Travel to China is to cheap- something must be wrong ?
 

I have noticed some incredibly cheap prices to China advertised recently. As little as $499.00 RT with hotel and tours for a week, from NYC or California. It use to cost thousands to visit China from the USA.

What has happened? How can they make money sending people half way around the world, at 3 star hotels for so little? Anyone here gone on one of these super cheap packages to China and care to tell us about it?

SARS - The travel industry in Asia is trying to recover from one of the worst, if not THE worst business downturns. SARS was a probably the biggest factor, but let's not forget, economy and the Iraq war. Combine the three and you will understand the deals the Asian countries/businesses are willing to make just to re-start tourism.

That there are plenty of empty airplane seats and empty hotel rooms is certainly an important factor here, but real prices on the ground have always been vastly cheaper than tour companies have been offering.

Peter N-H
http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

I agree totally with Peter, especially on the point of real prices being so cheap compared with what tour operators charge, the operators are simply reducuing their large profits.
It works both way, from Asia they will offer a trip to the USA including a few flights and accommodation. Search the Internet for cheap fares and cheap hotel rates and you save a fortune.
Some friends were looking for a Vgeas hotel and found a really good place at $52, that was half what the accommodation portion was costing through a tour deal.
You might find some hotels have changed, again many tours 'anywhere' often use group hotels but locally there is a much much wider choice, hey, that's why we search the Internet!

Darling, you are not the REAL Justine Shapiro of Travel Channel fame. She would know that it is 'too,' not 'to' cheap. You are an obvious imposter. :)

Oh, this is a new alias for bunchargum. New name, same old troll.

$499? Are you kidding me? Look carefully at how much they'll charge for taxes and optional stuff once you are there. Then you'll see the true costs. This is just another marketing gimmick. Please show me where and how I can find the bargain. I travel a lot and have been to China a couple of times. I just know it when I see something really fishy. No matter how cheap the local arrangements are, the Chinese like everybody else are in this to make a living. $499 to include airfare, hotels, local tours etc is impossible!!!

To HTUR (the previous poster). I saw the $499.00 package in the Frommers Budget travel newsletter. I understand these low fares to China are available on Gate 1 and Go-Today.

I understand there is about $100.00 in taxes additional.

I saw that too. Go-Today is a very reliable company so there is nothing to worry about. With taxes it's about $600 per person/double occupancy and includes air/hotel and even transfers. No tours, but a great deal. I believe they are using the Best Western Beijing for this deal, not a great hotel, but very acceptable, and this is ONLY from the west coast, either San Francisco or Seattle. Other cities are available for extra$.
Again, these great deals have a lot to do with the state of tourism in Asia right now. Many of the major Asian airlines are also having great airfares, and I'm sure you could get a great walk-up rates in the hotels, but most people like to have that taken care of before they leave.
I'm going to Bangkok in few days, and I was able to get a Jr.Suite at the Conrad Bangkok(5*) for $99 per night with breakfast and evening cocktails in the lounge. The Peninsula Bangkok, voted the best 2003 hotel in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine has rooms for $125 per night. So this is a good time to travel to that part of the world, as I believe these deals will be long gone by next summer.