期增长了67%。10月5日是八天假期的倒数第二天，俄罗斯网球运动员丹尼尔·梅德韦杰夫搭乘了北京开往上海的高铁。此前一日，他刚刚于北京获得了中国网球公开赛男单亚军。“Flight tickets were overpriced during the holiday, so bullet trains were apparently a more affordable choice. Usually, we need to rush to the airport for the check-in and security check at least 90 minutes before departure but we can just arrive at the railway station like five or 10 minutes before the train sets off,” said Li Qijia, a 29-year-old from Beijing who went on a four-day trip with her husband to Anji, Zhejiang province, during the holiday.Li Qijia来自北京，今年29岁，双节期间同丈夫在浙江省安吉县旅居了四天。她说，“假期的飞机票太贵了，高铁票的价格显然更友好。通常，我们需要在飞机起飞前至少90分钟达到机场，办理登记手续、过安检，现在我们只要在高铁开动前5到10分钟到达火车站就好。”As the holiday drew to a close on Friday, the railway network experienced a peak in return trips. The latest figures from China Railway Group showed that over 16 million passengers boarded high-speed trains per day since the holiday began, while some 18.8 million holidaymakers are expected to have traveled by bullet train on Friday, the last day of the extended dual holiday.10月6日，假期临近尾声，铁路系统迎来了返程高峰。中国铁路集团的最新数据显示，自双节假期起，每日高铁乘坐人数超过1600万，假期最后一天单日预计乘坐人数接近1880万。Travel volume also hit a new high during the holiday. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a report on Friday saying that domestic attractions received around 826 million visits over the break, from Sept 29 to Friday, up 71.3 percent year-on-year. The number marks a growth of 4.1 percent from that in 2019 — just prior to the pandemic.假期的游客总量也达到了新高。文旅部于6日发布的报告显示，国内景点在9月29日至10月6日双节期间共接待游客8亿2600万人次左右，同比增长71.3%，比疫情前的2019年增长了4.1%。Tourism-related revenue registered remarkable growth, reaching around 753.4 billion yuan ($103 billion) in eight days, a year-on-year rise of 129.5 percent and a growth of 1.5 percent from that in 2019, the report said.报道称，旅游相关收入在8天内显著增长，达到了约7534亿元人民币（约合1030亿美元），同比增长129.5％，比2019年增长1.5％。Travel agencies and industry insiders said that the tourism market saw a good recovery over the holiday and people tended to make more reasonable plans for their days off. Also, long-distance destinations were top choices for travelers during the eight-day break.旅行社和业内人士表示，在假期期间，旅游市场出现了良好的复苏，人们更倾向于制定更合理的休息计划。此外，远距离目的地成为八天假期旅客的首选。Domestically, destinations including Chengdu, Sichuan province; Changsha, Hunan province; and Xi'an, Shaanxi province, were particularly favored by travelers for their delicious cuisine and iconic attractions, such as the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an and pandas in Chengdu, according to travel portal Qunar.根据旅游门户网站去哪儿网的数据，国内目的地四川成都、湖南长沙和陕西西安因其美食和标志性景点而受到旅客青睐，如西安的兵马俑和成都的大熊猫。Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, was also in the spotlight thanks to the ongoing 19th Asian Games. Online travel service provider Fliggy said hotel bookings in Hangzhou and five other host cities in Zhejiang — Ningbo, Jinhua, Huzhou, Wenzhou and Shaoxing — rose by over 60 percent during the holiday compared with the same period in 2019.浙江杭州也因正在举办的第19届亚洲运动会而备受关注。在线旅游服务提供商飞猪表示，在杭州和浙江的其他五个主办城市，宁波、金华、湖州、温州和绍兴，假期期间的酒店预订与2019年同期相比增长了超过60％。Outbound tourism also performed well during the holiday. Travel portal Tuniu said Hong Kong and Macao remained popular on its platform during the holiday and Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor attracted over 430,000 people to watch a fireworks show on Sunday.境外旅游在假期期间也十分火爆。旅游门户网站途牛表示，香港和澳门仍然是该平台上的热门旅游目的地。10月1日当天，香港的维多利亚港吸引了超过43万人观看烟花秀。According to Tuniu, Thailand, the Maldives and Singapore were top choices on its platform over the holiday while the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Turkiye grew strongly as well among Chinese travelers.据途牛的数据显示，泰国、马尔代夫和新加坡是该平台上的热门选择。前往阿联酋、塞尔维亚和土耳其中国游客数量也大幅上涨。Xiao Peng, an analyst at Qunar, said: “The tourism industry needs time to recover after experiencing impacts from the pandemic over the past three years. But people have released their pent-up travel passion so tourism sector workers should resume services and improve them at the same time. We are happy to see that all these figures show the tourism market is getting back on track.”去哪儿网分析师Xiao Peng表示：“旅游业需要时间从过去三年的疫情影响中恢复过来。人们已经释放了他们内心的旅行激情，所以旅游行业工作者应当恢复并改进服务。所有这些数据都显示旅游市场正在重回正轨，对此我们很高兴。”China Railway Groupn.中国铁路集团Bullet trainn.子弹头列车（高速列车）

Thailand has waived visa requirements for travelers from China for the next five months, as the country tries to revitalize its tourism industry, particularly in terms of the Chinese market, which has been slow to recover after the pandemic.为重振旅游业，尤其是疫情后恢复缓慢的中国市场，泰国宣布对中国游客实行免签制度，为期约5个月。On Wednesday, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's new government announced the country will start a five-month visa waiver program for China and Kazakhstan from Sept 25 until Feb 29, 2024. The program aims to attract 30 percent more travelers and generate more revenue for the country.泰国总理赛塔·他威信13日宣布，泰国将从本月25日起至2024年2月29日对中国和哈萨克斯坦游客实行免签制度，为期约5个月。该计划旨在额外吸引30%的游客，为泰国创造更多收入。 The news has gone down well in China, with travel platforms inundated with searches and inquiries.这一消息在中国引起了热烈反响，旅游平台上出现了大量的搜索和咨询。Searches for tour products on Trip.com Group's travel platform surged by 800 percent within 30 minutes of the news being announced. Qunar, another travel portal, said searches for flight tickets to Thailand increased by 70 percent compared with the same time last week, and searches for the country's hotels doubled.携程集团旅游平台上的旅游产品搜索量在消息公布后的30分钟内激增了800%。另一家旅游门户网站去哪儿网称，与上周同期相比，前往泰国的机票搜索量增加了70%，泰国酒店的搜索量增加了一倍。 "The program hit the spot, as the time period covers two major long holidays for Chinese people—the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday in early October, and the Spring Festival holiday in late January. The visa waiver program will strongly stimulate Chinese people to travel to Thailand in the next five months," said Xu Xiaolei, chief brand officer of CYTS Tours in Beijing.北京中青旅首席品牌官徐晓磊表示：“该计划一针见血，因为时间段涵盖了中国人的两大长假——10月初为期8天的中秋节和国庆节假期，以及1月底的春节假期。”并补充道：“免签证计划将在未来五个月内吸引大量中国游客赴泰旅游。” He said a visa policy is usually the most effective and convenient tool to attract travelers and boost consumption. "Some countries and regions have been trapped in 'black swan' accidents in recent months and the coming visa waiver program will help restore Chinese travelers' confidence in Thailand's tourism."他说，签证政策通常是吸引游客、促进消费的最有效、最便捷的工具。近几个月来，一些国家和地区深陷“黑天鹅”事故，即将到来的免签计划将有助于恢复中国游客对泰国旅游的信心。According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the visa waiver program is estimated to add 700,000 new arrivals.据泰国旅游局统计，免签计划预计将新增70万新入境游客。 Statistics from TAT show that Thailand was visited by about 3 percent of all outbound tourists from the Chinese mainland, representing the largest share among foreign destinations. In the first quarter of this year, Chinese travelers were in the top five groups of foreign arrivals, along with Malaysian, Russian, South Korean and Indian visitors.泰国国家旅游局的统计数据显示，在所有出境游客中，约有3%的中国大陆游客到访泰国，在外国旅游目的地中占比最大。今年第一季度，中国游客与马来西亚、俄罗斯、韩国和印度游客一起，位列外国入境游客的前五位。 The Thai government expects the number of Chinese visitors to meet the target of 5 million this year, with spending of 446 billion baht ($13.2 billion). The target is less than half of the Chinese visits in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. About 350,000 to 400,000 Chinese tourists have visited Thailand per month so far this year, with the tally by August reaching 2.1 million, according to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports.泰国政府预计今年中国游客人数将达到500万的目标，消费额将达到4460亿泰铢（约合132亿美元）。这一目标还不到新冠疫情前2019年中国游客人数的一半。根据泰国旅游和体育部的数据，今年迄今为止，每月约有35万至40万中国游客访问泰国，截至8月，人数已达210万。 One of the major factors that stopped Chinese tourists from traveling to Thailand is safety concerns, said Varut Kanchanapattana, board member and honorary treasurer of the Association of Thai Travel Agents.泰国旅行社协会董事会成员兼名誉司库瓦鲁特-坎差那帕塔纳表示，阻止中国游客赴泰旅游的主要因素之一是安全问题。 "The visa-free scheme will definitely be a booster to tourism in Thailand and also the country's economy. But it still won't have maximum benefit if a negative perception about Thailand remains among Chinese," he said.“免签计划肯定会促进泰国旅游业和国家经济的发展。但是，如果中国人对泰国的负面印象依然存在，那么免签计划就无法发挥最大效益。”他说。 Thailand has become popular among Chinese travelers in the past decades, and was among the first countries that welcomed Chinese tour groups after China optimized its COVID-19 control measures around February.过去几十年来，泰国一直深受中国游客的欢迎，在今年2月中国优化新冠疫情政策后，泰国是首批欢迎中国旅行团的国家之一。 Trip.com Group said the upcoming National Day holiday from Sept 29 to Oct 6 will see a peak in outbound tourism, and Thailand is among the top three choices for its users.携程集团表示，即将到来的国庆长假（9月29日至10月6日）将迎来出境旅游高峰，而泰国是其用户的三大选择之一。 Fan Dongxiao, who is in charge of travel firm Tuniu's short-distance overseas trips, said more Chinese people from second or third-tier cities will choose to visit Thailand after the visa-free policy decision.途牛旅游网负责海外短途游的范东晓说，免签政策决定后，将有更多来自二三线城市的中国人选择去泰国旅游。 "We've already seen a jump in bookings for tour products for the coming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, and the implementation of the visa waiver policy will further increase people's desire to visit Thailand," she said.她指出：“我们已经看到即将到来的中秋节和国庆节假期的旅游产品预订量猛增，免签政策的实施将进一步提高人们访问泰国的意愿。” In another development, Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili announced on Monday that the country by the Caucasus and the Black Sea has decided to introduce visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, and more details will be declared later.另一个进展是，格鲁吉亚总理伊拉克利·加里巴什维利11日宣布，这个位于高加索和黑海边上的国家已决定对中国公民实行入境免签，更多细节将稍后公布。 "China is the second-largest economy in the world. One of our main interests is to strengthen trade and economic relations with China, to attract more investments from China, as well as to attract more tourists," Gharibashvili said at a governmental session in Tbilisi.加里巴什维利在第比利斯的一次政府会议上表示：“中国是世界第二大经济体，深化对华经贸合作、吸引更多中国投资、接待更多中国游客均是格鲁吉亚政府的重要工作方向。”Chinese tourists are considered one of the most desirable tourists in the world, said the prime minister.总理说，中国游客被认为是世界上最受欢迎的游客之一。Visa英/ˈviːzə/ 美/ˈviːzə/n.签证Tourism英/ˈtʊərɪzəm/ 美/ˈtʊrɪzəm/n.旅游业，观光业

El Tribunal Administrativo Central de Recursos Contractuales (TACRC) ha desestimado los tres recursos presentados contra la adjudicación a Ávoris, la división de viajes de Barceló, que se hizo este año con los tres lotes que componen el programa Imserso y que cuenta con 886.000 plazas. De esta forma, el Imserso confía en que la temporada arranque en las fechas habituales, durante la segunda quincena de octubre. El Parlamento Europeo ha acordado pedir más transparencia y armonizar reglas en los Veintisiete en la futura legislación europea sobre alquiler vacacional, para, de esta forma, asegurar una coexistencia entre viviendas turísticas y alquiler tradicional. En concreto, se está negociando que la UE regule las viviendas turísticas y exija un registro a las plataformas que sirva para tomar medidas en el sector. El turismo internacional ha seguido recuperándose de la peor crisis de su historia, ya que el número de llegadas alcanzó el 84% de los niveles previos a la pandemia entre enero y julio de 2023, según los últimos datos de la OMT. Oriente Medio, Europa y África lideran la recuperación del sector global. El 64% de los españoles, a la hora de comprar online, se decanta por la moda y los complementos, mientras que el 62% prefiere buscar viajes y alojamientos, según la encuesta ‘Nuevos hábitos en métodos de pago en España 2023' de PaynoPain. Renfe y Trip.com Group han formalizado un acuerdo de distribución que permite al grupo chino la comercialización de los productos de Renfe a través de sus diferentes marcas online como 'Trip.com', 'Skyscanner' y 'Qunar'. La Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU) denuncia que Ryanair está cometiendo mala praxis en sus actuaciones ya que muchos usuarios no pueden realizar el check in online de sus vuelos siendo obligados a realizarlo de manera presencial con el sobrecoste que esto supone. La ciudad de Sevilla será durante dos días la capital mundial de la industria del fútbol con la celebración de World Football Summit Europe (WFS Europe). Los días 20 y 21 de septiembre, el Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Sevilla (FIBES) acogerá el evento más importante de una industria valorada en más de 600.000 millones de dólares y reunirá a más de 2.500 asistentes.

In this week's episode: Evergrande's offshore debt restructuring hits another roadblock, CATL's revolutionary battery has its eye on electric flight, a Chinese city is paying civil servants in digital yuan, and China's president affirms the country's commitment to peace in Ukraine.In addition, Kaiser speaks with Jonathan Breen about chipmaking equipment export restrictions and how Dutch and Japanese companies might still manage to sell into China.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

英语新闻｜出入境政策优化，国际机票搜索量增长850%！The search volume of international flight tickets is surging in China after the country announced to downgrade the management of COVID-19 from Jan 8, the news website chinanews.com reported on Tuesday.根据中国新闻网12月28日报道，随着1月8日起出入境相关防控措施的进一步优化，国际机票搜索量迎来翻倍提升。According to the online travel agency Qunar, the international flight ticket search volume increased sevenfold within 15 minutes after the new COVID-19 management measures were announced, and the hot destinations are Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.去哪儿数据显示，政策调整消息发布后15分钟内，国际机票搜索量增长了7倍，热门目的地为泰国、日本和韩国。Data from another online travel platform Ctrip showed that the search volume to popular overseas destinations increased tenfold year-on-year compared with the same period of last year within 30 minutes after the information was announced. Moreover, the search volume of outbound flight tickets and hotels reached a three-year high.政策调整消息发布后30分钟内，携程平台热门海外目的地搜索量同比大涨10倍，出境(包含中国港澳台)机票搜索均达到3年来峰值。Some hot tourism destinations' search volume saw rapid growth for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, which falls on Jan 21 to 27 next year. The top 10 hot destinations are Macao, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and the UK, according to Ctrip. 一些热门旅游目的地的搜索量将在即将到来的春节假期（1月21日至1月27日）快速增长。携程的数据显示，前十大热门目的地是澳门、香港、日本、泰国、韩国、美国、新加坡、马来西亚、澳大利亚和英国。The tourism service provider ly.com said the search volume of international flight tickets jumped 850 percent, and the visa service search volume grew tenfold after the information was announced. Japan, South Korea, and Thailand are the top 3 overseas destinations to Chinese tourists. The hot outbound flight destinations are Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Los Angeles and Singapore.同程平台数据显示，政策调整消息发布后，该平台国际机票瞬时搜索量增长850%；签证搜索量瞬时增长10倍。中国游客最关注的海外目的地排名前三为日本、韩国、泰国。搜索量最高的出境航班热门目的地主要有曼谷、东京、首尔、洛杉矶和新加坡。The search users to outbound tourism are mainly from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, said ly.com.同程平台数据显示，出境游主要搜索用户来自北京、上海、广州。The Chinese mainland customers' average spending to outbound flight tickets and high-end hotels increased by 64 percent and 40 percent during nearly half a year, compared with the same period before the COVID-19 epidemic, said Ctrip.携程数据显示，近半年来内地出境的机票及高端酒店人均花费，较疫情前分别增长了64%和40%。With tourism supply-side recovery, and inflation control in major economies, the overall price of international flight tickets and outbound hotels is expected to fall back; however, due to the supply-side facilities, and manpower recovery still exists short-term constraints, the price needs time to fall, said the chinanews.com, citing Fang Zeqian, an industry analyst at Trip.com Group.携程研究院行业分析师方泽茜认为，随着旅游供给侧的恢复，以及全球主要经济体对通胀水平的控制，出境游整体机酒价格有望回落至疫情前水平；但因供给侧设施、人力的恢复仍存在短期约束，因此价格的回落依然需要一些时间。As the new COVID-19 management measures implementing, and the airline operating capacity recovering, the summer vacation of 2023 may usher in the peak of entry and exit, said chinanews.com, citing Lan Xiang, director of Qunar's data research department.去哪儿大数据研究院院长兰翔分析称，随着政策落地和航司运营能力的恢复，2023年暑期或将迎来出入境高峰。Moreover, visa service still has constraints in short-time, said the Ctrip. Although most of the overseas countries have opened their visa applications, due to staff shortages in many embassies and consulates in China, visa applications will be delayed.签证方面的“供给侧”短期内还存在一定的限制。携程签证相关人士表示，绝大多数海外国家已开放签证办理，但因国内疫情多家领馆人员不足导致办签延迟。Outbound英 [ˈaʊtbaʊnd] 美 [ˈaʊtbaʊnd]adj. 出港的Manpower英 [ˈmænpaʊə(r)] 美 [ˈmænpaʊər]n. 人力Consulate英 [ˈkɒnsjələt] 美 [ˈkɑːnsələt]n. 领事馆

Travel agencies have forecast that the tourism market will embrace a robust recovery during the approaching Spring Festival holiday in late January in the wake of the government's continued optimization of COVID-19 control measures.众多旅行社预测，随着政府继续优化新冠控制措施，旅游市场将在1月下旬即将到来的春节假期期间迎来强劲复苏。From Tuesday, the government scrapped the digital travel code to further loosen travel restrictions across regions and provinces. The code was used by authorities to track cellphone data to see if travelers had potentially been to areas classified as "high risk" for COVID-19.从周二开始，政府取消了行程码，以进一步放宽跨地区和省份的旅行限制。当局使用该码来跟踪手机数据，以查看旅行者是否可能去过被归类为“高风险”的区域。The changes have given the tourism market a shot in the arm. The latest figures from FlightAI, a third-party database for travel portal Trip.com Group, show that searches for cross-provincial products for the coming Spring Festival holiday surged by a factor of 12 from midnight to 1 pm on Monday, after the suspension of the code was announced.这些变化给旅游市场打了一针强心剂。旅游门户网站Trip.com Group的第三方数据库FlightAI的最新数据显示，在宣布暂停行程码服务后，从周一午夜到下午1点，即将到来的春节假期中跨省产品的搜索量激增了12倍。Searches for flights for the holiday have recovered to roughly the same level as in 2019, according to Trip.com Group.根据Trip.com Group的数据，假期航班的搜索量已恢复到与2019年大致相同的水平。Qunar, another travel portal, said that flight bookings for the Spring Festival holiday surged by a factor of nearly 8.5 from Dec 7 after the relaxed COVID-19 control measures were announced. It forecast that flight bookings will peak during the holiday to roughly 80 percent of the level before the pandemic.另一个旅游门户网站去哪儿表示，在宣布放宽COVID-19控制措施后，从12月7日起，春节假期的航班预订量激增了近8.5倍。它预测航班预订将在假期期间达到顶峰，大约达到疫情前水平的80%。"The increase of flight bookings shows people's strong desire for family reunions. However, there may still be an imbalance as some people are still very cautious about traveling," said Guo Lechun, deputy director of Qunar's big data research academy.去哪儿大数据研究院副院长郭乐春说：“航班预订量的增加表明人们对家庭团聚的强烈渴望。但是，由于一些人对旅行仍然非常谨慎，因此可能仍然存在不平衡。”"The Spring Festival is recognized as the most important festival to many Chinese people. The pandemic has blocked people from getting home due to travel restrictions in the past three years, and the Spring Festival in 2023 will be a fresh start for people to get back to a normal life," he added.“春节被许多中国人认为是最重要的节日。过去三年，由于旅行限制，人们无法回家，而2023年的春节将是人们开始正常生活的新起点，”他补充道。Portal 英[ˈpɔːtl]；美[ˈpɔːrtl]n. 门户网站；入口站点Imbalance 英[ɪmˈbæləns]；美[ɪmˈbæləns]n. 失衡；不平衡；不公平Optimization英[ˌɒptɪmaɪˈzeɪʃən]；美[ˌɑːptɪməˈzeɪʃ(ə)n]n. 最佳化，最优化

英语新闻｜“逆向旅游”受年轻人青睐 前景看好Going againstthe tide of flocking to well-known yet generally jam-packed touristdestinations on vacation, a growing number of holidaymakers in China tend tospend their leisure time at lesser-known resorts to seek unique, relaxed holidayexperiences.在中国，越来越多的度假者倾向于把闲暇时间花在不太知名的度假胜地，以寻求独特、轻松的度假体验，这与人们在度假时蜂拥前往知名但普遍拥挤的旅游目的地的潮流相反。"Reversetourism" has emerged as a new trend among young holidaymakers in China.“逆向旅游”已成为中国年轻度假者中流行的一种新趋势。"Man moves1 meter every 10 minutes on Huangshan Mountain" became a trending topic onsocial media during this year's National Day holiday in October, a time whenwell-known tourist attractions such as Huangshan generally operate at fullcapacity.在今年十一国庆假期，“黄山旅游者每10分钟移动1米”成为社交媒体上的热门话题，而在这段时间，黄山等知名旅游景点通常都是人满为患。The newsreminded some of a social media post in August about a comfortable stay in anupscale hotel in the lesser-known northeastern border city of Hegang at only318 yuan per night.这条新闻让一些人想起了今年8月社交媒体上的一篇帖子，内容是在不太知名的东北边境城市鹤岗的一家高档酒店舒适地住宿，每晚只需318元。During theweeklong public holiday, which ended on Oct 7, large numbers of vacationers,especially young professionals who long to escape hectic city life,shunned popular holiday destinations in order to get off the beaten track andenjoy some peace and quiet.在十一假期期间，大量度假者，尤其是渴望逃离繁忙城市生活的年轻职场人士，为了不走寻常路，享受一些闲适与宁静，而避开了热门度假目的地。According todata from online travel agency Qunar, as cited by Beijing Daily, the number ofrooms booked at hotels in less-traveled cities during the holiday was up 30percent year-on-year.《北京日报》报道称，据在线旅游机构去哪儿网的数据，十一假期期间，在游客较少的城市，酒店预订的房间数量同比增长了30%。Bookings forfour — and five-star hotels in less-traveled places including Linxia in Gansuprovince, Shizuishan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Haibei inQinghai province all increased at least 10-fold compared with the same periodof 2021.在游客较少的地区，包括甘肃临夏、宁夏回族自治区石嘴山和青海海北，四星级和五星级酒店十一假期期间的预订量都比2021年同期增长了至少10倍。In Shandongprovince, for instance, some lesser-known scenic spots posted double-digitgrowth during the holiday. Baimaiquan Park in the provincial capital of Jinanreceived 52,100 visits in the seven days, up 15.78 percent year-over-year.例如，山东省一些不太知名的景点在假期期间游客数量出现了两位数的增长。省会济南的百脉泉公园在十一假期内接待了5.21万名游客，同比增长15.78%。Some youngprofessionals who normally have little time for themselves simply had astaycation in a hotel to make the much-awaited hiatus more relaxing.一些年轻的职场人士通常很少有自己的时间，他们干脆在酒店里宅度假，让这段期待已久的假期更放松。Besides crowds,some vacationers chose less-traveled places to save on the cost of trips topopular destinations, which often entail pricey tickets, mealsand hotel stays.除了拥挤的人群之外，一些度假者选择人迹罕至的地方，是为了节省前往热门目的地的旅行费用，因为前往热门目的地的机票、餐饮和酒店住宿往往都很昂贵。"Tourismused to be about sightseeing. Now it is about experiences," Dai Bin,president of the China Tourism Academy, told Beijing Daily.中国旅游研究院的院长戴斌告诉《北京日报》说：“旅游业过去是观光，现在是体验。”He said populartourist spots are always packed and often raise their prices during holidays.As people become more mature travelers, they are increasingly reluctant tofollow the herd. Some of them are simply looking to take a rest somewhere quietfor a couple of days, which is a good way to vacation, he noted.他说，热门旅游景点总是客满，而且经常在假期提价。随着人们成为更成熟的旅行者，他们越来越不愿意随大流。他指出，有些人只是想找个安静的地方休息几天，这是一个很好的度假方式。In addition,lesser-known attractions are not as "commercial" and "standardized"as developed ones and are able to offer more authentic experiences and naturalencounters, according to social media posts. And unlike popular destinations,some underexplored places with little online exposure can offer more surprises.此外，据社交媒体帖子称，不太知名的景点不像发达景点那样“商业化”和“标准化”，能够提供更真实的经历和自然体验。与热门目的地不同的是，一些未被开发、很少在网上曝光的地方可以带来更多惊喜。COVID-19 isanother key factor fueling reverse tourism. As precautionary measures continue,traveling has an unpredictable quality. A traveler has no way of knowing whatlies ahead before departure, be it a perfect holiday or one interrupted by asudden outbreak. Travelers have thus become more cautious and tend to chooselocal attractions or places with fewer tourists.新冠肺炎疫情是推动逆向旅游的另一个关键因素。随着预防措施的继续，旅行具有不可预测性。旅行者在出发前无法知道前方会发生什么，是完美的假期，还是会被突发疫情打断。因此，旅行者变得更加谨慎，倾向于选择当地景点或游客较少的地方。"The riseof reverse tourism is not a bad thing," said an opinion piece in ZhengzhouDaily. It means that vacationers now have more options, which brings morepossibilities to the tourism market, the article explains.“逆向旅游的兴起并不是一件坏事，”《郑州日报》的一篇评论文章写道。文章解释说，这意味着度假者现在有了更多的选择，给旅游市场带来了更多的可能性。Moreimportantly, it noted, the trend is set to force popular destinations toimprove themselves instead of resting on their laurels.报道指出，更重要的是，这一趋势将迫使热门旅游目的地改善自身，而不是躺在过去的光环上。Jiang Han, asenior researcher at the Beijing-based public policy think tank Pangoal, saidthat reverse tourism will become one of the future directions for the marketand is an opportunity for growth comparable to the camping economy.位于北京的公共政策研究机构盘古智库的高级研究员江瀚说，逆向旅游将成为未来旅游市场的趋势之一，其发展机会可以与露营经济相媲美。To give a realboost to the tourism market, Jiang suggested that more efforts be made to tapthe potential of underrated, lesser-known destinations.江瀚建议，为了真正促进旅游市场的发展，要更加努力地挖掘那些被低估、不太为人所知的旅游目的地的潜力。编辑：yaning来源：中国日报网hectic英[ˈhektɪk]；美[ˈhektɪk]adj. 繁忙的pricey英[ˈpraɪsi]；美[ˈpraɪsi]adj. 昂贵的laurel英[ˈlɒrəl]；美[ˈlɔːrəl]n. （表示荣誉的）桂冠

红色旅行 全家出游 国庆出行人数激增︱Red tourism, family outings fuel holiday travel surgeThe National Day holiday saw a surge in tourism, as people unleashed a strong demand for traveling that was suppressed over the summer holiday due to sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks.暑假期间，零星暴发的新冠疫情抑制了人们对出行的强烈需求。到了国庆，各地游客人数激增。Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed on Thursday that domestic attractions received about 515 million trips over the seven-day break, from Oct 1 to Thursday.经文化和旅游部数据中心测算，10月1日至7日，全国国内旅游出游5.15亿人次。The total number of trips is roughly 70 percent of the number during the same period in 2019, before the pandemic hit.国内出游人次恢复至2019年，即疫前同期的70.1%。The ministry said that revenue of about 389 billion yuan ($60.3 billion) was generated over the holiday, roughly 60 percent of that in 2019.此外，国庆期间，各市场实现国内旅游收入3890亿元（合约603亿美元），恢复至疫前同期的60%。Travel agencies said they have seen an increase in tour package reservations after their businesses had a hard time during the summer. Red tourism, in which people visit sites with historical significance for Communism in China, and tour products focusing on appreciating autumn scenery and family trips are popular.各旅行社表示，夏天是旅游淡季，生意不景气。此后，成团旅行的预订量有所增加。游览爱国主义教育基地等历史性纪念地的“红色旅游”、以全家出行，欣赏秋日美景为主的旅游路线受备受热捧。The travel portal Fliggy said in a new report that sales at its platform of tickets for attractions registered a 100 percent increase in the first three days of the holiday compared with the same period last year.国内旅游平台“飞猪”在一份新报告中称，10月1日至3日，景点门票的销售额比起去年同期增长了一倍。The Universal Beijing Resort took the top slot on holiday travelers' wish list, followed by Shanghai; Chengdu, Sichuan province; and Chongqing, according to Fliggy.据“飞猪”平台显示，在游客的国庆旅行愿望单中，北京环球影城排名第一，上海排名第二，成都市和重庆市分居第三与第四。According to online travel agency Qunar, the top 50 theme parks, including Shanghai Disney Resort and Chimelong Tourist Resort in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, saw a 20 percent average increase in ticket sales.线上平台“去哪儿旅行”公布的数据显示，国内排名前五十，包括上海迪士尼乐园和广州长隆旅游度假区在内的主题公园，门票销量平均增长20%。Travelers also showed an increasing preference for Red tourism, as the National Day holiday this year marked the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.2021年的国庆，标志着中华人民共和国成立72周年，越来越多的游客开始选择红色旅游。Data provided by Trip.com Group, an online travel services provider, show that family trips to Red tourism attractions experienced a 30 percent rise at its platform compared with the same period last year. Destinations including Beijing; Yan'an, Shaanxi province; and Changsha, Hunan province were the most popular Red tourism attractions, it said.据“携程”集团统计，该平台上选择红色旅游路线全家出行的数量同比增长30%。其中，北京、陕西延安、湖南长沙是最受欢迎的红色旅游景点。Yuan Lili, who is from Anhui province, said it was a good time to take her child to learn the history of the Communist Party of China and pay tribute to martyrs who made their great contribution to the nation's founding.一名来自安徽的旅客说，借着国庆假期，正好带孩子了解中国共产党的历史，向为建国献身的烈士们致敬。"We went to Shaoshan (in Hunan) on Sunday, which is the birthplace of Chairman Mao Zedong, and then traveled to Changsha for two days," she said.这名旅客表示：“周日去了毛主席的出生地湖南韶山，然后又去了长沙两天。”suppress英 [səˈpres]；美[səˈpres] vt.压制；禁止；抑制；忍住sporadic英 [spəˈrædɪk]；美[spəˈrædɪk] adj. 零星的；偶现的；断断续续的pay tribute to英 [peɪ ˈtrɪbjuːt tu]；美[peɪ ˈtrɪbjuːt tu] v. phrase致敬；讴歌；赞美

Universal Beijing Resort tickets for holiday sell out｜北京环球度假区门票已售罄 Tickets for the Universal Beijing Resort sold out within 30 minutes in the early hours of Tuesday morning for visits to the new theme park during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days it is open to the public.北京环球度假区新主题公园在即将到来的中秋节假期前两天将对公众开放，中秋门票于周二零点开始30分钟内售空。The long-awaited opening of the resort, which involves an investment of more than 40 billion yuan ($6.2 billion), has been gathering increasing attention since last month, when the timetable was announced for its trial operation, as well as ticket prices and its opening date.自上月宣布试运营时间表、票价和开业日期以来，对于这家投资超过400亿元人民币（合62亿美元）度假村的开业，人们期待已久。Enthusiasm for the resort peaked at midnight on Tuesday when tickets went on sale online and the two hotels in the resort started to receive reservations. Many people encountered an internet traffic jam as they attempted to buy tickets.周二零点，当门票在网上开始销售，度假村的两家酒店开始接受预订时，人们对度假村的热情达到了顶峰。许多人在买票时网络一度“瘫痪”。Dong Xiaobin, a 42-year-old film fan, said he had been looking forward to the opening of the theme park ever since plans for it were announced several years ago.42岁的影迷董晓斌表示，自从几年前宣布主题公园的计划以来，他一直期待着开园。"At 1 am on Tuesday, I tried to purchase tickets to visit on Monday with my family, but the website was too busy," Dong said.“周二凌晨1点，我想买周一与家人一起参观的门票，但一直显示网络繁忙，”董晓斌说。In fact, Dong was already half-an-hour too late, as tickets for visits on Monday and Tuesday had been snapped up within 30 minutes of going on sale.其实董先生已经迟了半个小时，因为周一和周二的参观门票在开始销售后30分钟内就被抢购一空。"The tickets vanished like vapor on the resort's own app and at authorized tourist agencies," said Dong, who now plans to take his family to the theme park on another day.“门票像蒸汽一样消失在度假村自己的app和授权的旅行平台”董晓斌说，他打算改日再行。According to Qunar, an online travel service provider, searches for hotels near the resort increased more than sevenfold by 12:30 am on Tuesday.据在线旅游服务平台去哪儿网称，截至周二凌晨12：30，度假村附近的酒店搜索量增加了7倍多。Bookings for flights to Beijing on days near the opening increased by more than 200 percent in the past week compared with the previous week, according to data from Fliggy, Alibaba Group's online travel booking platform.阿里巴巴集团在线旅游预订平台飞猪的数据显示，上周在当天飞往北京的航班预订量比前一周增长了200%以上。Song Yu, chairman of Beijing Tourism Group, which is one of the major investors in the theme park, said that it showcased Sino-US cooperation, especially in the private and business sectors.作为主题公园的主要投资者之一，北京旅游集团董事长宋宇表示，此次投资展示了中美合作，特别是在私人和商业领域的合作。"The idea of building the theme park in Beijing was first raised 20 years ago. We have built a deep trust between our group and our US partner Universal Parks &Resorts," Song said.“在北京建设主题公园的想法是20年前首次提出的。我们已在集团和美国合作伙伴环球影城娱乐集团之间建立了深厚的信任，”宋宇说到。"Cooperation has been smooth and productive. The US side has advantages in innovation and creativity, while our group knows the local market very well."“合作是顺利和富有成效的。美方在创新方面具有优势，而我们集团对当地市场非常了解。”Andrew Eitingon, deputy general manager of Beijing International Resort Co, the joint venture that owns the venue, said China is one of the most rapidly growing markets globally and the resort has received strong support from the central government and the Beijing authorities throughout the entire project.拥有该场地的合资公司北京国际度假酒店副总经理安德鲁·艾廷贡表示，中国是全球增长最快的市场之一，在整个项目中，该度假村得到了中央政府和北京当局的大力支持。

In this episode, we spoke to Yoad Makov, a Managing Director for APAC at Fyber about mobile game ads. Fyber is an app monetization company that combines proprietary technologies and expertise in mediation and real-time bidding (RTB) to help app monetize mobile games. (This episode was recorded with the support of the PTL GROUP company. PTL Group provides international companies with operational and managerial support through the various stages of their China market-entry and growth. The Group's wide range of professional services include financial services, HR management, logistics and supply chain.) Listen and explore: 00:00 – Intro 07:50 – A business model of a digital advertising company, Fyber 10:24 – Important financial metrics 11:58 – Interaction with app developers 14:37 – Reasons why ad publishers choose to work with multiply players 17:35 – How does Fyber work together with other players, for example, Google and Facebook, and compete with each other at the same time? 19:53 – Virtual currency like an additional feature that app developers can add to their adds 23:50 – Does Tiktok considered as an ad provider? 25:16 – China out model 31:45 – Localisation in China and business model adaptation 34:21 – What will be the decision-making process for the Chinese company before working with Fyber? 39:10 – Specifically for the Chinese marker Fyber changed the why of how they working with clients 41:05 – Currency exchange while working with China 42:37 – How the pandemic affected Fyber's business and the gaming industry? 46:14 – Duration of a typical video ad 46:52 – 5G impacts on mobile gaming 51:06 – Previous work experience of Yoad Makov at Qunar, one of China's largest online travel platforms #InsiderTalks​ #MobileGames #GameAds

EP29 China Internet Landscape and Digital Giants Part 24 นอกเหนือจากธุรกิจ search engine, digital map, cloud, O2O, fintech, anti-virus ที่ได้เล่าไปใน EP 24-27 แล้ว ไป่ตู้ยังเริ่มมีการลงทุนขยายการลงทุนในด้านธุรกิจอื่น  “เมื่อ M&A สำเร็จ  Baidu ก็จะกลายเป็นผู้นำในตลาด OTAในประเทศจีน และดีลนี้ก็สำเร็จในช่วงตุลาคม 2015 เมื่อไป่ตู้swap หุ้นกับ Ctrip ก็จะถือประมาณ 19% share ใน Ctrip Ctrip เป็น OTA ที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในจีน มีรายได้มาจาก 3 ส่วนคือ การจองโรงแรม การจองตั๋วและการท่องเที่ยว ถึงแม้ qunar จะเก็บสะสม business resources มาหลายปี แต่ก็ไม่สามารถ เอาชนะ Ctrip ได้อย่างง่าย โดยเฉพาะในกลุ่มsegmentระดับบน ดังนั้นถ้าไป่ตู้รวม Ctrip กับ Qunarได้ Baidu จะควบคุมตลาด OTAในจีนได้เกือบทั้งหมด ดังนั้นจากคู่แข่งระหว่าง Ctrip และ Qunar ก็มาจับมือกันกลายเป็นพันธมิตร ตอนนี้ ตลาด OTA เปลี่ยนการต่อสู่ระหว่างTencent, Alibaba และ Baidu นอกจากต้องการชนะ ในตลาดOTA แล้ว ปลายปี 2014 Baidu ก็ประกาศข่าวใหญ่ในด้านการลงทุนคือ ได้ลงทุนใน Uber กว่า 600 ล้าน USD โดยการแลกกับการถือหุ้นเป็นส่วนน้อย (minority stake) เพื่อที่จะต่อสู้กับ Tencent และ Alibaba ในตลาด ผู้ให้บริการแพลตฟอร์มเรียกจองรถยนต์” รายละเอียดทั้งหมดติดตามได้ใน EP 29  

Peng is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Monk's Hill Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage tech companies, primarily Series A, in Southeast Asia. Peng is an industry veteran with over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, founder, and investor in Silicon Valley and in Asia. He is based in Indonesia and is a board member of Glints, ELSA, Finaxar, and Intelligent Video Solutions.Prior to Monk's Hill Ventures, he was a Venture Partner at GSR Ventures in China. The firm is known for its successful investments in companies like Didi Chuxing and Qunar. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded a series of successful companies including Electric Classifieds (today known as Match.com), Interwoven and Encentuate, which combined today generate over USD$1 billion in revenues annually.Peng is currently the Chairman of SolveEducation! and serves as a board member of the International Advisory Board for the University of Texas at Austin and SEA Founders.Peng earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois.Key TakeawaysWhy the best investment Peng has made is being an entrepreneur and how that helped him as an investorWhat is first principles thinking and how founders must use the framework while building startupsWhat questions should you as a founder ask a VC while pitching to themWhat stage a startup must be in terms of product, distribution, and team to successfully raise a Series A roundHow Monk's Hill Ventures support their portfolio companies in scaling their businessesImportance of Board of directors in the success of a startupStrategies startups use while expanding their business to different countries in Southeast AsiaWhy artificial intelligence and bioengineering are the most important technologies for the future of mankind

In episode 40, Simon talks to Frederick "Fritz" Demopoulos. He has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 10 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.

In episode 40, Simon talks to Frederick "Fritz" Demopoulos. He has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 10 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.

In episode 40, Simon talks to Frederick "Fritz" Demopoulos. He has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 10 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.

Fritz Demopoulos is the Founding Partner of Queen's Road Capital. Fritz has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 10 years. He co-founded Qunar, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation. In the interview we discuss his entrepreneurial journey, how Fritz looks for and filters ideas and business opportunities, the process of finding the right co-founders, his lessons learned from building Qunar in China and much more. Queen's Road Capital: https://www.queensroadcapital.com/

With China having the highest number of internet users in the world with more than 750 million users, it is hard to imagine a time when there were only a few hundred users. Fortunately, we do not have to leave much to the imagination. Our guest for today, Demopoulos, has witnessed firsthand the rapid rise of internet development and adoption in China. Before the dotcom bubble of the early 2000s and well before China became the dominant internet economy it is today, Fritz came to China and is one of a handful of experts, who has not only led multinational businesses but also established successful businesses of his own. Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor in the media and internet industry for over 15 years. He co-founded and exited Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz has also held senior positions at Neteast and The News Corporation. In today's episode, Fritz dives deep into the early days of the internet in China. He shares his experience working in the media industry in China in the early days when people were still figuring out what the internet was. We also discuss the first-generation of internet entrepreneurs in China: how they started, what made them different, and more. We then move onto his own entrepreneurial journey in China. Starting a business in China as a foreigner is not easy, let alone a successful one. Fritz talks about how he managed to build his business in China by staying ahead of the curve, something that all entrepreneurs can learn from. Episode Notes:02:30 Introduction to Fritz Demopoulos03:05 Internet in China in 199705:15 How Fritz decided to come to China05:44 What stood out in the Chinese business environment07:33 The Dotcom Bubble and its Impact on China09:12 The Major Driver of Business Growth in China12:13 The Evolution of Early Internet Businesses in China13:42 Appetite for Monetization17:00 Value Addition over Monetization18:41 User Interface in early 2000s21:36 The First Generation of Chinese Internet Founders24:35 Fritz's leap into entrepreneurship26:48 Differentiating a Business and Standing Out of the Crowd31:03 Raising Capital as a Foreigner in China32:58 Inflection Point for China Internet that Changed Everything35:11 China's Role in Global Tech39:04 What keeps Fritz busy now40:00 Fritz's Investment Thesis and Areas of Investment Interest41:30 How to contact Demopoulos41:55 Advice to EveryoneMany thanks to our guest; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

Our guest for today, Fritz Demopoulos is the Founder of Queen's Road Capital. He has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 15 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation. As an expat witnessing the exponential growth of China since the late 1990s, he brings a very unique and interesting perspective of internet in  China and the determinants of success for early internet founders. Episode Notes:02:30 Introduction to Fritz Demopoulos03:05 Internet in China in 199705:15 How Fritz decided to come to China05:44 What stood out in the Chinese business environment07:33 The Dotcom Bubble and its Impact on China09:12 The Major Driver of Business Growth in China12:13 The Evolution of Early Internet Businesses in China13:42 Appetite for Monetization17:00 Value Addition over Monetization18:41 User Interface in early 2000s21:36 The First Generation of Chinese Internet Founders24:35 Fritz's leap into entrepreneurship26:48 Differentiating a Business and Standing Out of the Crowd31:03 Raising Capital as a Foreigner in China32:58 Inflection Point for China Internet that Changed Everything35:11 China's Role in Global Tech39:04 What keeps Fritz busy now40:00 Fritz's Investment Thesis and Areas of Investment Interest41:30 How to contact Demopoulos41:55 Advice to EveryoneMany thanks to our guest; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com 

「コロナ収束の中国で「リベンジ旅行」急増　収束国ではロックダウンの抑圧から「リベンジ消費」拡大」　新型コロナウイルスの新規感染者が直近一桁台にまで減少するなど感染が収束している中国では、ロックダウンによる抑圧からの解放に伴う「報復」的な消費行動を意味する「リベンジ旅行」が注目を集めている。中国最大級のオンライン旅行プラットフォームを運営する Qunar.com によると、4 月下旬に中国北京市が公衆衛生上の緊急事態レベルを引き下げたことを受けて、その直後から航空券のオンライン予約が 30 分で 15 倍に急増。

This is the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8X8 Global Speakers Series, where we bring 8 influential speakers to share their insights and experiences in 8 minutes. We have some great speakers lined up for this episode.[02:50] Patrick Lee[11:48] Fritz Demopoulos[21:54] Patrick RileyPatrick Lee is a serial entrepreneur best known for being a co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com), a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news. He is an advisor to a number of startups including Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Instaread, Kiwibot, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies; and a mentor at a number of organizations including SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, and Founder Institute.Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 15 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.Patrick Riley is the CEO at GAN and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GAN Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. Most recently, he was on the executive team at Techstars, where he oversaw its business development. He started his career working for W.L. Gore and Associates and moved into the leadership of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Patrick left the Red Cross to manage the West Coast sales and operations for a venture-backed healthcare company that had an exit before joining Techstars and GAN.Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

This is the second episode from our Chinaccelerator 8X8 Global Speakers Series, where we bring 8 influential speakers to share their insights and experiences in 8 minutes. We have some great speakers lined up for this episode.[02:50] Patrick Lee[11:48]  Fritz Demopoulos[21:54] Patrick RileyPatrick Lee is a serial entrepreneur best known for being a co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com), a leading entertainment website focused on movie reviews and news. He is an advisor to a number of startups including Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Instaread, Kiwibot, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies; and a mentor at a number of organizations including SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, and Founder Institute.Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 15 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News CorporationPatrick Riley is the CEO at GAN and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of GAN Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund. Most recently, he was on the executive team at Techstars, where he oversaw its business development. He started his career working for W.L. Gore and Associates and moved into the leadership of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Patrick left the Red Cross to manage the West Coast sales and operations for a venture-backed healthcare company that had an exit before joining Techstars and GAN.Many thanks to our guests; host Oscar Ramos; producers Eva Shi and Sagar Chaudhary; editor David; organizer Chinaccelerator; and sponsor People Squared. Be sure to check out our website www.chinaccelerator.comShare, subscribe, review, enjoy!Follow us on Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/the-china-startup-pulse/Email us: team@chinastartuppulse.com

In this episode: Fritz Demopoulus, Founder of Queen’s Road Capital. Before that he was the CEO/Co-founder of Shawei.com which was bought by tom.com and CEO/Co-founder of Qunar.com which IPO’ed in 2013. Contact me @jebbery or email jeffrey@introduck.me

There are not many industry figures who left the relative comfort of a job in the media sector to eventually launch a travel startup.Fritz Demopoulos is one such entrepreneur, having quit Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in the late-1990s to create two web companies in China in quick succession before settling on Qunar.The metasearch brand arrived on the Chinese scene in 2005, amid a massive upsurge in the country's economy and a huge desire by a growing middle class to travel.There are many elements that Demopoulos brought to the startup from his time in the media, as well as by then having an extremely useful level of experience with getting a new business off the ground in China.The company eventually went public (two years after Chinese search engine Baidu took a majority stake), only to de-list in 2017 after a sale to Trip.com Group (then Ctrip).Demopoulos, who now runs the Queen's Road Capital finance house, is the latest guest on the How I Got Here podcast.HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

Today's podcast is with Fritz Demopoulos who has been involved in a number of entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities within the Asian region over the past two decades. He is passionate about establishing businesses and creative disruption, exploring the big ideas behind science and science fiction, and supporting science education. Since 1997 Fritz has been involved in an array of digital ventures in mainland China. He co-founded Qunar, one of China’s largest online travel marketplaces, and Shawei, one of China’s largest digital sports media companies. Fritz currently coordinates his entrepreneurial business activities through Hong Kong-based Queen's Road Capital. Fritz and his wife Elaine co-founded The Queen’s Road Foundation, a non-profit foundation focused on supporting a range of programs in arts and science education. Additionally, Fritz is an avid supporter of The Asia Society and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees.

Fritz Demopoulos, founder of Qunar, Shawei, and Queen's Road Capital, joins the show from Hong Kong to discuss becoming a serial entrepreneur, building Qunar.com into a billion dollar business, antitrust, tech protectionism, and the future trends he's investing in. Watch clips from the show and full 4k episodes over on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUVFoF6YKQzP9rIL3TdMoxg

GGV Capital's Hans Tung and Zara Zhang interview Jane Sun (孙洁), the CEO of Ctrip, the largest online travel platform in China which is listed on the NASDAQ. It's current market cap (at time of recording) is around $23 billion. Jane has been at Ctrip for 13 years. Prior to becoming CEO in Nov 2016, Jane served as COO of Ctrip for four years and CFO for seven years. Before joining Ctrip, Jane worked at Applied Materials in the US as the head of SEC and External Reporting Division. Prior to that, she worked with KPMG as an audit manager in Silicon Valley for five years. Jane received her bachelor's degree from the business school of the University of Florida, and LLM degree from the Peking University Law School. Jane discussed her journey from studying abroad in the US to one of the one of the top female leaders in Chinese tech, her daily routine as the CEO of a New York-listed Chinese tech company, and her advice for young people with cross-cultural backgrounds. This episode also features a bonus interview with GGV managing partner Jixun Foo, who led the firm's investment in the online travel search company Qunar, which merged with Ctrip in 2015. Join our listeners' community via WeChat/Slack at 996.ggvc.com/community. The 996 Podcast is brought to you by GGV Capital, a global venture capital firm that invests in local founders. As a multi-stage, sector-focused firm, GGV focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments across Consumer/New Retail, Social/Digital & Internet, Enterprise/Cloud and Frontier Tech sectors. The firm was founded in 2000 and manages $6.2 billion in capital across 13 funds. Past and present portfolio companies include Affirm, Airbnb, Alibaba, Bitsight, ByteDance, Ctrip, Didi Chuxing, Grab, Gladly, Hello Chuxing, HashiCorp, Houzz, Keep, LingoChamp, Namely, Niu, Nozomi Networks, Opendoor, Peloton, Poshmark, Slack, Square, Wish, Xauto, Xiaohongshu, Yellow, YY, Zhaoyou and more. The firm has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Shanghai and Silicon Valley. Learn more at ggvc.com, or “GGVCapital” on WeChat.

GGV Capital’s Hans Tung and Zara Zhang interview Jane Sun (孙洁), the CEO of Ctrip, the largest online travel platform in China which is listed on the NASDAQ. It’s current market cap (at time of recording) is around $23 billion. Jane has been at Ctrip for 13 years. Prior to becoming CEO in Nov 2016, Jane served as COO of Ctrip for four years and CFO for seven years. Before joining Ctrip, Jane worked at Applied Materials in the US as the head of SEC and External Reporting Division. Prior to that, she worked with KPMG as an audit manager in Silicon Valley for five years. Jane received her bachelor's degree from the business school of the University of Florida, and LLM degree from the Peking University Law School. Jane discussed her journey from studying abroad in the US to one of the one of the top female leaders in Chinese tech, her daily routine as the CEO of a New York-listed Chinese tech company, and her advice for young people with cross-cultural backgrounds. This episode also features a bonus interview with GGV managing partner Jixun Foo, who led the firm’s investment in the online travel search company Qunar, which merged with Ctrip in 2015. Join our listeners' community via WeChat/Slack at 996.ggvc.com/community. The 996 Podcast is brought to you by GGV Capital, a global venture capital firm that invests in local founders. As a multi-stage, sector-focused firm, GGV focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments across Consumer/New Retail, Social/Digital & Internet, Enterprise/Cloud and Frontier Tech sectors. The firm was founded in 2000 and manages $6.2 billion in capital across 13 funds. Past and present portfolio companies include Affirm, Airbnb, Alibaba, Bitsight, ByteDance, Ctrip, Didi Chuxing, Grab, Gladly, Hello Chuxing, HashiCorp, Houzz, Keep, LingoChamp, Namely, Niu, Nozomi Networks, Opendoor, Peloton, Poshmark, Slack, Square, Wish, Xauto, Xiaohongshu, Yellow, YY, Zhaoyou and more. The firm has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Shanghai and Silicon Valley. Learn more at ggvc.com, or “GGVCapital” on WeChat.

This week, John and Matt talk Fritz Demopoulos, founding partner of Queens Capital, about his journey at Qunar, how the company was founded, challenges they faced building the company, and advice for entrepreneurs in China today.

GGV Capital's Hans Tung and Zara Zhang interview Jixun Foo (符绩勋), who is a Managing Partner at GGV Capital based in China. Jixun joined GGV in 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience in venture capital investing. He focuses on travel and transportation, social media and commerce as well as enterprise services in China. Jixun has led GGV's investments in Qunar (去哪儿), Grab, Didi (滴滴出行), Youku-Tudou (优酷土豆), UCWeb, Mogujie-Meilishuo (美丽联合集团), MediaV, Full-Truck Alliance (formerly Yunmanman) (满帮集团), Meicai (美菜), and currently serves on the boards of XPeng (小鹏汽车), Hellobike (哈罗单车), Tujia (途家), Xiangwushuo (享物说), Zuiyou (最右) and Kujiale (酷家乐). Jixun played a critical role in many key strategic mergers and acquisitions, such as those of Youku-Tudou, Baidu/Qunar, Ctrip/Qunar, and Mogujie/Meilishuo. Jixun has been recognized by Forbes China as one of the “Best Venture Capitalists” every year since 2006, and frequently appears on the Forbes Midas list. Before GGV, Jixun was a Director at Draper Fisher Jurvetson ePlanet Ventures, where he led the firm's investment in Baidu. Prior to DFJ ePlanet, Jixun led the Investment Group under the Finance & Investment Division of the National Science & Technology Board of Singapore (NSTB) and has also worked in the R&D division of Hewlett Packard. Jixun is from Singapore and graduated from the National University of Singapore with a First-Class Honors degree in Engineering, as well as a Master's in Management of Technology from the university's Graduate School of Business. In this episode, Jixun discusses how he started his career in venture capital, the insider story behind the merger between Youku and Tudou (the largest merger in Chinese tech history at the time), why he invested in the bike-sharing company HelloBike (which overtook Mobike and Ofo to become the top player in the country), and what sectors excite him today. Join our listeners' community via WeChat/Slack at 996.ggvc.com/community. You can view the full transcript of this episode at 996.ggvc.com. We are excited to announce a new program, "GGV Fellows", designed to help "sea turtles" or (海归) and Chinese students studying overseas to get to know the Chinese entrepreneurial landscape better. If you're a Chinese student/professional who is studying/working overseas (or have done so in the past), this is a program designed for you! It's a weeklong program in Jan 2019 in Beijing (during most US college's winter break). You will be able to learn from executives at some of China's most valuable tech companies, and visit some of their offices. You will also participate in mixers with students at top Chinese universities like Tsinghua and Beida to build a local network. Please visit fellows.ggvc.com for the application link and for more information. The 996 Podcast is brought to you by GGV Capital, a multi-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and Beijing. We have been partnering with leading technology entrepreneurs for the past 18 years from seed to pre-IPO. With $3.8 billion in capital under management across eight funds, GGV invests in globally minded entrepreneurs in consumer internet, e-commerce, frontier tech, and enterprise. GGV has invested in over 280 companies, with 30 companies valued at over $1 billion. Portfolio companies include Airbnb, Alibaba, Bytedance (Toutiao), Ctrip, Didi Chuxing, DOMO, Hashicorp, Hellobike, Houzz, Keep, Musical.ly, Slack, Square, Wish, Xiaohongshu, YY, and others. Find out more at ggvc.com.

GGV Capital’s Hans Tung and Zara Zhang interview Jixun Foo (符绩勋), who is a Managing Partner at GGV Capital based in China. Jixun joined GGV in 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience in venture capital investing. He focuses on travel and transportation, social media and commerce as well as enterprise services in China. Jixun has led GGV’s investments in Qunar (去哪儿), Grab, Didi (滴滴出行), Youku-Tudou (优酷土豆), UCWeb, Mogujie-Meilishuo (美丽联合集团), MediaV, Full-Truck Alliance (formerly Yunmanman) (满帮集团), Meicai (美菜), and currently serves on the boards of XPeng (小鹏汽车), Hellobike (哈罗单车), Tujia (途家), Xiangwushuo (享物说), Zuiyou (最右) and Kujiale (酷家乐). Jixun played a critical role in many key strategic mergers and acquisitions, such as those of Youku-Tudou, Baidu/Qunar, Ctrip/Qunar, and Mogujie/Meilishuo. Jixun has been recognized by Forbes China as one of the “Best Venture Capitalists” every year since 2006, and frequently appears on the Forbes Midas list. Before GGV, Jixun was a Director at Draper Fisher Jurvetson ePlanet Ventures, where he led the firm’s investment in Baidu. Prior to DFJ ePlanet, Jixun led the Investment Group under the Finance & Investment Division of the National Science & Technology Board of Singapore (NSTB) and has also worked in the R&D division of Hewlett Packard. Jixun is from Singapore and graduated from the National University of Singapore with a First-Class Honors degree in Engineering, as well as a Master’s in Management of Technology from the university’s Graduate School of Business. In this episode, Jixun discusses how he started his career in venture capital, the insider story behind the merger between Youku and Tudou (the largest merger in Chinese tech history at the time), why he invested in the bike-sharing company HelloBike (which overtook Mobike and Ofo to become the top player in the country), and what sectors excite him today. Join our listeners' community via WeChat/Slack at 996.ggvc.com/community. You can view the full transcript of this episode at 996.ggvc.com. We are excited to announce a new program, "GGV Fellows", designed to help "sea turtles" or (海归) and Chinese students studying overseas to get to know the Chinese entrepreneurial landscape better. If you're a Chinese student/professional who is studying/working overseas (or have done so in the past), this is a program designed for you! It's a weeklong program in Jan 2019 in Beijing (during most US college's winter break). You will be able to learn from executives at some of China's most valuable tech companies, and visit some of their offices. You will also participate in mixers with students at top Chinese universities like Tsinghua and Beida to build a local network. Please visit fellows.ggvc.com for the application link and for more information. The 996 Podcast is brought to you by GGV Capital, a multi-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, Shanghai, and Beijing. We have been partnering with leading technology entrepreneurs for the past 18 years from seed to pre-IPO. With $3.8 billion in capital under management across eight funds, GGV invests in globally minded entrepreneurs in consumer internet, e-commerce, frontier tech, and enterprise. GGV has invested in over 280 companies, with 30 companies valued at over $1 billion. Portfolio companies include Airbnb, Alibaba, Bytedance (Toutiao), Ctrip, Didi Chuxing, DOMO, Hashicorp, Hellobike, Houzz, Keep, Musical.ly, Slack, Square, Wish, Xiaohongshu, YY, and others. Find out more at ggvc.com.

In this episode of China Money Podcast, listen to all the news headlines in the week of June 4-8, 2018 with host Nina Xiang and guest Fritz Demopoulos, founder of Queens Road Capital and co-founder of Qunar.com. Topics covered include Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc.'s dual listing in Hong Kong and in China via the newly implemented CDR program, Ant Financial's massive US$14 billion new round, and how to keep up with shifting new tech trends in today's world. Be sure to subscribe to China Money Podcast for free in the iTunes store, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @chinamoneypod, follow us on our LinkedIn page. Please scan the QR code below to follow us on Wechat.

This week Casey talks to Fritz Demopoulos of Queens Road Capital an early stage startup funding investing in China and South East Asia technology companies. We talk about exiting Qunar.com, building a startup in China when you’re the only white guy on the team and how he doesn’t mind if you pitch him your startup idea in the toilet. Show notes Queen’s Road Capital: http://queensroadcapital.com/ Qunar: https://www.qunar.com Fritz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fritzdemopoulos MelonHK: https://melonhk.com/

In this episode of China Money Podcast, guest Fritz Demopoulos, founder of Queen's Road Capital and co-founder of Qunar Inc, speaks with our host Nina Xiang. He explains his investment thesis of investing in "platforms", who he sees as the future disrupters of the established Chinese Internet giants, and what he learned from a failed start-up that he invested in. Don't forget to subscribe to China Money Podcast for free in the iTunes store, or subscribe to China Money Network weekly newsletters. You can also subscribe to China Money Podcast’s Youtube channel or Youku channel. Q: Last time when we talked, you forecasted industry consolidations in China's tech space. This year, it really happened in a large scale with multiple major mergers. What are the driving forces behind these deals? A: First of all, some large conglomerates decided to "buy", instead of "make" certain businesses on their own. Historically, a lot of Chinese companies have decided to make and build things themselves. Moving forward, we will see more buying as they realize they can't do everything. Also, it used to be that every Chinese technology company was fighting each other for a long time. But now people realize you don't have to fight to win. You can actually partner and combine with others to win. Many experienced entrepreneurs in China has developed an acute sense of responsibility to shareholders, a stronger sense of managing different viewpoints, which is leading to some of these deals as well. These deals should have happened earlier, but never did because of interpersonal issues. Q: The mergers will continue? A: I think so. The cost of capital will continue to inch up. Valuation will probably be flat except for one or two super hot companies. Entrepreneurs may have to think twice before they burn a lot of money on margin initiatives. They need to be disciplined on how they achieve their objectives. Q: Which sectors will this wave of merger deals impact? A: It's going to be in every sector. One joke goes like this: If there are four or five competitors in a category, there will be a hundred competitors in China. Naturally, this will lead to more combinations. Just to name a few, online gaming, medical technology, financial technology, and P2P lending could all see more merger deals. Q: Let's focus on the online travel sector, an area where you have had lots of experience. Queen's Road Capital has backed two start-ups in online travel, Tripping.com and GetYourGuide. What is your investment thesis here? A: Both start-ups are in two of the hottest categories of the travel business: vacation rentals and local activities. Tripping.com aggregates vacation home rentals globally. It works like a Qunar for Airbnb type of accommodation offerings. Most of the travel distribution companies today focus on air tickets and hotels, but there is another massive category where travelers spend a lot of money, which are local tours and activities, such as buying a ticket to the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. GetYourGuide aggregates the information and deliver to consumers in a timely fashion. There are three categories in the travel business that offer the best opportunities: China, vacation rentals and local activities. These two start-ups are in the most promising sectors. Q: What are the challenges you see in these two start-ups trying to scale up? A: On the demand side, getting customers to use your services is always a challenge. The travel sector is very competitive. Many companies are fighting for the same customers, so it's very expensive to acquire users. On the supply side, working with this disparate pool of homeowners and local activity providers is also a challenge. For example, GetYourGuide are dealing with thousands of local activity providers. It must make sure the services are consistent with its brand and deliver availability information to users in a timely fashion.

Shares of Ctrip, Qunar and Baidu jump as we try to make sense of the new landscape in China’s online travel industry.  Plus we analyze Duke Energy’s purchase of Piedmont Natural Gas and dip into the Fool Mailbag.

With the National Day Golden week approaching, a major survey conducted by travel websites such as Qunar and Tuniu found that half of Chinese tourists have booked their tour a month in advance.

The NFL drafts Yahoo for its first-ever live video stream of a football game, but will the opportunity outweigh the risk for Yahoo? Between Priceline, Expedia, Ctrip and Qunar, how tough is China’s online travel industry? Will Fitbit’s IPO be a hit with long-term investors? Is the sports apparel industry in Europe ripe for consolidation? Motley Fool Funds analysts Bill Barker and Bryan Hinmon discuss those stories, National Doughnut Day and a LOT more on one of the longest episodes in our 5-year history.

In this episode of China Money Podcast, guest Fritz Demopoulos, founder of Queen's Road Capital, shares his thoughts on China's Internet sector and entrepreneurship. As founder of two successful Chinese Internet companies, Shawei.com and Qunar.com, Demopoulos is now hoping to capture the next big opportunity in China's Internet evolution by deploying his own capital. Listen to the full interview in the audio podcast, watch the shortened video version or read an excerpt. Q: Last time when we talked, it was five years ago during the early days of your last start-up Qunar.com. This time around, you just founded Queen's Road Capital. What's your strategy and targeted industry? A: It's my personal investment vehicle that I use to invest in early stage companies. I try to focus on media and Internet companies, including consumer Internet, consumer facing models, and e-commerce related companies that are creating market places, that are thinking about how to deliver advertising better and more targeted (products and services) to consumers, as well as mobile consumer opportunities. Q: Any examples of companies that you have invested in? A: I'm an investor in a company called Wodache, a ride-share company. Everyone knows in the major cities of China, there are lots of traffic and it's very difficult to get a taxi. This company helps consumers to share cars through a mobile platform. It provides very strong functional value, so I'm very excited about it. Q: You were a successful entrepreneur before. Now you are an investor. Does the change of role make you think differently when looking at a start-up? A: Many investors are entrepreneurs and many entrepreneurs are investors. When I was an entrepreneur, I was always thinking about investing, and vice versa. So it's a constantly revolving door. Q: For those areas that you mentioned previously as places you look at intensely for investments, what specific elements do you try to find in a start-up that can lead to success? A: At least for me, the last thing I want to do is be where everyone else is. I always wanted to be the first within a category. You can't underestimate the value and advantage that a first-mover has. The team and concept is just a little bit down the learning curve than everyone else. Secondly, the team has to be completely focused on what they do. We need to see that the management teams and founders have skin in the game. Have they invested their own money? Have they given up other opportunities? Have they convinced their families and friends to invest? Thirdly, it's important that the founding teams understand their limitations. If they understand what they do well and what you are not good at, then they can simply hire the missing pieces. In terms of technology, clearly we live in a mobile world. Very rapidly, we are seeing the rise of mobile commerce, e-commerce, real transactions happening online, not just an order entry but proper payment processing all the way up to fulfillment. It is all about being able to present great product information to consumers in innovative ways that meets their specific needs. That entire chain is undergoing a significant revolution, especially with mobile and social media elements. Q: You are investing in early stage companies. What kind of failure rate do you expect? A: China is different because with a small amount of capital, you can survive for a long time. You give 20 companies a couple of million dollars a piece, they are going to last for five or six years even if those models haven't been successful. I'm not sure if that's the right way to look at it. If failure means going bankrupt, not many companies go bankrupt because you can last for a long time in creative ways in China. Q: You have been involved in the Internet sector in China for a long time. How do you make of the fact that the Chinese Internet space is so much more fragmented than in the West, where Yahoo,