2025.07.25
1. China Tourism Group Hotel Holdings Makes Strategic Investment in Argyle Hotel Group
Source: Argyle Hotel Group
On June 25, 2025, China Tourism Group Hotel Holdings Co., Ltd. announced a strategic investment in Argyle Hotel Group. The partnership brings together a central state-owned enterprise and a global hotel group, aiming to create strategic synergy and integrate resources through close collaboration.
Fan Dongsheng, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Tourism Group Hotel Holdings, stated: "This strategic investment is the result of a thoughtful alignment of strategic vision, complementary footprints, and synergistic operational strengths. With over 40 years of deep expertise in the hospitality industry, we’ll preserve Argyle’s market-oriented identity while integrating our brands, membership program, supply chains, and IT systems. This will accelerate product innovation and enhance operational efficiency across the board."
Zhang Liming, CEO of Argyle Hotel Group, commented: "Argyle’s portfolio of upscale hotel brands complements China Tourism Group Hotel Holdings’ existing brand lineup and customer base. By joining the Group, Argyle will combine its international brand appeal with the platform and resources of a central SOE to help chart a new course for the Group’s high-end hospitality segment."
2. CYTS Receives First-Ever "A" ESG Rating — A New Milestone in Sustainable Development
Source: CYTS (China Youth Travel Service)
CYTS (SH600138) has recently been awarded an "A" rating in its 2024 ESG evaluation, according to dynamic data and model analysis from the China Reform Holdings ESG Evaluation System, highlighting the company’s strong performance in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. The rating has earned recognition from central state-owned capital operation advisory platforms, institutional investors, and the capital market.
Source: CYTS ESG Rating Report by CRHC Consulting
The report places CYTS among the top performers in the capital market’s "Social Services" category, which spans six subsectors: tourism and attractions, hotel and catering, local lifestyle, professional consulting, education, and sports. Among 77 peer companies, CYTS stands out, ranking first among A-share listed companies in the full-spectrum tourism category.
In recent years, CYTS has maintained strong momentum in sustainable development by adopting a professional and structured ESG strategy and demonstrating a deep sense of corporate responsibility. Its efforts include strengthening modern governance; establishing efficient management systems; integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism to deliver premium offerings; ensuring open, transparent, and collaborative supply chain practices; and fostering employee growth alongside public welfare initiatives. These actions have solidified CYTS’s standing as a top-tier player in the cultural and tourism industry, with clear competitive advantages in corporate governance and social responsibility.
The recent "A" ESG rating is a strong endorsement of CYTS’s long-term commitment and innovative progress in sustainable development, representing another major step forward in its ESG journey.
Looking ahead, as ESG becomes a global priority, CYTS’s pioneering practices and standout performance will serve as a valuable reference for the industry, showcasing how locally grounded ESG strategies can align with global standards.
3. ISAFE 2025 Successfully Held at CYTS’s Gubei Water Town
Source: CYTS (China Youth Travel Service)
The 2025 International Symposium on the Advances in Financial Economics (ISAFE 2025), themed "Empowering the Future: AI-Driven Transformation in Finance and Economics," was recently held at Gubei Water Town, a destination operated by CYTS. The forum was co-hosted by EM Normandie Business School (France) and Beijing International Studies University (BISU). Bringing together more than 140 scholars from over 20 countries across 5 continents, the event featured 134 academic papers presented across 34 parallel sessions, further contributing to international dialogue and research in financial economics.
Distinguished guests included Ji Jinbiao, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and President of BISU, and Guo Junhua, Chairman of Gubei Water Town Tourism Co., Ltd. The forum opened with remarks from Co-Chairs Liu Zhenya and Sabri Boubaker. As a key event partner, CYTS collaborated with Gubei Water Town and other stakeholders to ensure seamless execution. Drawing on its extensive expertise in meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, Gubei Water Town offered professional, end-to-end services that laid a solid foundation for the forum’s success.
4. Zhongxin Travel’s Weekly National Retail GMV Surpasses RMB 100 Million
Source: Online Travel News
Zhongxin Travel’s national retail business is experiencing explosive growth, with weekly gross merchandise volume (GMV) exceeding RMB 100 million, a new high for summer sales. Company retail data shows that family travel is expected to account for over 60% of summer bookings, rising further from 2024 levels. Demand from families with children is particularly strong for medium- and long-haul destinations, with outbound travel to Europe up by approximately 76% year-on-year. Northern Europe and the United Kingdom have emerged as standouts, posting growth rates of 50% and 75%, respectively.
Meanwhile, non-traditional destinations are seeing remarkable surges, with bookings to Africa and South America soaring by more than 103% and 178% year-on-year, respectively. Interest in educational, study-abroad, and parent-child themed travel products is also on the rise. Parents are increasingly willing to spend on unique experiences and greater comfort, making all-inclusive packages the dominant choice this summer.
5. Tencent Cloud and Tongcheng Travel Launch DeepTrip, an AI-Powered Travel Assistant for the Industry
Source: Tencent Cloud
What does a truly useful AI assistant for the travel industry look like?
Tencent Cloud and Tongcheng Travel have answered that question with the launch of DeepTrip, an intelligent travel assistant unveiled in March this year. Jointly developed by the two companies, DeepTrip sets a new benchmark for AI-powered solutions in tourism. With simple natural language input, users can describe their travel plans and receive personalized itineraries, including hotel options, transportation, and dining, offering a seamless end-to-end travel experience from planning to reservation.
This is not only a significant upgrade to the user experience, but also a proof point for AI in enterprise applications. DeepTrip is capable of managing high volumes of requests, coordinating complex services, and responding in real time, all while integrating smoothly into core business operations, making it a truly practical and sustainable productivity tool. As the technology backbone behind DeepTrip, Tencent Cloud provided end-to-end support, from model validation and training to deployment and scalable scheduling, ensuring the system’s long-term technical performance and reliability.
6. "Lhasa Sleepless City" Night Festival Kicks Off
Source: Culture and Tourism of Lhasa
On the evening of July 15, the much-anticipated "Lhasa Sleepless City" officially kicked off with a vibrant opening along Yutuo Road, one of Lhasa’s most historic and culturally rich streets. As a flagship project under the Culture and Tourism of Lhasa’s integration initiative, the event welcomed more than 55,000 visitors on its first night.
Stretching 370 meters between the iconic Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, the newly transformed night market features 169 specialty stalls offering authentic Tibetan cuisine, regional delicacies, creative Tibet-inspired cultural products, and beautifully handcrafted intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items.
The opening night included an ICH parade featuring traditional Tibetan performances such as the Xierong Zhongzi dance, Juemulong Tibetan opera, Agudunba Zhuo dance, Dui Xie dance, Leather boat dance, Gyama Sheqen (Tibetan Ceremonial Song-Dance), and the Purang Xuan Dance, giving visitors an immersive experience of Tibetan culture at its finest.
