COTTM 2012 Back to Events Diary

COTTM is a well established exhibition and is the most important B2B travel event in China. Taking place over three days, the exhibition is a unique business platform for international countries to showcase their destinations and services to the increasingly mobile and expanding Chinese outbound market.

With the start of the second wave of China’s outbound tourism the “New Chinese Tourists”, knowledgeable, sophisticated, travel-savvy and predominantly below 45 years of age, are entering the scene. New Chinese tourists look for deeper experiences and closer contact with local host populations during their self-organized trips. Earlier they took photos of themselves in front of the Sydney Opera House or the Eiffel Tower, but are now drawn more to new places and activities. Freed of the commission-driven tour guide, they will purchase more goods for themselves and fewer for their friends and relatives back home, as their peers are more likely to travel internationally as well. New Chinese tourists offer an increased chance for destinations and tourism service providers off the beaten track to get a piece of the Chinese outbound market. They will have to make sure that their product is adapted to the special needs and expectations of this new kind of Chinese guest, that their staff are prepared to welcome global yet patriotic travelers and that they make their travel product attractive and prestigious to the customers through social media and other forms of communication.

An interview with Atta's CEO Nigel Vere Nicoll in China

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