Monday, November 14, 2005

CBN London Reporting - WTM2005: The 26th World Travel Market was ceremoniously opening on 14 November, 2005 in London. World Travel Market (WTM) is as the largest travel exhibition in the world. It is held every year in London since 1979. It’s a pageant for the world tourism and provides travel professionals worldwide a platform to meet and to negotiate business.

Italia Pavilion—the 26th WTM	France Pavilion—the 26th WTM

This year, there are a total of 5,194 stands of national tourist offices, industry organizations, tour operators, hotels, cruise lines, airlines, other transport operators and technology companies from 202 representative countries and regions are participating. This includes 126 new exhibitors.

Spain Pavilion —the 26th WTM	China Pavilion—the 26th WTM

Chinese tourism authorities and travel trade also regards the WTM very important. This year China Pavilion has record participants of 30 stands with 140 sq meters and complete new design of the presentation which has the new them of Beijing Olympics 2008 – Welcome to China.

On the day of WTM opening the London office of CBN assisted CNTO to organize a welcome lunch for the senior delegates includes directors of 9 provincial tourist boards and large travel companies such as CITS, CYTS, China Airline and Eastern Airline.

2005 WTM Welcome Lunch for CNTO

The Director of CNTO in London said that all participants are very pleased with the China pavilion and they are quite happy with the crowd gathering around the China stands most of the time. And the quality of the enquiries is very high as many came to the China pavilion specifically looking for business partners.

The only thing some exhibitors mumbles was that some of them apparently regret not having brought their outbound colleagues as many foreign companies came to enquire about China outbound travel.

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