The 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations formally established between Ireland and China was celebrated today (Thursday September 12) at a conference called "Developing Tourism Relationships with China".
The event was hosted by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy, Tourism Ireland and Tourism NI.
The conference, which was held at King's Inns in Dublin, was attended by Chinese ambassador to Ireland Xiangdong He and a special delegation from China that included government officials and travel buyers brought to Ireland by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.
Significant Milestone
Minister of state for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief Kevin Moran opened the conference on behalf of the Irish government.
Moran said, "40 years is a significant milestone and the benefits of our close ties over the past four decades cannot be overstated.
"The Irish government's new five year multi-entry visa option for Chinese tourists coming to Ireland will help to grow the number of Chinese visitors in Ireland.
"Improvements in connectivity will be key to bringing more Chinese visitors to Ireland. I want to commend the tourism agencies and the Chinese Embassy for organising today’s significant conference."
Xiangdong He added, "Recent years have witnessed a sound development momentum in bilateral relations with friendly exchanges and fruitful pragmatic cooperation in all areas, including tourism industry.
"Ireland is one of China's important tourist markets in Europe. The number of Chinese citizens visiting Ireland has increased significantly. China also warmly welcomes Irish friends to go sightseeing in China."
Working At Pace
"Through our China Welcome and COTRI China Ready programmes, Fáilte Ireland is working at a pace to support the tourism sector in its capacity to provide a warm welcome to Chinese visitors reflective of cultural needs," Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, said. "We are also building Industry capability to support sustainable business relationships with Chinese outbound tour operators, agents, online channels and airlines, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland. This conference will strengthen tourism development and harness our relationship with China."
Today's conference delved into a number of topics including:
- Developing the visitor experience to meet the needs and expectations of new markets such as China.
- Understanding how festivals and events can motivate visitors to travel and support business in the shoulder and off-season.
- Building strong and sustainable business relationships with China considering cultural differences in doing business, language barriers and servicing the cultural needs of Chinese travellers.
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
