China International Travel Mart 2010 (CITM 2010) covered an area of 57,500 sq m, and consisted of 2,243 exhibition booths, of which 1,387 were domestic booths, making up 61.8 percent; and 856 were overseas booths, 38.2 percent. A total of 95 countries, regions and organizations participated in the travel mart. The exhibitors from Asia made up 69.32 percent; those from Europe, 16.58 percent; Oceania, 1.12 percent; America, 11.62 percent; and Africa, 1.36 percent.
The CITM 2010 mainly had the following characteristics:
First, the CITM 2010 is the first international tourism event held after the Shanghai World Expo; hence it is of extraordinary significance. The successful closing of the Shanghai World Expo unveiled the curtain of the “Post-Expo” Era. The brand-new concept for hosting large international events gave China’s tourism another new opportunity. The CITM 2010 was opened under this background, aiming to display the new features and achievements of China’s tourism in the “Post-Expo” Era to the tourism-related people all over the world, and actively promote the contacts and cooperation with the tourism communities around the world. We believe that the CITM 2010 will strengthen the exchanges between Chinese and foreign tourism, and accelerate China’s tourism to make new progress.
Second, the CITM 2010 featured a tight schedule and a good publicity by media.
During the CITM 2010, the international organizations, tourism departments and tourism enterprises made a good use of the two-day event to hold 27 product presentations with rich contents and novel forms, which were warmly welcomed by all the exhibitors, overseas purchasers and media. In addition, domestic and overseas exhibitors held over 50 recreational performances to promote and display their tourism features in vivid forms, leaving a deep impression on all the audiences. The Organizing Committee of the CITM 2010 specially invited two American tourism experts to give lectures titled “Ecotourism and Sustainable Development” and “New Commercial Opportunity for the International
Inbound Tourism Market”, so as to enrich the activities and upgrade the mart’s specialty.
The CITM 2010 and its various types of activities attracted extensive attention of domestic and foreign news media. Over 500 news media attended the CITM 2010, with a total of nearly 800 journalists on the site, including the CCTV, People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Central People’s Broadcasting Station, China Radio International and other mainstream media in China, many overseas specialized media, the local media of Shanghai and news units of all the provinces in China. A number of portal websites, such as Xinhua, Sina and Lotour, and some media built up live studios and interview zones on the exhibition halls to make omni-directional reports on the mart and promote the development
achievements of China’s tourism in a deep way. CCTV broadcast the news on the CITM 2010 by the China Central News Daily and the News Channel time and again.
Third, the CITM 2010 weeded through the old to bring forth the new and truly improved the results.
In light of the new situation China’s tourism is confronting at the domestic and foreign markets, the CITM 2010 added new contents and projects to the normal activities. For instance, the “Go China Summit” held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, is an important experiment of the reform of the CITM. During the summit, more than 160 travel businesspeople and purchasers from America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia and the new tourist-generating markets started the one-to-one business talks with more than 200 Chinese suppliers and remarkable results were achieved. The “Go China Summit” is a creation as well as a component part of the CITM 2010. Through the face-to-face talks, a great number of overseas tourism enterprises have gotten to know Chinese tourism suppliers and established contacts with them. In the future, both Chinese and foreign tourism enterprises will join effects to work out the customized tourist products and itineraries, and fully exploit China’s development potentials in the Post-Expo-Era, and foreign tourism enterprises will win benefits and grow up together with China tourism. The holding of the “Go China Summit” truly improved the effectiveness, speciality and internationalized level of the CITM 2010, showing good effects. We shall keep perfecting the talks system and make active efforts for the development of China’s inbound tourism market.
Fourth, the degree of marketization of the CITM 2010 has been further deepened.
The CITM Organizing Committee has constantly learned from the international advanced experiences in holding exhibitions, and has further deepened the marketized operation mechanisms in organizing the mart, receiving guests and making promotion by media, and further improved its comprehensive ability in holding the mart through effective operation. Along with the constant expansion of the CITM’s influence, the Organizing Committee’s work in inviting exhibitors and advertisements and news report has become more initiative and smooth, and the business effects have been further improved.
