First local package tour to Hong Kong
11/7/2003 16:59
Shanghai's first package tour to Hong Kong started today after the
National Tourism Administration relaunched overseas tours the day before
yesterday, the Wenhui Daily reported today.
The Shanghai China International
Travel Service (SCITS) kicked off its first package tour to Hong Kong and Macau
at 3 p.m. today, and the Shanghai China Travel Service Group's first Hong Kong
tour also started today.
All the local travel agencies are gearing up for the
overseas tours.
The Shanghai Jinjiang Huating Overseas Tourist Co Ltd began
to promote tours to Hong Kong and Macau last week, with the first package tour
booked up within only two days.
The SCITS have contacted the air-carriers
and hotels in the travel destinations in order to make full preparations for the
tours.
They have received nearly 100 calls in just one morning after the ban
on overseas tour was lifted on Wednesday, with half of the calls consulting the
tours to Hong Kong and Macau, said the spokesman with SCITS.
Local travel
agencies have offered various kinds of discounts to tourists in order to spur
the local tourism market.
Shanghai China International Travel Service,
Shanghai China Travel Service Group, Shanghai China Youth Travel Service and
Shanghai Jinjiang Huating Overseas Tourist Co Ltd jointly offered a package tour
to Hong Kong priced only at 1,800 yuan (US$217) per person, and a tour to Hong
Kong and Macau priced at 1,999 yuan per person.
The current package tour
price to Hong Kong is only at two-thirds of the original price before the SARS
outbreak, said an industry analyst.
The SCITS will organize an 80-person
package tour to Hong Kong on July 19, with one fixed tour to Hong Kong and Macau
a week.
More than 200 tourists will go to Japan by chartered flight and 50
tourists will go to South Korea, with tourists to other countries expected at
the end of July or early August, according to SCITS.
Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news
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