Although known as a financial hub, Shanghai is part of China’s tourism ‘golden triangle’ along with Beijing and Xi’an and has many attractions: the futuristic Oriental Pearl Tower, the classical European architecture of the Bund and French Concession, which hark back to its days as the ‘Paris of the east,’ and a growing reputation as one of the world’s most energetic cities.

Shanghai’s broad appeal attracts a wide cross-section of visitors, from mature travellers on escorted tours to affluent young couples on weekend breaks. While most of the new hotels are geared towards corporate travellers, there are a growing number of boutique hotels catering to leisure guests. The big business hotels generally have extensive leisure facilities and spas, with discounted weekend rates to attract tourists. Shanghai has big plans in the run-up to hosting the World Expo. It has set a target of 10 million overseas visitors in 2010, and is planning a series of promotions in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania to attract more tourists. The city had 317 star rated hotels by the end of 2006, 69 of them four star and above, offering a total of approximately 60,000 rooms. The number of budget hotel rooms has risen dramatically and now stands at close to 100,000.