THE capital city of China’s Zhejiang province will host the 15th West Lake International Expo this October, featuring a series of exhibitions, forums and leisure activities for an estimated 10 million visitors including 50,000 businessmen.
Jointly organised by Hangzhou’s municipal government, the General Administration of Sports of China, the China National Tourism Administration and the Zhejiang Provincial Government, the event aims to promote economic and technological development in and around Hangzhou, and advance various key industries such as tourism, IT and real estate.
It has set a target of RMB10 billion (US$1.6 billion) in trade turnover and US$1 billion in foreign direct investment.
The West Lake International Expo debuted in 1929 and has become an annual event since it was re-launched in 2000. From 2000 to 2012, the event achieved an aggregate trade turnover of RMB155 billion, attracted US$11.4 billion in foreign direct investment and was host to 188 million visitors.
It is estimated to contribute approximately 0.5 per cent to Hangzhou’s annual GDP.
