[travel]Golden week, golden opportunities
Posted:2007-5-9|Source:Asia Times|No. of Views:
BEIJING - Queuing to order food took long enough, but the woes of Nanjing native Wang Yan, his wife and six-year-old son weren't over.
Tray in hand, they spent the next 30 minutes trying to find a vacant table in a McDonald's fast food restaurant in Wangfujing, in the heart of Beijing, where thousands of tourists had congregated for the "golden week" Labor Day holiday which ended on Monday.
"They must be making a fortune," Wang said, munching on a hamburger in the street with his family, after despairing of finding a table inside the restaurant.
Chinese tourists with children in tow often choose foreign-invested fast food restaurants and hotels - considered more expensive but more comfortable - during golden week holiday travel.
China turned the statutory holidays of the Lunar Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, May 1 International Labor Day and October 1 National Day into seven-day long holidays in 2000.
The extended holidays were such a boon for ordinary Chinese that they were soon known as "golden week holidays". They are also a golden business opportunity for foreign-invested service providers.
Senior managers from McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut may be on holiday during golden week, but their restaurants throughout the country were primed to deal with the rush.
The National Tourism Administration estimates that 150 million tourists traveled around China during the "golden-week" holiday, more than 10% of the total Chinese population.
The restaurant where Wang failed to find a seat had spruced up decoration and food services in anticipation of the crowds. A manager, unwilling to be named, said the restaurant has tripled customer traffic in the first three days of the "golden week".
On the endless beach at Yalong Bay in Sanya, China's southernmost city on the island province of Hainan, world famous chain hotels and resorts also geared up for a wave of travelers.
Without a reservation made weeks ahead, rooms were scarce. "No vacancies" and "only suites with no discount" were the answers given by hotel reservation hotlines.
In the capital of southwest China's Sichuan province, Chengdu, holiday shopping fever among local residents provided foreign companies with great opportunities.
"We definitely like holidays!" says Zhangzhen, media manager of Carrefour supermarket in Chengdu. "Sales were up 50% in the first two days compared with normal days. Home appliances are the top sellers."
Aware of the potential of golden week holidays, the Chinese government has emphasized the importance of developing the service sector in the national economy.
In China, services represent only 40% of the country's gross domestic product, compared with the average 52% in other developing countries and 72% in developed countries.
"Foreign capital has been wary of entering the service industry," said Hu Jingyan, a senior official with the Ministry of Commerce. "But, as the service sector opens, I believe it will attract more foreign capital."
