Shanghai Wants to Keep Luxury Travel Alive

July 17, 2009 at 4:08 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

Some cities look at this economic downturn and see the collapse of their tourism industries; Shanghai sees dollar and yen signs. China's biggest city is aiming to take over the luxury business market while it's on sale, even as next year's World Expo looms large.

Just as its fellow countrymen in Beijing did a general tidy in advance of last year's Olympics, Shanghai hotels and outfitters are cranking up their luxury offerings even in a time when there may not be anyone to enjoy them. The centenarian Peace Hotel is getting a major facelift, and a brand new all-glass cruise terminal opened in November to pull in shore excursions from far and wide.

Shanghai may not have been singled out by President Obama as a luxury business destination, but it must be noted that in no way does the city have the visitor numbers to back up this boost: Tourism is down 11 percent and hotel occupancy down 10 percent, not nearly as bad as some cities but not enough to justify major development this early.

On the bright side, if you can still afford to travel to Shanghai, we bet you can score some massive deals.

Related Stories:
· Shanghai push for luxury crowd despite tough times [AP via the Toronto Star]
· Lodging for Next Year's World Expo in Shanghai Only $14 a Day [Jaunted]
· Famous Hotel Gets Tagged [HC]
· What Recession coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the Shanghai airport: autanex]

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