Let’s Visit Asia

Image used with permission from JetCombo
I received an email reporting that JetCombo, an online airline booking services specializing in chartered flights, has just released its list of the top 10 international summer destinations, based on itineraries booked through the website for leisure airline travel. Here’s where most are off to this summer:
1. France
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany
4. Italy
5. Israel
6. China
7. South Korea
8. Greece
9. Poland
10. United States
China make sense, what with the hordes headed for the Olympic games. But South Korea? I would never have guessed. One more interesting tidbit: Guess which destination is at position #11? The Philippines!
I would have …read more

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When I wrote about China’s tightened visa procedures in light of the upcoming Olympics, I already said that they should watch out that it doesn’t backfire. Looks like my fears were not unfounded.
By now, Beijing hotels should already be fully booked in anticipation of the summer visitors. In reality, however, business is slow.
“We are not full at the moment, and we have rooms to fill,” said Anthony Ha, general manager of the newly opened Marriott Courtyard Beijing Northeast. “There’s not much time left, and we have a way to go.”
Ha declined to reveal the hotel’s occupancy rate. But he expressed …read more

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It turned out that my mother-in-law and her sister, who wanted to spend a week in Beijing, weren’t able to secure the necessary tourist visa to enter China as the country tightens security in reference to the Olympics. What a bummer! Oh well, they’re heading to Ho Chi Minh City instead.
That’s one great thing being based here in Singapore– it’s easy to hop off to the neighboring Asian cities, being one the main airline hubs in Asia. Assuming you get the visa, that is.

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Those visiting Hong Kong this summer are up for a fun-filled and busy trip. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has put together a vibrant website showcasing the so-called Hong Kong’s Summer Temptations.
Go wild as malls and department stores all over town tempt you with special offers you can’t afford to miss. Enjoy cuisines from around the world at prices that fit every pocketbook. Use your Visa card and you could be big winner in the Visa ‘Million Dollar’ Lucky Draw! Play our Stamp Rally game and discover Hong Kong’s living culture.
On top of that, Hong Kong is hosting the Equestrian …read more

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My mother in law and her sister will be flying over from Europe next month and are planning to spend a week here in Singapore with us and another week in Shanghai. But given the recent earthquake and the tightened visa policies in view of the coming Olympic Games, I’m not sure they’re going to push through with their plans. And if they don’t go this time, their China exploration might have to be shelved for a longer while.
China officials are insisting that China “will continue to be open to the world” and “welcome foreigners to come to China to …read more

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There are a number of promotional videos made for the Beijing Olympics. Here’s one of my favorites, featuring the song One World, One Dream:

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The Olympic torch has arrived in China and will do its three-month long relay across major cities in China. In Sanya, Hainan, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan and other celebrities added glitz and glamour to the parade. It seems that despite its protest-ridden run in Europe due to the Tibet crisis, the parade has been well-received in China.
Before the crisis over Tibet and the bitterness over protests abroad, China’s 1.3 billion people seemed unusually united in joy at the idea of seeing the Olympics in Beijing. The shouting and cheering Sunday suggested that, for many people at least, that …read more

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Have a peek at Beijing’s Olympic Village, which will house the 16,000 athletes, coaches and other participants to the 2008 Olympic Games.
Solar panels, drinking water on tap, internet access (subject to government censorship) … quite an architectural feat, really. Let’s hope everything’s up and running in time!

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The Hotel Club Travel Blog has the details on the new Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital Airport, which was just finished right in time to welcome the hordes of visitors arriving for the upcoming Beijing Olympics 2008. If the photos over there aren’t impressive enough, take a look at how the airport glows in the night:

If this is the sight that will welcome you as you land, geez, I think I’d feel like I’m going to land on a different planet!

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Jackie Chan’s commercials for Visa and the Beijing Olympics never failed to elicit chuckles from me every time I chance upon them on the tv. I’m not sure if this one is the latest of the series of commercials, but it’s definitely one of my favorites:

Man, how old is the guy?!?

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