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Travel insiders eye Ningbo’s potential in global tourism market
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MAO Le is the deputy director of the Ningbo Tourism Image Promotion Center at the Ningbo Tourism Bureau, which organized the 2016 Ningbo International Tour Operators Conference. The Ningbo Tourism Bureau is committed to promoting Ningbo tourism in the international market. At the recent conference, the bureau welcomed 80 representatives from travel agencies in China’s Taiwan, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Spain to learn more about Ningbo as a MICE destination and hear about the city’s ambitions to become a leader in this space in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Mao talked with Shanghai Daily on Ningbo’s advantages in MICE tourism development and share the city’s experience in attracting travelers outside of China’s mainland. She emphasized the importance of Ningbo’s geographic location and the power of local leading industries.
Q: Is there any support policy in Ningbo to promote the city as a MICE destination?
A: We issued an incentive policy in recent years that travel agencies or other enterprises can apply to be a franchised “Ningbo MICE Shop” in order to promote and sell Ningbo travel routes. When they bring a certain number of tourists to Ningbo, they can get direct subsidies ranging from 50,000 yuan (US$7,258) to 150,000 yuan. We will provide promotional materials, including brochures and videos, to franchisees in advance. Also, if franchised organizations hold an influential activity that effectively promotes Ningbo tourism, we will give them subsidies in that case too.
Q: What about the foreign-friendliness of Ningbo tourism?
A: On one hand, individual tourists can get information about Ningbo at consultancy centers located at every scenic spot in the city. They can also browse our online foreign accounts on platforms including Facebook, TripAdvisor and Goto Ningbo. We issue timely information for each season on these platforms. On the other hand, for groups who want to travel in Ningbo, we can recommend experienced and qualified local travel agencies to provide them with good service.
Q: What is Ningbo’s advantage in the international MICE market?
A: There are actually many powerful competitors around Ningbo, such as Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. Amid this fierce competition, we’re fighting for Ningbo to become an emerging MICE destination in the Yangtze River Delta. This fight mainly relies on the city’s port and its location near bridges like the Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge, Zhoushan Bridge and Xiangshan Bay Bridge. These bridges connect the city with travelers from every direction.
Liang Jincheng is the director of the Traveling Center of Multinational Youth Travel Agency from Macau. He has 20 years’ experience working in the international travel industry. Liang attended the 2016 Ningbo International Tour Operators Conference and had a better understanding of the city as a MICE destination.
For Liang, this was his fourth visit to Ningbo. During the recent event, he visited local scenic spots like Dongqian Lake, the largest lake in Zhejiang Province, Seventeen Houses of Zhengs, Cicheng Town in Jiangbei District, Tianyige Library in downtown Haishu District and Xikou Town.
Shanghai Daily sat down with him after his five-day travel experience in Ningbo and inquired about his thoughts on tourism in the city, both from the perspective of an agency operator as well as a traveler. According to him, Ningbo is home to many diverse attractions and he is open to cooperating with local agencies to promote the city to his customers.
Q: What is the most impressive thing about Ningbo?
A: Ningbo abounds in tourism resources, and both natural and cultural landscapes, so it’s able to provide many different choices for tourists.
Q: What tourist attractions in Ningbo would you recommend to people from Macau or other countries?
A: For people from Macau, Dongqian Lake would be the biggest lake that most have ever seen. Xikou Town, with its connection to Chiang Kai-shek as well as the statue of the Maitreya Buddha, might be an attractive scenic spot for overseas travelers. It was regrettable that we did not see much of downtown Ningbo, but the Tianyige Museum, the oldest library in Asia built in 1566 is also a good choice for international tourists.
Q: As a MICE destination, what do you think of Ningbo’s infrastructure and hospitality industry?
A: There are good four- and five-star hotels in Ningbo from international brands. Transportation in Ningbo is well developed and can take you anywhere in the city, including to the airport and high-speed trains.
Q: How will you approach Ningbo’s travel resources as an international travel agency operator?
A: From analysis of our customers, people coming to China’s mainland — including Ningbo — for travel are usually the elderly who want to visit temples as part of a pilgrimage.
I’m communicating with local agencies, including China International Travel Service (Ningbo) Co and China Youth Travel Service, to design travel itineraries targeted at potential customers.
These utilize Ningbo’s scenic spots, as well as Putuo Mountain in neighboring Zhoushan City, a major pilgrim destination, to promote them as new destinations in the international travel market.
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