Week In Review: September 23-27, 2013

In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of September 23-27. How To Woo The Independent Chinese Traveler: Family And Friends Play Key Role A quick glance at the crowds in airports, hotels, shopping centers, and tourist destinations is enough to confirm the growing trend of individual Chinese tourists traveling independently around the world. A recent report by travel intelligence company Skift delves into the topic of individual travelers, and says that “the vast majority of China’s independent tourists—74.4 percent—are between the ages of 25 and 44.” Hotels.com published a survey that said that more than 60 percent of Chinese outbound tourists prefer to travel individually, rather than as part of a group. Christie's Inaugural Mainland Art And Luxury Auction A Total Success Christie's executives and organizers tap the gavel for the sale of Cai Guo-Qiang's charity piece. (Christie's) Christie’s got off to a strong start in Shanghai today, with an inaugural auction that commanded high prices across many categories and featured a significant presence of collectors from mainland China. After three days of celebrations, exhibitions, forums, and private sales, as the first of its kind to be held on the mainland, the auction sold 98 percent of its items by lot and 96 percent by value. The multi-category sale, which featured wine, watches, jewelry, and Western and Chinese art, “illustrated how much demand and appreciation there is for art across categories,” said François Curiel, president of Christie’s Asia. Tourism Bureaus Court Chinese Stars With Hope That Crowds Will Follow Tourism organizations from California to New Zealand are using the star power and social media reach of Chinese celebrities in an attempt to draw high-spending tourists from the mainland. Visit California has teamed with model and actress Gao Yuanyuan, Tourism New Zealand with actress and social media phenomenon Yao Chen, and Tourism Vancouver with Chinese-born, Vancouver-based singer Wanting Qu, all to capture of attention of Chinese travelers, who are exploring distant shores at historic rates. Last year, 83 million Chinese spent $102 billion abroad, overtaking Americans and Germans to become the world’s biggest tourism spenders, according to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Those figures are only expected to grow, and tourism bureaus around the world using increasingly creative methods to lure tourists from the mainland. Macau Embraces Middle Class To Stave Off Slowdown Global gambling center Macau has long been a stronghold for the world’s top high rollers, but this may be set to change in the coming years. With a major percentage of business coming from the mainland, many of Macau’s top casino and hotel operators took a significant hit from China’s economic slowdown and corruption crackdown, but recent evidence has shown that it’s on the rebound. Its August revenue increase marked the second highest of the year, leading many to point out that the return of high revenues is a signal that China’s corruption crackdown may be letting up. However, there may be another reason: its growing reliance on the middle class as opposed to just its top-spending VIPs. Cartier Shares 'Story Of Style' At Shenyang Exhibit While first-tier Chinese cities are no strangers to major luxury-sponsored museum exhibits, French jeweler Cartier is displaying its heritage in Shenyang, a second-tier city deep in the process of realizing its major luxury potential. As the sponsor of an exhibition entitled “A Story of Style and Heritage”, Cartier shows off 300 of its most historic pieces, some of which date as far back as the mid-18th century. While the brand currently operates four boutiques in Shenyang, the exhibit’s location is the Liaoning Provincial Museum, which lends cultural gravitas far beyond the level of a typical marketing campaign. As part of the exhibition’s theme of cultural exchange, 100 Chinese pieces will be on display alongside Cartier’s jewelry and timepieces.

Week In Review: September 23-27, 2013

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Published September 27, 2013

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Week In Review: September 23-27, 2013