Travel Agencies Turn to InternetWith the rapid development of e-business in China, will traditional tourist agencies become a casualty of on-line travel services?A top manager of China's premier travel agency says no. In an interview with China Daily, Li Lu'an, general manager of China International Travel Service (CITS) and board chairman of China Travel Network Co Ltd (CTN), said that the CITS has set the pace in the domestic tourism market while combining traditional travel services with on-line business. "Although e-business and the Internet have become an important means of communication for tourists, they cannot replace many services of the tourism industry in the near future," said Li. In the past two years, the CITS upgraded its service to include 25 travel agencies and 90 hotels through the nation's Internet. "About 90 per cent of the programmes for our tour groups have been transmitted by the network, which is a help in the industry," Li said. In order to face fierce market competition, the CITS tried to use the advanced means of communication as early as 1982 when it established its internal computer network within 14 cities in China, Li said. In 1997, the giant travel agency co-operated with two partners to set up the first on-line tourism company in the country - China Travel Network Co Ltd. The CTN.com.cn informs tourists about more than 2,000 hotels, 1,000 tour routes and sightseeing spots, communications, restaurants, climate, folklore, history and culture in Chinese, English, French and Japanese. Overseas and Chinese travellers are visiting the on-line sites for information on booking hotels and tickets, while travel agencies are seeking more opportunities on Internet. (China Daily) |
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