Dépêches

Cathay Pacific’s New China Experience Tours Take You Behind the Scenes of One of the World’s Most Intriguing Countries

Dépèche transmise le 30 septembre 2009 par Business Wire

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It is one thing to gaze at an exhibit of ancient artifacts through protective glass. It is quite another to don white gloves and actually touch history by holding precious relics while scholars verbally bring their significance to life.

It is one thing to stand on a walkway and peer down at the wonder of the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, more commonly known as the Terracotta soldiers. It is an entirely different experience to enter exclusive Pit #5 that has been carefully preserved so that you can come face-to-face with a soldier still partially buried in the earth for 2,000+ years.

It is one thing to take a packaged tour of China that offers oodles of the ordinary. It is a memory of a lifetime to visit China and see, hear, smell, taste and touch the extraordinary, which is now possible through the launch of Cathay Pacific’s China Experience tours.

“China Experience is very different. Think of it as actually being the legendary, swashbuckling explorer versus watching him up on the big screen,” says Dennis Owen, vice president, marketing, Americas, for Cathay Pacific Airways. “We offer exclusive and private access to areas that are not available to the general public. Experts who live and work in China have helped us design the packages. Local English-speaking guides will lead your experience through behind-the-scenes tours and other VIP elements. This will be one of few trips you talk about for years and years afterwards.”

Guests can visit the must-see venues of China through a choice of four tour packages:

China Signature Tour – Beijing, Shanghai, Xian

Designed for seasoned travelers who want to boldly go where few have gone before.

--		In Beijing, visit ...
		-- The Forbidden City
		-- Tiananmen Square
		-- Beijing National Stadium
		-- National Aquatics Center
		-- An ancient hutong … Traditional courtyard homes that are a cultural icon of Beijing
		-- The Great Wall.
		-- The Imperial Palace where VIP status provides you exclusive access to ...
		-- The Palace of Double Glory … Palatial home to the Emperor’s Annual Tea Party
		-- Shu Fang Zhai … The Imperial family’s theaters and now VIP reception area
--		In Xian, visit ...
		-- The Forest of Stone Steles Museum
		-- The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
		-- The Xian Museum
		-- The Municipal Institute of Archaeological Research
		-- The Shaanxi History Museum.
		-- Your VIP status provides you with exclusive access to ...
		-- Terracotta Pit #5
		-- The ability to make a rubbing of a pre-selected stele
		-- The opportunity to hold thousand-year-old relics
		-- Discuss new archaeological finds with the scientists working to preserve them
--		In Shanghai, visit ...
		-- The Shanghai Museum
		-- Yu Yuan Garden
		-- The Jade Buddha Monastery
		-- The Bund
		-- And shop till you drop on Nanjing Road

China Explorer Tour – Beijing, Xian

Designed for history buffs who desire to dig deeper into China’s past.

--		In Beijing, visit ...
		-- The Forbidden City
		-- Tiananmen Square
		-- Temple of Heaven
		-- The National Museum of China, focusing on the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties
		-- An ancient hutong … Traditional courtyard homes that are a cultural icon of Beijing
		-- The Great Wall
		-- The Imperial Palace where VIP status provides you exclusive access to ...
		-- The Palace of Double Glory … Palatial home to the Emperor’s Annual Tea Party
		-- Shu Fang Zhai … The Imperial family’s theaters and now VIP reception area
		-- And you’ll learn the art of Tai Chi in a private session
--		In Xian, visit ...
		-- The Forest of Stone Steles Museum
		-- The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
		-- The Xian Museum
		-- The Municipal Institute of Archaeological Research
		-- The Hanyangling Museum
		-- The Cuihua Mount National Geological Park
		-- Your VIP status provides you with exclusive access to ...
		-- Terracotta Pit #5
		-- The Fan Zhou Chinese Painting Museum
		-- The National Treasure Vault at the Shaanxi History Museum
		-- You’ll also make a stele rubbing, hold thousand-year-old relics and discuss new
		archaeological finds with the scientists working to preserve them.

Heart of China Volunteer Tour – Beijing, Shangri-La, Xian

Designed for travelers who want to give back to the people and places they visit.

--		In Beijing, visit ...
		-- The Forbidden City
		-- Tiananmen Square
		-- The Great Wall
		-- An ancient hutong … Traditional courtyard homes that are a cultural icon of Beijing
		-- The Beijing National Stadium
		-- The National Aquatics Center
--		In Xian, visit ...
		-- The Shaanxi History Museum
		-- The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
		-- The Banpo Museum
--		In Shangri-La, visit ...
		-- Pudacuo National Park
		-- Shudu Lake
		-- Militangya Alpine Pastures
		-- Bitta Hai National Park
		-- Shangri-La Old Town
		-- Sanjia and Tangdui Villages to local artistry and crafts
--		Your VIP status provides you with a special full-day volunteer assignment at ...
		-- The Eastern Tibet Training Institute

Essence of China Tour – Beijing, Shanghai, Xian

Designed for the first time travelers to China.

--		In Beijing, visit ...
		-- The Forbidden City
		-- Tiananmen Square
		-- The Great Wall
		-- An ancient hutong … Traditional courtyard homes that are a cultural icon of Beijing
		-- The Beijing National Stadium
		-- The National Aquatics Center.
--		In Xian, visit ...
		-- The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
		-- The Banpo Museum
		-- The Shaanxi History Museum
		-- The Bell Tower
		-- The North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda
		-- Your VIP status provides you with exclusive access to
		-- Terracotta Pit #5
--		In Shanghai, visit ...
		-- The Shanghai Museum
		-- Yu Yuan Garden
		-- The Jade Buddha Monastery
		-- The Bund
		-- Shop till you drop on Nanjing Road
		-- Plus, you’ll learn the art of Tai Chi in a private session

Additionally, China Experience provides two city-specific packages for independent travelers who want to self-direct their itineraries in a single locale. These exceptional packages are available to Beijing and Shanghai and include Business Class air transportation and 5-star hotel accommodation.

Giving Back

To complement the Heart of China Volunteer Tour that allows you to give back to the communities you visit, Cathay Pacific will donate a portion of the proceeds from all tour packages to Wokai, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering rural Chinese entrepreneurs. More information about Wokai can be found by visiting the organization’s Web site at www.wokai.org.

Additionally, tour participants can also choose to offset the carbon footprint of their flights by participating in Cathay Pacific’s FLY greener program. An online calculator allows you to make the proper contribution.

Your Trip

Trans-Pacific flights are provided onboard Cathay Pacific Airways. Celebrating 63 years of service in Asia and nearly 20 in the United States, Cathay Pacific was named Airline of the Year after more than 16 million air travelers drawn from over 95 different nationalities took part in an 8-month-long survey by Skytrax. It is Cathay Pacific’s third time winning the top honor in this prestigious customer-driven event.

Tour prices start at US$2,999 for 10-day, 9-night packages. Prices are per person and include all air transportation (including taxes and fuel surcharges), land transportation, hotel accommodations, sightseeing, admissions, meals (as listed in itinerary), tour guide services and travel insurance.

Visit Cathay Pacific’s U.S. home page at www.cathaypacific.com/us and click on the China Experience banner or email [email protected] for more information. To book a China Experience tour, please call our tour sales staff at 1-877-3CHINA3 (1-877-324-4623) Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.

About Cathay Pacific Airways

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways was named "Airline of the Year 2009" by the Skytrax World Airline Awards. From North America, Cathay Pacific offers daily nonstop service to Hong Kong from LAX, JFK, SFO, Toronto and Vancouver. The airline is a member of the oneworld™ alliance and a partner in Asia Miles, a leading travel rewards program. For more information, visit: www.cathaypacific.com/us.