PACIFIC DELIGHT TOURS UNVEILS 15-DAY FAMILY PACKAGE COMBINING GIANT PANDAS,

        New York, NY, January 2008 -- Pacific Delight Tours is offering four June and July guaranteed departures of its “Giant Panda & Yangtze River Escapade,” program, designed from the company’s portfolio of “Off-The-Beaten-Path” itineraries and ideally suited for families by focusing on hands-on innovative activities in unusual and lesser-known destinations.  The 15-day package, with English-speaking tour managers and accommodations in deluxe hotels, offers families exceptional experiences, including a visit to the best place to see China’s most endearing residents, the Giant Panda – at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding; kite-making classes; home-style dinners with a local family; and an excursion to the newly discovered 2,000-year-old tomb of Han Jing Di in Xi’an.  Families take in the Yangtze River’s majestic landscape from aboard the Victoria Cruises’ five-star Victoria Empress, in outside cabins with balconies.  Fares range from $3,588 to $3,808 per person, double, with early booking savings of $100 per couple if booked with a deposit by February 21.  Five-day pre- and four-day post-tours to Hong Kong, with accommodations at the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hotel and island tour, are $788 to $1,228 per person, double.  Government-imposed taxes and fees, including the Sept. 11 Security Fee of up to $155, are additional.  Prices are subject to change.

        Besides the visit to the Giant Panda research center, the best place to learn about the animals, guests take in Chengdu’s ancient Qingyang Palace, a Daoist temple; and the Sichuan Opera, for shows that combine music and acrobatic performances.  During a three-day stay in Beijing, guests attend the “Legend of Kung Fu” at the Beijing Opera School, a performance by children recruited from throughout the country; plant trees with young Chinese at the Great Wall; and cruise through the lakes and canals of the city’s fast-disappearing Hutong communities.  Highlights in Xi’an include witnessing the excavation process of the Han Jing tomb, viewing the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses and lunch and a noodle-making demonstration at the Terra-Cotta Museum.

        In Chongqing, participants explore the Stilwell Museum and its collection of World War II memorabilia and explore the city’s Ci Qi Kou Old Town before boarding the Victoria Empress.  The cruise features an excursion to Fengdu and its Mingshan temples; cruising through Qutang, Wu and Xiling Gorges; and a tour of the world’s largest hydroelectric project – the Three Gorges Dam.

        The tour includes most meals, transpacific flights from West Coast cities; pre-confirmed accommodations; all Asia air/land transportation, most meals, sightseeing and shore excursions, tour escort, transfers, fuel surcharges, hotel taxes, service charges and baggage handling.  Land-only prices and single supplements are available as are add-on fares from dozens of North American gateways.  Travelers receive $100,000 flight insurance and frequent flyer credit when Pacific Delight tickets the air-inclusive tours. 

        Pacific Delight Tours is the market leader in escorted and independent tours to China, the Orient and Southeast Asia, and offers packages to India.  Reservations, brochures and information can be obtained from travel agents and Pacific Delight Tours, telephone (800) 221-7179 or (212) 818-1781; web site: www.PacificDelightTours.com.