Wealthy travelers snap up trips around the globe

BEIJING - A half-a-million-yuan tour around the world sold out in less than 10 minutes on the mainland, the organizer said.

The 500,000-yuan ($73,200) trip will take tourists to six continents, including the North and South Poles, over 60 days.

They will travel by air, train, helicopter and ship to reach destinations said to best represent Antarctica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Arctic. They will stay in top-level hotels all the way.