Our good friend and former colleague Guy Rubin of Imperial Tours explains that luxury travel in China has reached a tipping point, still offering amazing value and now with cleaner skies:
Unparalleled Value for Luxury Hotels & Airfare to China
China has reached a tipping point for luxury travel. Heavily reduced business and economy airfare has opened access to luxury accommodations at a fraction of the cost of anywhere else in the world. The excellent Four Seasons Beijing is 15% of the cost of the Four Seasons London. The same goes for the stylish Rosewood Beijing, which is only 12% of the cost of the Rosewood London.
Chinese airlines are flooding the international market with competition. Since late 2016, airline companies such as Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Hainan Airlines have increased their carrying capacity to North America and Europe by up to 44%. The increase in flight competition has halved the cost of getting to China. Right now you can find business class seats from New York to Beijing for under USD2,000 (Air Canada). This now means that you can splurge on other parts of your trip like restaurants and travel experiences.
Beijing Becomes a Greener and Healthier City
As a part of Beijing’s 5 year clean action plan which began in 2013, this past Saturday March 18, 2017, Beijing shut down its last coal-fired power plant. This is the fourth plant to be closed and replaced by gas thermal power centers. From now on, Beijing will rely exclusively on natural gas, wind farms and solar energy to power this booming metropolis of the future.
With business class airfares and luxury prices at an all-time low and as the world embraces China’s increasing sophistication, China is passing through this tipping point and becoming even more attractive as an exotic travel destination.
-Guy Rubin, Managing Partner of Imperial Tours