Beijing Press Conference for the 6th Travel Expo
Excerpt from the speech by Shao Guolong, Vice Mayor of Yiwu City
Overview of the 6th China International Tourism Commodities Fair
With strong support and high attention from the National Tourism Administration and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, as well as active participation from tourism departments and governments across all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), Yiwu has successfully hosted five editions of the China International Tourism Commodities Fair since 2009, receiving widespread acclaim from exhibitors and buyers.
The 6th Travel Expo is jointly organized by the National Tourism Administration and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, and will take place from May 24 to 27, 2014, at the Yiwu International Expo Center. With the theme “Tourism Commodities, Smart Services,” the expo adheres to the principles of “professionalization, marketization, internationalization, and branding.” Focusing on “innovation and trade in tourism commodities,” the event aims to be a successful, innovative, and influential exhibition.
The 6th Travel Expo has received high attention from both the National Tourism Administration and the Zhejiang Provincial Government. The China Tourism Association, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, and Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Bureau have also provided strong support. Currently, the preparations for the expo are progressing smoothly.
1. Overall arrangements have been finalized. Themed “Tourism Commodities, Smart Services,” the 6th Travel Expo emphasizes economic and trade relevance, practical outcomes, and the “category-based zoning” approach. It highlights tourism equipment, outdoor leisure products, high-end tourism goods, smart tourism products, and travel souvenirs. The expo will feature 2,000 international standard booths, spread across five pavilions: the Modern Fashion Pavilion (Theme Pavilion), Art Treasures Pavilion (jewelry and jade), Tourism Equipment and Outdoor Leisure Pavilion, China’s Must-Buy Tourism Goods and Rural Life Pavilion. Over 1,200 companies are expected to attend.
2. Supporting activities are mostly confirmed. This year’s expo offers a rich program of supporting events, including a press conference, opening ceremony, exhibition and trade, tourism commodity development seminar, China Tourism Attractions Association Buyers’ Conference, new product trend launch, tourism commodity matchmaking sessions, shopping tourism festival, national must-buy tourism goods exhibition, and tourism commodity design competition.
3. Promotion efforts have been fully launched. First, promotional activities targeting previous exhibitors and tourism commodity producers and sellers have been carried out, with over 80,000 invitation letters, brochures, and other promotional materials distributed. Second, promotion of the expo platform has been intensified, with visits made to exhibitions such as the Nanjing Asia Outdoor Show, Tianjin Industry Festival, Kunming International Tourism Expo, Beijing Travel Expo, Guiyang Travel Expo, Taipei Straits Tourism Exhibition, and Zhejiang (Shandong) Travel Expo. Third, media promotion has been enhanced, with CCTV advertisements rolled out comprehensively. Starting mid-April, ads have aired on CCTV-1’s “Morning News A Package,” CCTV-4’s China News segments, “China News Hourly Packages,” “Golden 22:00,” “Chinese Arts,” “Comprehensive News 30 Minutes,” and others. Fourth, local promotional has been created through ads on buses, taxis, LED displays, light boxes, billboards, local TV, newspapers, websites, as well as along the Hang-Jin-Qu Expressway, at industrial bases, and airports. Collaborations with 17 professional and general-interest media outlets—including Outdoor Adventure Network—and top-tier magazines like “Outdoor Equipment” ensure comprehensive expo coverage.
4. Initial success in exhibitor and buyer recruitment. Currently, the Theme Pavilion (Modern Fashion Pavilion) has completed all booth allocations. The remaining four pavilions have secured 1,274 booked booths, achieving 83% of the target, with buyer recruitment also underway. Additionally, three policies have been introduced, featuring significant improvements to buyer incentives compared to previous years, with substantially increased rewards. Moving forward, while continuing exhibitor and buyer outreach and promotional efforts, detailed plans for supporting activities will be formulated, and full efforts will be dedicated to ensuring quality services and logistical support for the expo.
Compared to previous editions, the 6th Tourism Commodities Expo introduces four major innovations:
I. Highlighting the Smart Tourism Theme
2014 is the National Tourism Administration’s “Year of Smart Tourism.” The theme of the 6th Tourism Commodities Expo—“Tourism Commodities, Smart Services”—aligns perfectly with this focus. During the expo, not only will smart tourism products be exhibited, but smart technologies will also be utilized in the organization of the event. Smart tourism exhibits include GIS-based tourism equipment, smart tourism services, multimedia devices, wearable tech, and e-commerce. Smart technologies applied in organizing the expo include inviting online retailers to participate and shop, launching a dedicated expo website enabling online transactions, and establishing a system to monitor visitor flow dynamics within the exhibition halls.
II. Showcasing Outdoor Leisure Trends
At this edition, tourism equipment and outdoor leisure products will occupy an entire pavilion, attracting outdoor brands such as “Mugeda” and “Nengfu.” Key products and latest offerings such as tents, chairs, outdoor furniture, hammocks, barbecue sets, and outdoor accessories will be on display, catering to diverse needs like family camping and outdoor travel. Additionally, wooden cabins—which shone brightly in previous expos—will play an even more prominent role this year, with the cabin exhibition area expanded to half a pavilion. Notable cabin companies such as Fitwell and Ganglong will be participating.
III. Showcasing Local Characteristics of Tourism Commodities
The 6th Travel Expo introduces a new pavilion—the China’s Must-Buy Tourism Goods and Rural Life Pavilion—divided into two sections: the China’s Must-Buy Tourism Goods section and the Rural Tourism Life section. The former gathers the most representative tourism commodities from each province (municipality, autonomous region), while the latter showcases handcrafts from rural areas, especially western China, that are culturally rich, regionally distinctive, and combine practicality with aesthetic appeal. This will significantly enhance the development and branding of regional tourism products.
IV. Enhancing the Effectiveness of Supporting Activities
The supporting activities include a press conference, opening ceremony, exhibition and trade, tourism commodity development seminar, National Scenic Areas Association Buyers’ Conference, new product trend launch, tourism commodity matchmaking sessions, shopping tourism festival, national must-buy tourism goods exhibition, and tourism commodity design competition.