国内英语资讯:Economic Watch: Chinas tourism market has big potential for intl travel agents_时事

国内英语资讯:Economic Watch: Chinas tourism market has big potential for intl travel agents

Wu said she found that traditional offline tour operators start to pay much more attention to online business as well as have a strong desire to cooperate with online travel agencies.

Founded in 1998, the CITM has grown into one of the largest and most influential tourism fairs in the Asia-Pacific region.

The three-day event, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the provincial government of Yunnan, attracts representatives and exhibitors from 75 countries and regions.

Tourism has become an important engine to power global economic growth with the total number of inbound and outbound tourists in China, reaching 291 million in 2018, up 7.8 percent year-on-year, according to Luo Shugang, minister of culture and tourism.

China's cultural and tourism departments at all levels will continue to expand the industrial scale, promote international cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation, and provide more opportunities for all countries, he added.

Jacob Iwikua, the journey coordinator from an Australian company called Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours, said it was his first time to travel in China and participate in this travel mart. But he has worked in China's inbound tourism industry for years.

"We send about 3,000 tourists from Australia, the U.S. and the UK to China each year. The top destinations on their list include Beijing, Shanghai, Lijiang and Shangri-La," Jacob said, adding that he will visit some scenic spots in Yunnan this time to find more business opportunities.