China's leading outbound travel exhibition opens

The 8th China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market (COTTM) opened at China World Trade Center in Beijing on April 18. More than 270 exhibitors from 60 countries participated in the event.

While some participants come from countries that are already popular destinations among Chinese tourists, such as the UK, US, France, Italy, Indonesia, Singapore and the Maldives, most are from emerging tourist destinations that aim to seize China's rapidly growing outbound travel market.

COTTM has been successful over the last seven years, but this year's show is the largest ever as it has attracted a number of new comers.

In addition, the show has also developed a special section for luxury travel in order to meet the increasing demand for high-end travel services.

With China's booming economy and improving living standard, the number of outbound travelers from China has increased dramatically. According to the National Tourism Administration and China Tourism Academy, in 2011, Chinese mainland tourists made 70.25 million trips to foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, which was a 22 percent increase compared to 2010. This is 1.2 times the number of US citizens going abroad.

In 2012, Chinese outbound tourism is expected to have 78.4 million passengers, which would be a growth of 12 percent. At the same time, the itineraries of Chinese tourists have changed, with in-depth and themed tours becoming key trends.

The show will last for three days until April 20. It remains an important platform for China's outbound tour operators and travel professionals to meet, discuss and contract upcoming seasons for their clients.