On the eve of a weeklong public holiday Su Hua makes a final stop at an office building in Beijing. He leaves ten minutes later, clutching tickets and visas for an eight-day Greek Islands tour for himself and his wife, a $6,500 treat. For Su, a 36-year-old electrical engineer, it’s his third vacation in Europe but the first time that he’s booked online. “Last time I had to make lots of phone calls. Now it’s all done online. This is much more transparent and convenient,” he says.

Mauritius, which is positioning itself to become an ocean economy, has expressed interest in signing an Air Services Agreement with Sri Lanka to boost bilateral trade between the two countries, a communiqué by Sri Lanka’s Industry and Commerce Ministry quoting Mauritius Foreign Minister Avin Boolell said.

With the boom of Internet booking sites, the traditional travel agent was, we were told, an endangered species.

The CNN Travel staff has put in some hard miles.

The latest Pulse Survey of 246 incentive buyers and suppliers by the Incentive Research Foundation saw a downturn in how respondents are feeling about the economy and future incentive travel plans.