Despite popular belief, not all Chinese people look alike. China is composed of 56 ethnic groups
whose features, traits and beliefs have been passed down to generations upon generations.
The largest of them are the Hans who populate the major cities of Beijing and Shanghai. Yet there
remains 55 other minorities inhabiting the different regions of China.

Come join the handful of North Americans who have discovered these people and regions with our regularly
scheduled tours. Add this tour to an existing Chinapac itinerary or experience it as a standalone tour.

You may also want to join us on our 10 Day Shangrila & Shanghai Tour which departs on Feb 17, 2012. Price from YVR is 1949/person. For more information about this tour visit:

http://cpi.zts.net/PackageInformation/10DayShangrilaShanghai/Kunming/SGID974/LG-EN/Content.aspx

Regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Touch Me. Use Me. 2.0

So we have successfully launched the first version of our new online booking engine. Travel agents such as yourself have been signing up every day and the feedback has been positive.

Our new tool currently offers Day Tours, Activities and Transfers and yes we are still giving away $10 HBC gift cards for all online bookings so make sure you give it a spin before we run out. In addition to accepting credit card payments, the new engine allows us to e-mail you up-to-date vouchers and invoices for convenience. And for security, users will require a log-in account to successfully book their travel plans.

We are currently in the process of testing the next version of our tool which will offer full package tours with air & land, multi-day packages and hotel booking system. Version 2.0 will become available later in the fall.

Go ahead and set up your account here and let us know what you think.

http://www.chinapac.com/tours/

I'm Back!

So after 10 days off I am back in the office. There have been some interesting developments in the world that will affect the 2011/2012 tourism season for many travel industry professionals and their clients.

US economy: As we all know our neighbors to the south are having some serious problems controlling their spending. This in turn has affected their economy and more importantly everybody else's economy as other countries own much of this debt. China alone owns 1.3 US trillion dollars of this debt. As a result, the Chinese RMB currency will continue to appreciate in value. So if you are planning to visit China in 2012, I suggest you book early before prices go up.

London is burning: Riots have plagued this city for several nights now. The fairytale wedding that took place earlier this year is a distant memory and now the 2012 Olympic Host city will have some challenges improving its image before the games take place. Once things settle down, I expect to see many specials and hopefully great FAMS to the United Kingdom.

Vancouver summer: After a disappointing June and July, Vancouver might actually have a chance to salvage this year's summer as the forecast for August seems to be warming up. I really hope this hotter weather continues into September. I am happy that I had the opportunity to visit Thailand in June and experience 30 degree weather otherwise I would be feeling shafted like many other Vancouverites.

By the way if you have not had a chance to take a sneak peak at our new booking engine, you can visit it here

http://www.chinapac.com/tours/

Happy BC Day!

Happy BC Day to all BC and non-BC travel professionals. Please note our office will be closed July 30, 21 and Aug 1 celebrating the holidays with our families. I will also be on holidays until August 8 travelling in one of my favourite regions, BC of course! Our province is blessed with such diverse regions ranging from forests, beaches, deserts, lakes and maountains.

I will be spending a few nights camping in Golden Ears Provincial Park, one of the largest parks in the province. The weather out here has not been the best so I am hoping that Mr. Sun plans to make a daily appearance so we can hike some trails and take a dip in Alouette Lake. Afterwards, we will head north and unwind for a couple nights in the mountain town known as Whistler. Whistler is also a great destination as there are many outdoor activities that are family friendly and everything is within walking distance.

All in all it should be some good times if the weather decides to cooperate.

Warm regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Touch Me. Use Me.

I am happy to announce that Chinapac has released the first version of our new booking engine!



Our new tool currently offers Day Tours, Activities and Transfers. Full package tours with air & land, multi-day packages and hotel booking system will become available later in the fall. In addition to accepting credit card payments, the new engine allows us to e-mail you up-to-date vouchers and invoices for convenience. And for security, users will require a log-in account to successfully book their travel plans -- go ahead and set up your account here.

And because this is all very exciting for us, we decided to share the celebration of launching our new booking system by rewarding the first 100 successful bookings with a $10 HBC gift card!

To try out our new site, please visit

http://www.chinapac.com/tours/

Indeed, I am very proud of this achievement as we are the FIRST Asia Tour Operator to offer this level of online service.

Happy selling!

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Heather Laing Folkins who is the lucky winner of our first Facebook Contest!

Heather won a 4 night package to Beijing that includes a tour of the Badaling Great Wall & other Beijing highlights, a special Hutong Tour and Peking Duck Dinner plus accommodation at the 5-star New Otani Changfu Gong Hotel.

Join the Chinapac Facebook Fanpage for a chance to win prizes and get weekly updates about Chinapac and South East Asia.

Best regards,

Otis Ashby
Sales & Operations

Chinapac on Canadian Travel Press

With China claiming the 3rd world's most popular destination, Chinapac's very own Otis Ashby puts his two cents in regards to selling and travelling to the big land of the Orient.

Read the full article here.