Happy Mid-Autumn Festival but what the heck is that?
Every year at about this time, my local partners in China always send me Happy Moon Festival Wishes and then advise me that they will not be in the office for the next 2 days.
Coincidentally, my desk is usually covered in little red boxes containing a petite but heavy cake from loyal customers and local suppliers.
Well after 10 years of working at Chinapac, I decided to find out more about this event by speaking with my colleagues in the office and I found out the following.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people, dating back over 3,000 years.
This year the festival takes place Sept 22 -24, 2010 with most businesses and offices in China being closed. This time off gives the Chinese a chance to reunite with their family and friends to celebrate with tasty food such as Moon Cakes, fruits, and crab!
At night, families will gather outside with their lanterns to enjoy the beauty of the moon and light incense in honor of Chang'e the Chinese Goddess of the Moon.
Sounds like a fun party! And yes Chinapac will be open during this time
中秋快乐!
Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Otis' Addison Roadshow Update
So here I am in sunny downtown Winnipeg getting ready to do the last show of the Prairies Addison Series. During the past week I have had the opportunity to speak with new and veteran travel agents from Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon.
These shows have always been great opportunities for Chinapac to connect with agents that are currently using our services …once you use Chinapac you never go back. It also allows me to find out what we can do to improve our company.
The general consensus amongst travel agents is they enjoy working with our company, feel comfortable recommending our tours to their clients, our prices are competitive but not budget and our anything is possible attitude.
But surprisingly, what I am hearing the most is that agents such as yourself want more from us. More brochures, more information and more products easily accessible.
Over the next few months there will be some exciting announcements about how Chinapac will attend to these requests. Things are going to start to get really interesting for this Vancouver based tour operator and I hope you will join me on this new adventure.
Happy Thursday,
Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations
These shows have always been great opportunities for Chinapac to connect with agents that are currently using our services …once you use Chinapac you never go back. It also allows me to find out what we can do to improve our company.
The general consensus amongst travel agents is they enjoy working with our company, feel comfortable recommending our tours to their clients, our prices are competitive but not budget and our anything is possible attitude.
But surprisingly, what I am hearing the most is that agents such as yourself want more from us. More brochures, more information and more products easily accessible.
Over the next few months there will be some exciting announcements about how Chinapac will attend to these requests. Things are going to start to get really interesting for this Vancouver based tour operator and I hope you will join me on this new adventure.
Happy Thursday,
Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Lucky Winner - Part 2
Good luck had struck Chinapac for a second time in 6 months.
Jacqueline Jing, Senior Travel Consultant at Chinapac International, was the happy winner of return ticket from Vancouver to Seoul from Korea Airlines. The Korea National Tourism organization hosted an evening of product knowledge, cultural performances, delicious food and lucky draws.
If you have clients planning a trip to South East Asia, drop Jacqueline a line as she has travelled throughout Asia and can give you the inside scoop on cities, hotels and attractions.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
2 for 1 specials, early booking bonuses, and prices that are too low to be true...
Chinapac explains the difference between their company and everybody else
When it comes to picking an Asia tour operator, many options are available. But while many tour operators claim to be the best of everything, there are a few things to keep in mind, as not all tour operators are created equally.
Price
It’s easy to get into a pricing war during these tough economic times. In order to recoup their losses, some China tour operators build in shopping stops at overpriced stores that may or may not be listed on the itinerary. The tour operator then receives a shopping commission from the store. Sometimes an employee from the tour operator will even accompany the group on the tour to ensure they receive their shopping commission.
When Chinapac International offers a low price, that’s what it is: a low price. We have a great working relationship with our partners in China and are able to negotiate better prices on our tours so we can pass them on to you. In our 25 years of business, Chinapac has not requested or received a cent of shopping commissions.
Quality
Every China tour operator claims to provide a quality, tour but how do you determine quality? Our Canadian management team visits China many times a year to ensure our preferred hotels and cruise ships remain up to standard. We prefer to use 4-star quality hotels that also reflect Chinese culture. Our groups are also much smaller than most - at Chinapac we consider a party of six a group, and over the past three years, most of our programs have had an average of fewer than 16 people. Our clients tell us they appreciate this approach. Lastly we are known for our FAM tours. Our FAM tours are not crammed with hotel inspections, presentations, and meet & greets. On our FAM tours, you experience the tours just as your clients would.
Service
From the time you make the first call or send the first e-mail, you will experience Chinapac’s superior service. Our extended business hours are designed to fit your schedule and our agents are available to speak with you seven days a week. Our agents are very knowledgeable of China and experienced in selling China tours to Canadians. We often receive compliments about our sales staff and tour guides. I invite you to visit us online and read some of these comments.
Experience during a crisis.
In our 25 years of business, Chinapac has seen its fair share of challenges in the travel industry, including the Tian An Men Square Protest of 1989, 9/11 attacks, and the 2002 SARS outbreak. While some companies folded, Chinapac was able not only to survive, but to grow through tough times because of strategic planning, innovative thinking and our commitments to price, quality and service. The current economic situation is another opportunity for Chinapac to set itself apart from other operators. When you are planning that $10,000 vacation for a client, you can be confident we will be here when your client is ready to travel.
If you have never booked with Chinapac or haven’t booked with us lately, I personally invite you take a look at our product and services. There has never been a better time to travel to China with us.
Wishing you all the best during the autumn travel season,
Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations
Chinapac International
When it comes to picking an Asia tour operator, many options are available. But while many tour operators claim to be the best of everything, there are a few things to keep in mind, as not all tour operators are created equally.
Price
It’s easy to get into a pricing war during these tough economic times. In order to recoup their losses, some China tour operators build in shopping stops at overpriced stores that may or may not be listed on the itinerary. The tour operator then receives a shopping commission from the store. Sometimes an employee from the tour operator will even accompany the group on the tour to ensure they receive their shopping commission.
When Chinapac International offers a low price, that’s what it is: a low price. We have a great working relationship with our partners in China and are able to negotiate better prices on our tours so we can pass them on to you. In our 25 years of business, Chinapac has not requested or received a cent of shopping commissions.
Quality
Every China tour operator claims to provide a quality, tour but how do you determine quality? Our Canadian management team visits China many times a year to ensure our preferred hotels and cruise ships remain up to standard. We prefer to use 4-star quality hotels that also reflect Chinese culture. Our groups are also much smaller than most - at Chinapac we consider a party of six a group, and over the past three years, most of our programs have had an average of fewer than 16 people. Our clients tell us they appreciate this approach. Lastly we are known for our FAM tours. Our FAM tours are not crammed with hotel inspections, presentations, and meet & greets. On our FAM tours, you experience the tours just as your clients would.
Service
From the time you make the first call or send the first e-mail, you will experience Chinapac’s superior service. Our extended business hours are designed to fit your schedule and our agents are available to speak with you seven days a week. Our agents are very knowledgeable of China and experienced in selling China tours to Canadians. We often receive compliments about our sales staff and tour guides. I invite you to visit us online and read some of these comments.
Experience during a crisis.
In our 25 years of business, Chinapac has seen its fair share of challenges in the travel industry, including the Tian An Men Square Protest of 1989, 9/11 attacks, and the 2002 SARS outbreak. While some companies folded, Chinapac was able not only to survive, but to grow through tough times because of strategic planning, innovative thinking and our commitments to price, quality and service. The current economic situation is another opportunity for Chinapac to set itself apart from other operators. When you are planning that $10,000 vacation for a client, you can be confident we will be here when your client is ready to travel.
If you have never booked with Chinapac or haven’t booked with us lately, I personally invite you take a look at our product and services. There has never been a better time to travel to China with us.
Wishing you all the best during the autumn travel season,
Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations
Chinapac International
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Chinapac featured in Ming Pao Magazine
Chinapac's Director of Sales & Operations, Otis Ashby, was recently featured in the Ming Pao Saturday Magazine.
The article discussed what Westerner's thought of traveling to China and other Asian destinations.
Otis Ashby offered a quite humorous and realistic view on his experiences traveling to China....8 times and counting.
Read the full article here.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Lucky Winner
Good luck had struck Chinapac yesterday.
Otis Ashby, our Sales and Operations Director for Chinapac International in Vancouver, was the happy winner of a business class return ticket to Taipei from China Airlines recently. China Air was celebrating its 10th year of services to Vancouver and held a celebratory lunch at the Shiang Restaurant in Richmond, BC. Flanking Ashby are Simon Lee (l), departing general manager of China Airlines in Canada and Eddie Yeh (r), the newly assigned GM.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Canadians really like their hockey
I read this article the other day in the Vancouver Sun and I found it funny because Canadians like to travel but we are also very polite when we travel. However, when hockey comes into play, things kind of go sideways.
Canada's largest airline has learned it sometimes has to take a back seat to the country's biggest sporting passion, ice hockey, the head of Air Canada said on Tuesday.
The airline was forced to delay a flight from Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games because passengers watching the end of gold medal final on airport televisions ignored repeated calls to board.
"We incurred a flight delay for a reason Air Canada had not yet encountered in over 72 years of existence," chief executive Calin Rovinescu told a business gathering.
The Canadian fans were rewarded for their delay, as the nail-biting end to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics saw Canada beat arch-rival United States
3-2 in overtime.
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