Form 10KSB for TEDA TRAVEL GROUP INC

Annual Report 17-Apr-2006

ITEM 6. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto included in Part II, Item 7 of this Report. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars. The following discussion regarding the Company and its business and operations contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995. These statements consist of any statement other than a recitation of historical fact and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate” or “continue” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. In particular, these include statements relating to our expectation that we will continue to have adequate liquidity from cash flow from operations the other risks and uncertainties which are described above under “RISK FACTORS”. The reader is cautioned that all forward-looking statements are necessarily speculative and there are certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those referred to in such forward looking statements, including the risk factors discussed in this Report. The Company does not have a policy of updating or revising forward-looking statements and thus it should not be assumed that silence by management of the Company over time means that actual events are bearing out as estimated in such forward looking statements.

OVERVIEW

Teda Travel Group, Inc. (“we” or the “Company”) is a Delaware corporation incorporated on September 10, 1993. The Company was originally incorporated under the name EC Capital Ltd. The Company is a reporting company pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In 2001, the Company’s name was changed to Acola Corp. (“Acola”) and the Company attempted to distribute an anti-cancer drug in Mexico. However, Acola was unable to secure sufficient capital to obtain the exclusive distribution rights to the drug and the venture failed. Acola did not engage in any significant operations after 2002.

In 2001, a group of Hong Kong hotel professionals, including members of the current management of the Company, together with Tianjin Teda International Hotels Development Limited, a corporation owned by the Tianjin provincial government and formed under the laws of the People’s Republic of China and a joint venture partner of the Company (the “Company’s Joint Venture Partner”), formed Teda Travel Incorporated, a Florida corporation (“Teda Florida”), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Teda Hotels Management Company Limited, a British Virgin Islands Corporation (“Teda BVI”), for the purpose of establishing a premier nationwide hotel chain business throughout China. The Company’s Joint Venture Partner began its hotel management business in 1997.

On March 10, 2004, Teda Florida and Teda BVI entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Acola. The Share Exchange Agreement set forth certain terms and conditions of the exchange by which the entire issued share capital of Teda BVI was transferred to Acola in exchange for approximately 95.86% of the issued share capital of Acola. The closing of the transaction occurred on March 12, 2004, and Acola became a subsidiary of Teda Florida. At that time, Teda Florida owned approximately 86% of the issued capital of Acola, approximately 9% of the capital was issued to certain consultants and the remaining capital was owned by Acola shareholders that were not parties to the Share Exchange Agreement. On the closing date, pursuant to the Share Exchange Agreement, all of Acola’s existing officers and directors, except Mr. James N. Baxter, resigned and all the directors of Teda Florida were elected on the Board of Acola. Mr. James N. Baxter resigned on March 30, 2004.

The Company amended its certificate of incorporation to change its name to Teda Travel Group, Inc. on April 20, 2004.

Prior to the share exchange, the Company had no material operations. The merger was accounted for as a recapitalization of Teda BVI, as the shareholders of Teda BVI acquired capital stock of the Company in a reverse acquisition. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of Teda BVI were recorded at historical cost as this was a capital transaction, and the shares of common stock issued by the Company were reflected in the consolidated financial statements with retroactive effect, as if the Company had been the parent company from inception. The Company’s former year-end date was June 30 and currently assumes the year-end date of the acquirer of December 31.

On January 27, 2005, the Board of Directors of Teda Florida authorized the distribution of substantially all of the Company common stock it owns to Teda Florida’s shareholders. The record date for the distribution was January 29, 2005. Teda Florida has distributed an aggregate of 17,853,300 Company common stock, such that each shareholder on the record date was entitled to receive 0.717 shares of common stock of the Company for every share of Teda Florida common stock then held. Teda Florida retains the remaining 278 shares of the Company’s common stock.

The Company primarily earns its revenues through the provision of management services, including training and consulting services, to hotels and resorts in the People’s Republic of China (“the PRC”) through its two wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, Teda BVI, and Teda Hotels Management Limited (“Teda HK”), a Hong Kong corporation; and a 60%-owned subsidiary, Landmark International Hotel Group Limited (“Landmark”), acquired on November 8, 2004. The Company is currently headquartered in Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China.

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Revenue. Revenues for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005 were $894,263 as compared to revenues of $568,391 for the previous fiscal year, an increase of $325,872, or 57%. The increase was primarily due to combination of the revenues of a subsidiary (“Landmark”) acquired on November 8, 2004, and of a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in Beijing (“Teda BJ”) established in November 2004. Landmark and Teda BJ generated additional hotel management income for the Company in 2005.

Total Expenses. Our material operating expenses consist primarily of payroll, professional fees, office rentals, overseas traveling and entertainment. Other material expenses included common stock issued for services and amortization of intangible license rights that arose in the acquisition of Landmark. Our total expenses for 2005 were $2,482,316 as compared to total expenses in 2004 of $4,253,353, a decrease of $1,771,037, or 42%. The decrease was primarily attributable to significantly fewer shares of our common stock issued during the year for services. We incurred a non-recurring cost of stock issued for services and acquisition in 2004 that amounted to $3,523,473, principally related to the share exchange transaction which closed on March 12, 2004, together with stock issued to consultants of the Company during the year. In fiscal 2005 we recorded only $632,997 for shares issued for acquisitions and services rendered to the Company, primarily related to deferred stock compensation recognized during the year.

We paid higher professional fees in 2005 than we did in 2004, $445,452 compared to $221,716, and we had a higher payroll in 2005 than in 2004, $570,972 compared to $244,850. Our professional fees and payroll expenses increased due to the increase in the number of hotels under management following our acquisitions of Landmark and Teda BJ.

Our other selling, general and administrative expenses for 2005 were $802,126 as compared to $232,545 in 2004, an increase of $569,581 or 245%. The increase was mainly due to increases in payroll, rental and traveling expenses in 2005 as compared to 2004, with the acquisition of Landmark and establishment of Teda BJ in late 2004. Also included in other selling, general and administrative expenses was amortization of intangible license rights regarding the acquisition of Landmark, which increased from $39,037 in 2004 to $234,216 in 2005. There was an increase of $195,179, or 500%. Since Landmark was acquired in November 2004, amortization was only for two months in 2004 while for the full year in 2005.

Loss from Operations. We recorded a loss from operations of $1,588,053 in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005 as compared to a loss of $3,684,962 in the previous fiscal year, a difference of $2,096,909 or 57%. Our loss from operations was reduced partially by the growth in revenues from our property management business as a result of the increase in the number of hotels under management in 2005. As a result of the increase in the number of hotels we manage, our payroll, professional and management fee expenses and other selling, general and administrative expenses all increased in 2005 compared to 2004. However, loss from operations in 2005 was significantly less than in 2004 due to lower costs of stock issued for services in 2005 compared to 2004.

Net loss from Continuing Operations. We had net loss from continuing operations in 2005 of $1,602,532 compared to a net loss of $3,723,582 for the previous fiscal year, a decrease of $2,121,050 or 57%. The increase in net income was primarily attributable to our increase in revenues as a result of the addition of hotels under management in 2005 and the reduction in costs recorded for stock issued for services in 2005 compared to 2004. Our increase in revenues was offset, however, by material increases in operating expenses, other than stock issued for services, as a result of the increase in hotels under management after the acquisition of Landmark and the establishment of Teda BJ in late 2004.

Income tax. The Company derives its hotel management income in the People’s Republic of China and is subject to withholding tax in the People’s Republic of China depending upon the province in which a particular hotel is located. Income tax expenses charged to the consolidated income statement for 2005 were $29,182 as compared to $37,024 for the year ended December 31, 2004, a decrease of $7,842, or 21%. The reduction in income tax was mainly due to over-provision in 2004 which was reversed in 2005. Though revenues increased in 2005 as compared to 2004, the increase was primarily earned by Teda BJ which operated at a loss in 2005, hence no income tax was payable in respect of its revenue.

Discontinued Operations. There was a loss from discontinued operation attributable to our interest in Yide, our real estate joint venture, of $448,923 for 2005 as compared to an equity loss of $792,815 for the previous fiscal year, a decrease in loss of $343,892, or 43%. The loss attributable to our interest in Yide was less in 2005 than in 2004 primarily because the Company ceased to adopt the equity method to account for Yide subsequent to September 30, 2005. The Board agreed to sell our interest in Yide to a third party in December 2005 and anticipate that the sale will close in the second quarter of 2006. See “Material Subsequent Events” below for further information about the pending sale of our interest in Yide.

Net loss. We had a net loss in 2004 of $4,516,397. Our net loss in 2005 was $2,051,455, which is a reduction of $2,464,942, or 55%, from 2004. The reduction in net loss was primarily a result of a $352,872, or 57%, increase in revenues from year to year, as well as a $2,890,476, or 82%, reduction in stock issued for services in 2005 compared to 2004. The reduction in loss was offset, however, by a $1,119,265, or 153%, increase in our professional fees, payroll fees and other selling, general and administrative expenses in 2005 compare to 2004.

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL CONDITION

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Provided by and Used in Operations

During 2005 we continued to incur a net cash outflow from operations. Our net cash used in operating activities was $256,517 in 2005. We made up the shortfall in operating cash in 2005 by generating $282,722 in net cash from our financing activities, including loans from our principal shareholder, Magnolia Group Holdings Limited. All loans outstanding at December 31, 2005 had been subsequently repaid in the first quarter of 2006, and the Company is currently debt-free. Our current liabilities, which include the amounts due to related parties as well as accounts payable, totaled $1,298,003 at December 31, 2005. Our long-term liabilities as of December 31, 2005 were not material.

Our ability to pay operating expenses will depend upon our future operating performance, which will be subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Given the current economic climate and market conditions, however, and underpinned by the cash raised through issuance of new shares in February 2006,the Company does not foresee any liquidity problem in maintaining its day-to-day operations.

Working Capital Requirements

We had cash of $85,919 at December 31, 2005 and our current assets totaled $408,872. Our current liabilities at December 31, 2005 were $1,298,003, so we had negative working capital of $889,131. In order to increase our working capital, in late December 2005, our Board agreed to the sale of Yide to Far Coast Asia Limited, a third party, for a cash consideration of $3 million. A deposit of $800,000 in respect of the sale was received by the Company in January 2006. A balance payment of $2,200,000 was also received in late March 2006. Completion of the sale, however, is dependent on obtaining the consent of the joint venture partner of Yide and other relevant PRC government approvals. The Company is in the process of getting such consent and approvals. The sale is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2006, and, if completed under the current terms, management anticipates that a profit of approximately $580,000 will be realized upon completion of the sale. We can not provide any assurances that such sale will be completed under the current terms, if at all. In addition, we completed a $4,000,000 offering of our common stock in the first quarter of 2006, from the proceeds of which we paid an investment banking fee of $400,000. We do not have any credit facilities with financial institutions and do not foresee arranging one in the immediate future. We have no material long-term debt company and therefore have no material financial obligations. Loans from our shareholder that are shown on our balance sheet at December 31, 2005, were fully repaid in the first quarter of 2006.

Management believes that funds generated by the sale of Yide and the offering of our common stock, together with anticipated cash flows from operations, will be adequate in providing working capital to the Company for the next 12 months. We cannot assure you that financing alternatives will be available to us in the future to support our working capital requirements should they be needed.

Fluctuations in the values of hotel real estate generally have little impact on the overall results of our business because (1) we do not own the hotels that we manage; (2) management fees are generally based upon hotel revenues and profits versus current hotel property values; and (3) our management agreements generally do not terminate upon hotel sale.

Capital Expenditures

We also continue to seek opportunities to enter new markets, increase market share or broaden service offerings through acquisitions. During 2005, we acquired property, plant and equipment of $7,028 which was financed through working capital. We have no significant capital expenditure commitments outstanding at December 31, 2005 and we do not foresee a major outlay for capital expenditures and other reasonably likely cash requirements apart from those arising from its day-to-day operations. The Company plans to grow by acquisitions and joint ventures in 2006, which will be financed by the approximately $6.6 million in cash raised in the first quarter of 2006. Further funding exercises such as issuing new shares to, or forming joint ventures with strategic investors will be considered when the need arises. Currently the Company has no plans to issue new shares.

MATERIAL SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

In January 2002, the Company acquired a 35% equity interest in a real estate joint venture by the name of Tianjin Teda Yide Industrial Company Limited (“Yide”, formerly Tianjin Yide Real Estate Company Limited), a People’s Republic of China corporation, for $3,610,460. Yide is involved in the development of a mixed-use complex, with residential units for resale, clubhouse, a 115-room hotel, three restaurants and conference facilities. The hotel, clubhouse and restaurants are operating satisfactorily. As of September 2005, the residential units have all been sold at a profit except for two units which remained unsold. The carrying value of Yide as of September 30, 2005 was $2,420,130. The difference between the original book cost and the carrying value as of September 30, 2005 was due mainly to depreciation charge on fixed assets including land, building, furniture and equipment.

Change in significant influence of the Company over Yide With equity holding over 20%, the Company had presumed that it had significant influence over Yide. It is noted that Madam Zhi Ying Chang (“Madam Chang”), who is a Director of the Company, also serves as the Group General Manager of the 65% joint venture partner, Tianjin Teda International Hotels Development Company Limited. Therefore, since acquisition, Yide has been accounted for in the books of the Company as an associate using the equity method of accounting.

During 2004 and 2005, we investigated methods to finance its proposed projects. Toward the end of the third quarter of 2005, the Board of Directors discussed selling the interest in Yide. However, one of our Directors, Madam Chang, who also serves as the Group General Manager of the other joint venture partner of Yide, objected to the sale transaction. Around the same time, Yide failed to provide its financial information to the Company in a timely manner. In fact the Company has not received any further financial information of Yide subsequent to September 30, 2005.

In late December, 2005, because of a shift in business direction to focus on our core hotel-related business and to raise funds for expansion, our Board of Directors approved the sale of Yide to Far Coast Asia Limited, a third party, for $3,000,000. A deposit of $800,000 in respect of the sale was received by the Company in early January 2006. A balance payment of $2,200,000 was also received in late March 2006. However, since Yide failed to provide its financial information to the Company in a timely manner, the sale could not be completed on its original timeline. The Company provided a formal written demand for such information on February 22, 2006. Up to the date of this report, there has been no reply. Furthermore, there has been no direct communications between Madam Chang and the other two directors since the dispute arose in early December 2005.

Stockholder consent regarding the sale of Yide

On February 6, 2006, stockholders who beneficially own in the aggregate 11,865,859 shares, or approximately 54.17% of our issued and outstanding common stock, consented in writing to the sale of Yide. A Preliminary Information Statement and a Definitive Information Statement had been filed with the SEC on March 9, 2006 and March 29, 2006 respectively.

Accounting treatment in the absence of significant influence on Yide

In accordance with FASB Interpretation No. 35 (FIN 35), the use of the equity method of accounting for the investment is required if the investor has the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of the investee. However, FIN 35 provides examples where significant influence may not exist. Specifically, paragraphs 3 & 4 of FIN 35 says that “Evidence that an investor owning 20 percent or more of the voting stock … may be unable to exercise significant influence … requires an evaluation of all the facts & circumstances relating to the investment. The presumption that the investor has the ability to exercise significant influence stands … until overcome by predominant evidence to the contrary.”

Management has determined that the failure by the Company to obtain financial information has resulted in the loss of significant influence under the equity method. As such, the use of the equity method is therefore no longer appropriate and the Company is accounting for its investment from October 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005 under the cost method.

The sale of the Company’s interest in Yide is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2006. Appointment of principal officers

Effective March 23, 2006 Godfrey Chin Tong Hui resigned as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Hui, Chief Executive Officer, acted as interim Chief Financial Officer until the appointment of Mr. Daley Mok.

On March 23, 2006 the board of directors of the Company appointed Benedict Fung as the President of the Company and Daley Mok as the Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer of the Company, effective March 23, 2006.

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

We do no have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to our investors.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including but not limited to those related to income taxes and impairment of long-lived assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions and factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Based on our ongoing review, we plan to make adjustments to our judgments and estimates where facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ from our estimates.

We believe the following critical accounting policies are important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and require our management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.

(i) Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the assets from three to thirty nine years. Repairs and maintenance on property and equipment are expensed as incurred.

(ii) Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes hotel and resort management service fees in the period when the services are rendered.

(iii) Foreign Currency Translation The Company’s assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are translated into the currency of United States dollars using the exchange rates at the balance sheet date. For revenues and expenses, the average exchange rate during the year was used to translate Hong Kong dollars and Chinese renminbi into United States dollars. The translation gains and losses resulting from changes in the exchange rate are charged or credited directly to the stockholders’ equity section of the balance sheet when material. All realized and unrealized transaction gains and losses are included in the determination of income in the period in which they occur. Translation and transaction gains and losses are included in the statement of operations because they are not material as of December 31, 2004.

(iv) Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation using the intrinsic value method prescribed in Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” and related interpretations and elects the disclosure option of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” as amended by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation – Transition and Disclosure,(“SFAS Nos. 123 and 148”). Accordingly, compensation cost for stock options is measured as the excess, if any, of the fair value of the Company’s stock at the date of grant over the amount an employee must pay to acquire the stock. The Company also records stock compensation expense for any options issued to non-employees using the fair value method prescribed in SFAS Nos. 123 and 148.

(v) Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under the Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109 “Accounting for Income Taxes” (“SFAS No. 109”). Under SFAS No. 109, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Under SFAS No. 109, the effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

(vi) Long-Lived Assets

The Company accounts for long-lived assets under the Statements of Financial Accounting Standards Nos. 142 and 144 “Accounting for Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” and “Accounting for Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets” (“SFAS No. 142 and 144”). In accordance with SFAS No. 142 and 144, long-lived assets, goodwill and certain identifiable intangible assets held and used by the Company are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. For purposes of evaluating the recoverability of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets, the recoverability test is performed using undiscounted net cash flows related to the long-lived assets.

IMPACT OF FUTURE ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING STANDARDS FAS No. 123 (revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment” . . .