Courtesy of Marriott Harbor Beach resort in Fort Lauderdale

China will soon spend more on business travel than the United States, according to a report released Monday.

The Asian giant will overtake the United States in business travel spending in 2014, a year earlier than forecast, because U.S. spending is slowing and China’s continues robust, said the Global Business Travel Association.

China, Brazil, Russia and India all saw business travel grow by more than 15 percent last year, faster than rates in the United States and western Europe.

This year, worldwide spending on business travel should rise 4.6 percent to $1.07 trillion. Next year, it should advance another 8.1 percent, the group found.

Business travel spending fell 7.5 percent in 2009 during the global recession, but has since rebounded.

For more information, visit gbta.org.

A ranking and analysis of the luxury hotel brands capturing the interest of Chinese travelers

(PRWEB) July 23, 2012

Digital Luxury Group, the first international company to create luxury industry market intelligence and use this strategic viewpoint to develop unique digital marketing and strategies for luxury brands, in a first-time partnership with Luxury Concierge China, a travel service and consultancy based in Shanghai and Luxury Society, the world’s largest community of luxury executives, unveil for the first time a ranking of the top 15 most-searched for luxury hotels by Chinese travelers.

Top 15 Most-Searched Luxury Hotel Brands by Chinese Travelers (January – March 2012)

1 Sheraton    喜来登酒店

2 Hilton    希尔顿酒店

3 Shangri-La 香格里拉酒店

4 Intercontinental     洲际酒店

5 Westin    威斯汀酒店

6 Four Seasons    四季酒店

7 The Peninsula    半岛酒店

8 Kempinski     凯宾斯基酒店

9 Nikko      日航酒店

10 Ritz Carlton    丽思卡尔顿酒店

11 Hyatt Regency     凯悦酒店

12 Banyan Tree     悦榕庄

13 Le Meridien     艾美酒店

14 Renaissance     万丽酒店

15 Sofitel     索菲特酒店

© Digital Luxury Group

This report is part of the World Luxury Index™, an international ranking and analysis of the most searched-for brands within the luxury industry. Covering over 400 brands within six key segments (fashion, beauty, jewelry, cars, watches, and hospitality) in ten key luxury markets, the World Luxury Index provides insights on the unbiased search inputs coming from global luxury consumers in the world’s top search engines (Google, Bing, Baidu, Yandex). The result is a one-of-a-kind benchmark of the luxury brands capturing the attention of luxury-minded consumers around the world.

DLG research analysts, with the support of the Luxury Concierge China and Luxury Society teams, uncovered a number of interesting findings:

1. Fast growing market and no clear leader yet defined

The combination of a rising disposable income and the gradual abolition of travel restrictions are giving Chinese travelers more power and leading to a fast growing travel market. In the hotel space there are no clear leaders defined as of yet and there is still room for new players to make an impact with both domestic and international Chinese travelers.

2. American hotel brands doing well

Of the top 15 hotel brands in China, six (close to half) are companies which originate in the US. The Sheraton, Hilton, and Westin brands have strong presences in China and are in the top five most often searched.

3. Sheraton tops Chinese travelers’ interest for luxury hotels

As the saying goes, “the early bird catches the worm” and in this case it is true. Sheraton was the first western hotel brand to begin operations in China in 1985 and today it is the most searched for hotel, capturing 13.58% of total luxury hotel searches.

4. Chongqing and Tianjin are often searched domestic locations

After the nation’s biggest economic hubs, Shanghai and Beijing, cities Chongqing and Tianjin are most searched. These locales act as primary gateways to western and northern China, respectively. Sanya, Dameisha, and Dalian are popular for their favorable weather, nature, and cuisine.

5. Hong Kong, Bali, and Singapore top the most searched international locations

The proximity to Hong Kong, little to no language barriers and regular and direct flights make Hong Kong and Singapore a regular stop for both business travelers and shoppers alike. Bali beckons as a prime vacation destination.

6. Banyan Tree and Shangri-La capture the most spa-related searches

Vacation travelers looking for a respite may search online for conveniently located spas and resorts. Capturing more than 40% of searches for spas is Banyan Tree. The spa / resort has four hotels in Mainland China and is expected to open 13 more.

BEIJING (Xinhuanet) — Foreigners are likely to find it easier to travel between Beijing and Tianjin, municipalities in North China, with the help of “expresspay cards” that were introduced on Saturday.

Foreign commuters can take the cards to special electronic sensors installed on turnstiles in railway stations and use them to buy tickets and check in for their trips. Before now, such travelers had to pay for their journeys either at ticket windows or online.

The cards were issued by the Ministry of Railways and Bank of China and were put into use on Saturday.

Foreigners with valid passports can apply for permission to use the plastic cards, which will be encoded with identifying information, and can be loaded with money in advance for buying tickets.

Applications for the cards can be submitted either to the Beijing Southern Railway Station or at five selected offices of the Bank of China in Beijing. The forms should be filled in with applicants’ full names, passport numbers and telephone numbers. Travelers can call 95566 or 4008-368-368 for more information.

Robin Tsukada, a Japanese student at Tsinghua University whose parents live in Tianjin, said he has had trouble buying a ticket to Beijing, especially true on weekend evenings, when he tends to travel.

Foreigners cannot buy tickets at automated ticket-selling machines,” he said. “The machines don’t recognize passports. And I can stand for hours at a window to get a single ticket during rush hour.”

He said the cards will allow commuters to catch a train whenever they arrive at a railway station instead of restricting them to the train they bought the ticket for.

The high-speed trains that shuttle between Beijing and Tianjin, China’s first intercity trains to travel at speeds of up to 300 km an hour, were introduced in 2008, just ahead of the Olympic Games. They take about 30 minutes to go from one city to the other.

About 200 trains travel the routes from 6:30 am to 11 pm daily. Even so, some passengers have to wait for hours before they can get a train on weekends and public holidays.

Besides the trains running between Beijing and Tianjin, travelers can also take the cards to the Ministry of Railways’ sales website and ticket offices that have point-of-sale equipment to buy tickets for other routes.

Taiwan residents who have Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents can also apply for the cards.

(Source:China Daily)