ITB China News 2018 - Day 1 Edition
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<strong>China</strong><br />
Your Official Information Source at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
WEDNESDAY<br />
16 th MAY <strong>2018</strong><br />
DAY 1<br />
EDITION<br />
Stand No.<br />
200/201<br />
Opening the Gates<br />
Stand No. 500<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> creates new pathways to business linking<br />
east and west<br />
TRADE TALK<br />
Sandra Servos<br />
Operating Director, Travel Easy<br />
Stand No. 430<br />
We provide merchants with<br />
consulting, marketing and IT system<br />
support in order to properly prepare<br />
them for Chinese customers.<br />
Read page 8<br />
REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT<br />
ASIA<br />
Khoo Salma Nasution<br />
Vice-president, Penang Heritage Trust<br />
A main attraction is the George Town<br />
World Heritage site, and while a number of<br />
new hotels are opening, there are also<br />
many heritage buildings being repurposed<br />
for accommodation.<br />
Read page 13<br />
Exhibitor demand this year is way above<br />
the level of last year, with a 50% increase<br />
of the gross exhibition area. <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is<br />
fully booked out with over 700 exhibitors<br />
from 80 countries presenting themselves to<br />
15,000 attendees. In addition to established<br />
exhibitors from last year, organisers have<br />
been able to secure many newcomers. In<br />
many ways, the show could already be<br />
labelled a success – even though the gates<br />
have just opened today!<br />
Stirring interest and creating business<br />
bases for Chinese outbound operators to<br />
work with destinations around the globe,<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> this year spotlights Europe<br />
through partnering with the EU-<strong>China</strong><br />
Tourism Year, and again through the<br />
implication of official partner destination<br />
Finland. This fascinating nation appeals to<br />
travellers searching for unique experiences<br />
in their destinations as well as convenience<br />
and has proven that it is attaching a great<br />
importance in enhancing Chinese tourists’<br />
travel experience. Read our exclusive<br />
interview with Paavo Virkkunen, Executive<br />
Director, Business Finland Oy & Head of<br />
Visit Finland, page 9.<br />
Paavo Virkkunen<br />
Executive Director,<br />
Business Finland Oy & Head of Visit Finland<br />
DESTINATION<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
ASIA<br />
Royal Belum National Park,<br />
Perak, Malaysia<br />
© Hasselkus PR<br />
Laurent Holdener<br />
Founder & Director, Terre Cambodge<br />
Laos is a safe, secure and stable<br />
destination. (…) The Chinese are building a<br />
high-speed railway across Laos, to link<br />
Kunming / Yunnan to Vientiane, the<br />
capital of Laos.<br />
Read page 14<br />
The continuous growth<br />
of Chinese outbound<br />
travel is an asset for all<br />
of Asia, the continent<br />
being well-placed to reap<br />
the benefits of <strong>China</strong>’s<br />
continuous travel boom.<br />
In addition, increased<br />
air travel competition,<br />
good value for money in<br />
services, easier visa entry<br />
facilities to an increasing<br />
number of Asian<br />
countries and quickly<br />
expanding transportation<br />
infrastructures are also<br />
stimulating travel demand<br />
in the region. Read more,<br />
from page 12.
4 NEWS<br />
PREFACE<br />
Richard<br />
Barnes<br />
What’s in a Name?<br />
A major paradigm change<br />
occurred this year at <strong>ITB</strong> Berlin,<br />
when Dr Christian Göke, CEO of<br />
Messe Berlin announced that in<br />
the future, <strong>ITB</strong> will present itself<br />
as an “international umbrella<br />
brand” and focus not only on<br />
promoting the annual event<br />
in Berlin. This reorientation<br />
on a global scale means a<br />
concentration of three formats,<br />
the trade shows in Germany (<strong>ITB</strong><br />
Berlin), Singapore (<strong>ITB</strong> Asia) and<br />
<strong>China</strong> (<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>), under one<br />
label. This extra “boost” for <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> comes in the shape of the<br />
long and illustrious background of<br />
the World’s Leading Travel Trade<br />
Show meaning that people who<br />
think <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> is “new” have<br />
something else coming. While the<br />
Shanghai show is of course new<br />
since last year, it’s solid growth<br />
in year two is no doubt due to<br />
the know-how, background and<br />
market comprehension of the<br />
greater group.<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS is a CLEVERDIS Publication.<br />
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Just what is <strong>ITB</strong>? First launched 52<br />
years ago, <strong>ITB</strong> Berlin is recognised<br />
as the most successful trade show<br />
for the global travel industry. Some<br />
10,000 exhibitors from more than<br />
180 countries regularly attend this<br />
event. Every year in October for<br />
the last ten years Messe Berlin has<br />
successfully organised <strong>ITB</strong> Asia in<br />
Singapore. Boasting 940 exhibitors<br />
from 113 countries, <strong>ITB</strong> Asia in<br />
Singapore has established itself as<br />
Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show.<br />
As the second show in Asia, <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> is taking place in Shanghai,<br />
one of the leading industrial cities<br />
in the People’s Republic of <strong>China</strong>.<br />
In contrast to <strong>ITB</strong> Asia, which<br />
reflects tourism in Asia as a whole,<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> focuses entirely on the<br />
Chinese travel market.<br />
The different parts make up a<br />
very successful whole. And all<br />
the participants in <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> will<br />
benefit accordingly. Wishing you a<br />
great show!<br />
• Publisher: Gérard Lefebvre • Managing Director: Jean-François Pieri<br />
• Publishing Director: Jean-Guy Bienfait • Project Manager: Wenchao Wang<br />
• Chief Analyst: Richard Barnes • Marketing Manager: Nathalie Meissner<br />
• Art Director: Hélène Beunat<br />
• With the participation of: Bettina Badon, Naila Ben Ghorbal, Borhan Moussa, Finn-Georg Sander<br />
>To contact them :<br />
first name.last name@itb-china-news.com<br />
• Printing: Shanghai HongMo YingXiaoCeHua, Shanghai, <strong>China</strong><br />
• Cover: © Visit Finland<br />
Registration of Copyright May <strong>2018</strong><br />
Information presented in this publication is purely indicative in order to illustrate subjects contained therein. No guarantee can be given<br />
as to the accuracy of data or content at time of printing and thus the latter should not be used for professional or commercial ends. While<br />
all efforts have been made as to accuracy and pertinence of content and data contained in this publication, CLEVERDIS may in no case be<br />
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Golden Tulip Shanghai<br />
Playtime. Anytime.<br />
Golden Tulip reveals latest hotel<br />
on Bund, Shanghai<br />
The Golden Tulip Hotels Group<br />
and its shareholder Jin Jiang<br />
International are vigorously<br />
pursuing their development in<br />
Asia. After the opening of its<br />
flagship Golden Tulip Shanghai<br />
Rainbow, the brand Golden Tulip<br />
reveals its new hotel, ideally<br />
situated in the famous Bund<br />
district. Based in the heart of<br />
Shanghai, the Golden Tulip Bund<br />
New Asia hotel proudly wears<br />
the brand’s new positioning<br />
“Playtime. Anytime”. It will be<br />
operated under Jin Jiang Louvre<br />
Asia Management contract.<br />
Built in 1934, it was one of the<br />
largest hotels in the Far East<br />
and has been a landmark of<br />
downtown Shanghai for the past<br />
80 years. The Hotel was the first<br />
European style skyscraper built<br />
in Shanghai that was developed<br />
and managed by a Chinese<br />
corporation.<br />
This 9-storey heritage<br />
architecture features 266<br />
trendy rooms which offer a lot<br />
of services and new connected<br />
functionalities to meet<br />
everyone’s needs. Upon entering<br />
the hotel, clients will instantly<br />
catch the attention of the brand<br />
marker – the yellow tandem<br />
and premium signature service<br />
“Body Care Bar” that brings<br />
playful experience at check-in<br />
to guests who can select a free<br />
set of preferred fragrance of SPA<br />
amenities.<br />
Not far, the restaurant Tastes<br />
also suggests a sumptuous<br />
buffet breakfast, a-la-carte lunch<br />
and dinner for the discerning<br />
traveller. The hotel also has a<br />
co-working lounge area, a 300-<br />
sqm banquet hall for corporate<br />
meetings or events, which can<br />
be divided into three and a<br />
15-people boardroom. The hotel<br />
is a place not just for sleeping but<br />
for living.<br />
The hotel’s mission is to “reinvent<br />
the stay of its customers”<br />
by offering a unique and fun<br />
experience in an idyllic setting,<br />
meeting the new expectations of<br />
a clientele ever more demanding<br />
and willing to travel unseen.<br />
Its location is ideal for both<br />
business and leisure travellers,<br />
making it easily accessible to<br />
various convention centres,<br />
sightseeing spots and two<br />
airports either by metro or car.<br />
It is a short distance to the<br />
breath-taking views of the Bund,<br />
museums, theatres and shopping<br />
centres.<br />
This prestigious hotel which was<br />
once famous for its Cantonese<br />
breakfast is still renowned today<br />
for its famous Xin Ya buns on<br />
offer every day and a must visit<br />
for every tourist traveling to<br />
Shanghai<br />
STAND No. 440<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
NEWS<br />
5<br />
HEALTHY TRADING<br />
PREDICTED FOR<br />
TRAVEL RETAILERS<br />
IN ASIA<br />
Customised Travel<br />
the New Form of<br />
Outbound Tourism<br />
for Chinese Travellers<br />
According to Ctrip, 2017<br />
marked the beginning<br />
of popularisation of<br />
customised travel<br />
in <strong>China</strong>. Chinese<br />
travellers are more<br />
willing to spend money<br />
on gaining unique local<br />
experiences and have<br />
greater demands and<br />
higher taste for more<br />
refined, self-coordinated<br />
and individualised tours.<br />
On April 16, <strong>2018</strong>, the<br />
first report on Chinese<br />
visitors to Europe’s<br />
customised travel<br />
patterns were jointly<br />
released by Ctrip’s<br />
Customised Travel<br />
and <strong>China</strong> Outbound<br />
Tourism Research<br />
Institute (COTRI) during<br />
a summit in Budapest,<br />
Hungary.<br />
Customised travel is<br />
becoming a new form<br />
of outbound tourism<br />
for Chinese travellers<br />
especially given the<br />
large number of middle<br />
to high-end customers<br />
and increase in spending<br />
power. Since the launch<br />
in January 2016, Ctrip<br />
Customised Travel has<br />
seen increased user<br />
demand up to 120,000<br />
per month.<br />
The report, entitled<br />
“Customised Travels<br />
of Chinese Visitors to<br />
Europe”, indicates that<br />
Chinese customised<br />
travel market in 2017<br />
is universal, young and<br />
growing fast. 40% of<br />
customised travel is for<br />
outbound travel plans,<br />
among which Europe<br />
accounts for 10%.”<br />
From Ctrip’s travel<br />
data, 2017 saw more<br />
than 6 million Chinese<br />
making their first<br />
entry to Europe. 9.3%<br />
of Chinese travellers<br />
chose Europe as their<br />
outbound destination,<br />
Chinese tourists<br />
in Rome<br />
making it the second<br />
most popular continent<br />
for Chinese travellers.<br />
Females travel more<br />
than males and 23% of<br />
total outbound tourists<br />
to Europe are aged 50<br />
and over.<br />
The top 5 European<br />
countries for customised<br />
travel are UK, Italy,<br />
France, Russia and<br />
Greece. On average,<br />
customised trips to<br />
Europe last around 12<br />
days with tours not<br />
exceeding two countries.<br />
Individuals spend 2500<br />
RMB per person per<br />
day and despite having<br />
most trips taking place<br />
from May to July,<br />
winter seasons such as<br />
January and February<br />
also see many visits to<br />
Scandinavian countries.<br />
Shanghai, Beijing and<br />
Guangzhou are the top<br />
three departure cities<br />
for customised travel<br />
Travel retailers in the Asia<br />
Pacific region can look<br />
forward to healthy business<br />
opportunities in the<br />
months ahead according<br />
to figures just released by<br />
ForwardKeys.<br />
For the important Chinese<br />
market, the fastest growing<br />
destinations over the next<br />
three months are currently<br />
Japan (flight bookings are<br />
88.8% ahead of where they<br />
were at the equivalent time<br />
last year) and the United<br />
Arab Emirates (currently<br />
48.6% ahead). Indonesia<br />
and Hong Kong are also<br />
favourites.<br />
During the Chinese Dragon<br />
Boat Festival centred<br />
around June 18, Chinese<br />
international departures<br />
are ahead 21.3% compared<br />
to last year, with Japan and<br />
UAE again proving to be the<br />
destinations with the largest<br />
booking increases. For<br />
return-home flights (June<br />
11 – 24), Hong Kong, Osaka,<br />
Phuket and both Tokyo<br />
airports all show growth.<br />
The Chinese are also<br />
returning to South Korea,<br />
not in organised groups<br />
– restrictions are still in<br />
place – but as independent<br />
travellers. Bookings for<br />
them for the next three<br />
months are ahead by 90.1%.<br />
Travellers from Vietnam<br />
and the Philippines are also<br />
heading to South Korea<br />
in significantly greater<br />
numbers.<br />
Among the major Asian<br />
airports, Changi is showing<br />
the most impressive growth<br />
in international travellers,<br />
currently ahead 16.8% on<br />
departures for the next three<br />
months. Changi airport is<br />
experiencing a particularly<br />
strong growth in usage from<br />
Australians and Indians as<br />
both transit passengers and<br />
visitors to Singapore<br />
<strong>China</strong> outbound: Fastest growing destinations*<br />
in the next 3 months, YoY<br />
Japan<br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
Indonesia<br />
Hong Kong<br />
France<br />
Norway<br />
Russia<br />
Source: ForwardKeys<br />
Total <strong>China</strong><br />
outbound<br />
+ 5.0%<br />
+ 8.9%<br />
-10%<br />
-2.0%<br />
0%<br />
Total APAC<br />
outbound<br />
+ 8.5%<br />
+7.6%<br />
3.0%<br />
10% 20% 30% 40% 50%<br />
5.1%<br />
5.7%<br />
12.4%<br />
15.3%<br />
16.0%<br />
14.5%<br />
20.9%<br />
23.9%<br />
24.2%<br />
23.6%<br />
88.8%<br />
48.6%<br />
* Share in <strong>2018</strong> moving year > 1.0%<br />
Moving year<br />
(May ‘17 to Apr. ’18)<br />
Next 3 months<br />
(May to Jul. ’18)<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong>
6 中 文 版 新 闻<br />
定 制 旅 游 为 中 国<br />
游 客 提 供 出 境 旅<br />
游 新 模 式<br />
根 据 携 程 的 研 究 数 据 ,2017 年 标 志<br />
着 中 国 定 制 旅 游 的 普 及 开 始 。 中 国<br />
游 客 更 愿 意 花 钱 购 买 独 特 的 当 地 体<br />
验 , 对 更 精 致 的 、 更 能 针 对 自 身 情<br />
况 做 协 调 的 和 更 具 个 性 化 的 旅 游 有<br />
更 高 的 要 求 和 品 位 。<br />
<strong>2018</strong> 年 4 月 16 日 , 在 匈 牙 利 首 都 布 达<br />
佩 斯 举 行 的 峰 会 期 间 , 携 程 旅 游 与<br />
中 国 出 境 旅 游 研 究 院 (COTRI) 共<br />
同 发 布 了 第 一 份 有 关 中 国 游 客 定 制<br />
旅 游 模 式 的 报 告 。<br />
定 制 旅 游 正 在 成 为 中 国 游 客 出 境 旅<br />
游 的 一 种 新 模 式 , 这 尤 其 归 因 于 中<br />
高 端 客 户 数 量 的 庞 大 以 及 国 民 消 费<br />
能 力 的 增 加 。 自 2016 年 1 月 推 出 定<br />
制 旅 游 以 来 , 携 程 目 睹 了 其 用 户 需<br />
求 以 每 月 12 万 的 速 度 增 长 。<br />
定 制 旅 行 中 40% 为 出 境 旅 行 , 这 之<br />
中 欧 洲 地 区 占 10%。<br />
根 据 携 程 的 旅 行 数 据 ,2017 年 , 超<br />
过 600 万 中 国 人 首 次 去 到 欧 洲 参 观 旅<br />
游 。 选 择 欧 洲 作 为 出 境 目 的 地 的 中<br />
国 旅 客 高 达 9.3%, 使 欧 洲 成 为 中 国<br />
游 客 第 二 大 受 欢 迎 地 区 。 另 外 , 女<br />
性 旅 游 人 数 超 过 男 性 , 出 游 欧 洲 的<br />
游 客 中 的 23% 年 龄 都 在 50 岁 以 上 。<br />
定 制 旅 游 的 前 5 个 欧 洲 国 家 是 英<br />
国 , 意 大 利 , 法 国 , 俄 罗 斯 和 希<br />
腊 。 平 均 而 言 ,12 天 内 欧 洲 定 制 的<br />
旅 行 不 超 过 两 个 国 家 。 每 人 每 天 花<br />
费 约 2500 元 人 民 币 , 尽 管 五 月 至 七<br />
月 是 旅 行 浪 潮 , 但 像 一 月 和 二 月 这<br />
样 的 寒 冷 季 节 也 有 不 少 人 访 问 斯 堪<br />
的 纳 维 亚 国 家 。 上 海 , 北 京 和 广 州<br />
是 定 制 旅 行 的 前 三 名 出 发 城 市<br />
《 中 国 游 客 欧 洲 定 制 游 报 告 》 指<br />
出 ,2017 年 中 国 定 制 化 旅 游 市 场 具<br />
有 普 遍 性 , 年 轻 化 和 快 速 增 长 性 。<br />
随 时 趣 感 受<br />
金 郁 金 香 酒 店 集 团 新 酒 店 于 上 海 外 滩 正 式 开 张<br />
金 郁 金 香 酒 店 集 团 及 其 股 东 锦 江 国 际 正 在 大 力<br />
推 进 其 在 亚 洲 的 发 展 。 继 其 旗 下 虹 桥 郁 锦 香 宾<br />
馆 的 开 业 , 金 郁 金 香 如 今 宣 布 其 坐 落 于 上 海 外<br />
滩 区 新 酒 店 的 开 张 。 位 于 上 海 的 中 心 地 带 , 郁<br />
锦 香 新 亚 酒 店 紧 随 了 其 品 牌 的 新 定 位 “ 随 时 趣<br />
感 受 ”。 该 酒 店 将 会 在 锦 江 卢 浮 亚 洲 ( 上 海 锦<br />
江 卢 浮 亚 洲 酒 店 管 理 有 限 公 司 ) 的 管 理 合 同 下<br />
运 营 。<br />
上 海 外 滩 郁 锦 香 新 亚 酒 店 建 于 1934 年 , 在 过 去<br />
八 十 多 年 里 , 曾 是 远 东 规 模 最 大 的 酒 店 和 上 海<br />
标 致 性 的 建 筑 。 该 酒 店 是 上 海 首 座 由 中 国 企 业<br />
开 发 并 管 理 的 欧 式 摩 天 大 楼 。<br />
这 座 9 层 楼 的 历 史 建 筑 设 有 时 尚 客 房 266 间 , 能<br />
为 客 人 提 供 各 式 服 务 , 并 且 其 新 覆 盖 的 无 线 网<br />
络 同 样 旨 在 满 足 每 位 客 人 的 需 求 。 进 入 酒 店 ,<br />
宾 客 将 迅 速 捕 捉 到 我 们 的 品 牌 标 识 —— 源 自 荷<br />
兰 的 黄 色 双 人 自 行 车 及 招 牌 服 务 “ 趣 享 护 理 吧 ”<br />
。 而 且 , 宾 客 将 可 以 在 登 记 入 住 时 免 费 挑 选 一<br />
组 香 薰 水 疗 护 理 产 品 , 故 而 饶 有 兴 致 , 会 心 一<br />
笑 。<br />
在 酒 店 不 远 处 ,Tastes 餐 厅 可 以 为 有 赏 识 力 的<br />
旅 客 推 荐 其 丰 盛 的 自 助 早 餐 、 单 点 午 餐 及 晚<br />
餐 。 另 外 , 酒 店 还 配 有 共 用 休 息 室 区 , 和 300 平<br />
米 的 宴 会 厅 供 公 司 会 议 活 动 等 使 用 。 宴 会 厅 亦<br />
可 划 分 为 3 个 独 立 的 会 议 室 并 另 有 15 人 董 事 会 会<br />
议 室 。 这 家 酒 店 不 仅 旨 在 助 您 休 憩 , 更 有 意 带<br />
您 “ 随 时 趣 感 受 ” 生 活 。<br />
新 酒 店 旨 在 通 过 在 田 园 诗 般 的 环 境 中 为 客 户 提<br />
供 独 特 而 有 趣 的 体 验 ,“ 重 新 创 造 其 客 户 的 旅<br />
居 ”, 满 足 客 户 更 高 要 求 的 期 望 及 体 验 旅 行 新 方<br />
式 的 意 愿 。<br />
上 海 外 滩 郁 锦 香 新 亚 酒 店 的 地 理 位 置 是 商 务 及<br />
旅 游 客 人 的 理 想 选 择 , 周 边 交 通 十 分 便 利 。 各<br />
会 展 中 心 、 旅 游 景 点 和 两 个 国 际 机 场 均 可 搭 乘<br />
地 铁 线 轻 松 到 达 , 开 车 也 很 便 捷 。 酒 店 周 边 风<br />
景 迷 人 、 博 物 馆 、 剧 院 及 购 物 中 心 众 多 , 充 分<br />
满 足 宾 客 的 旅 居 需 求 。<br />
这 家 酒 店 曾 经 因 其 广 式 早 餐 而 闻 名 , 直 到 今 天<br />
仍 凭 借 其 每 日 供 应 的 新 亚 大 包 而 家 喻 户 晓 , 是<br />
来 上 海 的 旅 客 必 不 能 错 过 的 一 站<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA CONFERENCE<br />
7<br />
© Messe Berlin<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference 2017<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference Kicks Off<br />
Experts to share insights on “Destination” and “Customised Travel”<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference <strong>Day</strong> 1<br />
The <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference, which runs parallel<br />
to <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, forms a key element of the B2B<br />
show focusing on Chinese outbound tourism.<br />
Co-hosted by TravelDaily, this exceptional<br />
travel think-tank invites business leaders and<br />
experts both from <strong>China</strong> and abroad to share<br />
their expertise and ideas on market hotspots in<br />
the industry.<br />
Today’s morning sessions<br />
kick off with opening<br />
keynotes by James<br />
Jianzhang Liang, Cofounder<br />
& Executive<br />
Chairman of the Board at<br />
Ctrip; Eduardo Santander,<br />
Executive Director<br />
of European Travel<br />
Commission will talk about<br />
the “EU-<strong>China</strong> Tourism Year:<br />
A Year of Opportunities”;<br />
Leo Liu, President, Greater<br />
<strong>China</strong>, Wyndham Hotel<br />
Group gives a talk on “The<br />
Invariable Innovation and<br />
Crossover”; Yiyi Jiang, Head<br />
of International Tourism<br />
Research, <strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Academy discusses the<br />
“Trend of <strong>China</strong> Outbound<br />
Tourism Market” and Paavo<br />
Virkkunen, Head of Visit<br />
Finland and Executive Vice<br />
President of Finpro Ltd. will<br />
speak about “Sustainability<br />
and Responsibility,<br />
Fundamentals in Travel<br />
Industry Development”.<br />
Today’s afternoon<br />
sessions are dedicated<br />
to “Destination” and<br />
“Customised Travel”.<br />
Moderated by Philip<br />
C. Wolf, Founder,<br />
Phocuswright Inc., the<br />
“Destination” session will<br />
feature a panel discussion<br />
on “EU-<strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Year” (ECTY). Panellists<br />
from major European<br />
destinations will explore<br />
how to upgrade the<br />
attractiveness of Europe<br />
as a whole to Chinese<br />
tourists. Fan Zhang,<br />
CEO, Mioji; Steven Shu,<br />
CMO, Meituan Dianping;<br />
Shihong Chen, Tourism<br />
Industry Director, Tencent<br />
Online Media Group, and<br />
other guests will further<br />
probe into the topic of<br />
destination marketing.<br />
Joseph Wang, Chief<br />
Commercial Officer,<br />
TravelDaily <strong>China</strong>,<br />
will moderate a panel<br />
discussion on “Connecting<br />
Destinations with Chinese<br />
Millennials”. Jenna Qian,<br />
CEO of Destination<br />
Marketing, Ctrip as well<br />
as panelists from Merlin<br />
Entertainments, the<br />
Ministry of Tourism of<br />
Brazil, Turismo de Portugal<br />
and the Israel Government<br />
Tourism Office will look<br />
at marketing strategies<br />
targeting at Chinese<br />
millennials.<br />
For the first time <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong><br />
Conference will feature<br />
a dedicated session on<br />
Customised Travel, which<br />
has become an important<br />
fast-growing market.<br />
Ms. Iris Cai, Co-Founder,<br />
UniqueWay will talk about<br />
“The Implementation of AI<br />
and Big Data in Customized<br />
Travel” and Executives<br />
from Abercrombie Kent as<br />
well as Lushu, will present<br />
interesting keynote<br />
speeches on “How to<br />
design customized travel<br />
products”. Afterwards <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> and Qyer will launch<br />
the award ceremony of<br />
“It’s My World Travel<br />
Awards <strong>2018</strong>”<br />
KEYNOTE SPOTLIGHT<br />
“CUSTOMISED<br />
TOURS EVOLUTION”<br />
Fan Zhang, founder & CEO of Mioji, has a wealth<br />
of technology and management experience from<br />
working in the fields of voice assistant and semantic<br />
search during his time at Tencent and Sogou, the<br />
top Internet giants in <strong>China</strong>. His keynote on the<br />
evolution of customised tours comes hot on the<br />
heels of the release of a new report by Ctrip showing<br />
massive growth in this kind of travel (see article,<br />
page 5).<br />
Founded in 2014, Mioji is a travel technology<br />
company which provides an AI-powered itinerary<br />
planning platform. Mioji has finished three rounds<br />
of financing and the total amount is over US$26 m.<br />
Mioji has been funded from BAI, DCM, Morningside<br />
Venture Capital and some local investors, and has<br />
achieved dozens of patents during the process of<br />
development. At present, Mioji has around 100<br />
engineers. The key team has previously worked at top<br />
<strong>China</strong> Internet companies including Tencent, Sogou<br />
and Baidu and some world well-known companies<br />
in the travel industry, like Tourico Holidays, GTA<br />
and MIKI. Its core product “Mioji Plus” is a A.I.-<br />
powered SaaS platform to support travel agents<br />
in end-to-end trip planning with real time data<br />
access, itinerary automation and personalisation<br />
for improved productivity. This is powered by Mioji’s<br />
Artificial Intelligence travel engine which has been<br />
developed in-house. Zhang’s keynote today at<br />
the <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> Conference will no doubt have a big<br />
following!<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong>
8 TRADE TALK<br />
WE PROVIDE MERCHANTS WITH<br />
CONSULTING, MARKETING AND IT<br />
SYSTEM SUPPORT IN ORDER TO<br />
PROPERLY PREPARE THEM FOR CHINESE<br />
CUSTOMERS<br />
Sandra Servos<br />
Operating Director,<br />
Travel Easy<br />
Helping Chinese Tourists<br />
to “Travel Easy”<br />
German-based company develops east-west synergy<br />
and facilitates business<br />
Travel Easy is one of the most innovative partners one can<br />
find for travel services connecting Europe to <strong>China</strong>. The<br />
company is building a network that adds value and potential<br />
for all members, enabling travel agencies, shops and tourists<br />
to benefit from a clear win-win synergy. We asked Sandra<br />
Servos, Operating Director, Travel Easy, to tell us more<br />
about she is working in the Chinese market.<br />
Travel Easy aims at strengthening<br />
Europe as an attractive shopping<br />
destination against international<br />
competition. To be more specific,<br />
Travel Easy strives to improve the<br />
shopping experience for Chinese<br />
tourists in Europe. In order to<br />
achieve that, we offer our 100% tax<br />
refund service TAX FREE EASY to<br />
Chinese tourists. It is a non-cash<br />
refund meaning there in no need<br />
to queue for cash in the airport.<br />
It is convenient, fast and without<br />
hassle. An autofill-function when<br />
filling-in the information in the<br />
tax refund form makes life easier<br />
for both the merchants and the<br />
tourists. Push messages keep the<br />
tourists up-to-date on the status<br />
of their tax refund form. We<br />
promote and install Alipay as a<br />
payment method at our connected<br />
merchants to ease the payment<br />
process for Chinese tourists. Apart<br />
from that we also assist European<br />
retailers in achieving GDPR<br />
conformity and increasing their<br />
visibility within Chinese tourists.<br />
The secure handling of personal<br />
data is also relevant for tour<br />
operators and tour guides and we<br />
hope to be of help for both parties.<br />
Furthermore, we aim at increasing<br />
the profits for tour operators and<br />
at helping tour guides to manage<br />
groups more efficiently.<br />
What are the key difficulties<br />
people in Europe run into when<br />
working with Chinese travellers,<br />
and how do you assist in this<br />
respect?<br />
Key difficulties arise from<br />
differences in language, culture,<br />
law and regulations. The result is<br />
a shopping experience that could<br />
be improved. We assist Chinese<br />
travellers in offering a Chinese<br />
speaking support service as well<br />
as products and services that<br />
ease the payment and tax refund<br />
process and thereby improve the<br />
shopping experience. Besides<br />
this, we provide merchants<br />
with consulting, marketing and<br />
IT system support in order to<br />
properly prepare them for Chinese<br />
customers.<br />
How important is it to be based<br />
in the heart of Europe’s financial<br />
centre and why?<br />
For a FinTech company like<br />
us it is good to be located in<br />
the financial centre of Europe.<br />
Through this location we receive<br />
first-hand information on news<br />
in the FinTech industry and can<br />
respond to changes immediately.<br />
Apart from that Frankfurt is a very<br />
liveable city and attractive to welleducated<br />
young professionals who<br />
might be our potential colleagues.<br />
What kind of customers do you<br />
work with already and with<br />
whom are you looking to develop<br />
business?<br />
We have local business resources<br />
in Europe and work together<br />
with more than 200 merchants<br />
in Germany, Austria, Belgium,<br />
Netherlands, Finland, Denmark<br />
and Hungary etc. Our innovative<br />
products and convenient<br />
services will expand quickly to<br />
more European countries, for<br />
example UK in July and Spain in<br />
September. We are looking to<br />
develop and intensify cooperation<br />
with all participants in the market,<br />
in order to mutually benefit from<br />
our services and products. Above<br />
all we hope to find cooperation<br />
partners with whom we can jointly<br />
improve the shopping experience<br />
for Chinese travellers in Europe<br />
and enhance the travel retail<br />
business in Europe in general.<br />
What are the key aims of your<br />
presence at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> and what<br />
are your thoughts about this<br />
show?<br />
It is the first time for us to exhibit<br />
at <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>. We are looking<br />
forward to exchange ideas and<br />
information with industry experts<br />
and to develop new business<br />
relationships. We will participate<br />
in the key note speeches on the<br />
first day at quarter past three<br />
talking about the latest changes<br />
in the travel retail industry in<br />
more depth and the most recent<br />
trends. We have participated in<br />
this show because we understand<br />
that it is one of the most important<br />
exhibitions within the travel<br />
industry facilitating the exchange<br />
of knowledge between a great<br />
number of experts<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<br />
9<br />
FINLAND IS A SAFE<br />
& STABLE COUNTRY<br />
AND HAS THE WORLD’S<br />
CLEANEST AIR<br />
Paavo Virkkunen<br />
Executive Director,<br />
Business Finland Oy & Head of Visit Finland<br />
Welcome to the Happiest<br />
Country in the World<br />
Paavo Virkkunen, Executive Director, Business Finland Oy & Head of Visit<br />
Finland numbers the key assets of this extraordinary destination<br />
In 2017, international travel to Finland hit a new record with<br />
overnight stays of foreign visitors as high as 6.7 million,<br />
and the number of foreign overnights increased by 972,000,<br />
achieving 17% growth compared to the previous year. We<br />
asked Paavo Virkkunen, Executive Director, Business Finland<br />
Oy & Head of Visit Finland to tell us how Chinese travellers<br />
fit into the picture.<br />
<strong>China</strong> ranked No.5 among source<br />
markets after Russia, Germany,<br />
Sweden, & UK and has become the<br />
biggest long-haul source market<br />
for Finland. <strong>China</strong> is indeed one<br />
of Visit Finland’s primary markets.<br />
Nights spent by Chinese tourists<br />
reached 362,138 in 2017, +33.4%<br />
compared to 2016. Chinese Travel<br />
Income reached around €330m in<br />
2017 and Chinese expenditure per<br />
trip was €1,200, the highest among<br />
all nationalities. To sum up, <strong>China</strong><br />
is very important market for Visit<br />
Finland and that’s also one of the<br />
reasons for us to join <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> for<br />
the second time.<br />
What prompted you to partner<br />
with <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>?<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> is a leading trade fair in the<br />
world. That why we joined <strong>ITB</strong><br />
in Germany, Singapore and also<br />
last year in Shanghai. With <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong>, our Finnish partners have<br />
the opportunity to meet important<br />
buyers from the Chinese travel<br />
trade, which will bring more<br />
business opportunities to the<br />
Finnish travel trade. Meanwhile,<br />
<strong>China</strong> has become more and<br />
more important and the fastest<br />
growing market for Finland. To<br />
become partner destination of <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong>, we strongly believe that it<br />
will bring us extra exposure and<br />
benefits during the fair among the<br />
travel trade, and also illustrates<br />
the importance of the Chinese<br />
market for Visit Finland.<br />
What are the “key assets” of<br />
Finland as a destination -<br />
especially for Chinese travellers?<br />
Finland has variety of offerings<br />
for Chinese travellers. In <strong>2018</strong>,<br />
Finland is the Happiest Country<br />
in the world according to the<br />
UN’s ranking. Finland is a safe<br />
& stable country and has the<br />
world’s cleanest air. 70% of the<br />
lands are covered by forest and<br />
trees. Midnight sun in the summer<br />
and Aurora in the winter offers<br />
exotic experiences for travellers.<br />
Moreover, unique accommodation<br />
(cottages, glass igloo hotels, etc.)<br />
and lots of activities create a oncein-a-lifetime<br />
and unforgettable<br />
experience.<br />
What extra moves are being<br />
made to prepare local receptive<br />
companies and hotel operators<br />
for Chinese visitors?<br />
We started the cooperation with<br />
Alipay in 2016. Alipay has been<br />
implemented to many shops,<br />
hotels, taxi or other merchandises.<br />
Chinese people could use the<br />
familiar payment tool to pay bills<br />
and go shopping.<br />
Helsinki and Tencent launched<br />
the Helsinki Mini Program in<br />
WeChat during Chinese New Year<br />
of <strong>2018</strong>. With the trendy Mini<br />
Program, travellers could find all<br />
the practical information about<br />
the city including attractions,<br />
transportation, and so on. Many<br />
destinations and hotel chains also<br />
have <strong>China</strong>-ready projects in order<br />
to meet the demands and habits of<br />
Chinese people.<br />
What are your key goals at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong>?<br />
Winter season in Finland is very<br />
popular among Chinese tourists<br />
now. Through the efforts of our<br />
partners, we would like to maintain<br />
our good image and develop new<br />
products for Chinese travellers.<br />
However, our summer is also<br />
beautiful, with thousands of lakes<br />
and the midnight sun. We would<br />
like to promote Finnish Lakeland<br />
to Chinese people to give them a<br />
reason to stay longer in Finland in<br />
the summer season. Winter Sports<br />
are a hot topic now in <strong>China</strong>.<br />
Finland has a good infrastructure<br />
for winter sports activities and<br />
winter sports is in the Finns’ blood.<br />
We hope that through our further<br />
promotions, we will be able to<br />
attract more Chinese winter sports<br />
lovers to visit Finnish ski resorts or<br />
join other winter sports in Finland.<br />
Finnish Education also has its<br />
reputation around the world. Visit<br />
Finland has also been actively<br />
encouraging our Finnish partners<br />
to produce new educational travel<br />
products for the <strong>China</strong> market,<br />
such as student camps, real<br />
classroom experiences, and so<br />
on<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong>
10 SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES<br />
Looking for Travel Tech<br />
@ <strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>?<br />
A selection of just some of the travel tech<br />
suppliers at this year’s Shanghai event<br />
TRANSFERS:<br />
THE MISSING<br />
LINK AS AN<br />
OPPORTUNITY<br />
TO INCREASED<br />
SALES<br />
Transfer booking specialists Intui.<br />
travel Transfer are offering an affiliate<br />
programme for travel agencies where<br />
they can book for their customer a<br />
relevant transfer according to the other<br />
trip products.<br />
Especially for our Chinese partners, and<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong>, Intui.travel is introducing<br />
Chinese localisation. Now the API can be<br />
used in Chinese and 6 other languages<br />
- English, Russian, German, Spanish,<br />
Italian and French. Intui Chinese partners<br />
already have access to get the data via<br />
API in their native language. This month,<br />
the company is also announcing a B2C<br />
website in Chinese.<br />
More than 3,000 Intui partners have<br />
already increased sales up to 8% using<br />
Intui.travel transfer instruments. Intui’s<br />
partners integrate & book transfers to<br />
air ticket and hotels sales to improve<br />
customer care, and satisfy customers with<br />
a large choice, low rates and top comfort.<br />
54% of users buy relevant product at<br />
the booking phase of air ticket or hotel<br />
(Amadeus, 2015). Customers are willing<br />
to pay for comfort and satisfaction and<br />
like to add transfers to their air ticket &<br />
hotel package. Using the opportunity of<br />
closing this missing link can be massively<br />
profitable. Average cheques of US$110<br />
and 8% growth in booking conversion are<br />
key indicators for Intui partners. 15-25%<br />
of online buyers looking for flight tickets<br />
say they would like transfer offers too.<br />
STAND No. 292<br />
THE DIRECT TRANSLATOR<br />
Beijing Babel Technology introduces the AIcorrect<br />
Translator, the first intelligent voice translator in<br />
<strong>China</strong>, built with touch screen. Driven by worldleading<br />
AI technology, AIcorrect Translator<br />
does real-time translation/interpretation across<br />
languages. AIcorrect Translator can be used in<br />
situations of travelling, shopping, recreation,<br />
or friend-making, with real-time translation/<br />
interpretation between Chinese and other 30<br />
languages, including English, Japanese, Korean,<br />
Thai, Russian, French, Spanish and Indonesian.<br />
STAND No. 665<br />
DEVELOPING IT FOR<br />
AIR TRAVEL<br />
Air&Travel IT (AirTIT) is a<br />
“wemedia” founded by a group<br />
of senior industry professionals,<br />
relying on the WeChat and other social media<br />
platforms, focusing on research, planning<br />
and dissemination of IT solutions, making<br />
in-depth reports on IT related news, typically<br />
for aviation and travel industry. Airlines<br />
and tourism businesses can follow AirTIT<br />
(WeChat Public Account is AirTIT) on the<br />
WeChat platform, where they are given indepth<br />
analysis of the latest IT industry trends;<br />
as well as IT solutions for their company<br />
recommended by AirTIT experts.<br />
STAND No. 490<br />
TARGETING HIGH-END<br />
TRAVELLERS<br />
Beijing YueTu Journey Network Technology<br />
Co. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the YueTu<br />
Corp. YueTu Journey focuses on middle and<br />
high end travelling customers, effectively<br />
solving the pain points of crowding and time<br />
consumption during the journey, providing<br />
personalised, customized VIP services for the<br />
whole process of a high-end journey. The<br />
company’s business covers more than 300<br />
traffic hub cities and serves more than 10<br />
million customers every year.<br />
STAND No. 686<br />
ALL ABOUT BIG DATA<br />
Founded in 1998, Beijing Shiji IT Company<br />
aims to become a “big data” application<br />
service platform operator. Shiji has become<br />
the leading manufacturer of Chinese hotel<br />
information systems after three successful<br />
transformations. At the same time, Shiji is<br />
gradually expanding from hotel to catering<br />
and retail industries, becoming the major<br />
software supplier to both industries. Now,<br />
Shiji is responsible for approximately 60%<br />
to 70% of the market share in the high-end<br />
sector of hotel and retail industries.<br />
STAND No. 541<br />
GOING OVERSEAS?<br />
Beijing UBTour Technology Co. Ltd.,<br />
founded in 2015, is a technological<br />
innovation-based enterprise, provider of<br />
information solutions for overseas tourism<br />
destination suppliers.<br />
The company focuses on overseas tourism<br />
market, aiming to provide integrated and<br />
highly efficient e-commerce solution,<br />
enhance supply chain efficiency and<br />
fully develop overseas tourism market<br />
for overseas destination supply-chain<br />
enterprises by mature operation support of<br />
SaaS system.<br />
STAND No. 663<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday16 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
TRANSPORT<br />
11<br />
Strengthening<br />
Tailwind!<br />
Making charter flights from<br />
various points of Europe and Near<br />
East to touristic centres of Turkey,<br />
Tailwind Airlines is working to<br />
expand its visibility among Asian<br />
travel professionals. Tailwind<br />
Airlines General Manager Mehmet<br />
Bostan underlined the importance<br />
of Asia as a source market for<br />
his company, stating, “Asian<br />
countries which became more<br />
powerful economically in recent<br />
years have an important potential.<br />
Potential wet lease collaborations<br />
with Asian countries also have<br />
a big significance for Turkish<br />
companies.”<br />
Tailwind Airlines is a joint Turkish<br />
British partnership, established<br />
to create an efficient, up to date<br />
airline to support the continuing<br />
air travel growth in the Turkish<br />
civil aviation sector. With the<br />
predicted forecast of increased<br />
tourists to go from 23 million to<br />
50 million in the near future it is<br />
evident that Turkey requires an<br />
improvement on the availability<br />
of air transport.<br />
STAND No. 381<br />
Copa Airlines Expands<br />
Fleet and Adds<br />
Destinations<br />
Copa Airlines has announced<br />
the modernisation of its fleet of<br />
100 aircraft and the expansion<br />
of its network to 75 destinations<br />
in 31 countries in North, Central<br />
and South America and the<br />
Caribbean, with the addition<br />
of Mendoza, Argentina, and<br />
Denver, Colorado in the United<br />
States. This year, the airline is<br />
adding 6 new aircraft, five of<br />
which will be the new Boeing 737<br />
MAX 9 aircraft. It is also adding<br />
Fortaleza and Salvador, in Brazil,<br />
and Barbados, in the Caribbean,<br />
to its extensive network of<br />
destinations, strengthening the<br />
entire continent’s connectivity<br />
through the Hub of the Americas,<br />
in Panama City. Thanks to the<br />
airline’s 2017 operating results,<br />
FlightStats has recognized Copa<br />
Airlines as the most on-time<br />
airline in Latin America for the<br />
fifth consecutive year, and the<br />
British Official Airline Guide<br />
(OAG) has recognized it as the<br />
fourth most on-time airline in the<br />
world.<br />
STAND No. 732<br />
© Copa Airlines<br />
Hainan Airlines Rolls<br />
Out New Services<br />
Hainan Airlines has begun<br />
introducing a number of<br />
enhancements for customers<br />
including the rollout of the Boeing<br />
787-9 aircraft equipped with<br />
Wi-Fi technology and upgraded<br />
business class cabins with<br />
“reverse herringbone” seat layout.<br />
The airline has also partnered<br />
with Michelin-starred chefs to<br />
create an exclusive menu for<br />
its “Hai Chef” service, providing<br />
passengers with unprecedented<br />
quality in terms of in-flight food<br />
and an air travel experience.<br />
Hainan Airlines also incorporates<br />
the highest calibre of design and<br />
luxury into the travel experience,<br />
including an international VIP<br />
lounge, the HNA Club, designed<br />
by renowned Hong Kong designer<br />
Dr Patrick Leung.<br />
STAND No. 810<br />
HELSINKI AIRPORT GOES<br />
THE EXTRA MILE FOR CHINESE<br />
VISITORS<br />
Finavia, the Finnish airport<br />
operator responsible for Helsinki<br />
Airport and 20 other airports in<br />
Finland (destination partner of<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> <strong>China</strong> <strong>2018</strong>) is present at <strong>ITB</strong><br />
<strong>China</strong> to underline its efforts to<br />
improve the customer experience<br />
for Chinese passengers.<br />
Chinese passengers are the<br />
fastest growing passenger group<br />
for the company, resulting in<br />
a number of actions to better<br />
receive these travellers:<br />
• Chinese language staff at shops<br />
and special guide stations for<br />
the Chinese passengers<br />
• UnionPay and AliPay Chinese<br />
digital payments systems<br />
• Hot water machines in the<br />
terminals<br />
• Finavia presence on the Chinese<br />
social media channels<br />
• and last but not least, a €900m<br />
project to enlarge Helsinki<br />
Airport, mainly due to Asian and<br />
especially Chinese passengers.<br />
STAND No. 500<br />
© Finavia<br />
Beijing Capital Airlines Launches Nonstop<br />
London-Qingdao Service<br />
© Wikipedia<br />
Until recently, passengers flying from Qingdao to<br />
London needed to transfer in Beijing, Shanghai,<br />
Guangzhou or Hong Kong. Since November 2017,<br />
with the London-Qingdao service, the first twiceweekly<br />
nonstop service between the two cities,<br />
passengers have been able to save significant time in<br />
transit, eliminating the need to switch aircraft while<br />
on route as well as avoid what can often amount<br />
to many hours of wait time at the intermediary<br />
airport. With only 12 flying hours, the nonstop service<br />
provides a convenient air bridge for passengers from<br />
Qingdao and surrounding areas to London. The<br />
launch of the London-Qingdao nonstop service is<br />
part of Beijing Capital Airlines’ roadmap for ongoing<br />
global expansion as well as the accelerating of the<br />
establishment of its global network.<br />
STAND No. 400<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong>
12 REGION<br />
ASIA<br />
FACTS & FIGURES<br />
CHINA THE MAJOR<br />
CONTRIBUTOR TO<br />
“ASIAN TOURISM<br />
MIRACLE”<br />
© 2007 Dnor<br />
The continuous growth of Chinese outbound travel is an<br />
asset for all of Asia, the continent being well-placed to<br />
reap the benefits of <strong>China</strong>’s continuous travel boom. In<br />
addition, increased air travel competition, good value<br />
for money in services, easier visa entry facilities to<br />
an increasing number of Asian countries and quickly<br />
expanding transportation infrastructures are also<br />
stimulating travel demand in the region.<br />
Mount Everest and Ama Dablam<br />
Overall, there is an Asian tourism<br />
miracle. Last year, according<br />
to preliminary data from the<br />
UNWTO, Asia and the Pacific<br />
welcomed together 323.7 million<br />
foreign travellers, representing<br />
a growth of 5.8% over 2016.<br />
Growth was particularly strong<br />
in South Asia, up by 10.4%, and<br />
Southeast Asia, up by 8.3%. Asia<br />
represented consequently 24.5%<br />
of all international arrivals. This<br />
is a market share jump of eight<br />
points in less than a decade.<br />
Back in 2000, the Asia Pacific<br />
region was registering 110.4<br />
million international arrivals, a<br />
share of 16.23%; in 2010, ASPAC<br />
market share in world tourism<br />
had already grown to 21.87%,<br />
equivalent to 208.2 million<br />
travellers. In absolute numbers,<br />
in only 17 years, total arrivals to<br />
the continent grew threefold.<br />
Within Asia, Northeast Asia<br />
(<strong>China</strong>-Japan-Korea) welcomed<br />
the largest number of travellers<br />
(159.3 million), followed by<br />
Southeast Asia with 120.1<br />
million and South Asia with<br />
27.7 million. The Pacific area<br />
welcomed 16.6 million and<br />
remains dominated by Australia,<br />
the sub-region’s largest<br />
destination. Looking specifically<br />
at <strong>China</strong>, last year was a new<br />
record year for Chinese travelling<br />
overseas. According to a report<br />
by top Chinese Travel Services<br />
provider Ctrip in cooperation<br />
with the <strong>China</strong> Tourism<br />
Academy, Chinese travellers<br />
generated 130.5 million trips<br />
outside their country, a 7% jump<br />
over the previous year (122<br />
million travels in 2016). Looking<br />
in detail at statistics in many<br />
Asian countries, <strong>China</strong> is often<br />
now the number 1 inbound<br />
market. This is for example the<br />
case in Thailand, Japan, South<br />
Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, the<br />
Maldives, Indonesia and North<br />
Korea.<br />
Within a year or two, Chinese<br />
travellers will also be the<br />
largest inbound market for<br />
the Philippines and Lao PDR.<br />
Thailand receives some 10<br />
million Chinese travellers while<br />
Japan welcomed last year some<br />
7.5 million of their neighbours<br />
Zhouzhuang, <strong>China</strong><br />
A Different Idea<br />
(or Two) for Visiting<br />
Nepal<br />
The number of international<br />
tourists visiting Nepal continues<br />
to climb to giddy new heights,<br />
with +24.8% in 2017 taking<br />
figures to a new record of just<br />
over 940,000. One of the reasons<br />
for this sharp climb is the<br />
diversification of the country’s<br />
tourism offering.<br />
One such different idea is<br />
rafting: a great way for the<br />
adventurous to explore the<br />
typical cross section of natural<br />
as well as ethno-cultural<br />
heritage of the country. There<br />
are numerous rivers in Nepal<br />
which offer excellent rafting or<br />
canoeing experience. One can<br />
glide on calm jade waters with<br />
munificent scenery all about<br />
or rush through roaring white<br />
rapids, in the care of expert rivermen<br />
employed by government<br />
authorised agencies. One can<br />
opt for day of river running or<br />
more. So far, the government<br />
has opened sections of 10 rivers<br />
for commercial rafting.<br />
Hot Air Ballooning: Hot air<br />
ballooning is becoming very<br />
popular with tourists for it affords<br />
the most spectacular bird’s-eye<br />
view of the Kathmandu valley<br />
and the Himalayan ranges<br />
towering in the background. On<br />
a clear day, it’s a superb way to<br />
view the Himalayan (from over<br />
6000m up), and the view of the<br />
valley is equally breath-taking.<br />
Paragliding: Paragliding in<br />
Nepal can be a truly wonderful<br />
and fulfilling experience for the<br />
adventure seeking. A trip will<br />
take you over some of the best<br />
scenery on earth, as you share<br />
airspace with Himalayan griffins,<br />
vultures, eagles, kites and float<br />
over villages, monasteries,<br />
temples, lakes and jungle, with<br />
a fantastic view of the majestic<br />
Himalayas.<br />
Jungle Safari: National Parks<br />
located specially in the Terai<br />
region in Nepal attract visitors<br />
from all over the world. A visit<br />
to these parks involves gamestalking<br />
by a variety of meansfoot,<br />
dugout canoe, jeep, and<br />
elephant back. One is bound to<br />
sight a one – horned rhino or two<br />
at every elephant safari. Besides<br />
the rhinos, wild boars, samburs,<br />
spotted deer, sloth bear, fourhorned<br />
antelope are also usually<br />
seen. A Royal Bengal tiger may<br />
surprise you by his majestic<br />
appearance<br />
STAND No. 641<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
ASIA<br />
REGION<br />
13<br />
Royal Belum -<br />
The Land Before Time<br />
Malaysian Authorities work on opening-up the<br />
country’s oldest and largest state park to the public…<br />
little by little<br />
Khoo Salma Nasution<br />
Vice-president, Penang Heritage Trust<br />
GEORGE TOWN’S<br />
WORLD HERITAGE<br />
ARCHITECTURE UNDER<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
George Town, the capital of Penang, is a large,<br />
bustling city, and while it has a futuristic<br />
veneer, it’s heart still beats to the rhythm of its<br />
rich historic past.<br />
With Belum literally meaning<br />
“Land Before Time”, Royal<br />
Belum State Park is still one<br />
of Asia’s best kept nature<br />
secrets. It is part of Malaysia’s<br />
largest and oldest forest<br />
reserve – Belum Temenggor<br />
– in the northern part of the<br />
Malaysian Peninsula. Being<br />
contiguous with the smaller<br />
Bang Lang National Park and<br />
Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary<br />
in South Thailand, this makes<br />
the entire area one of Asia’s<br />
largest biodiversity basins.<br />
Opening up the park to the<br />
public entails treading a<br />
fine line between ensuring<br />
the protection of the local<br />
environment, while enabling<br />
people from around the<br />
world to experience this<br />
unique place that gives a true<br />
sense of “nature in the raw”.<br />
This activity is being carefully<br />
piloted by the Northern<br />
Corridor Implementation<br />
Authority<br />
WORLD HERITAGE<br />
STATUS<br />
REQUESTED<br />
While in 2012, the Malaysian<br />
Government declared<br />
Royal Belum State Park a<br />
“National Heritage Site”,<br />
the park has now been<br />
submitted as a potential<br />
UNESCO World Heritage site.<br />
The International Union<br />
for Conservation of Nature<br />
(IUCN), is to study the<br />
proposal which was tabled<br />
in 2017 by the Permanent<br />
Delegation of Malaysia to<br />
UNESCO, following which the<br />
IUCN will provide the World<br />
Heritage Committee with an<br />
evaluation for further action.<br />
Along with the Taman<br />
Negara National Park, Belum<br />
Temenggor is one of<br />
the oldest rainforests in<br />
world, dating back over 130<br />
million years.<br />
14 of the world’s most<br />
threatened mammals; among<br />
them the Malaysian Tiger, the<br />
white-handed Gibbon, Asiatic<br />
Elephant, Malaysian Sunbear<br />
and Malayan Tapir still roam<br />
freely in Belum Temenggor.<br />
316 bird species are known<br />
here. It is unique through<br />
the fact that in particular it<br />
is possible to see, in certain<br />
periods of the year, all 10 of<br />
Malaysia’s magnificent<br />
hornbill species. The forest<br />
is home to over 3,000 species<br />
of flowering plants, including<br />
the iconic rafflesia, whose<br />
flowers are the largest in the<br />
plant kingdom.<br />
14 OF THE WORLD’S MOST<br />
THREATENED MAMMALS; AMONG<br />
THEM THE MALAYSIAN TIGER, THE<br />
WHITE-HANDED GIBBON, ASIATIC<br />
ELEPHANT, MALAYSIAN SUNBEAR<br />
AND MALAYAN TAPIR STILL ROAM<br />
FREELY IN BELUM TEMENGGOR.<br />
ORANG ASLI<br />
Semi-nomadic orang asli<br />
villages can be found today<br />
on some of the islands of<br />
Temenggor. These people still<br />
live in their traditional way in<br />
bamboo huts, hunting small<br />
mammals using blowpipes,<br />
fishing and gathering plants<br />
and honey from the forest. It<br />
is possible to visit a village<br />
if pre-organised through the<br />
local tour guide in advance<br />
STAND No. 754<br />
“In the past, when people thought about<br />
Penang, they would think about beaches,<br />
Komtar, and the long bridge; but today, Penang<br />
has changed a lot,” explains Khoo Salma<br />
Nasution - vice-president of Penang Heritage<br />
Trust. “A main attraction is the George Town<br />
World Heritage site, and while a number of<br />
new hotels are opening, there are also many<br />
heritage buildings being repurposed for<br />
accommodation.”<br />
Penang was the first British outpost in South-<br />
East Asia, founded in 1786, and the city<br />
centre is today a UNESCO World Heritage<br />
Site measuring 2.5 sq km. The city features<br />
Malaysia’s best restored and readapted<br />
traditional architecture as well as a multitude<br />
of heritage trades and arts, and is a living<br />
testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and<br />
traditions of Asia.<br />
Penang Heritage Trust has cultural heritage<br />
tours, and can also recommend certain tours<br />
or tour guides. There’s also a lot of information<br />
on the internet now, where people can find<br />
ideas of what to do and where to go.<br />
ASIA’S STREET ART CAPITAL<br />
Soon after George Town was designated<br />
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008,<br />
the state government began capitalising on<br />
global interest, branding itself through the<br />
arts. To this end, street art has become a huge<br />
draw card since the onset of Instagram and<br />
other social media, through which visitors<br />
“put themselves in the picture”. The growing<br />
popularity of these works arguably makes<br />
George Town the Asian capital of street art<br />
STAND No. 754<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong>
14 REGION<br />
ASIA<br />
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia<br />
Laurent Holdener<br />
Founder & Director<br />
– Terre Cambodge,<br />
Adventure Travel Network (ATN)<br />
Adventure Travel Network<br />
Opens the Gates to New<br />
Experiences Throughout<br />
Asia<br />
Bali: No Tremor for<br />
Tourism Activities after<br />
Agung Volcano Eruption<br />
Adventure Travel Network (ATN) is an international network<br />
of DMCs around the world, primarily specialised in adventure<br />
& nature tours, and focusing on customised trips. We asked<br />
Laurent Holdener – Founder & Director – Terre Cambodge to<br />
tell us more about ATN’s activities in Asia.<br />
We have always been strong in<br />
African and Asian continents, with<br />
numerous agencies based locally.<br />
We are willing to share our expertise<br />
in creating unique tours for tour<br />
operators looking for new products.<br />
Laurent, we notice you have on<br />
your booth your colleague from<br />
Laos. Can you tell us more about<br />
the unique selling points of Laos<br />
for the Chinese market?<br />
Firstly, geographically, Laos borders<br />
<strong>China</strong>. While obviously there are<br />
overland crossing possibilities<br />
in Mohan / Boten (province of<br />
Luang Namtha). Northern Laos is<br />
particularly suitable to nature-based<br />
activities like hiking. The slopes<br />
are not steep and the landscapes<br />
are stunning, with scattered ethnic<br />
minority people villages, century<br />
old wild tea trees in Phongsaly, hot<br />
natural springs in Muang La area<br />
and amazing forests, like the Nam<br />
Ha National Protected Area (NPA).<br />
Laos is a safe, secure and stable<br />
destination. It is a slow-paced,<br />
calm, quiet, serene, relaxing and<br />
still very authentic country. It also<br />
has very little air pollution, as<br />
there are few industries. These are<br />
strong arguments for urban Chinese<br />
visitors, often coming from polluted<br />
cities. The Chinese are building a<br />
high-speed railway across Laos, to<br />
link Kunming / Yunnan to Vientiane,<br />
the capital of Laos. The railway will<br />
eventually go across to Thailand to<br />
connect Bangkok and further south<br />
Singapore.<br />
What about Cambodia?<br />
We offer multi-sport activities:<br />
trekking deep into the jungle, far<br />
from people, close to the animals<br />
and nature. Then there’s kayaking,<br />
surrounded by the verdant jungle<br />
where one can navigate through<br />
lush greenery and dense growth of<br />
trees along the Kampot River.<br />
Explore Cambodian “Cuisine” with<br />
its local flavours on a journey full<br />
of surprises. Meals are balanced<br />
between cooked and raw, solid<br />
and liquid, sweet, sour, salty and<br />
bitter. For an interesting experience,<br />
travellers can stay in a village with<br />
the local people, surrounded by<br />
spectacular primary jungle offering a<br />
wide panel of possibilities for nature<br />
enthusiasts. Off the beaten track<br />
adventure journeys are managed by<br />
Terre Cambodge<br />
STAND No. 740<br />
Bali made headlines at the end of last year due to the<br />
eruption of Volcano Agung, and although international<br />
air arrivals declined by 9.6% in November and 29.7%<br />
in December, Indonesia’s tourism icon still managed<br />
to grow total arrivals by 16% last year.<br />
Each year over the past<br />
five years has brought new<br />
records for Bali, and 2017<br />
was no exception to the rule.<br />
According to data collected by<br />
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism,<br />
Bali last year welcomed 5.6<br />
million international arrivals,<br />
a number up by 16.3%,<br />
confirming its flagship status of<br />
Indonesia tourism. The island<br />
alone generates over 40% of<br />
all international tourist arrivals<br />
to the country, far ahead of<br />
Jakarta, Indonesia’s second<br />
most visited destination with<br />
2.88 million arrivals, or 20% of<br />
market share.<br />
The tremendous rise of Chinese,<br />
Russian and Indian tourist<br />
numbers helped mitigate the<br />
effects of the Agung volcano on<br />
the island’s tourism. In 2017,<br />
Chinese travellers generated<br />
1.37 million arrivals followed<br />
by Australia with 1.06 million<br />
visitors. India is now the third<br />
largest market to Bali as it<br />
generated 265,000 arrivals last<br />
year. Other important markets<br />
to Bali are the UK, USA, France,<br />
Germany, South Korea and<br />
Singapore.<br />
As the volcano issue failed to<br />
deter the popularity of Bali,<br />
growth in arrivals already<br />
resumed in January and<br />
February. After being worried at<br />
the end of the year by declining<br />
occupancy rates, Bali’s hotel<br />
industry looked with optimism<br />
into the future. According to<br />
a report of Horwath HTL/ C9<br />
Hotelworks’ on Bali’s hotels<br />
released early February, the<br />
island will continue to witness<br />
growth in arrivals. The report<br />
notes that the influx of visitors<br />
had a positive effect on Bali<br />
hotel performance. From<br />
January to October 2017, the<br />
RevPAR (Revenue per available<br />
room) was up 7% while the<br />
average occupancy reached<br />
75% - a growth of three points<br />
over 2016.<br />
Bali will add some 13,000<br />
rooms by 2020, increasing its<br />
hotel portfolio from 42,000 to<br />
55,000 rooms. <strong>2018</strong> will see<br />
nearly 6,000 rooms in 38 hotels<br />
being added<br />
STAND No. 540<br />
<strong>ITB</strong> CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 16 th May <strong>2018</strong><br />
www.itb-china-news.com
HALL PLAN<br />
展 馆 平 面 图<br />
Stand No. 530<br />
Stand No. 283 Stand No. 801