Top connections for
SA travellers
AIR China will launch
direct services between
Johannesburg and
Beijing on October 29, but
there are several airlines
in the South African market
that currently offer good
connections to Hong Kong
and China via their hubs.
The most popular routes to
mainland China from South
Africa, according to operators
and agents, are via Hong
Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Abu
Dhabi, Doha and Mauritius.
“The main things to consider
when deciding on a route,”
says Chien Liou, Dragon
Holidays md, are price, loyalty
programme and whether
the client wants to visit the
airline’s stopover city.”
Christine Sing, Flight Centre
Chilli Lane team leader, says
most leisure tourists fly into
Beijing or Shanghai, while
many business travellers
make their way to Guangzhou,
where a large number of
trade shows, exhibitions
and conventions are held.
She adds that many South
Africans opt to holiday in
Hong Kong as they don’t
need visas for up to 30-day
stays.
Cathay Pacific offers
the most direct routing to
Beijing, the shortest flying
times and generally has the
cheapest fares, says Theresa
Szejwallo, md of Trafalgar.
The average travelling time
from Johannesburg to Beijing
is 16 hours 40 minutes,
adds Mandi Prinsloo, travel
adviser at Pentravel Gateway.
For those travelling to or
via Hong Kong, Cathay and
SAA are popular options, with
Cathay offering very good
through fares to Beijing and
Shanghai, says Chien.
Singapore Airlines is
another popular option,
providing seamless
connections into China,
says Alet Steyn, Wendy Wu
Tours’ business development
manager. “The transit times
in Singapore are usually a
maximum of two hours and
the airline is one of the best
in terms of service,” Christine
adds.
Emirates and Etihad also
offer attractive airfares and
short layovers, says Chien,
with Emirates a popular
choice because of its seven
daily flights between South
Africa and Dubai.
Flight frequencies
CATHAY Pacific along with
its sister airline Dragonair
operates to 22 destinations
in mainland China. Together
the carriers offer 10 daily
flights to Beijing, 17 daily
flights to Shanghai and two
daily flights to Guangzhou.
Between Singapore
Airlines and its regional wing
SilkAir, the airlines operate
to 12 destinations in China.
These include seven flights
a day to Hong Kong, three
flights daily to Beijing, five
daily to Shanghai as well
as flights to Guangzhou,
Chongqing, Chengdu,
Shenzhen, Changsha,
Kunming, Wuhan, Xiamen
and Hangzhou.
On July 6, Air Mauritius
added Chengdu to its China
route network. The airline
now flies once a week to
Beijing and Chengdu, and
twice a week to Shanghai
and Hong Kong.
Looking at the Gulf
carriers, Qatar Airways
flies daily to Hong Kong,
Guangzhou, Beijing,
Hangzhou and Shanghai,
and three times a week to
Chengdu and Chongqing.
Transit times are flexible
with the shortest one to
Hong Kong being just 55
minutes. Emirates flies
twice daily to Beijing and
Shanghai and daily to
Guangzhou. Etihad launched
daily services to Hong Kong
on June 16. The airline
also flies daily to Beijing,
Shanghai and Chengdu.
On the home front, SAA
flies daily to Hong Kong.
Did you know?
Trafalgar offers Insider Experiences such as a Be My Guest lunch with
a Hutong family in Beijing. The operator also offers local specialties
like foot massages, a visit to a Tea House, Tai Chi classes, calligraphy
classes, and a Chinese dumpling-making experience as part of its
packages to China.
Upsell these highlights
WHEN it comes to a country
as vast and varied as China,
with its must-see and do
attractions and leisure
activities, travel agents have a
great opportunity to upsell the
destination to clients.
The most popular
destinations for the South
African market in mainland
China are Beijing, Shanghai,
Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi’an,
Guilin and cruising the Yangtze
River.
Beijing
“A walk along the Great
Wall of China is considered
by many to be a once-in-alifetime
experience,” says Alet
Steyn. The Dongcheng district
includes many of Beijing’s
major cultural attractions such
as the Forbidden City, Temple
of Heaven, and Tiananmen
Square. It is also home to the
famous hutongs (alley ways)
where one can catch glimpses
of traditional Beijing and is
great to cycle through, says
Theresa Szejwallo. At night,
Beijing entertainment includes
bars, restaurants, nightclubs,
Chinese opera shows,
acrobatics and sampling
traditional Chinese cuisine.
Learning Tai Chi and hiking
the nearby mountains are also
popular past times.
Shanghai
Cosmopolitan Shanghai
blends the modern with the
traditional. Must-visit places
are The Bund, Shanghai’s
famous waterfront, renowned
for its many buildings in
various architectural styles;
and Nanjing Road, the
main shopping street with
various speciality stores,
malls, theatres, bars, street
musicians, and hotels. A mustsee
is the Shanghai Acrobatics
Troupe at the Shanghai
Centre Theatre. At People’s
Park, travellers can visit
the Shanghai Museum and
Museum of Contemporary Art.
Xi’an
A visit to Xi’an allows travellers
to admire the army of
Terracotta Warriors and Horses
and learn about the emperor
who built them for protection
in the afterlife, says Alet. Xi’an
is also to become the site
of China’s first archaeology
museum, which will feature
140 000 cultural relics of
Chinese history. Popular tourist
activities in Xi’an are cycling
the Xian City Wall, exploring
the Shaanxi History Museum
and visiting the Bell Tower,
the Muslim Quarter, the Great
Mosque and Big Wild Goose
Pagoda. Trafalgar Tours,
Wendy Wu Tours, and Dragon
Holidays all offer itineraries
that include Xi’an.
Yangtze River
The third longest river in the
world, the Yangtze, winds
through remote mountains,
arid plains, canyon gorges
and more fertile regions. Tiger
Leaping Gorge on the Upper
Yangtze in the Lijiang area is
one of the deepest gorges
in the world and a hiker’s
paradise that can be explored
on the LUX* Tea Horse Road
Lijiang’s ‘Discovery’ package,
offered by LUX* Resorts &
Hotels. Local Naxi people who
live a traditional lifestyle also
use the hiking trails around
this area.
The Three Gorges on the
Yangtze’s middle reaches
are among the most scenic,
navigable areas of the
Yangtze with spectacular
landscapes. “Four-day cruises
along the Three Gorges Dam
are immensely popular and
there is a seasonal option to
cruise 2 374km along the full
navigable reach of the Yangtze
River between Chongqing and
Shanghai – a splendid travel
opportunity by any standards,”
says Chien Liou. Wendy Wu
Tours and Trafalgar also offer
various Yangtze River cruise
options.
Guilin
Guilin is set in one of the
most beautiful parts of China
amid mountains and coves.
Travellers can visit the Reed
Flute Cave with its stalagmites
and take a Guilin city tour that
includes a visit to the zoo
where giant pandas can be
seen. Great for walking, Guilin
also has good restaurants,
markets and nightlife.
“The striking karst landscape
of the Li River between
Guilin and Yangshuo has
inspired artists and poets for
centuries,” says Alet. Mandi
Prinsloo says the Li River
cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo
is a great adventure. “In
Yangshuo one can cycle the
countryside stopping off at
tourist spots, hike up Moon
Hill and cruise the Yulong
River on a bamboo raft.” The
Impression Sanjie Liu show,
staged on the Li River and
featuring 600 performers
portraying the life and culture
of the Yangshuo people, is a
must-see, she adds.
Yunnan
Yunnan province was China’s
first tea producing region
and is famous for Pu’er tea
and the Tea Horse Road, an
ancient trading route where
tea was bartered for horses
and medicines.
LUX* Resorts & Hotels
opened LUX* Tea Horse Road
Lijiang in September last year,
says Alexis Bekker, LUX*
Resorts’ head of sales and
marketing: South Africa. The
hotel offers a ‘Discovery’
package that provides a
great way to explore the area.
Excursions include sipping
on Pu’er tea in the oldest tea
house in the town; visiting
the Dongba Cultural Museum
for a Dongba handwriting
demonstration; visiting Wenhai
Lake where rare medicines
and herbs flourish; trekking
to the village of the Yi and
Naxi people where visitors
can meet a Dongba shaman;
taking a horse ride to see
the original Tea Horse Road
caravan trails; and trekking
through the Tiger Leaping
Gorge.
The hotel group will open
LUX* Tea Horse Road
Benzilan further north next
month. The mountain retreat
is surrounded by Tibetan
villages on the shores of the
Yangtze River. Here visitors
can explore the surrounding
glaciers, hike deep canyons,
pick mushrooms, and enjoy
authentic local experiences
with genuine Tibetan
hosts. “Private audiences
with resident monks in
monasteries can also be
arranged,” says Alexis.
Chengdu
The Giant Panda Breeding and
Research Base is a must-visit
destination where travellers
can learn about the Giant
Panda, suggest both Chien
and Alet. Travellers can also
visit Chengdu’s centuries-old
tea houses and learn about
old rituals and local culture,
adds Chien. On Jinli Street,
east of Wuhou Memorial
Temple, old-world stores
sell Shu embroidery, folk
handicrafts and calligraphies,
while visitors can also enjoy
shadow puppetry and browse
the many street stalls.
4 top transit offers
1.PASSENGERS transiting
through Doha, with layovers
of between five and 12
hours, can do a free city
tour without the need to
apply for a visa. Agents can
book stopover packages
through Qatar Airways
Holidays.
2.Air Mauritius offers a
free stopover on nonconnecting
flights, which
can be extended to three
nights, with the airline
paying for the first night.
Non-connecting passengers
enjoy four- or five-star
accommodation (depending
on travel class), return
airport transfers and
selected meals.
3.Singapore Airlines’
Singapore Stopover Holiday
from S$65 (R597) includes
accommodation, airport
transfers, unlimited hopon,
hop-off bus rides, entry
to 20 key attractions and
dining deals. There’s also a
basic stopover package for
S$49 (about R450). What’s
more, passengers travelling
on Singapore Airlines from
South Africa and transiting
through Singapore’s Changi
Airport receive a Changi
Dollar Voucher worth S$40
(about R365) to spend at
Changi Airport until March
31, 2016.
4.Emirates customers
with more than a fourhour
layover in Dubai
are entitled to meals
at Dubai International
Airport. Emirates’ first- and
business-class lounge
passengers can enjoy
gourmet buffets, à la carte
meals and spa, massage
or beauty treatments.
First-class travellers and
Emirates Skywards platinum
members can even sample
and purchase exclusive
vintage wines in a private
wine cellar.
Did you know?
The standard luggage allowance on several airlines flying into China
is also attractive. Air Mauritius offers 40kg in economy class, while
Singapore, Qatar, Emirates and Etihad offer 30kg baggage allowance.
Tips for travellers
FOR visitors to Beijing, upsell
with side trips to Xi’an and
Guilin, says Pentravel’s
Mandi Prinsloo. “Hospitality
standards in China are much
lower than we’re used to in
South Africa, so always try
and upsell to a higher hotel
category,” she says. Fourstar
hotels are completely
acceptable but three-star
hotels can be ‘iffy’, says
Dragon Holidays’ Chien Liou.
Due to the language
barrier it’s always advisable
to sell guided tours and
sightseeing trips with a local
guide and pre-book transfers
and transport such as train
tickets, says Mandi. Agents
can also add on authentic
Chinese experiences, such as
cooking classes and Chinese
writing classes, says Flight
Centre’s Christine Sing.
Where clients are travelling
for business, suggest
extending their trip for
tourism activities, says
Wendy Wu’s Alet Steyn.
“For example, if corporate
travellers have a conference
in Shanghai, they will add
on our Beijing and Xi’an
seven-day, short-stay package
or make use of our threeday
‘Hong Kong Glimpses’
stopover package on their
return.” Agents can also
suggest combining tours to
China, Tibet and Mongolia.
While Chinese festivals
are spectacular, Chien says
travellers should avoid
them, as many Chinese
locals attend these and
public transport is extremely
challenging.
Diarise these dates!
China International Travel Mart: November 13-15 (Yunnan)
Guangzhou International Travel Fair: February 25-27, 2016.
Beijing International Tourism Expo: June 24-26, 2016.
World Travel Fair: May 12-15, 2016 (Shanghai)
Visa update
All ordinary passport holders wishing to visit mainland China can apply for visas at the Chinese Visa
Application Service Centre (CVASC) in the Sandton City Office Tower in Johannesburg. Applicants can no
longer apply directly at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate. The single-entry fee for visas has increased
from R400 to R800 per person.
LUX* to launch new resort
LUX* Resorts and Hotels will officially open the boutique hotel LUX* Lijiang on February 8, 2016 (Chinese New Year). At the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the hotel invites guests to experience the region by exploring nature trails by foot, on bicycles or horseback and learn about tea ceremonies inspired by the tales of the Tea Horse Road. Dedicated LUX* tour guides can also arrange a private audience with genuine Dongba shamans, China’s forgotten priests. “China’s economic progress, continued stability and the growing ease of travel have made the continent increasingly attractive to trend-setting travellers who are looking for unspoiled destinations, rich in genuine experiences,” says Paul Jones, ceo of LUX* Resorts and Hotels.
News flash!
Wendy Wu Tours has made a number of changes to its China tour itineraries for 2015. Zhujiajiao, a
picturesque town and home to the Fangsheng Bridge, has been added as a day trip from Shanghai. Clients
will now stay for two consecutive nights in Yangshuo and one night in Guilin to ensure a more leisurely paced
stay instead of the previous one night Guilin, one night Yangshuo and one night back in Guilin.
