Celebrate Year of the Tiger with Agoda’s Chinese New Year Specials

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Agoda.com welcomes in the Year of the Tiger with a host of special offers and last-minute rates for Chinese New Year, starting 14 February 2010.

Agoda.com, a leading Asia-based hotel bookings site and part of the NASDAQ-listed Priceline.com, welcomes in the Year of the Tiger with a host of special offers and last-minute rates for Chinese New Year, starting 14 February 2010.

Chinese New Year – also known as the Spring Festival – is China's most important holiday. Celebrations begin on the New Year’s Eve, when families gather for a sumptuous banquet of foods associated with good luck and prosperity, such as dumplings, whole fish and tangerines. After dinner, gifts are exchanged and fire-crackers are set off. Festivities continue for the next 15 days with the Lantern Festival taking place on the final night.

A popular myth associated with Chinese New Year involves the Nian, a legendary creature that terrorized villages on New Year's Day, destroying crops and threatening farmers and their children. To keep the Nian at bay, people would put food outside their doors and decorate their doorways with red, a color thought to frighten off the beast. Firecrackers and drums were also used to scare the Nian away.

The legend is also the inspiration behind one of Chinese New Year’s most iconic traditions – the Lion Dance. Performed by two dancers in a decorative lion costume, the dance is a display of athleticism and agility, incorporating acrobatics and kung fu moves. Traditionally accompanied by drums, cymbals and gongs, this dance is believed to ward off evil spirits and usher in good luck for the forthcoming year.

Chinese New Year is celebrated across the world with a diverse array of special events and ceremonies. Hong Kong is festooned with flower markets, parades and a spectacular fireworks display. Macau's streets light up with lanterns and its casinos stage special New Year's events. Singapore bolsters its reputation as a shopper's paradise with New Year’s markets filling the streets of Chinatown. And in Bangkok, Yaowarat Road is the scene of parades, dragon dances and traditional New Year’s foods.

In Australia, Sydney celebrates Chinese New Year with citywide events and a 'Twilight Parade' that features a procession of traditional Chinese dances, acrobats and elaborate lantern floats. The two-week festival includes dragon boat races, banquets and temple tours and draws upwards of 600,000 attendees.

Vice President of Business Development, Wilfred Fan, commented, "In today’s global economy, it's common for people to be working and living away from their hometown. Many Chinese expats take this opportunity to take time off work and reunite with their extended family."

"Agoda has extensive coverage of accommodation in all parts of Asia, many properties with rooms available to cater for last-minute arrangements. With most people in the region having 3 to 5 days off, many are also planning to travel with the family to celebrate the New Year in a more relaxing environment. Whether it is a local resort or an overseas destination, Agoda always has the right place at a good price."

Agoda's Exclusive Last-Minute Rates for Chinese New Year

Rayfont Shanghai Xuhui Hotel, Shanghai – 4 Stars http://www.agoda.com/asia/china/shanghai/rayfont_s...
Normal rate USD 87 per night. Agoda rates from USD 47 per night. Book a Deluxe Room within 7 days and enjoy 25% discount.

Marque Hotel, Sydney – 4 Stars
http://www.agoda.com/pacific_ocean_and_australia/a...
Normal rate USD 142. Agoda rates from USD 123 per night. Book 3 nights in a Premier King or Twin Room and enjoy 15 % discount.

Kapok Hotel, Beijing – 4 Stars
http://www.agoda.com/asia/china/beijing/kapok_hote...
Normal rate USD 74. Agoda rates from USD 48 per night. Save 35% on a Fashion Room or Courtyard Room.

City Garden, Hong Kong – 4 Stars
http://www.agoda.com/asia/hong_kong/hong_kong/city...
Normal rate USD 178. Agoda rates from USD 143 per night. Book a Deluxe Room for 2 nights and enjoy 20% discount.

Best Western Hotel Sun Sun, Macau – 3 Stars
http://www.agoda.com/asia/macau/macau/best_western...
Normal rate USD 406. Agoda last-minute rates from as low as USD 171 per night.

Hotel Eclat, Taipei – 5 Stars
http://www.agoda.com/asia/taiwan/taipei/hotel_ecla...
Normal rate USD 193. Agoda rates from USD 155. Stay 2 nights and enjoy 20% discount.

The Garden Hotel, Guangzhou – 5 Stars
http://www.agoda.com/asia/china/guangzhou/the_gard...
Normal rate USD 122. Agoda rates from USD 98. Book 1 night in a Superior Room and enjoy a 20% discount.

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About Agoda Company Pte Ltd:

Agoda Company Pte Ltd (www.agoda.com) is a leading, Asia-based, online hotel reservations company, which specializes in securing the lowest discount hotel prices. Agoda.com is part of Priceline.com (Nasdaq:PCLN). Agoda's network includes over 7,000 hotels in Asia-Pacific and more than 100,000 worldwide. The multinational staff of 350 professionals, located throughout Asia, provides a first-rate reservation service that uniquely combines local knowledge and local connections to provide the best hotel deals to both business and leisure travelers.

In addition, Agoda customers participate in the Agoda Rewards Program, earning further discounts and free stays. Unlike programs that limit travelers to a single chain, the Agoda Rewards Program allows customers to redeem Rewards Points at thousands of hotels around the globe, at any time. A member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Agoda's aim is to promote travel by making it more affordable and more accessible to more people.