TUI : continually expands partnership with China – Cooperation schemes with Cathay’s tourism organisations

TUI Group continues to expand its activities in China. Group representatives from Future Markets, Corporate & External Affairs and the commercial tour operators have met partners from Hangzhou and Sanya to discuss the tourism potential of the regions as destinations and markets.

In the TUI Corporate Office in Berlin they met various partners from Hangzhou, the capital of the important province of Zhejiang, including the Director of the Zhejiang Tourism Administration and a representative from top management of the fast-growing Loong Air airline. Hosting Alibaba's head office, technology spin-offs and a number of universities, the modern city of Hangzhou is China's high-tech metropolis, which also pursues green and ecological policies. The culturally and geographically diverse region Zheijiang features in the portfolios offered by TUI's tour operators Airtours, Berge & Meer, Gebeco and TUI Deutschland. Loong Air is based at Hangzhou Airport. Talks with Manfred Grund, Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, showed how China and Germany are moving closer together in political and economic terms. The politician offered the Chinese representatives and TUI representatives including the Director International Partnerships, Frank Vahldiek, an overview of current issues relating to the overall very good Sino-German relations. The travel group also managed to build bridges between the representatives from Hangzhou and representatives from the German partner cities of Dresden and Heidelberg, initiating in particular active student exchange schemes.

TUI Group is also expanding its cooperation with China in other regions in the country. At the beginning of the year, the travel group became the exclusive partner of the city of Dujiangyan for global tourism promotion. Only a few weeks ago, TUI China had organised a major tourism congress in Athens for the tourism organisation of the capital of Beijing. In spring 2017, the Group also entered into a three-year strategic partnership with Sanya, the capital of the Chinese tropical island of Hainan. At the end of last week, a meeting with more than 60 participants was held at Shangri-La Resort Haitang Bay in Sanya in this context. Apart from TUI China CEO Dr Guido Brettschneider and other TUI Group representatives, the event was attended by international tour operator and travel agency representatives, members of the regional government, hotel managers as well as local and German journalists. The Sanya Tourism Development Commission was represented by Marketing Director Vivian Qiao, who discussed a range of issues with the participants, including questions concerning investments as well as regional environmental and sustainability activities.