The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau (Visit Beijing), which has been ramping up its online presence in the last two years, launched its Trade Connect (TC) platform on September 28 to promote new products, “lesser-known resources” and tour themes to overseas operators in the run-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics (Beijing 2022).
TC complements Visit Beijing’s educational webinars on a broad range of topics and training to earn the Beijing Tourism Expert e-certification.
Wang Rui, deputy director, Department of Foreign Exchange and Cooperation, Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, said international buyers could access short videos promoting 60 locations under 11 themes under TC.
The themes are traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), performance and cultural venues, sports tourism, cosmopolitan Beijing, MICE, educational travel, intangible cultural heritage, art galleries and museums, 144-hour visa-free travel and tax-free shopping, famous former residences and winter tourism.
Beijing 2022 will take place during Chinese New Year from February 4-20 in the capital and towns in neighbouring Hebei province.
According to bureau spokesperson, Yang Ge, the TC collaterals can be downloaded for marketing purposes and partners can book appointments for webchats and video meetings with local suppliers and win prizes for participating in the programme.
Yang explained: “TC will help us to continue to connect despite the Covid-19 pandemic and help (buyers) strengthen the relationship with the bureau and deepen understanding of Beijing’s tourism resources from a database of products, tour operators, hotels and attractions that showcase Beijing’s most exciting and lesser-known products.”
The bureau has also set up a Linkedin account to collaborate with global travel companies, she added.
TC also includes themed roundtable discussions with local and international speakers and the first on the Future of Beijing MICE took place following the launch. The next roundtable will be held in late-October or November on health and wellness, focusing on TCM.
