SHENZHEN, China (PNA) – Rapid development is giving Shenzhen new life as an active center of recreation and shopping in the Asian Region.
The province has been dubbed as "A City In One Night" because it has progressed despite its early age of 25 years.
To taste what Shenzhen offers, Air Philippines in one of its flights decided to invite officials from government and tour agents. Included in the group are Capt. Edilberto R. Medina, president and CEO of Air Philippines; Charlie Yu, special assistant to the president; Erlinda Santiago, Leah Sison and Aileen Cuevas of Air Philippines; Ma. Bella Cantada, Frontline Travel; Norma T. Torres, Michael Baylosis and Frances Aguindadao, Civil Aeronautics Board; Peter and Esther Manalac, Ivyan Travel; John and Jessica Baricuatro, John Gold Travel & Tours and Corazon G. O. Golden JC Holiday Travel.
From the Shenzhen Baoan Airport, we were met by John Chen, manager of China Travel Service Overseas and John Chu, our guide and led us to Luo Hu Hotel where Sam Lee, general manager was waiting.
The hotel located in the commercial area of Shenzhen district is a four-star hotel. It has 220 rooms composed of superior rooms, deluxe rooms, business suite and superior executive suite.
In one of my conversation with Capt. Medina, he said Air Philippines, the third-largest carrier in the Philippines will be gradually expanding starting from this year to 2009 by having at least 10-12 aircraft.
Air Philippines is embarking on a refleeting program. It has just completed Phase 1 with the acquisition of six Boeing 737 from US Air. Phase II will start next month with the acquisition of four more 737 from Delta Air also of the US to complete the 10 aircraft before the end of the year.
Air Philippines has now two gateways to China – Shenzhen and Canton. A couple of months back, the carrier was flying to Chengdu in Sichuan Province but only a charter flight. It stopped because of charter air fleet.
The airline is also flying to three entry points in Korea – Daigu, Kwangu and Inchon.
"The China flights we are doing right now with reciprocity with other governments, is in line with the government’s ‘thrust of increasing tourism because we are bringing Filipino tourists here and coming back to the Philippines with Chinese travelers. The same is true with the Koreans," Medina said.
On the other hand, Consul General Erlinda Gavino of Guangzhou, who is our guest together with Attache Rammel Villena, said Chinese travelers want to go to Subic, Boracay and Cebu.
"With the dynamic support of our ConGen who is very active in promoting the tourism industry in our country and Air Philippines’ participation, we can enhance the tourism program of the Philippines by bringing in more Chinese and Korean travelers," Medina said.
Shenzhen is located on the southern coastal region of Guangdong province. With a population of seven million, Shenzhen boasts of nearly 52 scenic spots and attractions and 100 star-level hotels of multifarious styles, thousands of different levels of shopping and recreations.
The province is alive and kicking with almost 10,000 tourists a day – students, employes, and those coming in from other countries.
Topping the list of attractions here is the Window of the World. It is exceptionally assembled in the 480,000 sq.meter theme park with the marvelous sights of the world, natural landscapes where tourists can find much pleasure.
At the entrance of the Park is the World Square with a capacity of an audience of 10,000 where various programs and entertainment are presented.
At Around the World Square firmly stands the 108 giant pillars of different strikes and a 1,680 sq. meter relief map.
Opened in 2001, the spherical stage is a composite stage in China. One can see a new show dubbed as "Cradles of Civilization" every night.
Among the sights in the Park includes the spectacular 108 meter tall Eiffel Tower. The top sector with restaurants can be reached by elevators. Here, one can see the beauty of the whole of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
There is also the Niagara Falls in miniature, rushing down with force of thunderbolts, the Hawaii Volcanoes which are glowing blazes with surging melting lava and the fountains which are spurting water as high as 100 meters, the Leaning Tower of Pizza and Church, Buckingham Palace, Angkor Wat, Triumphal Arch, the Whitehouse, among others.
Other rides and attractions like Alpha Indoor Ski Dome, Grand Canyon Flume Ride, Pyramid Fantasy Hall, Amazon, Forest Bobkart Ride, and Fuji Digital Cinema enable visitors to enjoy the endless fund brought by advanced technologies under the background of cultural environment.
In the open space of the park, one can see an elevated monorail car, golf car, medieval Europe-style carriage and the old-fashioned electrical trains.
Going to Splendid China, one can tour around China’s historical sceneries all in one day. It is a window for a glimpse of China’s 5,000 years of history and culture.
More than 100 star-level hotels are found in Shenzhen, impressive in terms of their building design and interior atmosphere. Some of the hotels are the Landmark Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel, Pavilion Hotel, Nan Hai Hotel, Mission Hills Resort, Luo Ho Hotel, Century Plaza Hotel, Bao Ming, Seaview, Oriental Hotel, and others. (Text and photos by Lynda B. Valencia (PNA)
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