African Tourism Partners (ATP), in collaboration with Global Connection Red Star Travel, is inviting members of the trade to participate in its first China Outbound Travel and Tourism (COTTM) and three cities roadshow from April 10 until 17.
The 15th edition of COTTM will take place from April 15 to 17 at the New Hall National Agricultural Exhibition Centre in Beijing.
The three cities roadshow will cover business-to-business workshops in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing, all of which are among the top 20 outbound travel departure cities in China.
“The significance of the roadshow is to expose African products, services and experiences to the key outbound operators in major Chinese outbound cities who may not necessarily be attending COTTM,” says Kwakye Donkor, ATP CEO.
According to Donkor, the cities targeted (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing) are in the top 20 major outbound market and, given the size of China, interested stakeholders have to be focused and targeted in order to make sure they reach the right quality of buyers, operators and strategic partners.
“Being a long-haul destination with completely different cultural dynamics, the roadshow provides a platform more constructive, engaging and helps equip stakeholders to understand the appropriate tactics to gain sustainable return on investment on their marketing efforts,” says Donkor.
Participants will have speed marketing sessions with approximately 40 Chinese outbound tour operators in each of the cities, as well as networking cocktail evening events which will be attended by 40 Chinese outbound operators.
ATP suggests that participants should include incentive travel houses and travel management; resorts, hotels, lodges and other accommodation providers; car-rental companies and other service providers; destination marketing organisations, including tourism authorities, as well as tour operators and more.
The programme includes domestic/ground transportation; six nights in four-star accommodation; breakfasts, lunches and dinners; business networking cocktail sessions; business-to-business workshops; leisure trips to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China; as well as distribution of information at COTTM and the ATP stand.
According to ATP, the programme is cost effective and provides economies of scale for all organisations participating in COTTM, as it combines a visit/exhibition at COTTM and three major outbound cities during the roadshow.
Participants will be meeting with a variety of Chinese outbound operators representatives, including: Beijing 6Renyou International Travel Service Co. Ltd – Outbound Travel Director; Beijing Union International Travel Co. Ltd – Operational Director; Chengdu Harmony International Service Co. Ltd – MD; Quanzhou C & D International Travel Service Co. Ltd – Outbound Travel Director; Beijing China International Travel Service Co. Ltd – Outbound Travel Director; Beijing Youth Travel Service Co. Ltd – MD/President; Chengu Universal International Travel Service Co. Ltd – Outbound Travel Manager; Qyer Inc – MD/President; Relax Travel – MD/President; Beijing Shougang International Co. Ltd – Outbound Travel Director; Beijing Mandarin International Travel Co. Ltd – MD/President; China Baboo Garden International Travel Service Co. Ltd – Operation Director; Shandong Province China International Travel Service – Outbound Travel Manager.
The itinerary is as follows:
- April 10 (Wednesday): Arrival in Shenzhen and hotel check-in; welcome dinner with a business-to-business networking session.
- April 11 (Thursday): Morning meeting with Canton CCPIT and lunch with officials; afternoon visit to Shengzhen tourism board and business presentations.
- April 12 (Friday): Morning travel to Guangzhou; meeting with local tourism representative and business-to-business networking cocktails.
- April 13 (Saturday): Travel to Beijing and a visit to the Forbidden City.
- April 14 (Sunday): A visit to the Great Wall of China.
- April 15 (Monday): Full day at COTTM and evening leisure.
- April 16 (Tuesday): Full day at COTTM; evening business-to-business networking cocktails at 19h30.
- April 17 (Wednesday): Departure.
For more information or to register, email Nozipho Dlamini at Nozipho@africatourismpartners.com, or call +27 (0) 11 037 0332/ +27 (0) 81 303 7030, or Anna Allman at annaredstar@hotmail.com, or call +27 (0) 11 463 6639/ +27 (0) 83 415 8089.
