DRShanghai: It’s going to be bigger, better and grander. ITB China 2018 will witness the congregation of around 700 companies, destinations, organisations and travel service providers from around 70 countries and territories. Scheduled to be held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre from May 16 to 18, the three-day business travel trade fair will focus exclusively on the Chinese travel industry.
Scheduled to be held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre from May 16 to 18, the three-day business travel trade fair will focus exclusively on the Chinese travel industry.
Addressing delegates at the exclusive ITB China Press Event Shanghai on March 27, David Axiotis, General Manager, ITB China said: “The 2018 edition of the event is making a strong step forward by even surpassing the success of its premier event in 2017. The overall scale of the show has significantly increased, and the attendees can look forward to an even more diversified content and networking programme.” The organisers stated that bookings for ITB China 2018 are coming off expectedly well.
Over 120 media delegates from China and other countries took part at the press event, which was held in the Golden Tulip Shanghai Rainbow. Apart from David Axiotis, David Wu, Director, Visit Finland China; Ludivine Destree, Chairperson, ETC’s China Operations Group; Kitty Huang, Vice President, Customer Loyalty and Revenue Generation, Greater China, Wyndham Hotel Group; Roger Qiu, GM, Ctrip; Aaron Zhi, GM, Meituan Travel Marketing Centre and Peter L Herweck, President, Golden Tulip China.
Over one-third of the exhibitors will be from Europe, and another third from all over Asia and China. The Americas and the Middle East are also strongly represented. More than 800 buyers will attend the show this year. “The diversity will again be very high as the buyers will be coming from over 300 different companies and from all over China, thereby representing the full range of China’s largest industry players. ITB China 2018 counts the biggest names of China’s travel industry on its buyers’ list,” the organizers said.
Strong Partners at ITB China 2018
Finland is the Partner Destination of ITB China 2018. It will be the co-host of ITB China’s official opening dinner, which is expected to be attended by around 600 guests. ITB China 2018 is an official partner of the EU China Tourism Year, an initiative that has been jointly announced by the Chinese Government and the EU Commission promoting touristic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe.
Hotel industry giant, Wyndham Hotel Group, has become the official partner hotel of the second edition of ITB China. The Group operates over 8000 hotels worldwide, among which, over 1400 hotels are in China alone.
ITB China also brings up two strategic partnerships in 2018 to mutually promote each other as well as to enhance business opportunities and raise global awareness for the Chinese tourism industry. One is the China Tourism Academy, a research institution directly under the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) with a focus on studies in the tourism industry, such as tourism research, data analysis and tourism promotion. Another strategic partner is the China Tourism Association (CTA). Founded in 1986, CTA is the largest industry association for China’s travel and tourism industry with some 4000 members covering all major travel verticals of the industry.
ITB China Conference
The ITB China Conference, which will take place simultaneously, is being co-organised by the leading conference organiser, TravelDaily. The think tank of Chinese travel will provide up-to-date insights into seven key areas: Destination, Travel Tech, Corporate Travel and Mice, Online Travel and Unique Travel, Business Travel and Education and Job. A total of 2700 attendees are expected to take part in the lectures, discussions and keynotes by some 70 industry speakers. The conference will kick off with the opening keynote speech by James Liang, Chairman, Ctrip.
Other top companies such as CITS American Express Global Business Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and BCD Travel, Merlin Entertainments, Mafengwo, Lushu, Abercombie and Kent will also be represented at the conference.
On May 17- Business Travel Day- ITB China Conference will offer an ideal platform for training and networking. Practical workshops will provide first-hand knowledge and updates on methods and strategies for both career newcomers and corporate travel managers. For the first time, ITB China will constitute the last day of the ITB China Conference, May 18, to a dedicated Education and Job Day in partnership with Fudan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. ITB China will also be hosting a multitude of award ceremonies.
The ITB China Startup Award will be held for the second time. And for the first time, QYER and ITB China will co-organise the ‘It’s My World Travel Awards 2018’ to honour key Chinese opinion leaders as well as global destinations at this year’s event. ‘The Chinese Tourist Welcome Award, which is being organised by the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), will also make its debut at the travel show.
For registration and more details, log on to www.itb-china.com
