The semi-government-owned Top China Travel (TCT), China’s leading B2B inbound travel wholesaler, will make its Middle East exhibition debut at ATM, to seize a share of outbound tourism from the region which it forecasts will rise by 20% this year.
“Middle East tourists are highly sought after worldwide due to their higher spending capacity, larger group size as well as average length of stay. We expect tourism from the region to China to really take off as people are increasingly becoming aware of the various attractions the country has to offer,” said Xiaoping Cheng, sales director, TCT.
TCT is planning to launch luxury travel packages at ATM 2007 and is confident of a positive response. “We believe regional visitors will enjoy China’s rich and diverse experiences,” added Cheng.
“China has a 5000-year old culture, historical places, breath-taking natural scenery and of course the internationally renowned cuisine that includes Cantonese, Shanghainese, Peking, Szechuan and Hunan.”
Established in 1959, China International Travel Service Guilin, TCT is among the biggest and most experienced tourism enterprises in China, the company’s website says. It is a full service travel agency and specializes in offering regular tours, special interest tours and individual tours to China.
Two other Chinese tour operators, Beijing Top View Holiday Travel Service and IslamChina Tours, will also be at ATM.
China’s increased ATM presence comes as air links between the Middle East and the People’s Republic grow. Already served by Emirates and Qatar Airways, Middle East-China air links have been given a boost with news that state carrier China Southern Airlines is starting a new service from Dubai to the southern city of Guangzhou to add to its existing thrice-weekly Dubai-Beijing service. The carrier also says it is actively looking at adding Jeddah to its growing route network.