ITB China 2025 to be held 27-29 May in Shanghai

From the organizers:

"ITB China is a 3-day travel trade fair focused on the Chinese travel industry, providing a platform for global travel suppliers to connect with the largest source market for international tourism and travel. The B2B travel show facilitates business opportunities through pre-scheduled appointments, various networking sessions, and an engaging conference program."

Organizers promise exhibitors opportunities to:

• Meet top-level buyers from Chinese travel agencies using a state-of-the art matchmaking system
• Present products to 1000s of trade visitors
• Maximize business opportunities
• Participate in ITB China Conference and hear about latest trends

50%+ of buyers are interested in:

• City sightseeing/walks
• Family holidays
• Tours
• Accommodation
• Transportation
• DMOs
• Luxury travel
• Business travel

Go here to download exhibitor brochure.

Go here for exhibitor registration.

Free Webinar: China's Outbound Travel Trade in 2025

China-based travel marketers Dragon Trail International will present its webinar China's Outbound Travel Trade in 2025 via Zoom on Wednesday 15 January at 5 PM China time | 9 AM UK time | 4 AM US Eastern time.

Dragon Trail speakers will be:

• Sienna Parulis-Cook, Director of Marketing & Communications
• Janice Meng, Market Research Analyst

Presentations will cover:

• 2025 forecasts of Chinese travel agents
• Destinations, source markets, products
• Beach and island travel
• Cruises
• Senior travel
• Hotel preferences
• New survey data

Register here free:

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/re...eu9f_I5UEyCA#/registration

Trends in outbound travel from China 2024

China marketers Dragon Trail International report on trends in post-pandemic outbound travel from China that have emerged in 2024:

• Destinations offering visa-free travel to Chinese visitors - including Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Georgia, Serbia - saw strong demand.
• Japan, because of its proximity to China and a very favorable exchange rate, became the #1 shopping destination for travelers from China.
• As concerns about COVID waned, consumer confidence and travel intention increased significantly.
• Chinese group tours to Europe lagged, while FITs surged, accounting for 52% of visitors to France.
• Chinese FITs are price-conscious but willing to spend big bucks for the travel experiences they want.
• Social media platform Xiaohongshu became increasingly influential as a source of inspiration of overseas travel; 57% of survey respondents said they used it.
• Because of airspace restrictions on Western airlines associated with the war in Ukraine, Chinese airlines dominate outbound routes, including 82% of flights between China and Europe.
• Overseas events like the Australian Open tennis tournament are an increasingly big draw for Chinese travelers.
• Growth in demand from lower-tier Chinese cities in exploding.

The US Travel Association reminds us that the USA received 2.8 million visitors from China in 2019 but only 368,000 in 2022, and continues to advocate for US government policies that will lower visa wait times.

China outbound travel surges in 3Q2024

Outbound travel from China surged in 3Q2024, largely driven by leisure travel abroad during the National Day holiday 1-7 October. Mainland Chinese residents took 7.59 million trips during that week, up 33.2% from National Day 2023, and international outbound flights were up 38.2%.

Alibaba reports that outbound bookings for 1-7 October were up more than 50% vs. 2023, and bookings of overseas hotels were up 20% vs. National Day week 2019.

Asia-Pacific destinations including Japan,Thailand and Singapore - which offer more varied experiences and lower shopping prices than China - were the major beneficiaries of the 2024 outbound surge.

Wealthy individuals from top-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai were most likely to travel abroad during the National Day holiday, but bookings from 4th- and 5th-tier cities were up 100% from 2023.

Despite new policies making inbound travel easier and travel services accounting for 26.7% of China's service trade, high outbound travel spend resulted in a $140.5B trade deficit in 1H2024.

Comment: Note that USA wasn't a top destination during the National Day holiday. But maybe that's because a week is too short a time for a long-haul trip. Watch this space for updates.

COTTM 2024 to begin 16 October in Beijing

The 17th annual COTTM all-B2B, all outbound travel and tourism tradeshow will be kicking off less than a month from now at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Expected to attend are 5,000 Chinese outbound tour operators, including:

• Ctrip
• U-tour
• HCG Trabel Group
• Shenzen Nice Tour
• CYTS
• 6 Friends and Family
• Sparkle Tour
• TongCheng
• Tuniu

Go here to see full list (as of July 2024) of registered buyers.

Also present will be 450+ exhibitors from 70 destinations including national tourism boards, embassies and suppliers seeking to do business with Chinese outbound tourism businesses in:

• Asia 91%
• Europe 74%
• Middle East & North Africa 39%
• Africa 34%
• Australasia/Pacific 33%
• South/Central America 24%
• North America 22%
• Caribbean 17%

Exhibitor amenities will include:

• Access to COTTM WeChat platform to publish promotional articles and product information
• Coverage on the cottm.cn website
• Promotional emails to 20,000 buyers
• Telephone and SMS campaigns
• Media releases

The 2024 COTTM Conference and Outbound Tourism Investment Forum will coincide with this event.

Comment: Why are only 22% of 2024 exhibitors selling North American products? No wonder US is losing market share of world tourism.