(Originally published in TOURISM)
Continuing its strategy of increasing Canada awareness in China, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has invited Canadian operators with an interest in this emerging market to take part in a value-added opportunity that is bundled with participation at CITM 2007 (China International Travel Mart 2007) scheduled to take place in Kunming from November 1-4.
“Without approved destination status (ADS), we have limited opportunities to promote Canada in China,” says Derek Galpin, the CTC’s managing director in China. “We continue to promote Canada through extensive agent training, FAM tours for trade and media every month, and we also have a significant presence at the major trade shows," he continues. "We try to complement trade shows with more targeted business‑to‑business events such as Showcase Canada to provide opportunities for our partners to build strong personal and business relationships with the travel trade.”
CITM alternates between Shanghai and Kunming, Galpin explains. “After the show in Kunming this November we have added a week of business‑to‑business meetings in Shanghai and Beijing, where participating partners can meet with new travel agencies. These agencies are based in large affluent cities in Southern and Northern China which have a strong interest in selling Canada, and this fits with our tactical initiatives for 2007 and beyond to expand and develop new market centres.”
Galpin notes that his office has invested considerable energy on Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou over the last two years, and it is now time look at other big cities and regions in cooperation with key Canadian partners.
CITM Plus takes the delegation to Shanghai on November 4. On November 5, the CTC and DMOs will conduct a full day of training for 100 operational staff from Shanghai agents, while other partners will be free to do sales calls in Shanghai. In the evening, there will be a reception with teambuilding activity for new agents and Canadian partners. On November 6, the CTC events will feature pre‑scheduled appointments with the new Chinese agents from Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Fuzhou and Chongqing and a farewell evening dinner. “The evening events are designed to reinforce friendship and strengthen relationships in a social as well as a business environment, and this is essential when doing business in China,” says Galpin.
On November 7, the schedule is repeated when the delegation travels to Beijing, and November 8 will feature a full training day for operational staff from agencies in Beijing. This will be followed the same evening by a reception and team building activities for new agents from the Northern cities of Qingdao, Jinan, Xi’An, Changchun, Zhengzhou, Harbin, Shenyang and Dalian. These agents will then attend the business‑to‑business session with Canadian partners on November 9, followed by a farewell dinner.
Galpin is confident that those Canadian partners and DMOs who take part in these marketing activities will reap substantial benefits from their investment, because perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, Chinese culture invests immense value in relationship‑building. And as we all know, there is no industry that values relationships more than tourism.
Continuing its strategy of increasing Canada awareness in China, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has invited Canadian operators with an interest in this emerging market to take part in a value-added opportunity that is bundled with participation at CITM 2007 (China International Travel Mart 2007) scheduled to take place in Kunming from November 1-4.
“Without approved destination status (ADS), we have limited opportunities to promote Canada in China,” says Derek Galpin, the CTC’s managing director in China. “We continue to promote Canada through extensive agent training, FAM tours for trade and media every month, and we also have a significant presence at the major trade shows," he continues. "We try to complement trade shows with more targeted business‑to‑business events such as Showcase Canada to provide opportunities for our partners to build strong personal and business relationships with the travel trade.”
CITM alternates between Shanghai and Kunming, Galpin explains. “After the show in Kunming this November we have added a week of business‑to‑business meetings in Shanghai and Beijing, where participating partners can meet with new travel agencies. These agencies are based in large affluent cities in Southern and Northern China which have a strong interest in selling Canada, and this fits with our tactical initiatives for 2007 and beyond to expand and develop new market centres.”
Galpin notes that his office has invested considerable energy on Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou over the last two years, and it is now time look at other big cities and regions in cooperation with key Canadian partners.
CITM Plus takes the delegation to Shanghai on November 4. On November 5, the CTC and DMOs will conduct a full day of training for 100 operational staff from Shanghai agents, while other partners will be free to do sales calls in Shanghai. In the evening, there will be a reception with teambuilding activity for new agents and Canadian partners. On November 6, the CTC events will feature pre‑scheduled appointments with the new Chinese agents from Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Fuzhou and Chongqing and a farewell evening dinner. “The evening events are designed to reinforce friendship and strengthen relationships in a social as well as a business environment, and this is essential when doing business in China,” says Galpin.
On November 7, the schedule is repeated when the delegation travels to Beijing, and November 8 will feature a full training day for operational staff from agencies in Beijing. This will be followed the same evening by a reception and team building activities for new agents from the Northern cities of Qingdao, Jinan, Xi’An, Changchun, Zhengzhou, Harbin, Shenyang and Dalian. These agents will then attend the business‑to‑business session with Canadian partners on November 9, followed by a farewell dinner.
Galpin is confident that those Canadian partners and DMOs who take part in these marketing activities will reap substantial benefits from their investment, because perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, Chinese culture invests immense value in relationship‑building. And as we all know, there is no industry that values relationships more than tourism.
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