Dear CBI members and strategic partners,
China Direct would like to share with you a snapshot of CBI members' successes in China through 2014. We hope that you found our new format easy to use, visual and informative and wish you all every success for the forthcoming year of the sheep.
Please do keep sending us your updates and press releases so that your business can also be highlighted in 2015.
Thank you.
[Image courtesy of www.ihg.com]
The global IHG Academy Programme partners with community organisations and education providers in
local markets to offer skills development and improve employment prospects of the local population.
In China, where the programme began in 2006, the 150th IHG Academy is being delivered with Pu'er University from Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The university has partnered with Crowne Plaza Xishuangbanna to train and develop hospitality and tourism managers and develop the right skills to support IHG's rapid growth in China.
The IHG Academy Programme has grown rapidly since its inception and now operates in 37 countries around the globe.
Richard Solomons, CEO of IHG, said, "At IHG we believe that hotels can make a real contribution to society, and the IHG Academy enables us to help build sustainable communities globally. With our leading size and international scale, IHG can give a chance for better employment prospects for people who may otherwise not have entered our industry. People in the IHG Academy come from many backgrounds and through this programme they are able to experience the diverse range of jobs to be found in hotels.
"At our heart, we are a people business. As we continue to grow, we will continue to invest in the IHG Academy globally, making a meaningful difference to the communities in which we operate, our guests, hotels, and the industry at large."
Please click here to read the full press release by IHG
CBI member InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently announced that Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts will open 10 new hotels in Greater China in 2012, bringing the total number of Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts operating in Greater China to 63.
The geographic coverage of the 10 new properties will include 1st-tier cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong as well as 2nd- and 3rd-tier cities such as Hefei, Xi'an, Xuzhou, Zhenjiang, Tianjin, and Lanzhou and resort destinations such as Huangshan and Xishuangbanna.
By the end of 2012, Crowne Plaza will become the largest upscale international hotel brand in Greater China, with hotels operating across 50 cities and another 50 in the development pipeline, which will be opened in the next three to five years.
Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer of IHG Greater China, said, "Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts is the fourth-largest upscale hotel brand in the world and one of the fastest growing brands in Asia Pacific with a strong development pipeline. We are thrilled to announce these 10 new hotel openings, as they reinforce our serious commitment to growth in Greater China. As part of our expansion efforts throughout the region, we plan to introduce brands to new markets and provide both business and leisure travellers with the best selection of hotels throughout the country."
Mr. Barr added, "The Crowne Plaza global portfolio has doubled since 2003 to nearly 400 hotels, and our global pipeline has increased fourfold to 115 hotels, the most hotels in the development pipeline of any upscale brand globally."
Please click here to read the full press release by IHG.
[Image courtesy of www.arup.com]
A team of engineers from CBI member Arup recently built an Arup-designed bridge in Mixia Village in Yunnan province with student volunteers from the Kunming University of Science and Technology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
As part of Arup's ongoing collaboration with Wu Zhi Qiao Charitable Foundation, the new bridge provides safe journeys for the commuting villagers between Mixia and its surrounding villages and helps improve their livelihood. Prior to the Arup-Wu Zhi Qiao Bridge, locals often had their journeys interrupted by damages to a makeshift bamboo bridge caused by the river flooding.
To withstand the devastating floods, Arup designed a bridge with an impressive 20 metre clear span and a vertical clearance of six metres. To provide durability and longevity, the bridge is constructed out of galvanised steel with rocks and stones from around the site used as counterweights.
Commenting on the project, Freda Chu, Arup Wu Zhi Qiao's project manager, said, "To build a culturally sensitive and highly sustainable bridge, we held a company-wide design competition, and the winning scheme was adopted as the basis for detailed design.
After several site visits, the design was fine-tuned considering the on-site constructability. A small team of volunteers also travelled to steel fabrication and assembly sponsor S-couvrot's factory in Shanghai for a mock-up of the bridge assembly process to ensure smooth construction on site."
Mixia Village is located in the southern part of Yunnan province, close to the China-Vietnam border.
Please click here to read the full press release by Arup.
[Image courtesy of www.ukti.gov.uk]
Dear CBI members,
You may have read about the Regional Cities Trade Missions last month on our website however if not please find a summary of China-wide missions for Q1 below.
If you are interested in the Wuhan-Zhengzhou mission scheduled for 20-22 Feb please contact: Zheng.Weiwei@fco.gov.uk Tel: 0086 10 51924406
For your reference the CBI's China office will be attending the Zhengzhou section of the Mission.
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) recently released the dates for the next phase of its Regional Cities Programme in China.
The schedule of the missions is as follows: Zhengzhou and Wuhan (20-22 February 2012), Nantong and Yancheng (27-29 February 2012), Kunming (23-24 February 2012), Chongqing (05-06 March 2012), Hangzhou and Ningbo (07-09 March 2012), and Foshan and Shunde (28-29 March 2012).
These missions will offer an excellent introduction to these cities and the opportunities that they offer.
Participants in the missions will enjoy:
• Access to high-level officials
• Business workshops
• Knowledge about specific opportunities
Please click here for full details on the mission to Nantong and Yancheng and here for the mission to Hangzhou and Ningbo.
