From November 5 to 10, 2018, the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai. On November 6, during the visit of His Excellency President Miloš Zeman 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, and the Czech Economic Chamber, together with CITIC Group, the Shanghai Pudong Sub-council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the China-Europe Association for Technical and Economic Cooperation, and the China-Czech Friendship and Cooperation Association, organized the “Czech-China Business Forum.” During the forum, the Czech Republic and China signed agreements in multiple fields including aviation, telecommunications, education, economy, and tourism.LY.comDr. Wang Zhuan, Co-founder and Party Committee Secretary of LY.com Group, was invited to attend the conference and, on behalf of LY.com, 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 LY.com Culture & Tourism’s Overseas Destination Marketing Department, and Mr. Wang Shengwei, Commercial Manager of the same department. The signing ceremony was witnessed by His Excellency President Miloš Zeman of the Czech Republic, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Petříček, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Marta Nováková, Czech Minister of Agriculture Miroslav Toman, Czech Minister of Transport Karel Havlíček, and Chinese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Zhang Jianmin. After the signing, Dr. Wang Zhuan and over 40 representatives from Chinese and foreign enterprises had lunch with His Excellency the President.
(The photo shows Dr. Wang Zhuan, Co-founder and Party Committee Secretary of LY.com Group [on the right side of the signing table], and Mr. Štěpán Pavlík, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority Shanghai Office [on the left side of the signing table], signing the friendly memorandum under the witness of His Excellency 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 by China to proactively open up its market. The signing of this agreement during the first CIIE and under the witness of His Excellency President Miloš Zeman of the Czech Republic is of great and extraordinary significance for both parties to promote further in-depth and substantive cooperation.
(The photo shows Dr. Wang Zhuan, Co-founder and Party Committee Secretary of LY.com Group [on the right], and Mr. Štěpán Pavlík, Director of the Czech Tourism Authority Shanghai Office [on the left].)
According to the agreement, LY.com will utilize its platform’s advanced hardware and software facilities to assist the Czech Tourism Authority in building a tourism platform; develop exclusive tour products and routes tailored to the characteristics of Czech tourism to help establish the Czech Republic as a mature travel destination; regularly organize online and offline tourism promotion activities; the Czech Tourism Authority will introduce outstanding tourism enterprises to LY.com and facilitate bilateral cooperation; jointly establish a tourism database and an integrated tourism service platform, explore regional tourist exchange programs, and build a pragmatic, efficient, and mutually beneficial cooperation mechanism. At the same time, the Czech Tourism Authority will also assist LY.com in related destination marketing and promotion activities.
(The photo shows the conference venue.)
During a meeting and conversation with Mrs. Monika Palatková, Director of the Czech National Tourism Authority, Mrs. Palatková stated that LY.com, as a well-known Chinese tourism enterprise, has brought many high-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 LY.com to jointly promote Czech tourism destinations. Regarding the Czech tourism market, Director Palatková expressed strong confidence. She noted that around 500,000 Chinese tourists visited the Czech Republic in 2017, which has already proven that the Czech Republic is a safe, friendly, and attractive country. The Czech Tourism Authority hopes to promote more new products and routes on top of traditional group tours, allowing Chinese tourists to discover more of the Czech Republic’s beauty and fully understand the slogan “The Czech Republic is Full of Stories,” especially highlighting the magic and beauty of Czech spas and giving visitors the chance to relax in spa towns.
(The 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 LY.com Culture & Tourism’s Overseas Destination Marketing Department, during their discussion.)
This collaboration, driven by the integration of both parties’ advantageous resources for in-depth cooperation, marks the establishment of a solid strategic partnership and will comprehensively advance the marketing of the Czech destination. In recent years, with the robust 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 been gaining increasing popularity in the market, and Czech destination products have shown great potential on the LY.com platform. LY.com will launch “In-depth Products Connecting the Czech Republic and Eastern European Countries” to further promote the Czech destination. As a well-known Chinese tourism enterprise, LY.com 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 develop comprehensively and in greater depth. The bond of China-Czech friendship will grow stronger through win-win cooperation, and the tourism sector will become an indispensable part of the exchanges between the two nations.
(The photo shows Old Town Square in Prague.)
Czech tourism is diverse, offering experiences that include the most authentic pubs in Brno, the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, and Bohemian Switzerland National Park. For the Chinese market, the Czech Tourism Authority plans to promote from four aspects in the future: “cultural journeys, sports journeys, wellness journeys, and MICE journeys.” For cultural journeys, visitors can explore museums, Karlštejn Castle, and other sites, or visit Christmas markets in cities like Brno and Olomouc during important holidays such as Easter and Christmas. For sports journeys, enthusiasts can experience hiking trails dating back to 1889, cycle along the Czech Republic’s 37,000-kilometer network of bike paths, or take leisurely strolls around spa towns while enjoying the picturesque scenery. For wellness journeys, spa treatments are naturally a highlight—visitors can soak in hot springs, drink spring water, inhale spring vapor, enjoy mineral mud spa treatments, and undergo aromatherapy. For MICE journeys, the Czech Republic offers conference rooms that can accommodate groups ranging from a dozen to several thousand people. Next year, MICE will also recommend new routes and itineraries. It can be said that in the story-filled Czech Republic, people of all ages and different groups can find their own points of interest.
(The 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, and more than 3,000 companies from over 130 countries signed 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 Chinese opportunities, and the calling power of Chinese solutions. By hosting the CIIE, China is not only taking practical steps to actively 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)