Hotels in China Don’t Benefit Much From the World’s Largest Travel Event
Photo Credit: Because of staff shortages during Chinese New Year, the owner of the boutique Orchid Hotel in Beijing says he has to choose between staffing the hotel or the restaurant. Pictured is a dining area on September 16, 2014. The Orchid Hotel
Skift Take
Hundreds of millions of people in motion during a holiday period should mean big bucks for the travel industry. But in China, technology and tradition are holding it back.
Editor's Note: Skift launched a new series, Gateway, as we broaden our news coverage geographically with first-hand, original stories from correspondents embedded in cities around the world.
We've started with regular reports several times per week from Beijing, Singapore, Caracas and Cape Town. Look for us to add other cities, as well. Gateway Beijing and Gateway Singapore, for example, signify that the reporters are writing from those cities although their coverage of the business of travel will meander to other locales in their regions. Read about the series here, and check out all the stories in the series here.
The Christmas holiday period in the United States in 2016 saw about 100 million people in motion, setting a record. But half a world away in China, transportation officials chuckle at the quaint idea of a mere 100 million trips during a holiday period.
While certain events, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas in the United States, or the annual Hajj pilgrimage
