ITB China Exploring New Marketing Ideas for Inbound Tourism to China
Shanghai (China) – November 4, 2019 (travelindex.com) –The 2019 World Culture and Tourism Forum in Chanba, Xi’an (China) came to a successful close today. The conference was hosted by Xi’an Municipal People’s Government and Ctrip and focused on the theme of “Intelligent integration of culture and tourism”, has attracted more than 3,000 attendees from 26 countries. As the strategic partner, ITB China, the largest b2b exclusive travel trade show in China, organized an international delegation of 15 industry representatives from 13 countries to visit the forum, exploring new marketing ideas for inbound tourism in China. It was the first time ever that an international buyer delegation attended the forum.
Representing the international tourism industry for the very first time, hand-picked senior buyers from the established ITB Berlin Buyers Circle attended the forum this year. The majority of the buyers came from OTAs, travel agencies and wholesalers. On 24 October a tailor-made matchmaking meeting was arranged with selected Chinese travel suppliers, to help introduce and promote the Xi’an local culture and its unique travel products.
Kang Lifeng, Deputy Director of Xi’an Culture and Tourism Bureau: “We are delighted to have the support from ITB for bringing a high-quality international buyer delegation from more than 10 countries to the 2019 World Culture and Tourism Forum, to better understand Xi’an and connect with local suppliers face-to-face. ITB is the world-famous travel trade show, and Xi’an is the world’s famous tourist destination, I believe we will have a lot to do together in the future. We look forward to deepening our cooperation with ITB China in a comprehensive way. “
Li Longshuo, Project Manager of Shaanxi Lixing Travel Agent: “Customer sources are very important for the inbound travel market. We usually attend oversea trade shows or meetings, to get new business. However, today’s event provided us with one-to-one communication opportunities in China which not only saved us costs but also made it possible to exchange direct experiences with local buyers. I really hope that this new format can be sustained and that the scale can be expanded too”.
Astrid Schalken, Senior Business Development Manager of Bookunited: ”China is our key target market for next year. We are going to launch new programs and are trying to find new destinations. I really appreciate ITB’s buyer program being so well organized.”
During the forum, Mr. Kang Lifeng, Deputy Director of Xi’an Culture and Tourism Bureau, Mr. David Axiotis, General Manager of ITB China, Mr. Wang Wei, Vice President of Ctrip Group, CEO of Government Cooperation and Offline Market Business, and Mr. Charlie Li, CEO and Founder of Travel Daily, met to discuss the future integration of Xi’an’s local tourism resources and ITB’s international buyer resources, so as to promote the development of Xi’an’s inbound tourism.
Mr. Fang Guanghua, Deputy Governor of Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government said: “Xi’an Xianyang International Airport implements the 144-hour transit visa-free policy and makes it easier for holidaymakers to enjoy Xi’an province. We will provide tourists with special cultural travel experiences by offering diversified travel products, making it possible to interact with locals, nature and culture alike.”
During the two-day conference all participants have enjoyed attending sessions about “Big Data Release: China’s Inbound Tourism Report”, “Reinforcing Quality Inbound Travel with Innovation Mechanisms”, “Overseas Marketing & Media Alliance for Chinese Online Travel Companies”, as well as “The Opportunities and Challenges of China’s Inbound Travel from a Global Perspective” or “The National Image of Open and Confidence Complementary to Inbound Tourism Growth”.
ITB China, set to take place from 13- 15 May 2020, will launch a new “Inbound Travel” segment for the upcoming edition. A dedicated booth area, conference sessions and networking events will help international inbound buyers explore new Chinese travel products and facilitate the Chinese tourism industry to grow bigger and stronger.
In its 4th year, ITB China has already established itself as the must-attend event for the Chinese travel industry. Early committed exhibitors who register before 30 November 2019, can benefit from a discount of 5 percent on their stand rental fees.
About ITB China and the ITB China Conference
ITB China is China’s largest B2B exclusive travel trade show. ITB China 2020 will take place from Wednesday to Friday, 13 to 15 May, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre. ITB China is a three-day business to a business travel trade fair that focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry. The ITB China Conference will take place parallel to the show and is co-organized by the leading conference organizer TravelDaily.
