Sharkbait wrote:
> I was contemplating a trip to Vietnam through southeastern China and noticed
> the VISA fees for China from the US have gone up to $130.
This is correct. According to China this is in response to a raise in
prices for Chinese citizens wishing to visit the U.S. If it's any
consolation the period of visa validity has improved.
>A night at the
> Sheraton in Jiuzhaigou for October is running $500. I have a booking for
> June that I reserved for half that price.
China certainly is cheap, but never has been at a Sheraton, and even
US$250 is a ridiculous price to pay for a foreign-run hotel in a remoter
corner of China, and hardly likely to be good value for money in terms
of the service received.
>I realize the dollar is dropping
> like a lead ballon but the increases seem steep compared to a year ago. Is
> this a symptom of the 2008 Olympics and will prices drop in September or
> later?
More likely the October price is a function of the fact that the first
half of October is peak travel season in China, as it is every year, and
nothing to do with the Oympics. The fact that the corresponding May
holiday has now been cut down to a day may possibility be fuelling
expectation that October will be busier than ever before.
> Vietnam, while under intense inflationary pressure, still seems to be a
> bargain compared to China.
Possibly--I haven't had recent experience of Vietnam. But no one
travelling to stay in Sheratons is likely to have much idea of real
costs, but only of the carefully-engineered-for-tourists sector of the
economy, which in either country has little to do with the real world.
But within the tourist bubble the selection of June at a summer resort,
and October at the highest peak of the Chinese travel season may anyway
have more to do with it.
Peter N-H
http://www.datasinica.com |
