China Holidays is to celebrate its 10th anniversary with the launch of its first trade brochure this Summer, part of a campaign to build closer links with agents and operators.
Speaking to over 200 guests at the operator’s anniversary celebrations at Madam Tussauds, managing director Stephanie Cheng said that, having built up a major incoming and outgoing business to China , it was now important to give the trade easier access to this major market, particularly with all the interest that will be generated by this Summer’s Olympic games.
Guest of honour at the celebrations was the Chinese Ambassador to the UK , Her Excellency Fu Yin, who said: “There are now tremendous opportunities for China and the UK to build strong trade and cultural links as a result of London following Beijing as the host city for the Olympic Games. Bilateral relations are also very important, and companies like China Holidays assist in no small way to spread the mutual understanding of each other’s culture and points of view”.
She added: “However I do believe that the UK tourism industry should do more to make life easier for Chinese visitors, such as having more Chinese speaking and guides and increasing Chinese language signage”.
UK Inbound chief executive Stephen Dowd told the party that Visa procedures for Chinese visitors coming to the UK were being improved and that the cost of an ADS Visa was being reduced. “I hope this underlines to travel agents in China that the UK authorities do indeed welcome Chinese visitors and that we are ready to welcome even more in the coming months”.
Looking back at the ten year history of China Holidays, Chairman Carey Fletcher said that, having started with a tiny office, the company now employed 30 staff in offices in Beijing and London .
He said: “During this time we have seen a huge growth in the amount of Chinese inbound travel to the UK – last year China Holidays brought over 4,000 business people from China into this country, which underlines the importance of building strong relationships with the travel trade there”.
China Holidays brought 12 leading tour operators from China to the anniversary celebrations as part of a familiarisation trip being supported by a number of leading UK attractions.
