In this second year of its existence it will be partner of the EU China Tourism Year, which has been jointly announced by the Chinese government and the EU Commission.
China is the travel market of the future. It is probable that by 2020 the Far East will account for the majority of travellers visiting Europe. Speaking at ITB Berlin, Eduardo Santander, executive director of the European Travel Commission, said: “In China, Europe is targeted as a single destination.“ Thus, it was all the more important that European tourism professionals learned to network better. “Neither the US or Australia is the biggest competitor of the EU, but we ourselves“, said Santander. “Europe must learn to see itself as a single travel destination.“
This new way of looking at Europe was a side aspect to the preview of the sister event of ITB Berlin, which will be taking place from 16 to 18 May 2018 in Shanghai. In this second year of its existence it will be partner of the EU China Tourism Year, which has been jointly announced by the Chinese government and the EU Commission.
David Axiotis, the project manager of ITB China, provided a foretaste of what ITB China 2018 had to offer. The trade show is an exclusive B2B event and will host more than 700 exhibitors from over 70 countries. Some 2,700 attendees are expected at the conference. Over one-third of the exhibitors will be from Europe, and another third from Asia. The Americas and the Arabian peninsula will also be strongly represented.
This year’s partner country is Finland. Axiotis praised Helsinki as a hub for tourism to Europe, and Heli Mende of Visit Finland presented her country as a fascinating destination offering a unique combination of nature and cultural attractions.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
