The sales force from The Ajman Palace Hotel is on a week-long Tourism Road Show in China spanning three major cities to attract a key share of Chinese tourists visiting the UAE.

The road show, spearheaded by the Ajman Tourism Development Department, began in Guangzhou on May 25, before heading to Shanghai on May 27 and concluding the tour in Beijing on May 29.
 
Many other major tourism players from the emirate have joined the road show aimed at exploring new markets to achieve the target of five million visitors to Ajman annually by 2021, in accordance with Ajman Vision 2021.
 
According to the State of Chinese Outbound Travel in 2014, released by the Travel & Tourism Intelligence Centre, Chinese tourists made more than 97.3 million outbound trips in 2013, more than double the number made in 2009, of 47.7 million.

By 2018, the number is forecast to reach around 160 million. Chinese tourists are also now the world’s biggest spenders in terms of total spending.
 
The report also highlights that the rising affluence of the growing middle class in China with higher disposable incomes has become a major factor driving desire of the Chinese people to explore the world. With relaxed visa conditions and improved infrastructure, the UAE has been attracting a significant share of the outbound tourists from China.
 
According to the report, the UAE has been firmly holding its place among the Top 20 favourite destinations for Chinese tourists with the number increasing year by year. In 2010, the UAE received 578,000 tourists from China. The number continued to grow and rose to 607,000 in 2011, 634,000 in 2012 and 659,000 in 2013.
 
Ferghal Purcell, general manager of The Ajman Palace Hotel, said that showcasing the facilities in these cities was a need of the hour as there is a clear indication that Chinese tourists are moving away from the previous preference for group travel and sightseeing. They now prefer to travel independently, exploring new venues.
 
He said, “We started working on the Chinese outbound tourism market in third quarter of 2014 and found astounding results as the number of sold rooms or room night has increased more than 50 per cent compared to the period in 2014 to 2015.”
 
A number of travel trend reports released by various sources have emphasised that the young tourists do not rush to visit the well-known attractions in big cities all at once. Instead, they plan their own itineraries and spend an extended period of time in one region exploring different areas of local life – culinary, culture, history, shopping, nature or social life.
 
Ferghal added: “The Ajman Palace Hotel is an ideal destination for them. Set on a private beach, this alluring hideaway is a heritage resort with a modern spirit. Bringing an unprecedented level of luxury, with captivating views of the Arabian Gulf, the resort balances world-class facilities with the legendary Arabian hospitality offering a remarkable range of restaurants and lounges, as well as an array of leisure and recreation options.” – TradeArabia News Service