Departure Gate

Your passport to the latest destinations and airline promotions

CITS launches English website

China International Travel Service (CITS) launched its inbound tour business-to-business website www.cits.net on Thursday to better promote China's rich tourism resources to global clients.

As China's top travel service, CITS will provide more than 40 regular touring routes around China on the website, including Beijing, Shanghai, Three Gorges and Tibet. The website also includes the latest travel news and updated destination news. Clients can get their own customized touring service through the site. The website is in English and will expand to support other languages in the near future.

High-speed trains began traveling between the eastern Chinese cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou on Tuesday morning, the latest milestone in China's effort to build the world's fastest rail network.

Trains on the line will travel at an average speed of 350 kilometers per hour, shortening what was once a 78-minute trip between the cities to 45 minutes.

A ticket price for the nine-stop trip between Shanghai and Hangzhou costs 156 yuan ($23.40) for a first-class seat and 98 yuan ($14.70) for a second-class seat.

Large yacht harbor planned near Rome

Visitors to Rome know Fiumicino as the location of the city's international airport. But now Fiumicino, located some 30 kilometers from the Eternal City's center, is to become home to a large new marina. By 2015, a yacht harbor is to offer some 1,500 berths for yachts of between 10 and 60 meters, the Italian central tourism authority ENIT said. Most of the berths are to be ready as early as 2012. ENIT put the construction cost of the project at $560 million.

Disco, punk and rock in the snow are promised by organizers at the Austrian resorts of Ischgl and Schladming, which kick off the ski season with a series of concerts. Ischgl leads the way on Nov 27 with Beth Ditto-fronted US combo Gossip ("Heavy Cross"). Around 20,000 visitors are expected for the event, which is free to ski pass holders. An entry ticket for the local pistes costs 55 euros ($76). A week later on Dec 4 both One Republic ("Apologize") and Ke$ha ("TikTok") touch down at the Planai stadium in Schladming. Tickets are priced from 45 euros ($62) each.

Texan run features non-stop music

The hottest local and regional bands will be playing on 28 stages along the course of a marathon run in the Texas city of San Antonio on Sunday, Nov 14. From classic rock to rhythm-and-blues, the bands at the third edition of the Texas Showdown are sure to keep runners and spectators on the move from start to finish. The race offers a flat, scenic course through San Antonio, featuring hundreds of local high school cheerleaders, themed water stations and up to 30,000 onlookers lining the streets.

Lisbon showcases its architecture

The Portuguese capital of Lisbon will be showcasing its numerous architectural gems from now until Jan 16 at an architecture triennale event being held for the second time. This year's motto is "Let the buildings speak for themselves" and several exhibitions are being held. Portugal's Tourist Association expects a total of 125,000 visitors to admire Lisbon's architectural heritage over the four-month period.

Airline news and deals

Southwest starts sale for travel between holidays: Southwest Airlines Tuesday launched a fare sale for travel between peak holiday travel periods.

One-way tickets are $30, $60, $90, or $120 depending on the length of travel. The sale is for travel between Dec 1 and Dec 15 or between Jan 4 and Feb 16, every day except Sundays.

To get the sale fares, customers must buy the tickets before 11:59 pm Pacific Time on Oct 28.

Discounted air tickets from HU: Hainan Airlines is offering discounted air tickets from Nov 6 to Dec 12.

Passengers traveling from Guangzhou can enjoy 75 percent discount at most by calling 020-8612-4956 to book. But the offer is limited to certain people, such as family members of the Asian Games volunteers.

Korean Airlines promotion: Korean Airlines opens new routes serving Guangzhou, Wonju and Cheju island until Feb 28, 2011.

There are 18 flights from Guangzhou to Inchon weekly. Arriving in Wonju from Inchon by coach, passengers can take another once-daily flight directly to Cheju island in about an hour.

Discounted air tickets from Ctrip: Ctrip.com is offering discounted air tickets in a promotion that ends today.

Passengers traveling from Qingdao to many cities in China are entitled to as much as a 65 percent discount. Some tickets to Shanghai cost only 260 yuan.

China Daily - Xinhua - Associated Press - Deutsche Press-Agentur

(China Daily 10/31/2010 page16)