Chapter 511: Going Big?

"Yangzhou Fried Rice?"

Xu Bo was momentarily stunned. "Is this suitable?"

"Absolutely, very suitable!"

Niupai (Steak) immediately chimed in, "Rice, beef, ham, shrimp, chicken thighs, carrots—each of these ingredients is delicious on its own, let alone when stir-fried together."

"The aroma of meat, eggs, and rice blending together will definitely work."

"If you put it that way, then Stir-Fried Pig Kidney should also be considered!" Chaoshao (Spatula) retorted, not wanting to be outdone.

Xu Bo frowned, "Stir-Fried Pig Kidney... isn't the flavor too strong? Our foreign friends are visiting rarely; could they really stomach it?"

"Let's forget about that one."

After discussing for a while, they conservatively decided on a series of domestic dishes for the conference meals, including spring rolls, dumplings, red bean buns, Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, leek boxes, Four-Joy Meatballs, and Yangzhou Fried Rice.

As for desserts...

Xu Bo turned to Hongbei (Baking) and Qiaokeli (Chocolate).

"How's your development of Saqima coming along?"

Hongbei shyly replied, "It's going quite smoothly."

Xu Bo nodded.

In his hands was a quarterly catering sales report, detailing the sales of each food section and dish at the Langai Hotel.

In the dessert section,

Star Sugar Cookies still held the top sales position,

Huayang Duoduo Chocolate was second,

while the classic Saqima had surpassed the Fruit Milk Shake and other desserts to become the third most popular dessert at the Langai Hotel.

"For desserts, I'll visit your pastry kitchen tomorrow, and we'll finalize the details."

"Let's see if we can push a bit more and come up with a limited autumn dessert in the next few days."

Hongbei responded, "Alright, Brother Qiaoni."

...

While the kitchen staff were deep in discussion late at night,

Wen Zifan was also in the HR office, reviewing personnel information with Xie Zhu Longxiong and others.

"These 40 people all have professional foreign language certificates and are the most proficient in foreign languages among our hotel staff, capable of fluent oral communication."

"When the exchange seminar is held, we can primarily assign these 40 employees to handle the reception duties."

Xie Zhu Longxiong spread a personnel list on the desk and spoke to Wen Zifan.

After the Langai Hotel was upgraded to a platinum five-star hotel,

Xie Zhu Longxiong began to include language assessments as a key part of employee recruitment, hiring a batch of employees with strong foreign language skills.

"What about personal butlers and reception drivers?" Wen Zifan asked.

"The Coconut Umbrella Hotel Industry Association organized several language training sessions for hotel staff, and the first batch sent for training were the personal butlers and reception drivers."

"Although their communication skills are not as good as these 40 people, they can handle simple daily conversations."

Xie Zhu Longxiong explained.

"Alright, I understand."

Wen Zifan picked up the list and reviewed it carefully again.

Looking out at the deep night, Xie Zhu Longxiong sighed:

"Ah, if only the overseas training could have been longer."

Wen Zifan was puzzled, not understanding why he suddenly said that.

"With such a good language environment, if the employees could stay abroad for half a year, their spoken language would definitely be up to par upon return."

Wen Zifan nodded, "Yes, if they stayed for half a year, their spoken language would be fine, but the boss would have cried ten times over by then."

...

While the hotel staff were busily preparing for the reception and accommodation work,

Ning Youyou arrived at the Langai Hotel early the next morning with her document bag.

"Boss Chen!!"

"Youyou!!"

Warm greetings echoed from both ends of the hotel lobby.

Chen Jianhai strode towards the entrance, extending his hand to welcome Ning Youyou inside.

Since the last time Ning Youyou fell and fractured her leg in the bathtub at the Jasmine Hotel on Xiaomajia Island, they hadn't seen each other.

They only maintained a stable liking relationship on social media.

"You've gotten tanner!"

Chen Jianhai pinched Ning Youyou's cheek, sincerely expressing his heartfelt thoughts.

Ning Youyou's cheerful smile froze.

Her fists clenched tightly,

and she seemed ready to jump up and punch Chen Jianhai's knee.

"Hahaha, just kidding, just kidding. Come on, let's chat in the coffee shop."

Chen Jianhai quickly led Ning Youyou to their familiar coffee shop, ordered a drink for her, and they sat down to chat.

Chen Jianhai had called Ning Youyou mainly to discuss the entertainment arrangements for the guests attending the exchange seminar,

so they got straight to the point without any small talk.

After about ten minutes of discussion, Chen Jianhai said:

"So, that's the situation,"

"On the last two days of the conference schedule, I might need to trouble you to lead a tour, taking these international friends around Nanjiang City to experience our living environment and cultural atmosphere."

"But right now, I can't tell you the exact number of people, as the last two days are free time, and some guests might have other schedules."

"Anyway, let's keep in close contact, and the hotel will inform you of any updates."

Ning Youyou said, "Boss Chen, don't worry,"

"Regarding cultural tours in Nanjiang, our Blue Sky Travel Agency has several premium routes and itineraries to ensure our international friends have a fun and enjoyable time."

At this point, Ning Youyou paused and then said,

"By the way, Boss Chen, I saw your Lion Castle Hotel online and on TV! It's really beautiful!"

"Um... is your Lion Castle Hotel currently in talks with any local travel agencies in Zaomen?"

Chen Jianhai replied, "Not yet, do you have any ideas, Ning?"

Ning Youyou chuckled, opened her document bag, and pulled out a file,

"Boss Chen, our Blue Sky Travel Agency has opened a branch in Zaomen. Here are the details, take a look."

Chen Jianhai took the document and, after reading it, laughed.

"Wow, Youyou, not only have you gotten tanner, but you've also been promoted to the branch manager of the travel agency in Zaomen!"

"Congratulations!!"

Ning Youyou's eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent,

but after sizing up Chen Jianhai's bulk and considering her mission for the day,

she reluctantly suppressed her urge to vent her frustration and retorted,

"Our Blue Sky Travel Agency is very strong!"

"Our president has not only opened a branch in Zaomen but also in Huoxiang and Liulian. In maybe five years, there could be a presence of our Blue Sky Travel Agency in every city across the country."

"Not just me, Xiao Xia is also going to Huoxiang City to be the branch manager."

"It might be hard for us to meet again in the future."

At this, Ning Youyou sighed, her expression tinged with a bit of melancholy.

"Why sigh? Your travel agency is always on the move, meeting up shouldn't be hard," Chen Jianhai said with a smile.

Ning Youyou smiled wryly, then with hopeful eyes asked,

"So, Boss Chen, is your Lion Castle Hotel collaborating with any local travel agencies?"

"If not, could you consider our Blue Sky Travel Agency?"

Chen Jianhai pondered for a moment, "We haven't collaborated yet..."

"But the nature of the Lion Castle Hotel is different from Langai and Jasmine; it's purely a recreational resort hotel."

"Guests who come to stay are all here for the Magic Century Theme Park and the Lion Castle Hotel's Magic Amusement Park, basically they come to play and then leave, not staying long."

"Collaborating with us would be a loss for you."

Chen Jianhai was being very honest.

Nanjiang and Xiaomajia Island are both resort cities, winning with their scenery, relying entirely on tourism to drive local economic development.

Many out-of-town tourists opt for travel agencies on their first visit, considering the arrangements and accommodations provided by the agencies.

Thus, the connection between Nanjiang's hotels and travel agencies is quite tight.

Compared to Nanjiang and Xiaomajia Island, Zaomen is quite different.

Zaomen is a light industrial city with average scenery and not many tourist spots.

Even if there are some mountains and waters, they are artificially built, and from a scenic viewpoint, they really don't have much to offer.

Usually, even if there are tourists, they often just need a small phone to take the bus, follow the navigation to the destination, and that's it; they really don't need a travel agency.

And with the construction of the Magic Century Theme Park and the Lion Castle Hotel, most tourists come for the amusement park,

basically arriving at the hotel on Friday night, playing for two days on Saturday and Sunday, and then leaving. The existence of travel agencies is really optional.

This simple and plain market situation doesn't even need research; it's obvious just by looking.

Chen Jianhai really couldn't understand why the president of the Blue Sky Travel Agency chose to open a branch in Zaomen.

"It's not a loss!"

Hearing Chen Jianhai's words, Ning Youyou shook her head and earnestly said,

"Boss Chen~~ times have changed."

"Relying solely on scenic tourism can't open up the market anymore."

"Our travel agency has long shifted our development strategy, focusing on promoting cultural and historical tourism in addition to scenic city tours,"

"Our president calls this walking on two legs!"

Walking on two legs?

That's a tough little phrase!

Chen Jianhai raised an eyebrow,

"Your travel agency's approach is quite impressive, did you come up with it?"

Ning Youyou shook her head, "Not me, you did."

Chen Jianhai was puzzled, "When did I come up with that?"

Ning Youyou said, "Isn't that what the Lion Castle Hotel is doing? Both a hotel and an amusement park, catching both aspects."

"Now we not only know the Lion Castle Hotel is impressive, but we also know the Lion Castle Hotel's amusement park is even more impressive!"

This...

Alright!

Seeing the admiration in Ning Youyou's eyes, Chen Jianhai awkwardly smiled, as Ning Youyou continued,

"Although I'm a tour guide,"

"Nowadays, with transportation so developed, many people have been to places and seen sights that even I haven't."

"Many guests I've received come to Nanjiang a second time not for tourism, but because they like the sea and climate here, coming for a short vacation."

"Moreover, with just a phone, one can travel the world anytime, without needing a travel agency."

"But no matter how advanced phones get, museum docents have never been out of a job."

Chen Jianhai was puzzled.

What logic is this?

We were just talking about travel agencies, how did it suddenly turn to museums?

Ning Youyou explained, "In museums, no matter how rich the exhibits and videos are, they are still static and disconnected, requiring docents to narrate and connect them, allowing visitors to fully understand the historical events and their significance."

"The same goes for tourism."

"Since the sights of mountains and rivers are something everyone is used to and has seen enough of,"

"Then we'll take them to see the sights of thought!"

Ning Youyou said,

"Many tourists are very interested in this kind of historical tourism route and are willing to pay for it."

"The 'Retracing Nanjiang Road' launched by our Blue Sky Travel Agency is a very successful example."

Chen Jianhai had never heard of "sights of thought" before, and upon hearing this, he finally became interested,

but he wasn't familiar with Zaomen's history, so he asked puzzledly,

"Can Zaomen's cultural resources support such a tourism project?"

"Absolutely they can!" Ning Youyou said with certainty,

"Although Zaomen has few scenic spots, the historical periods it has gone through and the traces of cultural construction are very rich."

"If we can take time as a trajectory, and use the development stages of Zaomen from a poor and backward place decades ago to today's provincial capital and magic city as a context, carefully design several main and branch tourism routes, we can definitely achieve very good results!"

"As long as we grasp the timing and opportunities, and carefully set the content, we can completely replicate the success."

Ning Youyou became more and more excited as she spoke, even rolling up her sleeves.

Chen Jianhai was amused by Ning Youyou's excitement.

"I understand what you mean."

"Your travel agency plans to turn the mountains, rivers, and buildings into a large museum, with you as the docents, leading us through history."

Ning Youyou nodded emphatically, "Exactly!"

Chen Jianhai thought for a moment and said,

"But this task of extending historical contexts is huge, requiring strong professionalism and careful historical research for each period."

"Does our travel agency have the energy to handle all this?"

Ning Youyou replied easily, "We certainly don't, but others do."

"Professor Li just finished a historical tour of Zaomen a few days ago and is estimated to hold a cultural lecture next month."

"We've already reached a cooperation with Professor Li,"

"Once the lecture starts, our travel agency will immediately launch a cultural tourism route based on Professor Li's walking route and lecture content, the quality is absolutely guaranteed!"

Chen Jianhai was puzzled, "Professor Li? Which Professor Li?"

Ning Youyou said, "Professor Li Xun."

Chen Jianhai slapped his forehead,

Wow!

Brother Li is impressive!

Just finished walking through Nanjiang, and now he's walked through Zaomen too.

Impressive!

"I wonder if our Lion Castle Hotel will be mentioned in Professor Li's lecture materials this time."

Chen Jianhai's mind started to wander,

If Li Xun could mention the Lion Castle Hotel in his lecture, that would be fantastic!

"Boss Chen?"

Ning Youyou called out to the distracted Chen Jianhai.

"Huh?"

Chen Jianhai snapped back to reality, seeing Ning Youyou's bright black eyes looking at him, full of anticipation as she asked,

"Boss Chen, shall we continue our collaboration?"

"Let's join forces to go big again!"