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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 />

65 av. Jules Cantini - Tour Méditerranée, 13006 Marseille, France<br />

• Tel: + 33 442 77 46 00 • Fax: + 33 442 77 46 01<br />

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• RCS Marseille 413 604 471<br />

• info@cleverdis.com • www.cleverdis.com.<br />

• info@itb-china-news.com • www.itb-china-news.com<br />

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 />

held responsible for the consequences, whatever their nature may be, that may result from the interpretation of this data or content, or any<br />

eventual errors therein. Any reproduction of the content of this publication, even partial, by any means whatsoever, is strictly prohibited<br />

without the prior autorisation of the publisher. Any copy, whether by photography, photography film, magnetic tape, disc or other means<br />

constitutes a forgery, liable to punishment under French law according to the legislation of 11 th March 1957 covering copyright. All brands<br />

cited in this publication are registered trade marks and/or belong to companies which are their respective proprietors. The publishers and<br />

editorial staff decline all responsibility as to opinions formulated in this publication by those interviewed or cited therein. Their opinions are<br />

entirely their own, and are included with the understanding that they contain, to our knowledge, no malicious intent. The inclusion of all<br />

texts, photographs and other documents supplied by those included in this publication imply the acceptance by their authors of their free<br />

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statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could<br />

be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include assumptions relating to the timing of the recorded date.<br />

If any of these risks or uncertainties materialises or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the<br />

expectations outlined in these statements. Cleverdis assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements<br />

during the period of publication. Photo Credits and Copyright: All Rights Reserved.<br />

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

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