At bargain prices, China tours beckon

Several tour operators are battling for supremacy in what might be the fastest-growing field of travel: the operation of popularly priced trips to China. This is good news for American travelers worried about the weakness of the dollar against the euro.

Compared with Europe, traveling in China is cheap. The nation’s currency is sold at an artificially low, fixed exchange rate of about 8.3 yuan to the dollar. At that rate, first-class hotels can be found for $100 per double room, tourist-class hotels for $60 and budget hotels for $30 and $40.

And China is well worth the trip. Its Great Wall, Forbidden City, Shanghai Museum, enormous Buddhist temples and acrobatic shows in hotel ballrooms are just a few of its attractions. There are no serious barriers to visits by ordinary tourists: Visas are easily obtained; clearing customs is casual and nonthreatening. Among the tour companies trying to take advantage of these pluses are Champion Holidays and China Focus. Both are offering eight- and 10-night tours to five or six Chinese cities in winter -- including round-trip airfare from New York or Los Angeles and all-inclusive arrangements (meals, sightseeing, hotels and tours) -- for about $1,100. Both companies are run by Americans of Chinese descent; tour guides are fluent in Chinese and have impressive experience.

Champion Holidays, (800) 868-7658, www.china-discovery.com, is based in New York City. Its most popular package, “China Discovery,” includes round-trip air to and within China, eight nights in deluxe or first-class hotels in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and Shanghai, three daily meals, daily sightseeing and an acrobatic show in Beijing. From Los Angeles or San Francisco, the price is $1,099 in March, $1,299 in April and May and $1,459 in June, July and August.

Champion Holidays also touts its 12-day “Best Cities in China” tour, which includes a stop in Xian. This is where the terra-cotta warriors -- more than 6,000 sculpted soldiers of the Qin Dynasty -- were buried in the 2nd century B.C. to protect the emperor in the afterlife. A farmer digging a well discovered them in 1974. The price tag: $1,399 from Los Angeles in March. The tour goes to Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai, and it includes the features of the “China Discovery” tour.

Keep in mind that the price includes air to and within China, hotels, meals, sightseeing, performances and more, presenting a remarkable contrast to the current costs of Europe.

San Francisco agency China Focus, (800) 868-7244, www.chinafocustravel.com, is another player in the China tours market. One of its most popular tours is “Historic China,” which flies you from Los Angeles to spend 12 days in six Chinese cities (Beijing, Jinan, Tai’an, Qufu, Suzhou and Shanghai) for $1,099 in March and $1,299 in April, May, June and July. That includes most meals (Peking duck included), daily sightseeing, some evening performances and air and land transportation within China.

Both China Focus and Champion Holidays charge $70 to handle visa processing and an additional $99 per person for international and domestic taxes.

China Focus also has a Xian option, as part of a 13-day stay in Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Suzhou and Shanghai, called “Life Experience of China,” which costs $1,599 per person in March and $1,799 per person in April through July. It features all-inclusive arrangements (air, hotels, meals, sightseeing, performances).

So don’t bemoan the startling rise in value of the euro. Tell yourself it’s a blessing in disguise that has made you consider a trip to China.