Hainan remains hot destination, prices fall

　　广东游客热捧海南游 价格下降

　　Hainan has remained one of the most popular traveling destinations for Guangdong tourists while its prices have dropped by about 50%。

　　The winter traveling market in Guangdong has suffered great setback this winter when a series of natural and manmade disasters arise, including the snow storm in the Shandong Peninsula and the shutdown of water supply in Harbin.

　　Meanwhile, prices of tour packages bound for Hainan have dropped sharply since the recovering Southeast Asian traveling market have spent great efforts to attract Chinese tourists.

　　Luxury train to cater tourists in holiday

　　游客可乘豪华火车穿梭深圳上海

　　A luxury holiday train between Shenzhen and Shanghai will be put into operation from Jan. 14, 2006 to cater to the needs of tourists during the upcoming Spring Festival.

　　The air-conditioned express train will complete the journey in 25 hours and 26 minutes, the Guangshen Railway Co. Ltd. said yesterday.

　　The train, numbered L140, will leave Shenzhen at 11:55 a.m. and arrive at Shanghai at 1:21 p.m. the following day, passing through Guangdong, Jiangxi and Zhejiang.

　　The company said it would offer up-market services like free magazines and newspapers, more choices in food including dishes for vegetarians, a weather forecast for each stop and maintenance by a professional cleaning company. The train will be available only during the peak travel time before and after the Spring Festival.

　　Guangdong travelers prefer resorts in warm climate

　　“老广”春节出国游 “冷暖分明”

　　Australia, Africa and tropical islands in Southeast Asia have ranked top in Guangdong tourists’ Spring Festival travel list, according to local travel agencies.

　　Among the tours, those bound for the Great Barrier Reef between Australia and New Zealand are the hottest. Some special top tour packages, such as those in which tourists may appreciate Switzland’s snow views in trains or explore the studio in which the film Harry Potter was shot, have been highly recommended, said the agencies.

　　Park hikers warned against wild monkeys

　　游深圳莲花山小心被猴袭

　　Six people were injured by wild monkeys in Lotus Hill Park between Dec. 23 and 26, according to Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital records.

　　The Daily Sunshine quoted the victims as saying that the attacks by the aggressive monkeys were unprovoked.

　　Ms. Liu, one of the victims, said she and her husband were injured when they were doing the morning exercises in the park Dec. 25.

　　"We were standing on an uphill slope when a big fat monkey appeared," she recalled. "We were too scared to move. The monkey bit us on our legs."

　　Short trips gain popularity in New Year holiday

　　元旦假期游客青睐短途游

　　The short distance trips by driving are becoming more popular on the New Year holiday.

　　According to the statistics from local travel agencies, residence from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu prepared for their driving trips during the three day holiday for the new year. Some even looked for partners by email and mobile messages.

　　The three-day holiday is suitable for travelers who want to drive. Sales people with China Youth Travel Service said the new year holiday between Christmas and Spring Festival provides a chance for self-driving trip lovers.

　　According to a website, figures on hotels and resorts in five big Chinese cities, there are more than 200 routes of self-driving trips, including crab-catching, spa and seaside routes.

　　Arabic nations attract Chinese tourists

　　阿拉伯国家出招引中国游客

　　Chinese tourists may experience a different Spring Festival in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will hold a "Dubai Shopping Festival" in late January and early February.

　　More Chinese people get to know about Egypt through cultural weeks and other tourism promotions, thus increasing the number of Chinese tourists, said Naser Abdel Aal, an Egyptian tourism attache in China.

　　Some 32,000 Chinese visitors went to Egypt in 2004, and the number may hit a record 40,000, he said.