I recently had the chance to catch up with the guys from Dragon Bus China at the Adventure Travel Expo. Dragon Bus China is a relatively new start-up that lets both Australian’s and independent travellers the world over book “Hop on hop off” style bus transportation and accommodation in China. Previous to the advent of Dragon Bus, independent touring in china was rushed, varied in quality and thought of by some to be dangerous. These issues were further aggravated by the language barrier and the complexities of purchasing public bus and train tickets. Dragon Bus have reinvented independent touring in China by creating their own private transport network with dedicated western and Chinese guides. Their packages include some top quality hostels in strategic locations that add even more value to their network.
China is a notoriously “Closed” market to get in to, which is still heavily dominated by State owned travel companies. Independent Travelling in China is new concept, therefore educating Chinese service providers in this style of travel can be at best described as “demanding”. Dragon Bus have had to conquer this cultural divide as well as the many other challenges faced when starting up a new business and for this my hat is well and truly tipped. To get a better understanding of the fun and pain of starting up such a revolutionary tourist system, I have contacted Managing Director Mr Paul Kelly for an interview-
(PW) Do you have plans to expand to other more remote areas of China?
Dragon Bus will open more routes and destinations after the Chinese New Year. The western part of China is now becoming a popular destination for “backpackers” looking to get away from the modern China they witness in the big cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. The south is a strategic staging point as well as a large volume of travellers enter mainland China via Hong Kong and this region contrast so much with the northern and eastern parts of China that it should add to our overall appeal.
(PW) Was setting up a foreign company in China as complicated as it looks on the surface?
Enormously difficult. The Chinese have a saying, “same bed, different dreams”, which categories many of the Chinese & western partnerships that have sprung up since the opening up of China. This saying underlines many the differences of operating within China, the different views held by both parties and how they are managed. Some of the world’s largest companies have lost millions of dollars trying to operate in or with Chinese Companies, so working with, not managing, your partner is critical. The success of setting up Dragon Bus has relied on our ability to have our partners held to a (real or perceived) form of accountability. If we didn’t have this then perhaps we wouldn’t have been able to set up such a successful base. How have we been able to formulate this? We won’t really outline it, but mainly its’ been as a result of our networks, relationship and support that those involved in the project have built up within China over the last decade.
(PW) It seems the Beijing Olympics have really opened up China to the world. There have even been talks of the GDS model being adopted and Shanghai Disneyland has just been given the go-ahead. Do you foresee even more westernization and tourism expansion on the horizon or has China, as a destination, going to fall victim to its own hype?
China is an amazing place, but we believe that many of the current “packages” on offer perhaps “package” Chinese culture into a nice fit for tourists. Internal domestic tourism is growing at a great rate, as is the inbound market, but there is still no real choice for independent travel. The Government is relaxing its laws that will make it easier for foreign companies to operate in China, however we can’t see its tourism becoming more “westernised.” Shanghai Disney is an example of foreign companies, with a well known brand, looking to tap into interest from the local market. Further, while independent travel may be a type of travel dominated by westerners, many don’t realise that this type of travel is not easily available to Chinese travellers due to the Visa / entry restrictions imposed by the destination Countries (even Australia).
(PW) At the moment your packages include very high quality hostels. Do you have any plans to incorporate some more luxury based accommodation or is this outside your business model?
Hostelling in China is growing in line with the growth in independent travel. However, there is still a huge difference between the good, middle and downright bad hostels in China. Some hostels may be new, situated in a great location, but have no idea of how to cater to the hostel (western) users. A lot of our time and energy has been spent working with our current providers. Hopefully we can work with some providers so that we can grow their or enhance their services to meet user demands. The current hostels we utilise offer a range of accommodation including private rooms with and without facilities, which should meet the various needs of our customers. We have modelling that may allow for different users to stay in 4 & 5 star hotels and still use the service for their travel needs. However at present our core market is still those wishing to “independently” travel and experience real china without the hassle.
(PW) Do you have any words of advice for someone like myself who is considering travelling to china?
Travel is an individual thing. People can and will choose to travel to China, stay in western hotels, eat at western restaurants and view “packaged” history and culture. There is nothing wrong with this if that makes that person happy. What we would say is research and think about what you want to get out of your trip. If you wish to try and travel independently within China of course it can be done. However, if your research and thoughts leads you to want that same experience, but with the “hassle & frustrations” taken out and replaced with fun, then consider us.
I would like to thank Mr. Paul Kelly for taking the time to answer my questions. If you are interested in seeing what Dragon Bus China have to offer, please click here and have a look around their site.
Dragon Bus China is now in full swing, bringing real travel opportunities to Independent travellers from all points of the globe. Dragon Bus is your ticket to discovering & experiencing more of China. As per some of the comments below, we are about taking the hassle out of Independent Travel within a safe and affordable travel option!
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6 of the best days you could want! Exploring Beijing, The Great Wall, Chengde Mountain Village & its beautiful & Grand Summer Palace before returning to Beijing
Congratulations to these Entrepreneurs for finding a need & helping to make a difference! Independant travel is such a wonderful experience & with their guidence, knolwedgle & expertise it would surely be incedibly memorable. I look forward to visiting China within the next year or so, as my Free Toolbar users grow there. I believe Gragon Bus China is providing an indispensible service that benefits both parties concerned. I will gladly recommend them to everyone I know that may be traveling there. I wish them much success!!
Kerry Cotton
Love the sound of this. As we are in the over 50s age group, we are not into the adventure side of travel however that doesn't mean we only want the 'prepackaged type of travel'. We definitely look at the 'dragonbuschina' when we go to china.
Interview with Dragon Bus China
China is a notoriously “Closed” market to get in to, which is still heavily dominated by State owned travel companies. Independent Travelling in China is new concept, therefore educating Chinese service providers in this style of travel can be at best described as “demanding”. Dragon Bus have had to conquer this cultural divide as well as the many other challenges faced when starting up a new business and for this my hat is well and truly tipped. To get a better understanding of the fun and pain of starting up such a revolutionary tourist system, I have contacted Managing Director Mr Paul Kelly for an interview-
(PW) Do you have plans to expand to other more remote areas of China?
Dragon Bus will open more routes and destinations after the Chinese New Year. The western part of China is now becoming a popular destination for “backpackers” looking to get away from the modern China they witness in the big cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. The south is a strategic staging point as well as a large volume of travellers enter mainland China via Hong Kong and this region contrast so much with the northern and eastern parts of China that it should add to our overall appeal.
(PW) Was setting up a foreign company in China as complicated as it looks on the surface?
Enormously difficult. The Chinese have a saying, “same bed, different dreams”, which categories many of the Chinese & western partnerships that have sprung up since the opening up of China. This saying underlines many the differences of operating within China, the different views held by both parties and how they are managed. Some of the world’s largest companies have lost millions of dollars trying to operate in or with Chinese Companies, so working with, not managing, your partner is critical. The success of setting up Dragon Bus has relied on our ability to have our partners held to a (real or perceived) form of accountability. If we didn’t have this then perhaps we wouldn’t have been able to set up such a successful base. How have we been able to formulate this? We won’t really outline it, but mainly its’ been as a result of our networks, relationship and support that those involved in the project have built up within China over the last decade.
(PW) It seems the Beijing Olympics have really opened up China to the world. There have even been talks of the GDS model being adopted and Shanghai Disneyland has just been given the go-ahead. Do you foresee even more westernization and tourism expansion on the horizon or has China, as a destination, going to fall victim to its own hype?
China is an amazing place, but we believe that many of the current “packages” on offer perhaps “package” Chinese culture into a nice fit for tourists. Internal domestic tourism is growing at a great rate, as is the inbound market, but there is still no real choice for independent travel. The Government is relaxing its laws that will make it easier for foreign companies to operate in China, however we can’t see its tourism becoming more “westernised.” Shanghai Disney is an example of foreign companies, with a well known brand, looking to tap into interest from the local market. Further, while independent travel may be a type of travel dominated by westerners, many don’t realise that this type of travel is not easily available to Chinese travellers due to the Visa / entry restrictions imposed by the destination Countries (even Australia).
(PW) At the moment your packages include very high quality hostels. Do you have any plans to incorporate some more luxury based accommodation or is this outside your business model?
Hostelling in China is growing in line with the growth in independent travel. However, there is still a huge difference between the good, middle and downright bad hostels in China. Some hostels may be new, situated in a great location, but have no idea of how to cater to the hostel (western) users. A lot of our time and energy has been spent working with our current providers. Hopefully we can work with some providers so that we can grow their or enhance their services to meet user demands. The current hostels we utilise offer a range of accommodation including private rooms with and without facilities, which should meet the various needs of our customers. We have modelling that may allow for different users to stay in 4 & 5 star hotels and still use the service for their travel needs. However at present our core market is still those wishing to “independently” travel and experience real china without the hassle.
(PW) Do you have any words of advice for someone like myself who is considering travelling to china?
Travel is an individual thing. People can and will choose to travel to China, stay in western hotels, eat at western restaurants and view “packaged” history and culture. There is nothing wrong with this if that makes that person happy. What we would say is research and think about what you want to get out of your trip. If you wish to try and travel independently within China of course it can be done. However, if your research and thoughts leads you to want that same experience, but with the “hassle & frustrations” taken out and replaced with fun, then consider us.
I would like to thank Mr. Paul Kelly for taking the time to answer my questions. If you are interested in seeing what Dragon Bus China have to offer, please click here and have a look around their site.