Air Canada's overall capacity will increase 4 to 6 percent this year, while Asia will see a more-than-10 percent rise in capacity. (Agencies)

By Lu Haoting (China Daily)- BEIJING – Air Canada, the flag carrier of the North American country, said it will resume double daily services to Beijing and Shanghai in June and is planning to fly to Guangzhou in 2013 to cater to increasing travel demand between the two countries.

The Canadian carrier is expected to receive its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in 2013 and is considering launching scheduled services between Guangzhou and Vancouver with a B787, the most fuel-efficient airliner built by Boeing, said Calin Rovinescu, chief executive officer (CEO) at Air Canada.

The Guangzhou service would make Air Canada the first North American airline to serve the southern city in the Pearl River Delta.

“China is amongst the most important international markets for us. The increased capacity to Beijing and Shanghai is a large commitment of assets, over $1 billion of assets,” Rovinescu said on Friday.

Rovinescu said the continued economic rebound in China made Air Canada “confident about taking a risk” by expanding capacity in China while the airline industry has just started to see signs of recovery from falling travel demand.

Another important driver is that the Chinese government granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) to Canada last December, he said. The ADS system simplifies visa application procedures for tourists and they can use ordinary passports to apply for tourist visas if they want to visit an approved country.

The number of Chinese tourists in Canada is expected to increase 50 percent annually by 2015 after ADS takes effect, according to figures from Conference Board of Canada.

Air Canada reduced its total capacity by 14 percent last year due to falling travel demand. Its overall capacity will increase 4 to 6 percent this year, while Asia will see a more-than-10 percent rise in capacity and China is seeing the biggest increase, about 25 percent, Rovinescu said. – read more at CHinaDaily.com…

Bottega Veneta Opens First Second-Tier Location In Nanjing: Bottega Veneta recently announced the grand opening of their first Nanjing location, the Italian brand’s eighth store on the Chinese mainland. The new store, designed by creative director Tomas Maier, is specially outfitted to showcase what the company calls its ‘dedication to artistry and excellence.’ Though the opening of a new location generally isn’t terribly newsworthy in itself, one interesting facet to this story is that it shows how major luxury brands like Bottega Veneta are becoming more confident about venturing into more second-tier cities. Currently, Bottega Veneta has stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang and Shenzhen — all of which are among the five richest cities in China. The Nanjing store, as the brand’s first foray out of the relative safety of top-tier markets, then is likely a sort of ‘experiment’ before Bottega moves on to other interior cities. Although Nanjing as a city is far from poor, compared to more cosmopolitan markets like Shanghai it is relatively untested as far as luxury retailing is concerned. (Via Jing Daily.)

Li Ka-shing is HK’s richest: Forbes: Li Ka-shing, chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd, is Hong Kong’s richest person with a net worth of $21.3 billion, Forbes Asia Magazine reported, after his wealth gained $5 billion in the past year. The total net worth of Hong Kong’s 40 richest people swelled to $135 billion, up from $82 billion a year ago, the magazine said. Not one list member is poorer, it said. Still, the list members’ combined wealth remains below its 2008 high of $179 billion. Li Ka-shing’s fortune is less than the magazine’s $32 billion estimate of his wealth in 2008. (Via China – People’s Daily Online.)

First High-end food supermarket opens in Guangzhou: Guangzhou’s first high-end food supermarket named TASTE opened in the China Plaza February 2. Imported apples, pumpkins and baskets filled with various goodies costing 100, 1,000 and 10,000 yuan each respectively attracted attention from numerous customers. Covering an area of 4,300 square meters, the Guangzhou-based TASTE outlet is a fashionable, modern and high-end food supermarket providing a wide range of Chinese and western-style food products. (Via China – People’s Daily Online.)

Guthy-Renker Sets Up China Distribution Agreement: The Chinese marketing company Acorn International Inc. and U.S.-based Guthy-Renker have entered into an exclusive agreement for Acorn to market Sheer Cover cosmetics in China. Under the agreement, Acorn will be Guthy-Renker’s exclusive agent to market and distribute Sheer Cover in China. (Via China Sourcing News.)

Real estate bubble likely in Taipei: expert: (ChinaPost.com.tw) – A housing bubble may plague Taipei City’s real estate sector, which has seen a compound annual average growth of 11 percent, an official with Fitch Ratings warned yesterday. (Via Taiwan Headlines – Business.)

The MGM Grand Macau opened its doors in 2007

MGM Grand Macau To Relaunch Brand With Mainland Visitors In Mind: According to analysts, the MGM Grand Macau has fallen behind its Macau rivals as a result of failing to meet the expectations — or suit the tastes — of Chinese patrons, something MGM Grand Paradise Ltd. President Grant Bowie told the paper he plans to address by transforming the MGM Grand Macau into “a Chinese brand.” (Via Jing Daily :.)

China’s self-developed supertanker completed in south China port: China’s largest self-developed supertanker has been completed in south China’s Guangdong Province and was expected to set sail in late January. The 333-meter-long and 60-meter-wide oil tanker, named Xinpuyang, was designed and built by the Guangzhou Longxue Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and the Marine Design and Research Institute of China. The tanker was handed over to the buyer, China Shipping (Group) Company, in Nansha Port in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong on Friday. (Via China – People’s Daily Online.)

Pollution chokes Hong Kong: Hong Kong is famous for its skyline, but that view is often hidden behind a thick blanket of smog. Air pollution reached dangerous levels one in every eight days in 2009. (Via Hong Kong News latest RSS headlines – Hong Kong Herald.com.)

Survey shows Chinese women unwilling to marry Japanese ‘old men’: A survey conducted by a multinational matchmaking company in Tokyo, Japan shows that expectations of Chinese women on Japanese men have improved. The first requirement of Chinese women for their partners is ‘young’, flowed by conditions such as ‘personality and character’, ‘appearance’ and ‘income’, according to the survey. The result broke the traditional impression of matching old men and young women. The majority of respondents felt that the reason why Japanese men chose to marry Chinese women is that the majority of women around them are too young and they can not find a suitable Japanese wife. (People’s Daily) (Via News On Japan.)

Tiger Airways makes a loud roar on debut: IT WAS a roaring debut for Tiger Airways on its first day on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) as it confounded skeptics and delighted investors who had bought the IPO stock despite widespread cynicism over its valuation and growth model. (Via Business Times Online – All The Headlines.)

Well-known Chinese model Mo Wandan poses beside an Infiniti auto at the China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition on Nov 23, 2009. (Xinhua)

(chinadaily.com.cn) – The annual China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition (GIAE) opens to media and professionals today. About 70 manufacturers are showing over 700 vehicles, and more than 600 parts and accessory manufacturers are participating.

The theme of GIAE 2009 is “Technology, Trend, Lifstyle”. Visitors can find international automakers including Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen and General Motors, as well as Chinese manufactures MG, Chery, Lifan, Changfeng Motor and Dongfeng Motors.

Shu Qi, a Chinese celebrity, turned up for a Subaru new car release, and Infiniti has Mo Wandan, a well-known Chinese model, as its celebrity representative.

GIAE began in 2003 and is now one of the most comprehensive auto shows in China. It is organized by the Guangzhou city council and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. – read more at ChinaDaily.com