Chinese President Xi Jinping has made important instructions following a fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang City under Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, urging all-out efforts to carry out search and rescue operations, identify the cause of the accident and hold those responsible accountable.
The fire broke out at around 12:00 in Jiangtou Village, Chendai Township of Jinjiang City on Thursday, causing major casualties. Several people were reported trapped or missing.
Xi also stressed that all regions and relevant departments must remain vigilant on production safety, resolutely prevent major accidents and earnestly safeguard people's lives and property.
Xi makes instructions on shoe factory fire in east China
European hotel heavyweight Accor Group is accelerating its expansion in China, as the country's hospitality industry is experiencing a wave of new opportunities amid a surge in both domestic and inbound tourism.
Accor has recently announced fresh strategies to fast-track its expansion and strengthen local collaborations across China.
The Peace Hotel, a historic landmark and iconic symbol of Shanghai, has operated under Accor's Fairmont brand since 2010. It will be transformed into a global flagship of Raffles, Accor's high-end luxury brand. This is only one of Accor's fast expansion moves in China.
Sebastien Bazin, Accor's global CEO, was in China this week. It was at this landmark venue that he unveiled further China expansion plans for the country and sealed new partnerships.
"We've been signing seven different brands from Pullman to MGallery to Sofitel to Fairmont. And it's only the beginning in my idea. We have 17 brands in China today, but [at] Accor we have 45 brands globally. That means there are another 30 brands that I get to 28. That I guess we can be working together and I want to go deeper in north China, east China, west China. You're going to see Accor doubling the pace in China over the next five to six years. Doubling means going from 800 hotels to 1,600, going probably to 250,000 rooms. We already have 45,000 people working in China, so [it] means probably going to 90,000 people. It's a big commitment," he said.
"China is on top three countries for Accor in the world and it's a country in which you will be my dear the largest global hospitality market in the world. China will be probably in five to seven years from today. You're going fast. So power AI, anything you do with social network, with the agenda AI, you are ahead of the game when it comes to travel hospitality. I'm also learning when I come here, I'm being inspired," he continued.
Bazin said new trends in China include emotional consumption and silver economy that boost growth within the industry.
"You are in a complex kind of actually environment here because I need to understand the new people underneath 35 years old in China. They don't want the same thing as 300 million Chinese above 60 years old. Those are two different expectations. So I need to cater for each generation, male, female and I've heard something when I was preparing with you. I did not understand enough the importance of pets. A lot of Chinese today want to travel with the animal. Emotional consumption, the experience is a big part of it. Hospitality today encompasses everything and everything I love in all those different verticals [that never] before talk to one another. Now music is going to be talking to hotels, then cinema will talk to the hotels, then gastronomy will talk to hotels. I'm fascinated by the evolution of the Chinese demand," he said.
Accor plans to double hotel portfolio in China to reach 1,600 properties by 2031, Bazin said.
"Actually future plan in China is to double, triple the amount of people we have in China to get the team, the right resource, and the right autonomy. We will have probably in 10 years, 7,000 hotels and probably almost 2,000 in China. So you are the biggest piece of my development, probably the greatest potential. And so that dedication comes with additional resources, additional commitment, and probably more sophisticated, more audacious vision. My vision for your country is very large. You have everything it can be dreaming of. So I just want people to discover and understand what you have to offer. And many countries cannot match with China," he said.
European hotel giant Accor speeding up expansion in China
