The third Chengdu International Tourism Exhibition from Dec 3 through 5 attracted more than 300 travel agencies, administrative departments, management companies of scenic sites and hotels from 35 countries and regions to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

The event also drew more than 400 potential business partners, and about 4,000 professionals from the tourism industry.

On the last day of the exhibition, the Sichuan provincial tourism bureau held a promotional fair of spring tourism products in the province in 2016, and Tuniu.com, a tourism website, hosted a tourism forum titled "Self-drive Tours and the Internet".

A spokesperson for the exhibition's organizing committee said this year's show saw a marked rise in the number of exhibitors from outside the Chinese mainland from the previous two shows, and it is expected to serve as a professional transaction platform for the tourism industry.

According to the organizing committee, it is the first time exhibitors have attended from the United States, Russia, Canada, Brazil, Italy and Vietnam.

An official from the Milan city government in Italy told his counterparts in Chengdu that he hopes the event would deepen tourism cooperation and exchanges between the two cities, and he hoped there would be direct air routes between the two as soon as possible.

Many other high-level events have been held in Chengdu recently. The city hosted the 10th EU-China Business and Technology Cooperation Fair from Nov 9 through 11, the sixth Asia-Pacific Natural Gas Vehicle Association International Conference and Exhibition from Nov 4 through 6, and the Annual Conference of 2015 Asian Education Forum from Nov 7 through 9.

Carmen Cano, deputy head of the delegation from the European Union to China for the EU-China event, said during the fair she has seen Chengdu's fast development since 2006 and has great expectations for the city's development potential. She said the long-term mutual attraction between the EU and Chengdu, an ambitious city, consolidates the foundation for cooperation and can also help Chengdu develop to a higher level.

Chengdu's annual gross domestic product exceeded 1 trillion yuan ($156 billion) for the first time last year, making it the ninth-largest city economy in China. Chengdu has already become the first choice for many international exhibition enterprises in western China, according to the Chengdu bureau of exhibition.

Future events

The city will continue to host a number of high-profile events next year.

Co-hosted by Singex Group and the Sichuan Donnor Exhibition Group, a launch ceremony and news conference for the 2016 China (Chengdu) Internet of Things Exhibition and Conference was held in Chengdu on Dec 1. Officials announced that the exhibition and conference are scheduled to be held from Nov 16 through 18 in Chengdu, and its hosts plan to make it the most international and professional event for the Internet of Things in the central and western parts of China.

The event will focus on four themes - smart city construction, sustainable development, medical care and industrial Internet of Things, and is expected to attract more than 10,000 experts and professional visitors of the industry from home and abroad.

This exhibition will be the first by Singapore's Singex Group on the Chinese mainland. By coming to Chengdu, Singex is joining other renowned international exhibition businesses to host events in the city, including the Reed Exhibitions Group from the United Kingdom; and Deutsche Messe AG, the Koeln Messe Group and Messe Frankfurt, which are all from Germany.

Aloysius Arlando, CEO of Singex Group, said Chengdu has an increasingly important position in China's development, and the city has a marked advantage in exhibition facilities and its service environment.

That is why Singex Group chose Chengdu as a venue after considering several other cities, he said.

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(China Daily 12/11/2015 page10)