More than 20 destinations have confirmed their attendance as sponsors at the upcoming ITB China Industry MeetUp (IMU), a combined in-person and virtual travel event taking place in Shanghai.

The exclusive and compact event format features an in-person event held on 21 September 2022, in Shanghai, and a two-week virtual event period between 14 – 28 September, placing a heightened focus on face-to-face networking opportunities and brand visibility as well as global market updates from international experts both at the event in Shanghai and online. All onsite and online sessions will be live-streamed and made available on demand for global audiences to follow.

In addition to the European Travel Commission, which will once more have a large onsite brand presence, many destinations have already confirmed their participation, such as Austria, Catalonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Tahiti and Switzerland together with Graubünden, Laax and Zurich.

Several IMU newcomers are also making their debut at the Industry MeetUp which launched its first edition in 2020, among them are Croatia, Los Angeles, the Netherlands, Sarawak, Taipei, and the UK.

“The Chinese market remains of huge importance for European tourism with impressive growth potential for the years to come. European destinations are ready and waiting for the restart of travel between China and Europe once the situation allows,” said Eduardo Santander, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission.

“Looking towards the future travel resumption, we believe now is the time to invest and prepare for the recovery of Chinese outbound travel. European destinations and the ETC China Chapter keep our active presence in China and are excited to join the next ITB China event in September. This will be a great occasion to maintain our strong ties with the local travel trade and contribute to the strong positioning of Europe as a favourite travel destination for Chinese tourists.”

The in-person event in Shanghai offers direct on-site exchange and networking activities, a discourse and presentation lounge as well as an exclusive networking dinner to connect with high-level market players in a relaxed atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the online event will also provide a hub for content sessions during its two-week long run, thus both onsite and online attendees will gain insights into international travel experiences and learn more about key factors for competitiveness in the post-pandemic era from Chinese and international industry experts through executive interviews, keynote speeches, expert dialogues and panel discussions.

 In addition, ITB China will conduct a comprehensive travel trends survey among its broad buyer database and selected international industry representatives. The results of the survey and the analysis of the expert contributions during the MeetUp will be incorporated in the ITB China 2022 Travel Trends Report. The report will be published after the conclusion of the whole event, presenting new challenges and opportunities arising from the changing mindsets of both Chinese and international travellers.

Another highlight of the IMU are the new customizable and interactive mini-sites that are introduced to event sponsors to promote and highlight selected products, news, events, surveys or market activities to Chinese buyers online.

Selected contents can then be linked to buyer incentive points that are included in the chosen sponsoring package. A transparent activity report and collected buyer leads will be made available after the event, providing supporting sponsors a measurable outcome.

Sponsor registration ends on July 15, 2022. – TradeArabia News Service