H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, witnessed the signing ceremony of the strategic cooperation agreement between Tongcheng Travel and the Czech Tourism Authority...

      From November 5 to 10, 2018, the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai. On November 6, during the visit of H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, to China for the 2018 China International Import and Export Expo, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in China, the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Shanghai, the Czech Trade Promotion Agency, the Czech Economic Chamber, together with CITIC Group, Shanghai Pudong Sub-council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, China-Europe Association for Technical and Economic Cooperation, and China-Czech Friendship and Cooperation Association, organized the "Czech-China Business Forum." During the forum, multiple agreements were signed between the Czech Republic and China covering areas such as aviation, telecommunications, education, economy, and tourism.Tongcheng TravelDr. Wang Zhuan, Co-founder and Party Committee Secretary of Tongcheng Travel Group, was invited to attend the conference and, on behalf of Tongcheng Travel, signed the MoU on the strategic partnership for promoting the Czech Republic with Mr. Štěpán Pavlík, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority Shanghai Office.Accompanying them were Ms. Wang Lanfei, General Manager of Overseas Destination Marketing at Tongcheng Culture & Tourism, and Mr. Wang Shengwei, Business Manager of Overseas Destination Marketing at Tongcheng Culture & Tourism. The signing ceremony was witnessed by H.E. Miloš Zeman, President of the Czech Republic, Mr. Tomáš Petříček, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Ms. Marta Nováková, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Mr. Miroslav Toman, Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Mr. Karel Havlíček, Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic, and Mr. Zhang Jianmin, Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic. After the signing, Dr. Wang Zhuan and over 40 representatives from Chinese and foreign enterprises joined the President for lunch.

(Photo shows Dr. Wang Zhuan, Co-founder and Party Committee Secretary of Tongcheng Travel (right side of the signing table), and Mr. Štěpán Pavlík, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority Shanghai Office (left side of the signing table), signing the friendly memorandum under the witness of the President)

The China International Import Expo is the world’s first large-scale national-level exhibition themed around imports. Hosting the CIIE is a major policy statement and action demonstrating China’s proactive approach to opening its market. The signing of the agreement during the first CIIE and under the witness of H.E. President Miloš Zeman is of great and extraordinary significance for both parties to promote further in-depth and substantive cooperation.

(Photo shows Dr. Wang Zhuan, Co-founder and Party Committee Secretary of Tongcheng Travel (right), and Mr. Štěpán Pavlík, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority Shanghai Office (left))

According to the agreement, Tongcheng Travel will leverage its platform’s advanced hardware and software to assist the Czech Tourism Authority in building a tourism platform; develop exclusive travel products and routes tailored to the characteristics of Czech tourism, helping establish the Czech Republic as a mature travel destination; and regularly organize online and offline tourism promotion activities. The Czech Tourism Authority will introduce outstanding tourism enterprises to Tongcheng Travel and facilitate bilateral cooperation, jointly establish a tourism database and comprehensive tourism service platform, explore regional visitor exchanges, and build a pragmatic, efficient, and mutually beneficial cooperation mechanism. The Czech Tourism Authority will also assist Tongcheng Travel in related destination marketing and promotional activities.

(Photo shows the conference venue)

During a meeting and exchange with Mrs. Monika Palatková, Director of the Czech National Tourism Authority, Mrs. Palatková expressed that Tongcheng Travel, as a well-known Chinese tourism enterprise, has brought many quality tourists to the Czech Republic in recent years. The Czech Tourism Authority is very willing to establish a long-term friendly strategic partnership with Tongcheng Travel to jointly promote Czech tourism destinations. Regarding the Czech tourism market, Director Palatková expressed strong confidence, stating that around 500,000 Chinese tourists visited the Czech Republic in 2017, proving that the Czech Republic is a safe, friendly, and attractive country. The Czech Tourism Authority hopes to promote not only traditional group tour products but also take this opportunity to introduce more new products and routes, enabling Chinese tourists to discover more of the Czech Republic’s beauty and gain a comprehensive understanding of the slogan “The Czech Republic is full of stories,” especially highlighting the magic and beauty of Czech spas, giving visitors the chance to relax in spa towns.

(Photo shows Mrs. Monika Palatková, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority, Mr. Štěpán Pavlík, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority Shanghai Office, and Ms. Wang Lanfei, General Manager of Overseas Destination Marketing at Tongcheng Culture & Tourism, during the meeting)

This collaboration, driven by the integration of both parties’ strengths, marks the establishment of a solid strategic partnership and will comprehensively advance the marketing of the Czech destination. In recent years, with the strong growth of China’s tourism market and the increasing maturity of consumer attitudes toward travel spending, outbound tourism has become increasingly popular. Among these, Eastern European destinations have gained rising popularity in the market, and Czech tourism products have shown great potential on the Tongcheng Travel website. Tongcheng Travel will launch “In-depth Products Connecting the Czech Republic and Eastern European Countries” to further promote the Czech destination. As a leading Chinese tourism enterprise, Tongcheng Travel will continue to intensify efforts in developing high-quality travel routes to support this collaboration. Meanwhile, as an important country along the Belt and Road, with the continuous advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative in the Czech Republic, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in politics, economy, culture, technology, and other fields will deepen comprehensively. The bond of China-Czech friendship will grow stronger through win-win cooperation, and the tourism sector will become an indispensable part of bilateral exchanges.

(Photo shows Prague Old Town Square)

Czech tourism is diverse, offering experiences including the most authentic pubs in Brno, the Pilsen Brewery, and the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. For the Chinese market, the Czech Tourism Authority will promote from four aspects in the future: cultural journeys, sports journeys, wellness journeys, and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) journeys. For cultural journeys, visitors can explore museums, Karlštejn Castle, and other sites, and visit Christmas markets in cities like Brno and Olomouc during Easter and Christmas. For sports journeys, enthusiasts can experience hiking routes dating back to 1889, cycle along the 37,000 km of cycling paths in the Czech Republic, or take leisurely walks around spa towns. For wellness journeys, spa treatments are a highlight—visitors can soak in hot springs, drink spring water, inhale vaporized spring mist, enjoy mineral mud spa treatments, and more. For MICE journeys, the Czech Republic offers meeting rooms for groups ranging from a dozen to several thousand people, with new routes and itineraries to be recommended next year. It can be said that in the story-filled Czech Republic, every age group and demographic can find something of interest.

(Photo shows Charles Bridge in Prague)

It is reported that during the China International Import Expo, dignitaries from about 150 countries and regions, business leaders, and heads of relevant international organizations were invited to attend. Eighty-two countries and three international organizations set up 71 exhibition booths, with over 3,000 companies from more than 130 countries signing up to exhibit. Representatives from over 2,000 entities across more than 130 countries and regions gathered at the Hongqiao International Economic and Trade Forum. The enthusiasm generated by the first CIIE reflects the influence of the Chinese market, the appeal of opportunities in China, and the calling power of China’s solutions. By hosting the CIIE, China is not only taking practical steps to promote balanced development in foreign trade but also providing rare opportunities for developing countries to integrate into the process of economic globalization.

(Image source @ Visual China)