ITB China Signs Europe as Partner for 2017 Event

Europe, as a single destination, has been named the Official Partner Destination of ITB China 2017.

The news comes following an agreement signed by David Axiotis, general manager ITB China, and Eduardo Santander, executive director at the European Travel Commission.

The three-day business to business travel trade fair focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry and takes place from May 10th-12th in Shanghai.

Axiotis said: “We are delighted to announce Europe as the first ever partner destination for ITB China.

“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.”

A dedicated Europe Pavilion at ITB China will be showcasing the multitude of European tourism products and destinations among which are confirmed national presences of Czech Republic, Belgium, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Serbia.

In addition to the Europe pavilion, ITB China will show strong individual presences of other major European destinations such as Portugal, Finland, Greece, Austria and many more.

Tom Jenkins, chief executive, European Tour Operators Association, added: “We are 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.”

Both initiatives the Europe Pavilion at ITB China and the World Bridge Tourism have the support of the European Union.

ITB China will take place at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Centre.

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.