ITB China News 2018 - Preview Edition
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<strong>China</strong><br />
Your Official Information Source at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
WEDNESDAY<br />
9 th MAY <strong>2018</strong><br />
PREVIEW<br />
EDITION<br />
Stand No. 500<br />
TRADE TALK<br />
Stand No.<br />
200/201<br />
Stand No. 430<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> <strong>2018</strong>:<br />
50% Growth in Year 2<br />
Exhibition again fully booked – more floor space for Middle<br />
Eastern and Latin American exhibitors<br />
After its premiere last year, the success of<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is set to continue: <strong>China</strong>’s new<br />
marketplace for the travel industry, taking<br />
place from 16 to 18 May in Shanghai, was<br />
already fully booked out with a 50% increase<br />
in gross exhibition area compared to last<br />
year.<br />
Rungang Zhang<br />
Secretary General & Vice President, <strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Association (CTA)<br />
CTA is the biggest travel and tourism<br />
industry association of the world’s<br />
second largest economy and we are very<br />
delighted to again work with <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
Read page 6<br />
ADVENTURE TOURISM<br />
Laurent Holdener<br />
Managing Director, Terre Cambodge – Adventure<br />
Travel Network (ATN)<br />
ATN is presenting the full range of<br />
adventure products that each destination<br />
can offer, from cycling to sailing on a<br />
catamaran, the variety of activities is very<br />
diverse<br />
Read page 9<br />
More than 700 exhibitors from 80 countries<br />
will be represented in <strong>China</strong>’s threeday<br />
B2B travel trade show. In addition<br />
to established exhibitors from last year,<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> has been able to secure many<br />
newcomers. Furthermore, a total of 2,700<br />
attendees are expected to take part in the<br />
lectures, discussions and keynotes of <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> Conference, given by more than 120<br />
industry speakers.<br />
“<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is becoming a driving force<br />
behind the Chinese travel industry”, said<br />
David Axiotis, General Manager <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>.<br />
“Exhibitors and visitors can look forward<br />
to three highly intense business days at the<br />
second edition of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> with interesting<br />
opportunities to explore the latest trends in<br />
Chinese travel”. (see our exclusive interview<br />
page 7)<br />
David Axiotis<br />
General Manager, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT<br />
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA<br />
DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT<br />
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA<br />
Mubarak Al Nuaimi<br />
Director, Promotions and Overseas Offices, DCT Abu<br />
Dhabi<br />
We have actively increased our efforts to<br />
capture the awareness of and convert<br />
Chinese travellers to visit Abu Dhabi.<br />
Read page 11<br />
The Middle East welcomed<br />
an estimated 58 million<br />
international arrivals in 2017,<br />
representing an increase of<br />
5% following a small decline<br />
in 2016. Egypt (+55%) led<br />
growth in the region, both in<br />
absolute and relative terms,<br />
recovering from the decline<br />
it suffered in previous years.<br />
Meanwhile, international<br />
tourist arrivals in Africa<br />
increased an estimated 8%<br />
in 2017 to reach 62 million,<br />
according to the UNWTO.<br />
Read more about some of<br />
the top MEA exhibitors at<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, from page 11.<br />
Arabian Nights Village,<br />
Abu Dhabi
2 NEWS<br />
PREFACE<br />
Richard<br />
Barnes<br />
<strong>China</strong>:<br />
No Experience?<br />
No Problem!<br />
The Right Partner,<br />
the Right Time<br />
Being Partner Destination of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> means more than<br />
just having “branding” at the show. This year’s Partner<br />
Destination for <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is Finland. From January to<br />
November 2017, the number of overnights from <strong>China</strong> to<br />
Finland reached 321,172 with a 34.3% growth compared<br />
to January to December 2016, and Chinese nationals now<br />
represent the fifth largest group of travellers to Finland.<br />
As part of the country’s efforts to raise awareness and<br />
create new business ties with outbound operators in <strong>China</strong>,<br />
around 50 delegates from Finland will be representing the<br />
country at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>.<br />
WE ARE<br />
VERY HAPPY TO<br />
OFFER SUCH AN<br />
INTERESTING ACCESS<br />
FOR COMPANIES<br />
FOCUSING ON CHINA<br />
IN THE FUTURE<br />
Michael Buller<br />
CEO, Verband Internet Reisevertrieb (VIR)<br />
Finland is running a multitude of visa centres in <strong>China</strong>,<br />
working on e-visa solutions for Chinese tourists and has<br />
opened up for Chinese mobile payment systems, adding a<br />
lot of convenience for Chinese visiting Finland. Finland is<br />
also taking part in the EU <strong>China</strong> Tourism Year, for which <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> is an official partner event. As David Axiotis, General<br />
Manager <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, so rightly explains, Finland has proven<br />
that it is attaching great importance in enhancing Chinese<br />
tourists’ travel experience by “going the extra mile”.<br />
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The <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Market Introduction<br />
Programme is making its debut at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
The newly launched programme<br />
is planned for international travel<br />
industry professionals who have no<br />
or little experience with the Chinese<br />
travel market so far. Companies or<br />
institutions who aim to gather first<br />
experiences with the Chinese travel<br />
industry, can easily establish first<br />
contacts and get useful information<br />
about this dynamic industry and<br />
market at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
The inaugural partner is the VIR<br />
(Verband Internet Reisevertrieb),<br />
Germany’s leading association for the<br />
online travel industry, representing the<br />
interests of the digital travel industry.<br />
A large number of the most important<br />
industry players have joined them as<br />
members, such as Amadeus, HRS and<br />
many more. Their members come<br />
from online travel agencies, supplier<br />
& tour operators, service & travel<br />
technology providers as well as startups.<br />
Each participant to the programme will<br />
get an individual <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> schedule<br />
that is managed by a dedicated contact<br />
person from <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> and comprises<br />
the following services:<br />
Invitations to various networking<br />
events during <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>;<br />
Guided tours and appointments with<br />
selected Chinese key players at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong>;<br />
Exclusive presentation sessions<br />
organised and tutored by leading<br />
Chinese companies giving first<br />
impressions on how things work in<br />
the Chinese travel industry as well<br />
as guided attendance of selected<br />
sessions of the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference.<br />
Michael Buller, CEO Verband Internet<br />
Reisevertrieb (VIR) says that in<br />
addition to Silicon Valley, the digital<br />
travel industry looks more and more<br />
also into the direction of <strong>China</strong>: “The<br />
role as an important trend market will<br />
increase tremendously over the next<br />
years. Therefore, we are very happy<br />
to offer such an interesting access for<br />
companies focusing on <strong>China</strong> in the<br />
future”<br />
For more information about the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
market Introduction Programme: contact@<br />
itb-china.com or visit www.itb-china.com/<br />
about-us/market-introduction-program/<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
NEWS<br />
3<br />
ADVERTORIAL<br />
South America Opens Its Arms to Chinese<br />
Travellers – Thanks to Operamerica<br />
Operamerica is a wholesale<br />
incoming tour operator<br />
focused on cultural and<br />
adventure groups in Central,<br />
South America and the<br />
Caribbean. They take the very<br />
best of each city or destination<br />
and present it in 2 or 3 days,<br />
then integrate it to a set of<br />
countries connected to a<br />
region in a short format so<br />
that the tourist knows more<br />
countries and destinations in<br />
the time he has prepared for<br />
his or her travel. We asked<br />
CEO Carlos E. Young to tell us<br />
more…<br />
Our tours include meal, lodging,<br />
entertainment, guides in Chinese<br />
throughout the journey and most<br />
importantly the air ticket throughout<br />
the circuit. That is, as a wholesaler,<br />
we pack the best of America at<br />
a low cost, so that wholesaler in<br />
<strong>China</strong> can offer a complete product<br />
at a reasonable price. We offer our<br />
products only to outbound tour<br />
operators and we look forward to<br />
work with some or just a handful<br />
wholesalers in <strong>China</strong>.<br />
How are tourism figures for Chinese<br />
outbound travellers progressing<br />
in South America, what are the<br />
prospects for the future, and why<br />
are more and more Chinese visitors<br />
heading for this region?<br />
I believe the future looks very<br />
promising. It is estimated that more<br />
than 2 million Chinese tourists visited<br />
Latin America last year, and this is<br />
less than 2% of Chinese tourists who<br />
travelled internationally. The main<br />
impediment is the flight distance<br />
and connections that add up to more<br />
than 30 flight hours, but things are<br />
changing rapidly.<br />
Chinese airlines are turning their<br />
focus to Latin America at the<br />
direction of their government,<br />
which wants a global presence from<br />
its airlines. Air <strong>China</strong> serves São<br />
Paulo, Brazil; La Havana, Cuba; and<br />
now Panama City, Panamá. <strong>China</strong><br />
Southern covers Mexico City.<br />
What are your key aims at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong>?<br />
Our main objective at <strong>ITB</strong>-<strong>China</strong> is<br />
to make agreements with outbound<br />
tours operators, while promoting<br />
Central, South America and the<br />
Caribbean through regional tours,<br />
so that Chinese tourists get the most<br />
out of visiting multiple destinations<br />
in each travel<br />
STAND No. 623<br />
Carlos E. Young<br />
CEO, Operamerica<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong>
4 <strong>ITB</strong> CHINA CONFERENCE<br />
Top-Line Speakers, New Focus Areas<br />
Not to be missed sessions at the <strong>2018</strong> <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference<br />
A power packed programme at the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
Conference includes sessions by Ctrip, Tencent,<br />
Visit Finland, Wyndham Hotels and many more,<br />
with three new areas of focus: Customised Travel,<br />
Business Travel and Education & Job Day.<br />
The conference runs parallel to <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, taking place<br />
from 16 to 18 May in Shanghai, and will form a key element<br />
of the B2B show focusing on Chinese outbound tourism.<br />
Co-hosted by TravelDaily, the travel think tank will invite<br />
business leaders and experts both from <strong>China</strong> and abroad<br />
to share their expertise and ideas on market hotspots in<br />
the industry.<br />
Top Speakers from major travel companies, such as Ctrip,<br />
one of the biggest online travel agencies in <strong>China</strong>, as well<br />
as Visit Finland, Wyndham Hotels, Tencent, Meituan, <strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Academy will provide exciting insights into their<br />
expanding markets in the conference of the second edition<br />
of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>. This think tank of Chinese travel, co-hosted<br />
by TravelDaily will provide key insights in seven areas:<br />
“Destination”, “Travel Tech”, “Corporate Travel & MICE”,<br />
“Online Travel”, and - for the first time – “Customised<br />
Travel”, “Business Travel” and “Education & Job”.<br />
The <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference in 2017 had high levels of<br />
attendance, driven by the quality its content. There was<br />
a total of 2,700 attendees for lectures, discussions and<br />
keynotes delivered by 70 industry speakers. This year<br />
again, leading travel organisations and tourism officials<br />
active in the Chinese market are expected at the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
Conference. In addition, other top companies such as<br />
CITS American Express Global Business Travel, Carlson<br />
Wagonlit Travel and BCD Travel, Merlin Entertainments,<br />
Mafengwo, Lushu, and Abercombie & Kent will be sending<br />
speakers to the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
The first sessions of the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
Conference will kick off with opening<br />
keynotes by James Jianzhang Liang,<br />
Co-founder & Executive Chairman of<br />
the Board at Ctrip; Eduardo Santander,<br />
Executive Director of European<br />
Travel Commission will talk about<br />
the “EU-<strong>China</strong> Tourism Year: A Year<br />
of Opportunities”; Leo Liu, President,<br />
Greater <strong>China</strong>, Wyndham Hotel Group<br />
gives a talk on “The Invariable Innovation<br />
and Crossover”; Yiyi Jiang, Head of<br />
International Tourism Research, <strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Academy discusses the “Trend<br />
of <strong>China</strong> Outbound Tourism Market” and<br />
Paavo Virkkunen, Executive Director,<br />
Business Finland Oy & Head of Visit<br />
Finland, will speak about “Sustainability<br />
and Responsibility, Fundamentals in<br />
Travel Industry Development”.<br />
The afternoon sessions of 16 May<br />
are dedicated to “Destination” and<br />
“Customised Travel”. Moderated by<br />
Phocuswright founder Philip C. Wolf,<br />
the “DESTINATION” SESSION will<br />
feature a panel discussion on “EU-<strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Year” (ECTY). Panellists from<br />
major European destinations will discuss<br />
how to upgrade the attractiveness of<br />
Europe as a whole to Chinese tourists.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA CONFERENCE<br />
DAY 1<br />
Fan Zhang, CEO, Mioji; Steven Shu,<br />
CMO, Meituan Dianping; Sunny Wang,<br />
Tourism Industry Director, Tencent<br />
Online Media Group, Tencent, and other<br />
guests will further probe into the topic of<br />
destination marketing.<br />
Joseph Wang, Chief Commercial Officer,<br />
TravelDaily <strong>China</strong>, will moderate a panel<br />
discussion on “Connecting Destinations<br />
with Chinese Millennials”. Jenna<br />
Qian, CEO of Destination Marketing,<br />
Ctrip as well as panellists from Merlin<br />
Entertainments, the Ministry of Tourism<br />
of Brazil, Turismo de Portugal and the<br />
Israeli Government Tourism Office will<br />
look at marketing strategies targeting<br />
Chinese millennials. For the first time,<br />
the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference will feature<br />
a dedicated session on CUSTOMISED<br />
TRAVEL, which has become an<br />
important fast-growing market. Iris Cai,<br />
Co-Founder, UniqueWay will talk about<br />
“The Implementation of AI and Big Data<br />
in Customised Travel” and Executives<br />
from Abercrombie Kent as well as<br />
Lushu will present interesting keynote<br />
speeches on “How to design customised<br />
travel products”. Following this, <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> and Qyer will host the “IT’S MY<br />
WORLD Travel Award Ceremony”.<br />
www.itb-china-news.com
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA CONFERENCE<br />
5<br />
© Messe Berlin<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> 2017<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA CONFERENCE<br />
DAY 2<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA CONFERENCE<br />
DAY 3<br />
“Corporate Travel and MICE”, “Travel Tech”,<br />
“Online Travel” and “Business Travel” will be<br />
on the agenda for the second day of the <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> Conference.<br />
The morning sessions of “TRAVEL TECH” will<br />
be presented Beijing Babel Technology CEO<br />
Lei Guan, with the topic of “The Innovative<br />
Application of AI Translation in Cross-border<br />
Tourism”. Allen Chen, Vice President,<br />
JIGUANG will talk about “Big Data Application<br />
of Tourism and Analysis Practice of Tourist<br />
Behaviour”, and Jarhead Gai, CEO, Yundijie.<br />
com will deliver a keynote on “Reform of<br />
Scientific and Technological Innovation in<br />
Supply Side of Customised Travel”. Industry<br />
experts from WeHotel, WebBeds, Hotelbeds,<br />
Jinling Hotels and DerbySoft will participate in<br />
a panel discussion about “The New Dynamics<br />
of Hotel Distribution” from 11 to 11.50 am.<br />
Bin Du, Vice President of Mafengwo.com<br />
will open the “ONLINE TRAVEL” sessions<br />
with a presentation on “The Strategy of New<br />
Tourism: How to Grow Business in the Time<br />
of Great Changes” followed by a keynote by<br />
Fliggy Vice President Wells Zheng. Following<br />
this, Fisk Yu, CEO, Haoqiao.com will discuss<br />
“The New Roles of the Travel Agencies in New<br />
Internet Era”. These sessions will conclude<br />
with the second “<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Startup Awards”<br />
recognising travel-related start-ups having<br />
introduced innovative products and solutions<br />
over the past year. The winner will be<br />
awarded with a complimentary stand at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> 2019. The jury is comprised of industry<br />
veterans, including Philip C. Wolf, Founder,<br />
Phocuswright; Shiwei Zhou, Vice President,<br />
Ctrip Investments; Herry Han, Partner,<br />
Lightspeed <strong>China</strong> Partners; Jay You, Partner,<br />
Yuantai Investment Partners Evergreen Fund;<br />
and Fei Ye, VP of Strategic Investment and<br />
Capital Market, <strong>China</strong> Lodging Group.<br />
BUSINESS TRAVEL DAY: The Business<br />
Travel Day will kick off with a panel on “How<br />
Technological Innovations Are Transforming<br />
Business Travel”. It will be moderated by<br />
Jonathan Kao, Managing Director from<br />
Greater <strong>China</strong>/ BCD Travel followed by<br />
discussions with Robert Öhrnberg, General<br />
Manager Greater <strong>China</strong>, Finnair; Huilian<br />
Duan, Vice President Sales & Marketing,<br />
APAC, Maritim Hotels, Giles Yang, Chairman<br />
of the Board & CEO, Fanjia International<br />
and Charlie Xu, Director of New Business<br />
Development, Greater <strong>China</strong>, HRS.<br />
This year’s exclusive partners are CITS<br />
American Express Global Business Travel,<br />
Carlson Wagonlit Travel <strong>China</strong> and BCD<br />
Travel.<br />
MICE SESSION: Alicia Yao Hong, Regional<br />
Vice President, PCMA ICESAP will set the<br />
scene for the MICE session featuring a<br />
keynote speech and a case study on the<br />
“Belt and Road Initiative – How Does It Affect<br />
the Business Events Industry in <strong>China</strong>?”.<br />
Moderated by Philip Pang, Marketing and<br />
Membership Manager, PCMA ICESAP, the<br />
following speakers will contribute to an<br />
intensive exchange: Ivanka Xu, Founder<br />
& CEO, Merak; Shane Ullman, Managing<br />
Director, Travel Events Asia; Ike Zhang,<br />
Vice President, Corporate Services, Tempus<br />
Group and Eugene Lin, Asst. President,<br />
Shanghai Jin Jiang Travel.<br />
BUSINESS TRAVEL: Sessions of “Business<br />
Travel” will give insights on the topics of<br />
innovations in business travel, unmanned<br />
services and digital intelligence applications,<br />
such as “The Belt and Road Initiative –<br />
Powering the Business Travel Globalisation”<br />
hosted by Kevin Tan, Vice President &<br />
General Manager, CITS American Express<br />
Global Business Travel.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> <strong>2018</strong> is in search of tomorrow’s talents: The<br />
third Conference Day, 18 May, is dedicated to the new<br />
area “Education and Job”.<br />
THE JOB DAY takes plays throughout the day and<br />
consists of a dedicated area in Conference Room B with<br />
more than 40 companies, institutions and universities,<br />
such as Ctrip, JinJiang, Huazhu, BTG-Homeinn, Sabre,<br />
Carlson Wagonlit Travel <strong>China</strong>, Wyndham Hotel Group,<br />
Utour and CAISSA Travel presenting themselves in<br />
the fully booked Job Area. The morning sessions in<br />
Conference Room A will deal with in-depth content<br />
sessions about Education organised in partnership<br />
with globally renowned educational institutions,<br />
focusing on topics of tourism education and executive<br />
training This year’s honoured partners of the Education<br />
Day are the Fudan University Shanghai, the Hong Kong<br />
Polytechnic University and The Hospitality Sales and<br />
Marketing Association International (HSMAI). More<br />
than 120 renowned experts from the Chinese and<br />
international travel industry will impart their knowledge<br />
at the second <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference, taking place from<br />
16 to 18 May <strong>2018</strong> in Shanghai.<br />
Presentations for EDUCATION DAY will include a<br />
keynote by Yunlong Sun, Project Director of MTA<br />
Program at Fudan University, on “Flexibility and<br />
constancy in the cultivation of tourism professional”,<br />
while Mo Zhang, Project Director, QIJIAN Tourism<br />
Planning and Design, will share his ideas on “Straight<br />
A at the office, CEO in ivory tower”, followed by a panel<br />
discussion on “Career development and cultivation of<br />
cultural personality” with Li Han, SVP, Utour Group;<br />
Navy Wang, Founder & CEO, Atour; Tao Jin, Vice<br />
President, Shanghai Shendi Institute and Ms. Laurie<br />
Cheng, Director of Human Resources, The Peninsula<br />
Shanghai.<br />
Another not-to-be-missed keynote, on the “Current<br />
and Future of Tourism Education” will be delivered by<br />
Professor Cathy Hsu, Chair Professor of Hospitality<br />
and Tourism Marketing School of Hotel and Tourism<br />
Management – Hong Kong Polytechnic University.<br />
Full details of the conference programme are now available at: www.itb-china.com/conference/conference-program/<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong>
6 TRADE TALK<br />
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL<br />
“ELEVATES TRAVEL<br />
EXPERIENCE FOR CHINESE<br />
CONSUMERS” WITH<br />
ENHANCED MOBILE<br />
FUNCTIONALITY AND<br />
GLOBAL WALLET-FREE<br />
TRAVEL<br />
Following the recent launch of the Marriott storefront<br />
on Alibaba’s travel service platform, Fliggy, a new<br />
initiative sees Post Post Pay, Fliggy’s innovative hotel<br />
reservation service, allowing qualified users to travel<br />
first and pay after their stay.<br />
Marriott announced its redesigned storefront on Fliggy,<br />
Alibaba’s travel service platform, and the rollout of Post<br />
Post Pay (PPP) functionality across more than 1,000<br />
Marriott hotels globally last month. Through the digital<br />
solutions, Marriott International claims to “elevates<br />
both the online and offline travel experience for<br />
Chinese consumers”.<br />
As part of Marriott’s first phase of service enhancements,<br />
its new storefront on Fliggy (marriottcn.fliggy.com)<br />
launched in April <strong>2018</strong>, will feature approximately<br />
6,000 hotels from across Marriott International’s global<br />
inventory of 30 brands, presented in a Chinese travellerfriendly<br />
layout.<br />
Through the storefront, Fliggy’s innovative<br />
PPP functionality will be offered to qualified Fliggy<br />
users at more than 1,000 hotels globally, including<br />
more than 270 hotels in the Greater <strong>China</strong> region,<br />
where the service is already available, and in highdemand<br />
locations throughout the Asia Pacific region,<br />
such as Australia, Japan, the Maldives, Singapore,<br />
South Korea and Thailand. To complement these<br />
enhancements, Marriott expects to certify over 1,000<br />
hotels globally in its “Li Yu” program, designed to<br />
provide travellers from <strong>China</strong> a warm welcome and the<br />
comforts of home anywhere in the world they may go<br />
Some 800 buyers have<br />
been invited to attend<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> this year.<br />
This includes 600 top<br />
performers from last year<br />
and hundreds of new<br />
ones, whereas over 250<br />
will represent <strong>China</strong>’s<br />
largest travel agencies.<br />
Hosted buyers represent<br />
the Chinese Leisure,<br />
MICE and Corporate<br />
travel markets: 97% of<br />
the hosted buyers come<br />
from Mainland <strong>China</strong><br />
and 3% are from Hong<br />
Kong, Macau and Taiwan.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> has been<br />
designed as a pure B2B<br />
platform, professionally<br />
matchmaking exhibitors<br />
from all over the world<br />
with Chinese buyers. More<br />
than 15,000 prescheduled<br />
appointments will<br />
maximise the business<br />
opportunities of both the<br />
exhibitors and the buyers.<br />
Leading Chinese travel<br />
industry companies<br />
including Caissa, Fliggy,<br />
Tuniu, Utour Travel<br />
and many others have<br />
confirmed they will be<br />
sending their buyers to<br />
the second edition of<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
<strong>Preview</strong> Event <strong>2018</strong><br />
Buyers’ Programme: Around 800<br />
Invited to Attend <strong>2018</strong> Event<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> next week.<br />
David Axiotis, General<br />
Manager <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>:<br />
“<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> not only<br />
brings top Chinese travel<br />
buyers together with<br />
world-class tourism<br />
suppliers, but also with<br />
innovative technological<br />
applications. In <strong>2018</strong>, we<br />
are increasing our buyers<br />
program by inviting some<br />
850 buyers whereas our<br />
focus is making sure that<br />
the quality and quantity of<br />
buyers meets demanding<br />
exhibitor needs”<br />
Rungang<br />
Zhang<br />
Secretary General & Vice<br />
President, <strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Association<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Strengthens Partnership<br />
with <strong>China</strong> Tourism Association (CTA)<br />
The strategic partnership<br />
forged between <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
and the <strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Association has been<br />
extended this year, enabling<br />
access for exhibitors to a<br />
massive base of buyers in<br />
this region.<br />
David Axiotis, General<br />
Manager of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> and<br />
Rungang Zhang, Secretary<br />
General & Vice President<br />
<strong>China</strong> Tourism Association,<br />
signed the extended<br />
partnership agreement in<br />
November 2017.<br />
The <strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Association, founded in<br />
1986, is the largest industry<br />
association for <strong>China</strong>’s<br />
travel and tourism industry<br />
with its 4,000 members<br />
covering the major travel<br />
verticals including hotels,<br />
destinations, OTAs, TMCs,<br />
tour operators, sharing<br />
accommodations, hostels,<br />
travel media, education<br />
institutions, travel research<br />
agencies & leisure travel.<br />
CTA’s involvement in <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> will include numerous<br />
marketing and promotional<br />
activities.<br />
Rungang Zhang, Secretary<br />
General & Vice President CTA,<br />
<strong>China</strong> Tourism Association:<br />
“CTA is the biggest travel and<br />
tourism industry association<br />
of the world’s second largest<br />
economy and we are very<br />
delighted to again work<br />
with <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, in order to<br />
boost industry cooperation<br />
and communication<br />
between <strong>China</strong> and the rest<br />
of the world. With <strong>ITB</strong>’s<br />
global vision, its high-class<br />
exhibitors and high-standard<br />
exhibition experience, travel<br />
companies in <strong>China</strong> will<br />
have access to diversified<br />
travel products and will be<br />
able to provide superb travel<br />
experiences for Chinese<br />
travellers”<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
7<br />
WE WILL HAVE AN INCREASE<br />
OF MORE THAN 30% IN THE<br />
NUMBER OF BUYERS AT THIS<br />
YEAR’S SHOW COMPARED TO 2017<br />
David Axiotis<br />
General Manager, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>:<br />
Major Growth for 2 nd <strong>Edition</strong><br />
Exclusive Interview: David Axiotis, General Manager, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
At this year’s <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, exhibitor demand is way above the<br />
level of last year, with a 50% increase of the gross exhibition<br />
area. <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is fully booked out with over 700 exhibitors<br />
from 80 countries presenting themselves to 15,000 attendees.<br />
In addition to established exhibitors from last year, the<br />
organisers have been able to secure many newcomers. We<br />
asked David Axiotis, General Manager, <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> what else is<br />
“new” this year.<br />
We extended our hosted buyer<br />
programme this year. With around<br />
800 buyers we will have an increase<br />
of more than 30% in the number of<br />
buyers at this year’s show compared<br />
to 2017.<br />
This year’s partner destination<br />
is Finland and <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> <strong>2018</strong> is<br />
an official partner event of the EU<br />
<strong>China</strong> Tourism Year. Hotel industry<br />
giant, Wyndham Hotel Group has<br />
become the official partner hotel of<br />
the second edition of <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>.<br />
We also bring up two strategic<br />
partnerships with The <strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Academy and the <strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Association to enhance<br />
business opportunities and raise<br />
global awareness for the Chinese<br />
tourism industry.<br />
The <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Market Introduction<br />
Programme makes its debut at<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> this year. The newly<br />
launched programme is planned<br />
for international travel industry<br />
professionals who have no or little<br />
experience with the Chinese travel<br />
market so far.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference will offer<br />
everyone working in the business<br />
travel market an ideal platform for<br />
training and networking at the new<br />
Business Travel Day. The last day<br />
of the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference will<br />
be dedicated to the Education &<br />
Job Day in partnership with Fudan<br />
University, Hong Kong Polytechnic<br />
University and the Hospitality<br />
Sales and Marketing Association<br />
International (HSMAI).<br />
Qyer and <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> will co-organise<br />
the It’s My World Travel Awards<br />
<strong>2018</strong>, honouring Chinese key<br />
opinion leaders as well as global<br />
destinations at this year’s show.<br />
What will be the highlights of the<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference this year?<br />
The exhibition is flanked by a strong<br />
conference programme with 120<br />
top speakers informing about the<br />
latest developments in <strong>China</strong>. This<br />
think tank of Chinese travel will<br />
provide up-to-date key insights of<br />
these seven areas: ‘Destination’,<br />
‘Travel Tech’, ‘Corporate Travel &<br />
MICE’, ‘Online Travel’, and - for<br />
the first time - ‘Customised Travel’,<br />
‘Business Travel’ and ‘Education<br />
& Job’. The conference kicks off<br />
with the opening keynote speech<br />
by James Liang, Chairman of Ctrip.<br />
In addition, other top companies<br />
such as CITS American Express<br />
Global Business Travel, Carlson<br />
Wagonlit Travel and BCD Travel,<br />
Merlin Entertainments, Mafengwo,<br />
Lushu, Abercrombie & Kent will<br />
provide exciting insights into their<br />
expanding markets. One highlight<br />
will be the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Startup Award<br />
that takes place for the second<br />
time and which acknowledges<br />
outstanding new products and<br />
services that were introduced less<br />
than two years ago and which<br />
anticipate major market potential.<br />
The innovations are vetted by the <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> jury based on the uniqueness<br />
of the underlying innovation. The<br />
Pitch and the Award Ceremony will<br />
take place on 17 May <strong>2018</strong> from 3<br />
to 4.30 pm in the Conference Area.<br />
As official partner of EU-<strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism year, what will be the<br />
impact of this?<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is the prefect marketplace<br />
to showcase Europe’s unique<br />
and diverse natural and cultural<br />
heritage and to promote mutual<br />
exchanges between Europe and<br />
<strong>China</strong>. The ECTY will enhance the<br />
visibility of the European countries<br />
as appealing travel destinations in<br />
Greater <strong>China</strong>.<br />
Please tell us a little more about<br />
this year’s partner destination.<br />
Finland appeals to travellers<br />
searching for unique experiences<br />
in their destinations as well as<br />
convenience and has proven that<br />
it is attaching a great importance<br />
in enhancing Chinese tourists’<br />
travel experience. Finland is<br />
running a multitude of visa centers<br />
in <strong>China</strong>, working on e-visa<br />
solutions for Chinese tourists and<br />
has opened up for Chinese mobile<br />
payments systems adding a lot of<br />
convenience for Chinese visiting<br />
Finland. Its spectacular natural<br />
wonders, the summer cottages,<br />
the numerous lakes, saunas and<br />
thousands of islands and the land<br />
covered by forests attract travellers<br />
from all over the world. Visitors<br />
to Finland love the friendly and<br />
easy-going lifestyle of the country<br />
and the unique combination of<br />
sophisticated urban living and<br />
incredible natural beauty<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong>
8 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
ADVENTURE TOURISM<br />
Bruce<br />
Poon Tip<br />
G Adventures<br />
Discovery, Thrills and<br />
Sustainability<br />
The spirit of adventure continues to grow<br />
exponentially<br />
G ADVENTURES –<br />
A CASE EXAMPLE<br />
According to Bruce Poon Tip of G<br />
Adventures, “Adventure travel is more than<br />
a vacation. It’s a chance to get to know<br />
your world better by putting yourself on a<br />
first-name basis with the people, places,<br />
and things that make it worth exploring.”<br />
The proof that adventure tourism is<br />
lucrative comes in the track record of<br />
Poon Tip’s company. In 1990, he founded<br />
G Adventures with nothing more than<br />
two credit cards and a burning desire to<br />
create “an authentic, sustainable travel<br />
experience like nothing the world had ever<br />
seen”. 28 years later, they’ve grown from a<br />
one-man show to a company of over 2,000<br />
worldwide in 23 offices, and from a handful<br />
of trips in Latin America to more than 650<br />
adventures spanning the globe<br />
STAND No. 622<br />
BEYOND<br />
CONFIDENCE<br />
More and more adventure lovers want<br />
to challenge themselves to exceed your<br />
limits. To conquer their greatest fears or to<br />
simply step out of their comfort zone. The<br />
world’s highest ropes course challenge in<br />
Penang sees thrill-seekers stepping out<br />
the window on the 65 th floor of the Komtar<br />
building. The Gravityz encourages people<br />
to build their confidence and to take a<br />
leap out of their comfort zone, hence their<br />
tagline: Beyond Confidence<br />
In an era where<br />
experiences trump<br />
ownership, adventure<br />
travel is poised to benefit<br />
from demographic,<br />
technological and<br />
environmental trends<br />
to lead the wider travel<br />
industry on sustainable<br />
development.<br />
Adventure Tourism has grown<br />
exponentially worldwide over<br />
the past years with more<br />
and more tourists visiting<br />
destinations previously<br />
undiscovered.<br />
This allows for new<br />
destinations to market<br />
themselves as truly<br />
unique, appealing to those<br />
travellers looking for rare,<br />
incomparable experiences.<br />
In its report on adventure<br />
tourism, the UNWTO stated,<br />
“In a sector that is not only<br />
innovative, it is resilient in<br />
reaping the benefits that<br />
adventure tourism can bring<br />
to an economy, it is necessary<br />
to put in place conditions<br />
that make the country easy<br />
to visit as well as attractive<br />
to develop. Furthermore,<br />
this Report takes a closer<br />
look at the links between<br />
the proper management<br />
of adventure travel and a<br />
sustainable, ethical tourism<br />
which contributes effectively<br />
to community development.”<br />
reports that soft adventure<br />
activities (narrowly defined<br />
as hiking, viewing nature/<br />
ecotourism, kayaking, rafting,<br />
backpacking) constitute<br />
a global market valued<br />
at $470bn involving an<br />
estimated 238 million tourists<br />
per year.<br />
ADVENTURE<br />
TRAVEL:<br />
PIONEERING IN<br />
SUSTAINABILITY<br />
While tourism has been often<br />
recognised as a force for<br />
good as a result of the jobs<br />
and money it can deliver, the<br />
real story for <strong>2018</strong> is, says<br />
So, in a nutshell, how one can<br />
be socially and ecologically<br />
responsible while taking<br />
economic sustainability into<br />
account on one’s travels?<br />
“The original notion of a<br />
‘sustainable traveller’ was the<br />
backpacker”, says Bruce Poon<br />
Tip of G Adventures. “Tourist<br />
boards often maligned them<br />
as they didn’t fall into any<br />
categories, but they were the<br />
first travellers to distribute<br />
wealth as they travelled by<br />
paying for everything locally.<br />
This also proved to be more<br />
cost effective, and today<br />
continues to offer the benefit<br />
of cultural experiences that<br />
can be difficult to attain, while<br />
benefitting local communities<br />
STAND No. 754<br />
Adventure companies<br />
continue to say they anticipate<br />
growth in the coming year:<br />
a recent survey published by<br />
the Adventure Travel Trade<br />
Association highlighted that<br />
more than 70% of businesses<br />
say they are growing; 40%<br />
of those say the reason for<br />
growth is new customers.<br />
International research firm<br />
Euromonitor in collaboration<br />
with the International<br />
Finance Corporation (IFC)<br />
Christina Beckmann, Director,<br />
Education and Research<br />
at the Adventure Travel<br />
Trade Association, adding,<br />
“The adventure industry’s<br />
awakening to the reality of its<br />
deeper and perhaps greatest,<br />
potential: adventure travel<br />
experiences offer the rare<br />
opportunity to communicate<br />
on an emotional level with<br />
hundreds of millions of<br />
travellers about the urgency of<br />
conservation for our planet.”<br />
globally at the same time. My<br />
advice would be to remain<br />
conscious of the benefits you<br />
are creating by travelling and<br />
to be more aware of paying<br />
fair trade prices locally for<br />
services, while travelling”<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
ADVERTORIAL<br />
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
ADVENTURE TOURISM<br />
9<br />
WE ARE WILLING TO SHARE<br />
OUR EXPERTISE IN CREATING UNIQUE<br />
TOURS FOR TOUR OPERATORS<br />
LOOKING FOR NEW PRODUCTS.<br />
Laurent Holdener<br />
Managing Director – Terre Cambodge,<br />
Adventure Travel Network (ATN)<br />
ATN @ <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
The Adventure Travel Network opens the gates to new<br />
experiences throughout Asia<br />
Adventure Travel Network (ATN) is an<br />
international network of DMCs around the<br />
world, primarily specialised in adventure &<br />
nature tours, and focusing on customised trips.<br />
We asked Laurent Holdener – Managing Director<br />
– Terre Cambodge to tell us more about ATN’s<br />
activities in Asia.<br />
We have always been<br />
strong in African and Asian<br />
continents, with numerous<br />
agencies based locally. We<br />
are willing to share our<br />
expertise in creating unique<br />
tours for tour operators<br />
looking for new products.<br />
Laurent, we notice you<br />
have on your booth your<br />
colleague from Laos. Can<br />
you tell us more about<br />
the unique selling points<br />
of Laos for the Chinese<br />
market?<br />
Firstly, geographically,<br />
Laos borders <strong>China</strong>.<br />
While obviously there<br />
are overland crossing<br />
possibilities in Mohan /<br />
Boten (province of Luang<br />
Namtha). Northern Laos<br />
is particularly suitable to<br />
nature-based activities<br />
like hiking. The slopes<br />
are not steep and the<br />
landscapes are stunning,<br />
with scattered ethnic<br />
minority people villages,<br />
century old wild tea trees<br />
in Phongsaly, hot natural<br />
springs in Muang La area<br />
and amazing forests,<br />
like the Nam Ha National<br />
Protected Area (NPA).<br />
Laos is a safe, secure and<br />
stable destination. It is a<br />
slow-paced, calm, quiet,<br />
serene, relaxing and still<br />
very authentic country.<br />
It also has very little air<br />
pollution, as there are<br />
few industries. These<br />
are strong arguments for<br />
urban Chinese visitors,<br />
often coming from polluted<br />
cities. The Chinese are<br />
building a high-speed<br />
railway across Laos, to<br />
link Kunming / Yunnan<br />
to Vientiane, the capital<br />
of Laos. The railway will<br />
eventually go across<br />
to Thailand to connect<br />
Bangkok and further<br />
south Singapore. In little<br />
over than 3 years from<br />
now, it will be complete<br />
and operational. It is the<br />
right time to visit Laos<br />
while it is still relatively<br />
unfrequented.<br />
What about Cambodia?<br />
We offer multi-sport<br />
activities: trekking deep<br />
into the jungle, far from<br />
people, close to the animals<br />
and nature. Then there’s<br />
kayaking, surrounded by<br />
the verdant jungle where<br />
one can navigate through<br />
lush greenery and dense<br />
growth of trees along the<br />
Kampot River.<br />
Explore Cambodian<br />
“Cuisine” with its local<br />
flavours on a journey full<br />
of surprises. Meals are<br />
balanced between cooked<br />
and raw, solid and liquid,<br />
sweet, sour, salty and<br />
bitter. For an interesting<br />
experience, travellers can<br />
stay in a village with the<br />
local people, surrounded<br />
by spectacular primary<br />
jungle offering a wide<br />
panel of possibilities for<br />
nature enthusiasts. Off the<br />
beaten track adventure<br />
journeys are managed by<br />
Terre Cambodge.<br />
Sri Lanka has grown,<br />
over the past 5 years, as a<br />
popular destination for the<br />
Chinese market. What is<br />
on offer here?<br />
People can discover<br />
historic ruins, lush<br />
countryside, mesmerizing<br />
hill country with endless<br />
tea plantations, and white<br />
sand beaches. In a few<br />
days’ time, one can cover<br />
many popular places and<br />
enjoy some adventure<br />
activities such as trekking,<br />
cycling, catamaran<br />
cruising, white water<br />
rafting, boat excursions to<br />
spot dolphins and whales,<br />
snorkelling, jeep safari and<br />
so on.<br />
And Mongolia?<br />
Mongolia is such a<br />
wonderful country to<br />
visit, yet so different from<br />
any other place on earth!<br />
It is a very interesting<br />
country neighbouring the<br />
People’s Republic of <strong>China</strong>,<br />
providing the right number<br />
of varied landscapes in<br />
so many locations, that<br />
makes this place a pristine<br />
destination for Chinese<br />
citizens who want to<br />
escape the crowd and the<br />
cityscapes. It is a place to<br />
enjoy nature, rest and enjoy<br />
great outdoors activities,<br />
riding camels along the<br />
sand dunes, hiking on the<br />
rocky formations, or just<br />
relaxing at the hot springs.<br />
What are the key aims<br />
of your presence at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> this year?<br />
We are very excited in<br />
entering the Chinese<br />
market, and looking at the<br />
opportunities that it offers.<br />
We all have experience<br />
in arranging tours for<br />
Chinese customers,<br />
and we are looking at<br />
expending our relationship<br />
with additional partners<br />
present at <strong>ITB</strong>. ATN is<br />
presenting the full range<br />
of adventure products that<br />
each destination can offer,<br />
from cycling to sailing on<br />
a catamaran, the variety of<br />
activities is very diverse. In<br />
addition to nature oriented<br />
activities, each destination<br />
has a rich history to<br />
showcase<br />
STAND No. 740<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong>
10 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
HONEYMOONS<br />
A (VERY) COOL IDEA<br />
FOR A HONEYMOON!<br />
What could be more romantic<br />
than gazing hand in hand at<br />
the Northern Lights in Finland?<br />
Situated 250 kilometres<br />
north of the Arctic Circle,<br />
Kakslauttanen is a favourite<br />
for honeymooners. And while<br />
it’s “far from it all”, it is also<br />
easy to reach, as the nearest<br />
international airport is Ivalo,<br />
just a 30-minute ride away.<br />
Finnair and Norwegian fly<br />
regularly from Helsinki to<br />
Ivalo. Lufthansa also flies from<br />
Frankfurt. Airport transfers<br />
can be booked at the same<br />
time one books rooms.<br />
Kakslauttanen are worldrenowned<br />
for their iconic<br />
Glass Igloos and the magical<br />
Northern Lights, visible eight<br />
months a year. The resort<br />
offers numerous unique arctic<br />
excursions – from reindeer<br />
and husky adventures to<br />
meeting Santa or panning for<br />
gold – making one’s stay truly<br />
unforgettable. Visitors are<br />
surrounded by some of the<br />
cleanest nature in the world<br />
and the harmonious sound of<br />
silence soothes the soul<br />
STAND No. 500<br />
A New Look for Robinson<br />
Club Maldives Huvadhu<br />
The Club Maldives Huvadhu has<br />
been extended to 20 new exclusive<br />
water bungalows. In addition, all<br />
terraces of the existing bungalows<br />
have been renovated, the floors<br />
have been completely renewed<br />
and the interior design has been<br />
freshened-up.<br />
A beautiful island in the middle of<br />
the Indian ocean, with amazing<br />
blue seas, and white beaches<br />
are the perfect ingredients for<br />
a wedding or honeymoon. The<br />
happy couple will experience an<br />
unforgettable holiday snorkelling<br />
on the coral reef, participating in a<br />
Body & Mind course on one of the<br />
gorgeous beaches, or indulging in<br />
fine cuisine.<br />
The resort’s main focus is on<br />
“FeelGood”: enjoyment for<br />
enjoyment’s sake – with delicious<br />
“WellFood” in their specialty<br />
restaurant or with live cooking,<br />
accompanied by refreshing<br />
drinks: a wonderful opportunity<br />
to recharge one’s batteries and<br />
take a time out with yoga, live<br />
music and sundowner events<br />
STAND No. 332<br />
Facelift for<br />
PARKROYAL Penang<br />
The Malaysian tropical paradise<br />
island of Penang has long been<br />
a key honeymoon destination,<br />
and discerning travellers will be<br />
pleased to learn that the highly<br />
renowned PARKROYAL Penang<br />
Resort has just undergone a<br />
US$13.7m transformation.<br />
Located on Penang’s famous<br />
Batu Ferringhi beach since<br />
1990, PARKROYAL Penang<br />
Resort has undergone several<br />
refreshments over the years to stay<br />
relevant in Penang’s hospitality<br />
landscape. Each of the resort’s<br />
308 rooms, ranging from 23 to 94<br />
square metres, has been completely<br />
renovated. PARKROYAL Penang<br />
Resort now offers ten room<br />
categories across 284 guestrooms<br />
and 24 suites.<br />
General Manager, Edward Kollmer<br />
said, “Tourism is thriving in Penang.<br />
Malaysians and foreign visitors<br />
flock to Penang for its unrivalled<br />
local food, culture, and even<br />
ecotourism. The state continues to<br />
innovate and develop the tourism<br />
sector to maintain Penang’s pole<br />
position, and we are fortunate to<br />
be part of Penang’s growth. We<br />
are proud of our heritage and<br />
will keep working hard to remain<br />
one of Penang’s top resorts. As<br />
PARKROYAL’s flagship resort, we<br />
will fly the flag high in our continued<br />
commitment to celebrate the best<br />
in people as we bring our utmost<br />
to ensure unwavering sincerity in<br />
service and product”<br />
STAND No. 351<br />
IHG Set to Open Romantic<br />
New Vietnam Island Resort<br />
on 28 June<br />
Combining refined luxury<br />
with beautiful beachfront<br />
surroundings, InterContinental<br />
Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort<br />
offers 459 elegant rooms, suites<br />
and villas on Vietnam’s most<br />
idyllic tropical island.<br />
Offering exceptional luxury<br />
and refinement in Phu Quoc,<br />
InterContinental Phu Quoc<br />
Long Beach Resort, owned<br />
by Syrena Phu Quoc Land Joint<br />
Stock Company, is surrounded<br />
by verdant jungle matted<br />
hills and landscaped gardens<br />
overlooking the azure ocean.<br />
The resort features a series<br />
of private low rise and Sky<br />
Tower accommodation, many<br />
featuring landscaped gardens,<br />
patios, direct access to the<br />
white sandy beach and magical<br />
daily sunsets.<br />
InterContinental Phu Quoc<br />
Long Beach Resort is located<br />
near the tail end of Long Beach,<br />
with a pristine secluded beach<br />
just for our guests. The resort is<br />
a short 15 minutes’ drive from<br />
Phu Quoc International Airport,<br />
and 20 minutes from Duong<br />
Dong – the main town on the<br />
island<br />
STAND No. 733<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA<br />
REGION<br />
11<br />
<strong>China</strong> is now the leading overseas visitor source market for Abu Dhabi, with the latest<br />
figures revealing a year-to-date 32% increase in visitors from <strong>China</strong> compared to<br />
2017. We asked Mubarak Al Nuaimi – Director Promotions and Overseas Offices – DCT<br />
Abu Dhabi for more details.<br />
In the first three months of<br />
<strong>2018</strong>, 127,300 Chinese visited<br />
the emirate, with March alone<br />
(40,800) accounting for an<br />
impressive 31.6% increase<br />
compared to March 2017. The<br />
Department is targeting 600,000<br />
Chinese hotel guests a year by<br />
2021. In 2017, we recorded an<br />
increase of 60% in the number<br />
of Chinese guests – a total of<br />
372,000 – compared to 2016.<br />
What attractions/activities<br />
tend to be the most interesting<br />
for Chinese visitors in Abu<br />
Dhabi?<br />
Emirate-wide we have been<br />
focusing on bolstering the<br />
culturally-enriching experiences<br />
which allow us to distinguish<br />
Abu Dhabi from other<br />
destinations and we are acutely<br />
aware our Chinese travellers<br />
seek immersive cultural<br />
experiences. The opening of the<br />
Louvre Abu Dhabi in November<br />
2017 serves to reinforce the<br />
Emirate’s position as a cultural<br />
destination. Additionally,<br />
the emirate boasts soughtafter<br />
attractions such as the<br />
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque<br />
which is ranked as the world’s<br />
second favourite landmark by<br />
TripAdvisor. Also, Abu Dhabi<br />
and its neighbouring regions Al<br />
Dhafra and Al Ain offer visitors<br />
the unique opportunity to<br />
experience adventure activities<br />
and get an in-depth experience<br />
into the Emirati culture and<br />
traditions with numerous<br />
activities including falconry<br />
shows, camel races, mangrove<br />
tours, among many others. This<br />
month we also announced the<br />
opening of Warner Bros. World<br />
on Yas Island, due to open in<br />
July which will again add to our<br />
attractions proposition.<br />
What would you say are Abu<br />
Dhabi’s key selling points for<br />
Chinese visitors - setting the<br />
destination apart from others<br />
in the region - and in the<br />
world?<br />
As detailed above we can offer<br />
a unique proposition in an<br />
incredibly safe environment.<br />
Several tourist attractions and<br />
hotels across the emirate have<br />
already received the <strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Academy’s Welcome<br />
Chinese Certification, awarded<br />
to destinations offering high<br />
quality services to Chinese<br />
visitors, including Mandarinspeaking<br />
staff, while recent<br />
legislation now means Chinese<br />
visitors do not need a visa<br />
to visit Abu Dhabi, making<br />
the process of staying in the<br />
emirate even easier. Many<br />
leading destinations and hotels<br />
across Abu Dhabi also now<br />
accept <strong>China</strong> Union Pay bank<br />
cards making it easier for<br />
Chinese tourists to stay and<br />
travel. With a diverse range<br />
of leisure and entertainment<br />
options and plentiful supply<br />
of high-quality hotels and<br />
shopping malls, Abu Dhabi<br />
will continue to position itself<br />
as an attractive destination<br />
for Chinese travellers. Moving<br />
forward, we will continue to<br />
promote Abu Dhabi’s unique<br />
offerings focused on presenting<br />
the best culturally-enriching<br />
experiences to our Chinese<br />
visitors who are seeking to<br />
experience new cultures. We<br />
have actively increased our<br />
efforts to capture the awareness<br />
of and convert Chinese travellers<br />
to visit Abu Dhabi. The efforts<br />
focused on lowering access<br />
barriers to Chinese travellers<br />
by preparing digital platforms,<br />
including our website and<br />
mobile application to fully<br />
support Mandarin-speaking<br />
users. We have formed<br />
partnerships with the popular<br />
technology companies Weibo,<br />
Wechat and Baidu to help<br />
DCT Abu Dhabi reach millions<br />
of new potential Chinese<br />
travellers. Chinese New Year<br />
is always celebrated here with<br />
festivals and promotions,<br />
which tie-in with our excellent<br />
shopping opportunities.<br />
What are your “star” products<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>?<br />
DCT Abu Dhabi will be joined by<br />
industry stakeholders including<br />
government departments,<br />
hotels, resorts, tourist<br />
attractions, leisure facilities,<br />
destination management<br />
companies, travel and holiday<br />
agents – all gathered to<br />
showcase over tourism services<br />
and products. Much emphasis<br />
will be placed on highlighting<br />
existing and new products<br />
among the Emirate’s expanding<br />
portfolio of attractions,<br />
experiences and event across<br />
the three areas of Abu Dhabi,<br />
Al Ain region and Al Dhafra<br />
region. The Abu Dhabi stand<br />
will also boast specific zones<br />
highlighting its diverse offerings<br />
such as Cruise Tourism, Abu<br />
Dhabi Convention Bureau, Qasr<br />
Al Muwaiji, Louvre Abu Dhabi<br />
and Emirati Experiences<br />
STAND No. 520<br />
Mubarak Al Nuaimi<br />
Director Promotions and Overseas Offices,<br />
DCT Abu Dhabi<br />
<strong>China</strong> Now Leading Source<br />
Market For Abu Dhabi Tourism<br />
Exclusive Interview: Mubarak Al Nuaimi – Director<br />
Promotions and Overseas Offices – DCT Abu Dhabi<br />
WE HAVE FORMED<br />
PARTNERSHIPS<br />
WITH THE<br />
POPULAR<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
COMPANIES<br />
WEIBO, WECHAT<br />
AND BAIDU TO<br />
HELP DCT ABU<br />
DHABI REACH<br />
MILLIONS OF<br />
NEW POTENTIAL<br />
CHINESE<br />
TRAVELLERS<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong>
12 REGION<br />
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA<br />
New Promotional Trade<br />
Arm for Yas<br />
“Yas Experiences” formally debuts as one-stop promotional<br />
hub for Yas Island in Abu Dhabi<br />
DOWNTOWN<br />
CAIRO TO BE<br />
RENOVATED<br />
AS AN OPEN<br />
MUSEUM<br />
Yas Experiences has been<br />
launched to operate as a “onestop<br />
destination partner”, tailoring<br />
package solutions which inspire,<br />
facilitate and promote leisure<br />
and entertainment itineraries<br />
on Yas Island that appeal to<br />
holidaymakers from around the<br />
world.<br />
Headquartered on Yas Island,<br />
Yas Experiences’ network of<br />
regional offices extends to cover<br />
key markets including the GCC,<br />
India, <strong>China</strong>, Europe and the CIS.<br />
Its team of more than 30 experts<br />
collaborate with destination<br />
partners to tailor Yas Island<br />
packages for travel companies<br />
based on the latest holiday trends<br />
and travellers’ preferences.<br />
Marina Cipriano, General Manager<br />
of Yas Experiences, said: “The<br />
creation of Yas Experiences will<br />
help play a major role in driving<br />
Yas Island’s aspiration to become<br />
a global holiday destination of<br />
choice in Abu Dhabi. With the<br />
Central Souq<br />
growing number of exciting leisure<br />
and entertainment experiences on<br />
offer, we aim to facilitate the work<br />
of our travel partners by providing<br />
packages that appeal to travellers<br />
in their markets, and promotional<br />
support services that guarantee<br />
their success, all through one<br />
trade hub.”<br />
Since January, Yas Experiences<br />
has participated in roadshows,<br />
trade fairs and sales missions<br />
in key markets, in addition to<br />
implementing more than 20 joint<br />
marketing plans, and opening<br />
new offices in Russia and the UK.<br />
Most recently, Yas Experiences<br />
hosted 50 European travel<br />
partners for a special weekend of<br />
entertainment and discovery on<br />
Yas Island. The three-day FAM<br />
trip was hosted in collaboration<br />
with the Department of Culture<br />
and Tourism Abu Dhabi. Guests<br />
were given a special preview of<br />
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi,<br />
set to open on 2 5th of July <strong>2018</strong>,<br />
as well as the opportunity to visit<br />
the island’s award-winning theme<br />
parks Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and<br />
Yas Waterworld, and Yas Marina<br />
Circuit, home of the F1 Etihad<br />
Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.<br />
The excursion also included an<br />
introduction to recent attractions<br />
across the emirate, featuring a<br />
guided tour of the Louvre Abu<br />
Dhabi<br />
STAND No. 520<br />
Press Conference<br />
Sharjah:<br />
An Arabian<br />
Haven for<br />
Culture Lovers<br />
Cairo governor Engineer Atef abd<br />
elhamed has declared the start<br />
of a new project to redevelop<br />
downtown Cairo, transforming<br />
the area into an open museum.<br />
The project plan aims to<br />
reconstruct buildings and<br />
facades, in order to restore<br />
the Khedive era (18 th and 19 th<br />
century) architectural style of<br />
downtown Cairo and to turn<br />
the area into an open museum.<br />
23 buildings are included in the<br />
renovation plan, in addition<br />
to 12000 square meters of the<br />
surrounding pedestrian streets.<br />
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM<br />
DISPLAYS 300<br />
ARTEFACTS FOR<br />
THE FIRST TIME IN A<br />
TEMPORARY EXHIBITION.<br />
A new exhibition of 300 never<br />
before seen artefacts from the<br />
Cleopatra opened in the Egyptian<br />
museum in downtown Cairo on<br />
April 18. The archaeological<br />
pieces are a clear record of daily<br />
life of Ptolemaic era, showing<br />
the administrative role, religious<br />
activities and the royal life<br />
The Emirate of Sharjah is<br />
increasingly renowned as a<br />
magnet for culture enthusiasts<br />
seeking a deeper understanding of<br />
the civilisation of the Arab region,<br />
both traditional and contemporary<br />
– and for good reason. From its<br />
fairs and festivals to its museums<br />
and universities, Sharjah truly<br />
holds its own as a cultural capital<br />
in the region. Sharjah’s dedication<br />
to preserving its culture can<br />
be seen clearly through the<br />
traditional Arabian and Islamic<br />
architecture that characterises<br />
much of its landmarks. In an effort<br />
to shed light, quite literally, on<br />
that aspect, the emirate organises<br />
the now-world-famous Sharjah<br />
Light Festival, whereby landmarks<br />
across Sharjah bear threedimensional<br />
light displays for ten<br />
days each February.<br />
Tourists can enjoy Sharjah’s<br />
pristine family-friendly beaches<br />
on the Gulf coast. When <strong>China</strong> is in<br />
the midst of winter, Sharjah basks<br />
in a warm 27 degrees Celsius,<br />
offering the perfect atmosphere<br />
for exploring the outdoors, where<br />
families can enjoy plenty of<br />
activities in charming locations<br />
such as Al Majaz Waterfront, Al<br />
Qasba, and Khalid Lagoon. Visitors<br />
can relax with their families in any<br />
of the nearly 55 parks, which offer<br />
the latest facilities and amenities.<br />
The emirate’s latest destination<br />
for a family day out is the Al<br />
Montazah Park, a 126,000-squaremetre<br />
theme park featuring<br />
eight pulsating rides. For adults<br />
and children seeking an extra<br />
bit of adventure, the park offers<br />
Al Montazah Adventures, which<br />
consists of a number of gladiatorinspired<br />
obstacle courses divided<br />
into varying difficulty levels<br />
STAND No. 530<br />
Cleopatra<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
13<br />
WHERE<br />
TO GO<br />
IN<br />
Shanghai<br />
Grand Brasserie<br />
Restaurants<br />
GRAND BRASSERIE<br />
Experience a gastronomic journey of the finest<br />
global cuisines in one magnificent gourmet<br />
destination at the heart of Shanghai. The<br />
Grand Brasserie at Waldorf Astoria Shanghai<br />
on the Bund offers a chic yet casual all-day<br />
dining experience. Guests can observe chefs<br />
at work in the long exhibition kitchen, enjoy<br />
a pre-dinner drink in the wine alcove and sip<br />
a cappuccino at the barista bar. Floor-to-ceiling<br />
windows overlook an interior courtyard garden,<br />
providing a sense of peaceful retreat in urban<br />
Shanghai. For more private gatherings, two<br />
stunning private rooms are available, each<br />
seating up to 10 guests<br />
Grand Brasserie<br />
2 Zhongshan No.1 Rd. (E),<br />
Waldorf Astoria Tower Ground Level<br />
Phone: 021-63229988<br />
www.waldorfastoriashanghai.com<br />
Bars<br />
LONG BAR<br />
Flawlessly restored to the former glory of its<br />
1911 Shanghai Club past, the Long Bar elegantly<br />
graces this Shanghai hotel’s Waldorf Astoria Club<br />
heritage building, providing a blend of classic<br />
sophistication and grandeur. Enjoy a cool<br />
evening beverage at this popular Shanghai bar,<br />
once celebrated for owning the longest bar top<br />
in the Far East, offering over 30 metres of fine<br />
raw mahogany.<br />
Long Bar<br />
Lobby Level,<br />
No.2 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road,<br />
Huang Pu District<br />
Reservations: +86 21 6322 9988<br />
or email shawa.fb@waldorfastoria.com<br />
Sightseeing<br />
YU GARDEN<br />
Yu Garden, with a history of over 400 years,<br />
is the only Ming-dynasty garden preserved in<br />
the old urban area. In it are an assortment of<br />
halls and pavilions, impressive rock works and<br />
glittering water expanses. The garden has the<br />
Exquisite Jade Rock, one of the three most famous<br />
rocks in Jiangnan region, and the Dianchun<br />
Hall, the command centre of the Small Swords<br />
Society. In its neighbourhood are many tourist<br />
attractions including the Chenghuang Temple<br />
and the shopping streets.<br />
Opening hours: 8:30-16:45, clear out at 17:15<br />
Yu Garden<br />
No.132, Anren Street, Huangpu District<br />
www.yugarden.com.cn<br />
BRAND NEW HUANGPU<br />
RIVER CRUISE<br />
Passengers boarded the No. 1 Cruise Ship for the<br />
very first cruise, on May 1, from the renovated<br />
Qinhuangdao Road Cruise Dock in Shanghai for<br />
a sightseeing tour of the Huangpu River. The<br />
Huangpu River is the watery soul of Shanghai.<br />
Travelling along the river on a pleasure-boat,<br />
visitors can see the banks ablaze with lights.<br />
Opening hours: 11:00-21:30<br />
Shopping<br />
FLORENTIA VILLAGE -<br />
SHANGHAI LUXURY OUTLET<br />
MALL<br />
The second outlet to open in <strong>China</strong>,<br />
Shanghai Florentia Village claims its place today<br />
as the market leader. It is the epitome of classical<br />
Italian architecture with stone bridges, fountains,<br />
plazas and atriums. Customers can find over 200<br />
renowned brands from Europe, the US and Asia,<br />
including a wide range of luxury goods at year<br />
‘round discount prices.<br />
Business Hours: 10:00-21:00 (Monday to Friday)<br />
09:00-21:00 (Saturday, Sunday and Public<br />
holidays)<br />
Florentia Village<br />
Zhuoyao Road 58, Pudong New Area, Shanghai<br />
www.florentiavillage.com/sh<br />
© Wang Rongjiang - SHINE<br />
Brand New Huangpu River Cruise<br />
Shiliupu Wharf (1 st zone): B1 floor, No.481,<br />
Zhongshan Rd.(E-2)<br />
www.hpjly.com<br />
For more information or a plethora of other ideas,<br />
go to the Official Shanghai Tourism Website:<br />
http://www.meet-in-shanghai.net/<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 9 th May <strong>2018</strong>
HALL PLAN<br />
展 馆 平 面 图<br />
Stand No. 530<br />
Stand No. 283 Stand No. 801