Trade reps from New Zealand were in Lanzhou, central China last week for an event to promote the Gansu province and the Silk Road to agents from around the globe.
The Gansu International Conference for Inbound Tourism was told the area is making a big push for more international visitors to build on strong growth last year.
While still small compared to domestic Chinese tourism, international visitation grew by 60% last year to 394,000.
The Kiwi delegation, China Travel Service’s business development manager Angela Mills, Wendy Wu Tours marketing manager Caroline King, and Mariana Stoyanova product manager for Flight Centre Group NZ, are part of an international famil to the region.
China is being promoted as an alternative international destination to Kiwis who now have visa-free access and strong air connectivity. (Getting into China was a breeze.
All up, Travel Today completed the process of downloading a form at Auckland Airport before departure going to a self-processing kiosk on landing at Beijing and then through an immigration official in a total of 45 minutes of admin time—and it is free.)
. . . Pleasant Surprise
While travel to the US has dropped, China is more popular from New Zealand. Auckland Airport figures to late last year showed 13% more Kiwis on flights to China and the country was the fastest growing destination for Kiwis, up 39% year-on-year.
Mills says typical feedback from Kiwis who go to China is that they are pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to travel and the variety of experiences on offer.
The Gansu-Silk Road tourism product is not as well developed as some of the more well-known places in China such as Beijing and Shanghai but it was advancing quickly, she adds.
Lanzhou is a city of five million strategically located in the geo graphical centre of China and built on the Yellow River. It has a 2000-year history with a rich food culture, including its famous hand-pulled noodles, and a rapidly growing tech sector.
