Qingdao- Motaz Othman
Qingdao, one of China's most famous tourist destinations, is on the coast facing both Korea and Japan. Its tourist facilities include hotels and shopping and leisure centres. The local inhabitants are well off and have played a vital role in the general orientation aimed at making China the world's top tourist destination.
Qingdao is not shy about promoting itself. The Qingdao International Tourism Exhibition, held between 16th - 18th June at the International Exhibition Center, revealed the region's secrets and attractions.
This exhibition was more local than international with most of the participatns from Qingado itself. The Underwater Panorama stand made it possible for visitors to see the varieties of fish and marine vegetation in Qingdao's marine environment. The Haier company, one of China's largest electronics companies, presented the services of its tourism section. Many museums, hotels and Chinese travel agencies also took part.
At the international level, there were distinguished stands from South Korea and Japan. eager to exploit the Chinese market. Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand also took part. The principal international participants were represented there by their agents in Qingdao. Certain European countries, such as Finland, Ireland, as well as Turkish Airlines came to Qingdao. The Egyptian tourist bureau was the only Arab participant.
During an interview with Islamic Tourism, Mr. Edward Liu, director of the organizing company of The Qingdao International Tourism Exhibition, said he was pleased with the first exhibition. But he will be working, with the co-operation of the Qingdao tourist bureau, to attract more exhibitors, both local and foreign, to next year's event. |