Week In Review: September 22-26, 2014

In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of September 22-26, 2014. Johnnie Walker House Taps Into Chengdu’s Growing Taste For Experiential Luxury The all-new Chengdu “whisky embassy” joins Johnnie Walker House locations in Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul with an eye toward high-net-worth individuals. Emulating private residences, the invitation-only centers in Shanghai and Beijing have been popular for their special services such as education on whisky production, personalized whisky blends, bespoke food and drink pairings, and menus developed by famous chefs. Members also have access to rare bottles and can participate in blending sessions with Johnnie Walker’s master blender. For guests who really want an authentic Scotch-drinking experience, the house also features a concierge service that sets up trips to Scotland. Interview: Travel Writer Hong Mei Tells How China’s Young Globetrotters Are Shaking Up Tourism Industry For many of China’s new travelers heading abroad for the first time, a guided tour group focused mainly on shopping and sightseeing is a safe, reliable booking option in an unfamiliar country. As the Chinese travel market matures, however, seasoned vacationers are skipping the tour bus and opting for solo trips focused not just on shopping and landmarks, but also on new experiences and learning about local cultures. Even President Xi Jinping promoted this mindset last week in the Maldives when he advised Chinese travelers to “eat less instant noodles and more local seafood” when in other countries. As incomes in China rise, the length of travel is also increasing for some, and more Chinese travelers are even taking an entire “gap year” abroad. Interview: ‘New Chinese Traveler’ Author Shares China Travel Industry Scoop For Golden Week And Beyond As luxury retailers, hoteliers, restaurants, and tourism companies across the world wait with anticipation for the upcoming Chinese fall Golden Week vacation period that runs from October 1 to 7, many are wondering what’s in store amidst China’s continuing anti-corruption crackdown. In order to learn more, we checked in with China travel expert Gary Bowerman, who recently published a comprehensive guide on China’s tourism industry entitled The New Chinese Traveler: Business Opportunities from the Chinese Travel Revolution. Drawing on years of industry experience, Bowerman’s book outlines emerging trends in China’s outbound travel industry as well as an analysis of the motivations and preferences of China’s rapidly growing number of global travelers. In the interview below, he discusses his predictions for this season’s Golden Week as well as his long-term views on the future of China’s travel industry. Golden Week Forecast: What Luxury Can Expect From Chinese Spenders As the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 65th birthday on October 1, more of its citizens than ever before will be taking the opportunity to travel overseas. The seven-day-long Golden Week holidays, once hotly anticipated shopping periods for luxury goods and gifts, are now occasions luxury brands dread. Rising Stars On China’s Retail Scene: Homegrown Multi-Brand Stores While foreign and Hong Kong multi-brand luxury stores such as Lane Crawford, Galeries Lafayette, and I.T make strides in mainland China, homegrown multi-brand stores have been sprouting quietly to reach a surprising number of 25, occupying a large share of the market. The impossible-to-ignore trend spurred the recent publication of a report on multi-brand stores in China by Chinese commercial real estate research firm RET and Chinese-language fashion news website Fashion Trend Digest.

Week In Review: September 22-26, 2014

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Published September 26, 2014

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Week In Review: September 22-26, 2014