Et-china Celebrates Its First Year With Major Office Expansion; Siemens, Ericsson & Nokia...

Business Editors

GUANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2001

Et-china, www.et-china.com, China's leading e-commerce travel Web site is celebrating its first year in business with a major new office expansion at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, all-new and redesigned

Et-china is China's most technically skilled, business-to-business travel e-commerce provider and is jointly owned and operated by Et-china Investments Pty Limited, an Australian e-commerce investment company and China Southern Airlines (NYSE:ZNH) (HKSE:1055), www.cs-air.com/en, the largest airline in The People's Republic of China.

Beginning as a dream by its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Ng, to bring a wide range of travel services to the business and corporate customer in China, ETC employees and senior staff now number more than 110.

"Et-china is focusing development of a Chinese version of its business travel solution tools in partnership with leading IT firms and GDS service providers in the new year to capitalize on its first year success," said Ng.

The rapid growth of the company has necessitated ETC's opening new offices across the street from Baiyun International Airport for the company's Marketing and Operations, IT and Cargo divisions. The new ETC office expansion includes 19 rooms and 64 workstations.

ETC is also pleased to announce that it has signed several new major corporate accounts and will be managing and/or providing travel services, including airline reservations and ticketing, travel planning, hotel reservations and payment and business conferences, for Siemens, Ericsson, Nokia, HP Invent (China Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd. Guangzhou Branch), CCB (China Construction Bank) and Agilent Technologies.

Corporate sales account for 80% of Et-china's business. Seventy percent of Et-china's staff is now in the company's marketing and operations divisions working to either sign new corporate accounts or servicing existing corporate clients.

"It's been a great year," said Ng. "There is no question that the corporate business marketplace understands and are daily using the e-commerce and travel benefits that only Et-china can provide. Et-china is continually looking for strong partnerships with major international travel companies so we can continue to expand our vast array of e-commerce travel products and services."

On the Internet at www.et-china.com, Et-china can provide customers with online domestic (China) and international air travel booking and ticketing, travel and hotel reservations. Et-china offers real time individual seat selection and meal selection on all China Southern Airlines' flights as well as luggage and cargo information.