ITB China 2017 opens today in Shanghai

Press Release by : Messe Berlin and ITB China
Edited by : KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Shanghai, 10 May 2017 – The first edition of ITB China, ITB China 2017, takes place from 10 to 12 May 2017 in Shanghai. Dr. Martin Buck, Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin; Eduardo Santander, Executive Director, European Travel Commission; Rungang Zhang, Secretary General & Vice President of China Tourism Association and Jane Sun, CEO, Ctrip.com officially opened the first edition of ITB China during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Around 600 companies, destinations, organisations and travel service provider from nearly 70 countries and territories will be represented in China’s new three-day business to business travel trade show. ITB China will take place annually on the grounds of the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Centre in a partnership with TravelDaily China, China’s leading online news portal and event organiser for the travel industry. The 12,000 square metres area of exhibition space has been sold several months ahead of the event. ITB China is the Chinese off-shoot of annual ITB Berlin, the World´s Largest Travel Trade Show ®, and its sister show, ITB Asia, in Singapore.

The inaugural event has attracted around 600 exhibitors among which 28% are offering MICE products, 34% leisure, 31% Corporate and 7% travel technology solutions. More than one third of the exhibitors made their way from all over Asia and China to the first ITB China while around 40% come from European countries, 10% from the Middle East and some 10% from the Americas.

Dr. Christian Göke, CEO, Messe Berlin, said, “This is an opportune timing for the tourism industry to seize the prospects offered by China’s vibrant economic growth. ITB China has come at the right time. Our new marketplace for China’s travel industry creates an international platform with a strong focus on Chinese buyers and sellers and covers everything the industry has to offer – MICE, NTOs, business travel, tour operators, OTA’s and travel tech companies.”

Top-quality buyers present

ITB China’s exhibitors will engage with 600 top-quality buyers from China. They are coming from all over the country to visit ITB China in Shanghai and represent more than 180 different Chinese companies eager to discover the product range of the show’s exhibitors. The list of confirmed buyers companies contains some of China’s biggest travel industry players, such as Ctrip, Caissa, Utour, Alitrip and many more.More than 10,000 buyer-seller appointments have been pre-scheduled before the event. In addition, ITB China expects some 100 international trade buyers adding the event’s buyers numbers up to around 700 from more than 300 companies.

Strong inaugural partner line-up

Europe is ITB China’s partner destination and sets the focus on showcasing the variety of the continent’s touristic products. A dedicated Europe Pavilion will feature a multitude of national presences paired with strong individual attendances of major European destinations.

Eduardo Santander, Executive Director, European Travel Commission said: "European destinations acknowledge the need to remain competitive in China. Only through deeper cooperation with Chinese authorities and an increased commitment of the European tourism sector supporting targeted joint public-private marketing initiatives like the partnership with ITB China, Europe will succeed in fostering more travellers from China.”

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. The Europe Pavilion and the World Bridge Tourism are projects supported by the European Union as preparatory actions towards the EU-China Tourism Year in 2018.

China Eastern Airlines, being one of China’s top three airlines, is ITB China’s official partner Airline and has granted exclusive air fares to ITB China’s attendees. However, China Eastern does not exhibit at ITB China.  Airlines exhibiting at ITB China 2017 include Austrian Airlines, Alitalia, Finnair, Etihad Airways, Shanghai-based Yangtze River Airlines and Shanghai office of Hainan Airlines. New Belgium yet-to-be-launched long-haul low-cost airline Air Belgium with plans to fly from Brussels to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo is also exhibiting at ITB China 2017.

The strong partner line-up is rounded up with the Jin Jiang International Hotels, one of the world’s biggest hotel chains, being ITB China’s official partner hotel will have its brands presented on the ITB China show floor.

Powerful conference programme

Attendees of ITB China 2017 can look forward to an exciting conference programme. The ITB China Conference is the platform where newest trends and innovation of Chinese and the global travel industry are presented. It runs parallel and will be jointly organised with TravelDaily China. One of the highlights is the speech of Mr. Rungang Zhang, Vice-Chairman and Secretary General of CTA- China Tourism Association, China’s biggest travel industry association. The impressive keynote line-up on the opening day of the conference will be furthermore enriched by a keynote held by Mr. Friedrich Joussen, the CEO of TUI Group. An exclusive CEO interview of Ms. Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip, will be held by the founder of Phocuswright Inc., Mr. Philip Wolf providing in-depth insights on China’s biggest online travel agency.

Meeting place for digital community: eTravel World China

The eTravel World China is connecting established, start-up online focussed and travel technology companies with buyers looking for the best technology solutions:Trade visitors can find out more about innovative products and apps for tour operators, the hospitality industry and destinations at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center. Globally renowned companies such as Amadeus, Expedia and Booking.com and many more are among the confirmed participants presenting their wide product range to ITB China’s attendees.

The exhibition segment is flanked by a dedicated Online Travel and Travel Technology Day (May 11) at ITB China Conference providing attendees with exclusive developments on this area. In addition, companies have the chance to present their newest travel solutions to the audience at destination showcase slots to be held at a separate on-floor presentation area.

About ITB Berlin and ITB Asia

First launched 51 years ago, ITB Berlin is recognised as the most successful trade show for the global travel industry. Some 10,000 exhibitors from more than 180 countries regularly attend this event. Every year in October for the last eight years Messe Berlin has successfully organised ITB Asia in Singapore. Boasting 760 exhibitors from 73 countries, ITB Asia in Singapore has established itself as one of the leading travel trade shows in Asia. As the second show in Asia, ITB China will take place in Shanghai, one of the leading industrial cities in the People’s Republic of China, and with a population of around 23 million one of world’s largest cities. In contrast to ITB Asia, which reflects tourism in Asia as a whole, ITB China focuses entirely on the Chinese travel market.

About ITB China and the ITB China Conference

ITB China 2017 will take place from Wednesday to Friday, 10 to 12 May, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre. ITB China is a three-day business to business travel trade fair that focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry. The ITB China Conference will take place parallel with the show and is co-organised by the leading conference organiser TravelDaily (www.traveldaily.cn).

More details are available at www.itb-china.com