US ambassador to China Gary Locke has announced a new interview waiver pilot program that is expected to make it easier for Chinese nationals to visit the United States. Under the new program, consular officers will have the power to waive interviews for some qualified non-immigrant applicants who are renewing their visa within 48 months of expiration of their previously held visa. more ›

Chinese high rollers have transformed Macau and Singapore into two of the world's top gambling destinations. Now, Australia wants a slice of that market too. Peter Gotting of Australia Network News reports. more ›

Yuyuan coin thieves, rubber egg yolks, Disneyland rides, endangered animal trackers, and peak power usage. Here's what happening around Shanghai: more ›

The Hukou Waterfall, China's second largest waterfall, located on the border of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, are an absolutely spectacular sight in winter to behold. more ›

Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of luxury goods sales in overseas markets during the month of January, with total sales of approximately $7.2 billion USD recently. The amount sees the a nearly 30 percent increase from the same period last year, when Chinese on vacation spent $5.6 billion USD on luxury items. more ›

Li Guanyi, a 29-year-old Shanghai resident, was hit and killed by a motorcycle while crossing the road in the Taiwanese city of Hualien (花莲) at 10pm on Tuesday. Li was attempting to cross the road to reach his hotel when the accident occurred. Despite efforts at resuscitation, Li was declared midnight before reaching a hospital. The apparent cause of death was initially determined to be intracranial bleeding, though investigations are still ongoing. more ›

A video of a quarrel between mainland tourists caught snacking on a Hong Kong subway train with local passengers has burnt up the internets in both Hong Kong and the mainland. Watch a Hong Kong news report with English subtitles after the jump... more ›

The 56-year-old traveler, whose identity has not been released by authorities, had been traveling with her sister, who resides in the US, when the $450 million-dollar ship, carrying upwards of 4,200 passengers and crew members, collided with a reef off the Tuscan coast, since claiming the lives of at least six people, while at least 29 people are still missing, according to foreign media reports. more ›

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>If you're looking to throw an awesome New Year's hotel party on the semi-cheap in Shanghai, this might be your chance. Authorities announced yesterday that on December 31st, various tourist spots and hotels in Pudong will offer half-off discounts. Hotels included in the promotion are the Pudong Shangri-la, Ritz-Carlton, Radisson, Ramada Plaza, Grand Hyatt, and many others (totaling 28). See the full list (in Chinese) here. more ›

The word on the street is that Hangzhou is the first city in China to have free city-wide wifi coverage (much to the chagrin of Shanghai residents), but is it true? more ›

"You know, quite a lot of mainland tourists now, more than 2.6 million, have come to Taiwan. They have done a lot of consumption in Taiwan, and spurred a tourism boom. At the same time, moreover, they have also got a sense of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom. A lot of them didn’t go out during the evening. Instead, they lock themselves up in their hotel rooms, watching the political talk shows to see our people criticizing their president. [laughter] Well, that’s democracy. That’s, you know, freedom of expression. But after a while, they began to ask why they couldn’t do the same when they go home? So, this is a very powerful question, and gradually they will make some changes, not only in our cross-strait relations, but also in their own internal system." more ›

Another day, another group of angry Chinese travellers causing a commotion somewhere in the world. This time, a group of tourists from Shanghai, Sichuan and Shenzhen staged a protest at Singapore's Changi Airport after a lengthy delay of their Hong Kong Airlines flight. more ›

Pete Mignin, a roommate's sister's boyfriend's friend from LA who kept us waiting in a lobby while one anxious evening out several weeks ago (the free-flow beer hour was beginning, and the man was keeping us waiting), is the gifted photographer who created this lovely clip of images from his first ever trip to China. more ›

An uproar broke out earlier this week in the Canadian province of British Columbia when a brochure sent by the provincial government to business owners entitled "How to Market Your Business to China" warned against promotions involving gay tourism, casinos or gambling. more ›

Just as Europe is hoping for China to be its sugar daddy financial savior, tourism industries throughout the Asia Pacific region are bending over backwards to court Chinese tourists and the revenue boost they represent. We thought a special round-up on the subject was in order. more ›

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A total of 21 floats and 30 performer teams enthralled crowds in a massive parade last Saturday on Huaihai Middle Road to kick off this year's Shanghai Tourism Festival. Featuring the usual flotilla of garish floats, happy minorities and a number of imported acts from Japan, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia and elsewhere, the parade's manufactured carnivalesque atmosphere drew a crowd of tens of thousands. more ›

Anthony Tao, who writes over at the Heart of Beijing blog, has just returned to China from North Korea, and he has some amazing footage from this year's mass games. more ›

Everything about it screams BACKWARD, but it's still luxurious by North Korean standards. Over the weekend, 130 Chinese tourists and journalists boarded the 39-year-old Man Gyong Bong, a former cargo ship that's just been recently renovated and remade to become the DPRK's very first cruise ship. more ›

Okay, while we don't particularly enjoy spending much time getting accosted with "bagswatch" offers and shoving ourselves through throngs of Chinese and foreign tourists, I wouldn't call Nanjing East Road the WORST tourist trap in the world. But that's exactly what CNNGo has labeled it - Number 4 to be exact. What is far more entertaining than the list itself, though, is the reaction from Huangpu district, whose feelings were clearly hurt. From Want China Times: more ›

Taiwan's Tourism Bureau has launched a new international marketing campaign that aims to lure more travellers to the island even as it attracted a record number of visitors last year. The full 16 minute film, "Time for Taiwan - My Beautiful Island" aims to showcase all of the island's culture and natural beauty and is targeted at four main categories of travellers -- backpackers, women, families and elderly couples. Since it was launched about a month ago, the video has been seen close to half a million times on Youtube. The masterminds behind the film, Johnason Lo and Michael Fimognari, were tasked with breaking the mould of conventional marketing campaigns employed by other tourism bureaus, and we think to a large extent, they have succeeded in what they set out to do. more ›

For North Korea's fledgling tourism economy, China represents the largest inbound market. This clip from a Japanese documentary gives you an eye-opening glimpse of what Chinese travellers are shown on their DPRK tours. more ›

Via NoCommentTV: "Ahead of the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party on Friday, the country's multi-billion dollar "Red tourism" industry is booming in Yan'an, the Party's old revolutionary base, where visitors can re-enact an historic battle with guns, explosions and tanks." more ›

Chinese passport holders often complain about the hassle they have to go through applying for visas each time they're going abroad, but on the bright side, they'll now have easier access to ONE country than everyone else on Planet Earth. Recently, 100 Chinese tourists drove their own way in a convoy around North Korea as part of a three-day tour costing a very affordable US$147 per person. And my, my, look what happy tourists they are! more ›

Woohoo! Beginning July 1, a new flight will take you from Pudong Airport to one of the world's most exotic (and reclusive) destinations. more ›

Taiwan begins a trial programme on June 28 that will allow individual tourists from three mainland Chinese cities, namely Shanghai, Beijing and Xiamen to visit the island. The number of cross-strait passenger flights will also be increased by over 50 percent to 558 per week. Since Taiwan lifted the ban on mainland tourists in July 2008, it has seen a whopping 2.34 million arrivals from the mainland as of May 2011, providing a much-needed boost to its economy. more ›

A group of Chinese tourists have reported a travel agent to the authorities after they were forced to pay RMB800 each in tickets for sex shows in Pattaya when the guide stopped their bus in a remote area and turned off the a/c till everyone paid up. According to one of those tourists, "It was extremely hot in the coach, but we dared not leave because it was stopped in a dark, remote place. The tour guide said that if we didn't pay, the driver wouldn't have money for fuel." The travel agency says it has since sacked the tour guide for inappropriate behaviour and offered a full refund and compensation for the tickets. [Shanghai Daily] more ›

Macau serves as Asia's top gambling haven but for all its allure, it's lacking in broader tourist appeal. According to MGM CEO Grant Bowie, Macau needs another ten years to achieve Las Vegas-style status with exhibitions, convention halls, and wholesome entertainment. As it stands, 95% of profits are created by gambling--compare that with its progenitor which generates more than 50% of its sales from non-casino related transactions. more ›