Europe the official partner destination for ITB China 2017

ITB China 300Europe is the official partner destination of ITB China 2017, afterÊa corresponding agreement was signed by the European Travel Commission and ITB China. The three-day business to business travel trade fair focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry and takes place from MayÊ10-12 in Shanghai.

David Axiotis,ÊGeneral Manager ITB China, and Eduardo Santander, Executive Director European Travel Commission signed off on the agreement earlier this week. ÒWe are delighted to announce Europe as the first ever partner destination for ITB China,” said Mr Axiotis.Ê”China is the driving force for growth in outbound trips and Europe as a continent remains a dream destination for many Chinese tourists. Europe as partner destination will help to better understand the needs of Chinese visitors within the European Tourism Community, especially in the view of the 2018 EU-China Tourism Year.”

Mr Sartander said it was crucial that “European destinations acknowledge the need to remain competitive in China”. “It is only through deeper cooperation with the Chinese authorities and the support and commitment of the European tourism sector to engage in joint public-private marketing initiatives, like this partnership with ITB China, that Europe will succeed in fostering sustainable tourism growth from China,” said Mr Sartander.

A dedicated Europe Pavilion at ITB China will be showcasing the multitude of European tourism products and destinations, among which the national presences of the Czech Republic, Belgium, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Serbia are confirmed. In addition to the Europe pavilion, ITB China will show strong individual presences of other major European destinations such as Portugal, Finland, Greece and Austria.

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The European presence on the show floor is flanked by The World Bridge Tourism project (WBT), which is co-located with ITB China 2017. The WBT is a project jointly organized by the European Travel Commission (ETC) and the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), matching 150 European tourism suppliers from all over Europe with the corresponding number of Chinese travel product buyers.

Tom Jenkins, CEO of The European Tour Operators Association,Êsaid theyÊare looking forward to working together with the European Travel Commission and ITB China. “China’s desire to travel abroad remains unbroken and European interest in accommodating Chinese visitors is growing. This initiative is designed to help European suppliers understand the needs of the Chinese market and deal directly with the main players,” said Mr Jenkins.

ITB China will take place fromÊMay 10-12Êat the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center. The event, an international offshoot of one of Messe Berlin’s most successful trade fairs, will take place annually and focus on the Chinese travel industry. Its co-organiser is TravelDaily China, a leading online news portal and organiser of travel industry conferences in Asia’s largest country.

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