Three jointly branded travel experiences—wine, coffee, and tea—will be the emphasis of the “Xiamen Airlines x Songtsam Joint Travel Routes” first phase.
The city of New York Xiamen Airlines Co., Ltd., a member of the SkyTeam Airline Alliance, and Songtsam, an award-winning luxury boutique hotel collection and destination management firm situated in the Chinese provinces of Tibet and Yunnan, have announced a strategic alliance. Travellers will be able to meet with locals and enjoy immersive experiences as a result of this ground-breaking relationship, which combines air travel with stays at Songtsam facilities. This will help them celebrate the richness of Yunnan’s cultures and better comprehend its biodiversity.
Three jointly branded travel experiences—wine, coffee, and tea—will be the emphasis of the “Xiamen Airlines x Songtsam Joint Travel Routes” first phase. The travel and tour experiences offered by Songtsam and Xiamen Airlines are enhanced by the abundance of local knowledge shared by their specially qualified tour guides.
Jointly Curated Travel Routes by Songtsam and Xiamen Airlines
1. Wine fragrance Snowland
A handcrafted grape juice in a glass in front of snowy mountains
The original “Shangri-La” was a made-up place tucked away amid snow-capped mountains and valleys, with cloud-shrouded woods, undulating mountains, and rising snow-tops, as described in the book “Lost Horizon.” This imaginary utopia, however, has a genuine presence in Yunnan.
The traditional Naxi homes and the mix of Tibetan, Han, and other ethnic traditions in the villages along the way will provide tour participants the chance to comprehend the long-established culture of this region as they travel from Lijiang to Shangri-La. The gourmet lunch that the chef from Xiamen will create in the forest will be one of the highlights of this journey.
Properties owned by Songtsam along these roads are dispersed and surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. What’s more, the places where these homes are situated close to the Three Parallel Rivers Region all exhibit various natural topographies as well as a fusion of civilizations.
This route includes a stop at a winery in Benzilan, Deqin, which was recreated using Tibetan homes. The vineyards are spread out and situated on high slopes, making them inaccessible to mechanisation. Only by hand can the wine be produced. There are less than 20,000 bottles produced annually. While taking in the picturesque surroundings of these uncommon vineyards, guests will be able to enjoy a specially designed wine-themed sampling meal.
2. Coffee from the Rainforest
A cup of inventive coffee on a coffee farm in a rainforest
The biggest Oasis on the Tropic of Cancer, Pu’er, stretches over 700 kilometres (435 miles), integrating several ethnic minorities and providing a rich fusion of various civilizations. At 23 degrees north latitude, Pu’er is the northernmost point in Yunnan. Here, the sun in the northern hemisphere is directly exposed, resulting in a hot, humid environment that supports a thriving tea and coffee industry. In fact, Colombia, the renowned producer of coffee, shares same latitude.
Tian Deneng, a French missionary who travelled to Yunnan to engage out missionary work, planted the first coffee beans there in 1892. The largest coffee trade centre in China is the Yunnan Coffee trade Centre, which is also close to Songtsam’s Padma Pu’er Hotel. It is Asia’s largest speciality coffee quality control facility and is situated at the source of the raw ingredients for coffee. The Yunnan Coffee Trading Centre, which is committed to establishing the value of Yunnan coffee, has emerged as the domestic and international market leader for Yunnan speciality coffee.
The visit to Grandpa Liao’s coffee garden, an 80-year-old senior agronomic in Pu’er who has turned 20 hectares (about 49 acres) of desolate mountain slopes into a unique and ecological coffee farm and garden, is the highlight of this tour of local coffee farms. Visitors will learn about the growing of coffee beans from Liao, a specialist on tropical plants. Visitors will get the chance to make their own cup of speciality Yunnan-flavored coffee at this coffee plantation with the help of Xiamen Airlines travel/tour experts.
Additionally, this trip includes stops at Yunnan’s national coffee gene bank and the sole Starbucks cooperative estate.
Guests staying at Songtsam’s Padma Pu’er Hotel will be able to sample the fine cuisine that reflects the many ethnic local cultures and the subtropical flavours that flourish in Pu’er.
3. Pu-er Tea
A practical Royal Tribute Tea encounter
Visitors on this excursion will get the chance to learn from the tea garden instructor while being guided by Xiamen Airlines travel/tour guides as they prepare their own tea cakes and cups of potent and fragrant Pu’er tea at the Royal Tribute Tea Garden, which is situated behind the Pu’er Mountains. In the middle of the forest’s scent and air, guests are encouraged to dine and savour a fine dinner.
Focus on Sustainability in the Curated Tours
The use of biodegradable waste bags and a reduction in the usage of plastics, such as water bottles, are two ways that these trips emphasise sustainable travel. The excursions also emphasise gaining knowledge of the local culture and the passing down and preservation of traditional arts and crafts.
Source: traveldailynews