{"id":22252,"date":"2026-01-11T19:23:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pulseonline.co\/?page_id=22252"},"modified":"2026-01-11T19:23:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T13:53:48","slug":"fast-trains-cyberpunk-cities-and-pandas-china-travel-is-back","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/fast-trains-cyberpunk-cities-and-pandas-china-travel-is-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Fast Trains, Cyberpunk Cities and Pandas: China Travel Is Back!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Thomas Cook India &amp; SOTC Relaunch a Bigger, Better China Holidays Portfolio<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>After a long pause, China is once again opening its doors to Indian travellers \u2014 and the timing couldn\u2019t be better. With direct flights resuming, simplified visas, and renewed diplomatic warmth, Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel have relaunched China as a key destination, complete with an expanded portfolio that\u2019s already seeing strong demand.<\/p>\n<p>Internal booking trends show a surge of interest across traveller segments \u2014 families, GenZ and millennials, working professionals, couples, seniors, even solo travellers \u2014 with departures selling out well ahead of time, despite October\u2013November traditionally being a quieter season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Old Favourites + Exciting New Destinations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The refreshed holiday line-up combines China\u2019s classic icons with newer, offbeat experiences. Travellers can still enjoy the futuristic skyline of Shanghai, the magical Bund, Beijing\u2019s Great Wall and Forbidden City, and Xi\u2019an\u2019s legendary Terracotta Army.<\/p>\n<p>But the new additions bring a whole new dimension:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chongqing<\/strong> \u2013 a dramatic \u201c5D city\u201d with a cyberpunk skyline, glowing night cruises and its spectacular 360\u00b0 rotating theatre.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chengdu<\/strong> \u2013 home of the world-famous Giant Panda reserves, atmospheric teahouses and fiery Sichuan cuisine.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zhangjiajie<\/strong> \u2013 the mystical Avatar Mountains with glass bridges, sky-high elevators and breathtaking scenery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And of course, there are those bucket-list experiences \u2014 the ultra-fast <strong>Shanghai Maglev<\/strong>, the dazzling <strong>Yangtze River drone shows<\/strong>, Michelin-starred meals, river cruises, and even private <strong>Baijiu distillery tastings<\/strong> for the curious.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thoughtfully Designed Group Tours<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Group travel gets a major upgrade here. The tours offer high-speed train connections (including the popular Xi\u2019an\u2013Beijing route), porter services at large stations, and thoughtfully planned menus featuring Indian favourites as well as Chinese specialities. Indian chefs are scheduled on select departures \u2014 especially to assist vegetarians.<\/p>\n<p>The portfolio also includes <strong>China + Japan multi-destination tours<\/strong>, particularly popular during cherry blossom season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Boost for Business Travel &amp; MICE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With China\u2019s trade events back in full swing and major cities like Shanghai and Beijing emerging as business hubs, corporates are showing renewed interest as well. Thomas Cook India and SOTC report a growing demand for business trips, conferences, meetings and incentive travel \u2014 with \u201cbleisure\u201d (business + leisure) gaining popularity too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What the Leaders Say<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rajeev Kale<\/strong>, President &amp; Country Head \u2013 Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said that direct flights have opened the doors once again, and the enhanced portfolio goes \u201cbeyond the conventional,\u201d offering experiences that resonate with India\u2019s new-age holidaymaker \u2014 as well as strong potential for MICE.<\/p>\n<p><strong>S.D. Nandakumar<\/strong>, President &amp; Country Head \u2013 Holidays &amp; Corporate Tours, SOTC Travel, emphasised that China\u2019s return offers a \u201csignificant opportunity,\u201d with travellers now looking for seamless, value-rich experiences \u2014 both traditional and new.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Indiver Rastogi<\/strong>, President &amp; Group Head, Global Business Travel, highlighted that improved bilateral ties and booming trade events are driving renewed business travel momentum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thomas Cook India &amp; SOTC Relaunch a Bigger, Better China Holidays Portfolio After a long pause, China is once again opening its doors to Indian travellers \u2014 and the timing couldn\u2019t be better. With direct flights resuming, simplified visas, and renewed diplomatic warmth, Thomas Cook India and SOTC Travel have relaunched China as a key&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/fast-trains-cyberpunk-cities-and-pandas-china-travel-is-back\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22252"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22624,"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22252\/revisions\/22624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulseonline.co\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}