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Zhang Huiguang // (c) 2010 |
While it’s likely that you and your clients remember Beijing most for its spectacular 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the ancient Chinese capital city is not content to rest on its Olympic laurels, so to speak. This year, the Beijing Tourism Administration (BTA) is embarking on a comprehensive worldwide campaign to keep the city front of mind with travelers and with agents. Case in point: The BTA made a recent appearance at a Los Angeles Lakers home game to present one lucky Lakers fan with a five-night trip for two to Beijing. Later, Lakers forward-center Pau Gasol also surprised the BTA and its invited agent partners during a post-game reception.
TravelAge West caught up with Zhang following the presentation.
How successful has Beijing been in maintaining momentum and visitor numbers since the 2008 Olympic Games?
We’ve been very successful. In 2009, total revenue generated by tourism was $35.2 billion. We welcomed a total of 167 million tourists, which represented a 14.5 percent annual growth — a double growth in the number of tourists and our tourism revenue. We have had some challenges, too, however, mostly because of the economy, but our numbers continue to be strong. Since the Olympics, the number of U.S. tourists to Beijing has increased 7.6 percent and the U.S. continues to be the largest inbound market for the city. We are very optimistic about the future.
Can visitors to Beijing still see some of the Olympic structures built specifically for the Games?
Yes — definitely. For example, the Bird’s Nest stadium is now a venue for different events and performances. We recently staged an opera there, in fact. The Water Cube has even hosted a water ballet and there are talks of converting it into a sort of water theme park in the future, too.
How is Beijing taking advantage of the upcoming Shanghai World Expo to promote itself?
Beijing is just as much of a modern metropolis as Shanghai — a combination of rich cultural heritage along with the dynamic, vital and avant-garde movements. Some wonderful examples include the National Centre for the Performing Arts; 798 Factory, a center of contemporary Asian art; the new Qianmen Street; and Terminal 3 at Beijing International Airport. Beijing alone has six UNESCO World Heritage sites. We are a very modern city with the vim and vigor of an ancient city.
We are using the Shanghai World Expo as an opportunity to promote Beijing as an optimal pre- or post-trip during the expo. Right now, we are currently working on a theme that will be the driving force of our new tourism campaign.
What is the BTA doing to promote travel and tourism this year?
We are going to be very proactive in marketing and supporting tourism to Beijing with incentive funds that will attract overseas tour wholesalers and media groups. We will also provide reward funds for conference bids to encourage professional convention associations, organizations or tourist enterprises to bid. We are also setting up an international tourism marketing system to promote Beijing worldwide through various platforms and tourism marketing campaigns. It’s our sincere hope that tourist professionals will work with us and benefit from our reward programs to bring more tourists to Beijing.
How did the BTA’s partnership develop with the L.A. Lakers?
The NBA has a great presence in China and so, to carry out promotional activities, we wanted to work with them, especially since Los Angeles has direct flights to Beijing and, of course, the team is one of the best in the league. Last April, the BTA was a match sponsor of the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Houston Rockets and, because it was so successful, we became a year-long Lakers sponsor this year.
The Details
Beijing Tourism Administration
www.visitbeijing.com.cn
