Economy

Tourism fair sets scene for cross-Straits travel ties

By Andrea Deng (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-09 11:41

Taiwan opens a well-designed pavilion at the venue for the 14th CIFIT in Xiamen. Wang jing / China Daily

XIAMEN, Fujian - This year's Cross-Straits Tourism "1+1" fair offers opportunities for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and some mainland cities to establish travel ties with SFujian province.

The one-day event, in its third year of operation, attracts travel agencies, hotels, aviation companies and even small hotel product providers, who seize the chance to promote and expand their businesses. It opened in the city on Tuesday.

Brochures of different tourist sites were piled up on the desks of attendees, who walked around the arena to disseminate business cards to possible partners. Through quick chats, companies exchange information on their disparate scopes and range of businesses. Some even brought along characteristic products and brandished them to grab eyeballs and cameras.

"The '1+1' fair establishes a platform to the travel industry for market expansion, communication and cooperation that leads to mutual benefits," said Chen Yangbiao, deputy director general of the Fujian Provincial Tourism Bureau. He presided over the signing of pacts to forge strategic cooperation between Fujian province and cities of Taiwan, plus Hong Kong, Macao and other cities.

The spotlight, however, irresistibly shone on those coming from Taiwan. This year, 18 towns from Taiwan attended the fair.

"I'm hoping to find cooperation here so that mainland tourists can come to our town and get to know our Hakka culture," said He Zhilang from Guoxing town in Nantou district in central Taiwan.

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"I am not just planning a '1+1' cooperation. I hope to develop ties with a number of businesses," said You Wenxiang from Jiaoxi town in Yilan district in northern Taiwan. He also expressed a desire for more freedom for mainland tourists to travel in Taiwan.

He said there is control over the number of mainland tourists to visit Taiwan. But measures can be taken to reduce the procedures for application, and to lengthen the duration of stay in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, this year's fair also attracted a group of travel agencies from the United States, including EZ Travel USA Inc based in New York City and Southeast International Inc based in Los Angeles.

"Not many Americans know about the famous earth buildings in Fujian province, that's why we are exploring the market," said Peter Wang, manager of Journey to the Sea, a travel agency from the United States. Wang added that this is the third year that they have come to the fair. Wang said up to 10,000 American tourists had traveled along Xiamen and Zhangzhou in Fujian province in 2008, compared to only a few hundred several years ago.