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www.cems.com.sg Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) 2005, the definitive tourism show will be making its encore presentation at the Beijing Exhibition Centre from 22 to 24 June 2005.
Officially organized by the Beijing Tourism Administration (BTA), BITE 2005 will be assisted by Beijing Relation Exhibition Co. Ltd (BRE) in its recruitment of local tourism attractions while Singapore-based Conference & Exhibition Management Service Pte Ltd (CEMS) will recruit international exhibitors.
Since its official launch, BITE 2005 has received positive responses from more than 30 countries including Hungary, Thailand, Cyprus, Greece, Pakistan, Singapore, Egypt, Italy, Guam, Romania, the Scandinavian countries, Japan and United Kingdom. In addition, BITE 2005 has already attracted international trade visitors from more than 20 countries from Asia, Europe, Middle East and the US.
Under the Hosted Buyer Programme, exhibitors at BITE 2005 can expect to meet and interact with some 100 top buyers from China and another 100 hosted buyers from Asia, Europe and US. To date, the programme has received more than 120 international registrations from Asia Pacific, Europe and the US.
All these hosted Chinese and foreign buyers will be taking part in the Pre-Scheduled Appointments (PSA) Programme. This programme is the empowerment tool and an interactive platform that provides buyers a cost-effective way to meet a diverse range of suppliers and at the same time achieves their business objectives. It also provides the exhibitors the golden opportunity to meet and interact with the major provincial tourism authorities and attractions within China who will be participating at the show.
The international tourism market has seen a rebound in growth after three subdued years with accumulated growth of less than 1% due to weak economy and the war in Iraq. In Asia and the Pacific, the region suffered a double whammy with the outbreak of SARS in 2003.
However, it has since seen an exceptional increase of 27% in the first eight months of 2004 in international travel. According to the WTO (World Travel Organization), the period from January to August saw an estimated number of 526 million international tourist arrivals. This is an increase of 58 million arrivals compared to the same period in 2003.
China’s tourism and travel industry has also witnessed an astounding increase last year. According to the statistics released by Chinese National Tourism Administration (CNTA), 15.99 million Chinese had traveled abroad in the first seven-months of 2004 alone. This is an increase of 63.7% year-on-year. Since 2003, the number of outbound travelers from China has surpassed those of Japan, making it the highest in Asia. Besides outbound travels, China has also played host to 70 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2004. This is a 32% increase in international tourists’ arrival and a 20% increase from 2003.
With the tourism and travel industry looking up, BITE 2005’s Organizing Committee will continue to keep the flame of interest burning strong among the companies, national tourist organizations and international travel and tour agencies through monthly eNewsletters and direct mailing efforts.
BITE 2005 will definitely be the vital link between the Chinese and the vibrant global travel and tourism industry in the years to come.
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