WTM Connect Asia and WTM Connect China have
both been met with a positive reception from global travel industry players.
Reed Travel Exhibitions recently announced
the new shows offering attendees exclusive one-to-one invitation only events.
Handpicked Hosted Buyers and carefully selected suppliers will be given the
opportunity to conduct business in one of the fastest growing regions in the
world.
Penang, Malaysia, and Sanya, Hainan Island,
China, will play host to up to 120 Hosted Buyers and 120 exhibitors for two and
half days of uninterrupted business deals in May 2016.
With China and South East Asia's inbound
and outbound tourism numbers rapidly growing, it's no surprise that both WTM
Connect events have received a high level of interest from credible
international buyers and suppliers wishing to attend.
Visit Berlin, Tourism Malaysia, Penang
Global Tourism, Jac Travel, Prodo Travel, Europcar International, A2B
Transfers, Soluciones Integrales Vacacionales S.L.U, Luxury Tours and Lernidee
Trains & Cruises are some of the names already signed up as exhibitors.
Ralf Ostendorf, Director Market Management
for Visit Berlin says: "Berlin is one of the most dynamic and vibrant city
destinations in Europe right now with increasing visitor numbers every year,
placing the city in the top three destinations with London and Paris. For the
future development of tourism in Berlin it is essential to develop new markets
and to enlarge the international network with the travel industry. We are
focusing especially on Asia with China being the most important target market,
but are also active in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and
the Philippines in South East Asia. WTM Connect promises to be a new and
interesting event format to build on this network and to gain additional market
experience from meetings with selected professional buyers from the region."
Olivier Boucher, Head of Regional Sales
Development for Europcar International echoes Visit Berlin's comment: "Europcar
is one of the leading mobility players in Europe, present in over 140
countries. The group puts customers at the heart of its mission, whether it is
innovation or service. Europcar is actively promoting corporate and
environmental social responsibility, and Asia is one of our main areas of
focus. We are expecting large visibility participating in WTM Connect Asia
& China to help increase brand awareness."
More than 700 buyers have already
registered their interest in WTM Connect Asia and China. Prospective Hosted
Buyers include Trails of Indochina from Vietnam, Brown and Hudson from the UK,
Il Viaggio - Journeys & Voyages, Italy, and Temaresor/TUI Nordic from
Sweden.
Anthony Hill, CEO & Founding Director,
Adventure Travel Group, Australia explains why he is interested in
attending WTM Connect Asia: "WTM is a proven platform to generate valuable
appointments between key players. Penang is a great launch location and is a
tourist destination. Most other shows in Asia are held in destinations that are
not traditionally leisure destination and I am hoping by having such a location
the event will attract additional valuable sellers and buyers to make this a
very successful show."
WTM Connect Asia is supported by Ministry
of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Tourism
Malaysia and State Tourism of Penang. WTM Connect China is supported by Sanya
Tourism. Penang State Minister for Tourism Development, Yb Danny Law Heng Kiang
explains why such events are important for them: "Penang is very proud to be
the host of the inaugural WTM Connect Asia. We believe the event will showcase
Penang's strength as a holistic destination for business events and leisure
activities. We welcome all international buyers and exhibitors to our
city, George Town, and I'm sure everyone will enjoy Penang's street food,
culture and heritage".
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