TravTalk India Online Magazine
Select agents from India were taken on a Fam recently by Shandong Airlines to experience the Chinese province. While all of them appreciated the friendly service, language barrier and food remained an issue for many.
NISHA VERMA
Anil Kalsi, Managing Partner, Ambe World Travels
Shandong, for Chinese nationals, is a major tourist destination with five million plus domestic and ethnic Chinese tourists. However, it is still a virgin territory for Indian nationals. Shandong as a province is a tourists’ delight being blessed with nature in abundance and untouched environs. The icing on the cake is the breathtaking visit to Mount Tai, which is a must do. The visit to Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, is truly experiential. Shandong can sure be a part of a holiday itinerary of China. Flying Shandong Airlines is the most convenient way to cover this beautiful province of China.
Amit Aggarwal, Director, Wish Bone India, India Travel Award winner
The Shandong region is bestowed with magnificent and varied scenery and beautiful landscape. A stroll through Qufu means walking in the footsteps of one of China’s greatest philosophers- Confucius. There’s something for everyone to do in Shandong Province—activities to explore and learn, relaxing activities for business travellers on the move, as well as adventures. From an Indian perspective there could be one or two issues, especially language and food. Once taken care, it will be an ideal destination, not only for tourists but for business events as well. Of course, I must make a mention of the personalised, detail-oriented, and friendly services.
Raghav Bhalla, Head-Outbound, High Flyer
Shandong Province is a must visit destination in any China itinerary. The beautiful city of Qingdao is the Germany of Far East, especially for beer lovers, as it is the hometown of world famous Tsingdao Beer. Qufu is the hometown of Confucius, and is amazing for history lovers. During this trip we also explored the beautiful city of Tai’an, which is the base town to visit the beautiful Mount Tai. Jinan is known for its many natural springs, most prominent being the park enclosed Baotu Spring. The connectivity to this region has been made easier with direct connectivity from India (exDelhi) by Shandong Airlines.
Saloni Jain, Executive Director, Paras Holidays
Travelling in Shandong Airlines was simply an outstanding experience, both in terms of comfort and client-oriented service. With both business class and economy class product, it would certainly appeal to the Indian market. As far as the destination is concerned, it has lot of potential to appeal to the Indian market. All the cities have something to offer, whether it is Qingdao, Qufu, Tai’an or Jinan. The beauty as well as friendliness of Shandong citizens would definitely attract Indians
Manpreet Kaur Sabharwal, Marketing Head- Online Sales, Weldon Travels
Out of the 17 unique cities in Shandong, I visited four cities, each of which offered a varied historical and cultural perspective. Thanks to Shandong Tourism and Shandong Airlines, some of the travel professionals from the industry had the opportunity to visit this province. While Qingdao is dotted with European-styled red roofs, pristine waters and stone walls at the shore area, Qufu is a quaint and quite small town offering a full day visit to the Confucius temple. Shandong Airlines offers great connections to all the major destinations in Shandong from Delhi, which could really appeal to Indians
Ritesh Mehra, Manager-Sales, Travel Boutique Online, India Travel Award winner
The Shandong Airlines’ flight had great leg space and comfortable seats. In terms of flight experience, the onboard entertainment was not very good, and also the crew was not fluent in English. Shandong as a region was very good and would appeal to Indians. Shandong Tourism has to extend assistance regarding food, especially for vegetarians. Weather is good and pollution-free. The properties we stayed in throughout the trip were very good. Also, the experience at the Tsingtao Beer Museum was very good.
