Top choice for intl events

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, has become a top destination for international conventions and exhibitions to be held in western China.

The city played host to the World Routes 2016 in late September, becoming the second city on the Chinese mainland to hold the event, following Beijing in 2009.

Launched in 1995, World Routes is considered the Olympics or World Expo for the worlds' civil aviation circle. The event has been held in cities including Abu Dhabi, London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dubai, Vancouver and Beijing, all famous international cities.

To win the right to host World Routes, Chengdu beat a number of competitive rivals, including Paris and Seoul.

"The fact that Chengdu won the bid to host the World Routes over five other strong rivals demonstrates its comprehensive strength and the world's expectation to share the opportunities ofered by Chengdu," said Katie Bland, director of routes at UBM Live.

"The city has been attracting worldwide attention with its huge market potential and development opportunities; it provided a perfect platform for the 2016 event," she said.

Chengdu has rich experience in hosting such events as World Routes.

In April 2012, the city held the 10th Route Development Forum for Asia, a leading annual event for the civil aviation sector in Asia, with the number of exhibitors reaching a record high.

In May 2015, it held the Airport Cities Asia Pacific Conference and Exhibition 2015, attracting nearly 600 delegates from across the world.

In the past five years, Chengdu has introduced on average more than 10 new international conventions each year, including the 2013 Fortune Global Forum, the 12th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention, and the ninth World Biomaterials Congress, G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, the 12th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, and the 2016 Chengdu Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair.

It is expected to hold about 520 major conventions and exhibitions this year, of which 20 percent are international events. The city's revenue from these events is expected to hit 77.92 billion yuan ($12 billion), up 10 percent from last year.

Chengdu is upgrading its service and infrastructure to meet the growing demand for international events, according to the Chengdu Bureau of Exposition.

The Western China International Expo Center, which has 200,000 square meters of indoor exhibition area and 100,000 sq m of outdoor exhibition area, has completed construction in August. It will be used as the permanent site for the Western China International Fair as well as a platform for other large-scale exhibitions and high-end business activities.

(China Daily 10/14/2016 page7)