Beijing tourism expo gives boost to sector

Dozens of tourism experts, government officials, entrepreneurs and diplomatic envoys to China attended the launching ceremony. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Tourism experts, government officials, entrepreneurs and diplomats recently gathered at the Beijing International Tourism Expo for the launch of a global tourism project.

Beijing-based China Leisure Industry Group and Guangzhou-based Bingdong Group are behind the project, which aims to make outbound trips more convenient for Chinese travelers, using technology, the internet and big data.

For instance, tourists can buy various tourism products with apps using a digital currency, which saves the visitor the trouble of having to change money into international currencies.

They also unveiled a tourism development foundation to support innovative projects and combine tourism development and cultural heritages preservation. They will also establish an experience center in Beijing, to provide tourists with information about popular global destinations.

Meanwhile, participants from home and abroad in the 2016 World Tourism Image Ambassador Contest did a catwalk show. Chinese singers Cai Guoqing and Liu Yuanyuan also performed at the expo.

China National Tourism Administration data shows that 120 million Chinese traveled overseas in 2015.

He Guangye, the chairman of the contest committee, says China is a key global tourism market for investors from home and abroad and can play a crucial role in alleviating poverty.

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