China is likely to replace the United States as the world's largest business tour destination by 2020, according to a message from the ongoing Asia Business Travel Market (ABTM) held in Shanghai yesterday.

"Compared with the world average level of 4 per cent, China's business travel market is expected to grow at 10 per cent plus in the next 10 years," said chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions Tom Nutley, whose company is the major organizer of the three-day event which is due to end tomorrow.

By 2020, China is expected to attract more than 137 million overseas business travellers, accounting for 8.6 per cent of the world's international travel market.

It is expected to overtake the United States and France as the world's top destination, according to statistics released at the event yesterday.

More than 160 exhibitors from over 20 countries and regions, including world-class hotel operators such as Hilton, Ascott, Starwood, Marriott, intercontinental, attended the first ABTM at Shanghai's Grand Hyatt Hotel yesterday. The event is co-sponsored by Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission and is the first high-profile international exhibition being held in the city after SARS.

In 2002, China's annual business travel expenditures, including those in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, exceeded US$4.2 billion, an increase of more than 20 per cent over the previous year, said statistics released by the commission.

Shanghai, for example, is already home to more than half of Fortune 500 companies and more than 1.8 million overseas travellers visited the city last year, more than 60 per cent on business purpose, said commission statistics.

"Compared with leisure tours, the percentage of business travel to Shanghai is still increasing continuously," said Yao Mingbao, chairman of the commission.

He also revealed that thanks to the exhibition, Shanghai-based Jinjiang International Holding Co Ltd plans to set up a joint venture with Business Travel International (BTI).

The joint venture will unite China's flagship tourism service company with the world's largest corporate travel management group in an effort to tap into the country's surging business travel market.

A robust economy, a strong influx of foreign direct investment and the increasing establishment of multinationals in China have ensured the rapid growth of China's business travel market for years to come, said BTI chief executive David Radcliffe.

He added that the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo would also boost the nation's booming industry.

According to organizers, the exhibition will become an annual event, as ABTM 2004 has been scheduled for next September, also in Shanghai.

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