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☆ Hong Kong wants residents to smile more but experts warn prices and competition are bigger issues for tourism
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Guests posing for a group photo at the "Let's Go the Extra Mile" hospitality campaign launch ceremony at the Central Government Office in Hong Kong on June 3, 2024. In response, the Hong Kong government launched a campaign – titled "Let's Go the Extra Mile" – encouraging frontline staff and members of the public to demonstrate good hospitality and "reinforce Hong Kong's brand as the best tourism destination." Hong Kong's currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar, which has helped the city's status as an international financial center. "Both have become equal problems for Hong Kong," he said. While the city's borders were closed during the pandemic, nearby Shenzhen continued to develop into a top-tier Chinese city, Lee said.

Persons: Long, John Lee, Hong Kongers, Allan Zeman, Lan, Kwai, Zeman, mainlanders, Simon Lee Siu, Lee Organizations: Central Government Office, Nurphoto, Getty, Hong, Lan Kwai Fong Group, U.S ., U.S, Sports, Tourism Bureau, HK, Pacific Institute of Business, Chinese University of Hong, Shenzhen Locations: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Hong, Japan, Asia, Chinese University of Hong Kong

He had planned to lead a team of 15 local journalists reporting on the eclipse. Journalists at The Democrat & Chronicle have worked without a contract since 2019, said Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, the union that represents them. Workers also seek a policy regarding the ethical use of artificial intelligence in reporting and writing articles, Mr. Craig said. “We had this incredible story that would touch a lot of people in our community,” Mr. Craig said. “Hopefully we’ll be back at the negotiating table tomorrow morning,” Mr. Craig said.

Persons: “ I’m, I’m, ”, Gary Craig, Susan DeCarava, “ Gannett, Ms, DeCarava, Craig, ’ bylines, “, ” Amy Garrard, ” Mr, we’ll Organizations: Democrat, Chronicle, Gannett, Journalists, The Democrat, The New York Times, ” Gannett, USA, Workers Locations: Rochester , N.Y, New York, newsrooms, United States, Rochester

☆ Social media chatter helps draw 3 million tourists in 3 days to a frigid city in northern China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Yulia Jiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"He said he was happy to see so many southern visitors in Harbin." The plump, bundled-up appearance of Harbin tourists, many hailing from southern China, led to locals calling them "Little Southern Taters" — a nickname that was widely discussed on Chinese social media. Tourists new nickname for Harbin — the shorter "Rbin" — has swept across Chinese social media too, representing their newfound affection for the city. A larger plan to use social media to publicize Harbin and the larger province of Heilongjiang may be at play. He Jing, head of Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, told China Central Television that his department has been focusing on using social media "since the beginning of 2023."

Persons: Yuying Zhang, Zhang, Zhang Zhang, Zhang Tao, she's, —, Andrea Verdelli, Jing, Jiang, Yuetong Jiang Organizations: Harbin Cultural Broadcasting, Tourism Bureau, CNBC, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Street, Bloomberg, Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Culture, China Central Television, Harbin Locations: Harbin, China, Shanghai, Heilongjiang, Tourism, Changchun, China's Jilin

☆ Popular Taiwanese rock band Mayday investigated for lip-synching in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —Popular Taiwanese rock band Mayday is being investigated by Chinese authorities over allegations of lip-synching during recent concerts, an accusation the band’s label has denied in a controversy that has dominated Chinese social media since the weekend. Live shows routinely use pre-recorded background vocals and music to bolster artists’ live singing performances, especially acts that involve vigorous choreography. Chinese government regulations explicitly ban performers from “deceiving audiences with lip-synching,” and organizers from arranging for performers to lip synch. The band is well known for hosting energetic marathons of music, with each show typically lasting two to three hours. They were among the first Taiwanese musicians to hold large-scale concerts in China after the country lifted its stringent zero-Covid policy and travel restrictions.

Persons: ”, ’, vlogger Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Tourism Bureau, Xinhua, B’in Music, Weibo, CNN, B’in, “ Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shanghai Culture, Weibo, Taiwan, Beijing

In the past few months, the technology has made ads easier to generate and track. It is writing marketing emails with subject lines and delivery times tailored to specific subscribers. Much has been made about the technology’s potential to limit the need for human workers in fields such as law and financial services. The conflicting attitudes suffused a co-working space in downtown San Francisco where more than 200 people gathered last week for an “A.I. Copywriters expressed worry and skepticism about chatbots capable of writing ad campaigns, while start-up founders pitched A.I.

Persons: Heinz, ” A.I, Copywriters Locations: San Francisco

☆ America’s Foreign Vacations Tell Us Something About the U.S. Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | More About Jeanna Smialek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

People spent 2020 and 2021 either cooped up at home or traveling sparingly and mostly within the continental U.S. But after Covid travel restrictions were lifted for international trips last summer, Americans are again headed overseas. According to estimates from AAA, international travel bookings for 2023 were up 40 percent from 2022 through May. Tour and cruise bookings are expected to eclipse prepandemic highs, with especially strong demand for vacations to major European cities. Paris, for example, experienced a huge jump in North American tourists last year compared with 2021, according to the city’s tourism bureau.

Persons: Emily Organizations: AAA Locations: Paris, Europe

☆ China's capital grapples with scorching summer heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Beijing’s temperature soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) again Thursday, as the Chinese capital grapples with what is shaping up to be one the most severe heat waves on record. China has been gripped by scorching heat waves for weeks, which authorities said had arrived earlier and been more widespread and extreme than in previous years. People shield themselves from the sun amid extreme heat on July 5, 2023 in Beijing. The persistent heat waves have put huge stress on the country’s power grids as demand for air-conditioning soared, with some local governments urging companies and residents to curb the usage of electricity. As the climate crisis intensifies, scientists say dangerous, record heat waves are set to become more frequent and more severe.

Persons: Tianyong Jia, heatstroke, Niño, El Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, heatstroke, China News Service, Beijing Daily, World Meteorological Organization, El Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Northern China, Hebei, Henan, Hunan, 17.18C

[1/3] A person walks past a show venue of stand-up comedy company Xiaoguo Culture Media Co that has closed its business, in Beijing, China May 19, 2023. "Stand-up comedy has been the last bastion in which people ... can still enjoy entertaining commentary about public life," said Beijing-based independent political analyst Wu Qiang. "After this, the space for stand-up comedy and public expression in general will inevitably keep shrinking." China's comedy scene rose quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic as people spent more time indoors watching viral streamed comedy shows. The most popular were produced by Xiaoguo Culture Media Co, the firm at the centre of the current uproar.

☆ No Joke: China Fines a Comedy Firm $2 Million for ‘Insulting’ the Military
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chang Che | Olivia Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Beijing fined a Chinese comedy studio around $2 million on Wednesday for a joke that compared China’s military to stray dogs, a reminder of the ever-narrowing confines of expression under the country’s leader, Xi Jinping. The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau accused a popular comedian, Li Haoshi, who is employed by the studio, of “severely insulting” the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military, during two live performances in Beijing on Saturday. The authority said his joke had a “vile societal impact.”“We will not allow any company or individual to wantonly slander the glorious image of the People’s Liberation Army,” the statement read. The authority also said it indefinitely suspended all Beijing performances hosted by the studio, the Shanghai-based Xiaoguo Culture Media. Officials in Shanghai followed suit, suspending all Xiaoguo performances there and ordering the company to “deeply reflect” on the lessons from the incident, according to a government social media account.

☆ Chinese authorities slap comedy firm with $2 mln fine after military joke
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The incident has strongly divided the Chinese public over what sort of jokes are inappropriate as performances such as stand-up comedy become increasingly popular and also highlighted the limits of appropriate content in China where authorities say it must promote core socialist values. In response to the fine, Xiaoguo Culture blamed the incident on "major loopholes in management" and said it had terminated Li's contract. Reuters could not immediately reach Li for comment and Weibo appears to have banned him from posting to his account there. Founded in Shanghai in 2015, Xiaoguo Culture's popularity has grown in sync with China's embrace of stand-up comedy and had known for raising the profile of hundreds of local comedians. (This story has been refiled to add a dropped word in the headline and fix a typo in paragraph 1)($1 = 6.9121 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Casey Hall; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Shifting to life post-Covid: How remote work transformed this city in the Midwest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Michigan Avenue in Lansing, Michigan. said Cathleen Edgerly, executive director of Downtown Lansing, Inc., a nonprofit working on the culture and sustainability of the downtown. Lansing had the largest share of job listings in March with at least one day of remote work of any city, according to WFH Map. And an analysis by Bloomberg found remote work has cost Manhattan more than $12 billion annually. Lansing, Michigan, USA at the Michigan State Capitol during the evening.

☆ Vacation destinations like Finland and Sicily are giving away free trips, flights, and hotels to revive tourism — see the full list
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sicily is offering discounted airfare and hotel stays, and Finland is giving away 10 free trips. Taiwan said it will pay international visitors $165 and Hong Kong is giving out 500,000 free flights. Sicily, Finland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are giving away free flights, hotel stays, excursions, and even straight cash. Hong KongThe central district of Hong Kong. Starting March 1, the tickets will be distributed by airlines Hong Kong Express, Cathay Pacific, and Hong Kong Airlines, Time Out reported.

☆ Taiwan is paying tourists to visit—here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Places like Hong Kong and regions in Italy have turned to offering free travel and even free houses to encourage people to visit and to help boost their economies. The government is offering tourists 5,000 New Taiwan dollars (about $163 USD) per traveler or NT$20,000 (about $653 USD) for up to 90,000 tour groups. Taiwan is focusing on attracting more visitors from places like Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao, Europe, and the U.S. According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, it saw under 900,000 visitors in 2022 compared to a record 11.8 million international tourists in 2019. It's still unclear when and how Taiwan will start distributing the digital tourist cards, as the government hasn't yet released its plan.

☆ These 3 destinations in Europe and Asia will give you free hotel stays, flights, and cash to take your next vacation there
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Taiwan said it will pay international visitors $165 and Hong Kong is giving away 500,000 free flights. The governments of Sicily, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are pumping billions into the programs, which range from free flights, hotel stays, and excursions — to straight cash. Gary Yeowell/Getty ImagesSicily, a historic island in the South of Italy, first launched its "See Sicily" travel promotion two years ago and recently announced its revival for 2023. Hong KongThe central district of Hong Kong. Starting March 1, the tickets will be distributed by airlines Hong Kong Express, Cathay Pacific, and Hong Kong Airlines, Time Out reported.

☆ We're married Delta pilots with two young kids. Here's how we've navigated our careers together and our top 10 travel tips for couples.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Delta pilots Brent and Kelly Knoblauch first met as interns in 2010. Kelly: Brent and I first met in 2010, when I was still in college at the University of North Dakota. And then I think almost a year to the day, Kelly was also hired as a pilot back at Delta. Being able to see what you're seeing, what you're hearing, what you're suspecting, and just being open about that. Kelly: It actually went really well.

☆ Taiwan welcomes back visitors after ending COVID quarantine rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Ann Wang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Travellers from Thailand on the first quarantine-free flight to Taiwan, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, receive a welcome by officials and the media at the airport in Taoyuan, Taiwan, October 13, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangTAOYUAN, Taiwan, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Taiwan began welcoming back visitors on Thursday after finally ending mandatory quarantines to control the spread of COVID-19, with gifts of cuddly toy black bears for the first tour group that stepped off the plane shortly after midnight. Some rules remain, including a requirement for people to monitor their health for seven days after arrival and perform rapid tests on themselves. Prior to the pandemic, Taiwan was a popular tourist destination, mostly for travellers from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, attracted by the island's cuisine and natural beauty. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Ann Wang; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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