FRANKFURT, GERMANY - The 2017 Sanya Celebration, an international tourism promotional event themed "A Romantic Invitation to Beautiful Sanya", organised by Sanya Municipal People's Government, a coastal city in China's Hainan province, came to a successful conclusion in Frankfurt, Germany on August 23, 2017. The Celebration's mission is to deepen ties between Sanya and Germany concerning culture, healthcare and tourism, and build a collaborative partnership whereby the two sides serve as each other's tourism destination partners. The government officials and travel industry executives accompanying the roadshow gave a general introduction to Sanya, highlighting the seaside resort's advantages as a travel destination and presented its strong portfolio of tourism products, in a move to heighten awareness and increase the number of German travellers choosing Sanya as a destination for their holidays or as a locale to conduct a business meeting or conference. Nearly two hundred guests attended the event, including Tang Liwen, consul at the Chinese Consulate-General in Frankfurt; Mr. Norber Noisser, the Hessian Minister of Economic Affairs; Markus Fehr, vice-president of German-Sino Healthcare Group; representatives from major travel agencies and tourism organizations; several Chinese, German and international media outlets; as well as a panoply of Frankfurt's celebrities.
Germany is one of the main sources of visitors to Sanya, according to available information. Many travellers from Germany came to Sanya via Frankfurt, one of the most important international aviation hubs in Europe. The Sanya government chose Frankfurt as one of the stops to host the Celebration in order to enhance the awareness of Sanya as a travel and vacation destination for German tourists and attract more travellers from the country.
Sanya's vice mayor Bao Jian said at the event, "Early in 2007, Sanya established friendly exchange ties on an international level with Frankfurt, whereby the two cities have conducted exchanges and collaborations across several sectors, including culture, medical services and tourism. In addition, with the support of Mr. Fehr, Germany's Medical Park Group has formed a partnership with China's Shijiazhuang Pharmaceutical Group on the development and construction of a German-Sino healthcare industry park in Haitang Bay, a beautiful national coast in Sanya. The project, upon completion, is expected to offer a comprehensive range of wellness services to travellers from Germany. Sanya and Frankfurt, both of which have extraordinary tourism resources and are world-famous travel destinations, look to constantly deepen their exchanges and collaborations in the field of tourism, allowing travellers from both countries to have a better understanding of each other."
Tang Liwen, consul at the Chinese Consulate-General in Frankfurt said, "With the friendly relation between China and Germany growing, it provides an unprecedented opportunity for exchanges between the two countries in tourism and culture. We look forward to creating more collaborations between Sanya and Frankfurt across many sectors as a way to further promote the development of both cities' tourism markets."
Delivering a speech on the development plan for the German-Sino healthcare industry park and prospects for the cooperation between the Chinese and German sides, Mr. Fehr stated, "The industry park in Sanya, a city which offers a mature healthcare environment, will focus on inspection and training, research and development of advanced medical technologies as well as incubation. We are deeply attracted to Sanya's big tourism landscape that integrates tourism, healthcare, industry and scientific research. Heidelberg Tourism Bureau announced plans to pay a visit to Sanya in October of this year. We are very honoured to become a tourism partner of Sanya and look forward to comprehensive collaborations with the city in tourism."
A promotional meeting themed "A Romantic Invitation to Beautiful Sanya" was held during the Celebration, with representatives from tourism service providers across Sanya taking part. During the event, Sanya Tourism Development Commission researcher Tang Sixian gave a comprehensive presentation on Sanya's tourism resources and products, flights and reputable hotel brands, among other tourism services. Gao Jinhong, an executive at Marriott International for Sanya and president of the Hainan Provincial Commission of Commerce, highlighted premium products and services provided by international hotel brands in Sanya to the guests participating in the event, providing a deeper understanding of the city's comfortable vacation environment. In addition, the event was attended by representatives from China Southern Airlines' office in Frankfurt and Hainan Airlines' office in Berlin who announced the roll-out of air routes from Frankfurt to Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an via Sanya. Wang Jian, a representative from China Travel International Co. Ltd., announced the launch of a new tourism product named "Travel in China-Come and Visit Sanya". The promotional event provided a better thought pattern for the representatives from German tourism service providers with whom the Sanya side had discussions on how to boost its inbound tourism sector by attracting more German visitors to Sanya from Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, in the expectation of developing more extensive collaborations with the German side going forward.
BZ president Sven Meyer said at the event, "Sanya is like a bright pearl hidden in the South China Sea. With abundant tourism resources and excellent resort hotel brands, Sanya has become one of the world's most sought-after vacation destinations among German travellers. We hope to further work with Sanya's tourism service providers to develop more tourism products, in a move to increase the city's appeal as a vacation destination to travellers from Germany who now enjoy visa-free access to the fabulous resort."
The event highlighted Sanya's strong portfolio of tourism offerings, including sightseeing, leisure vacation spots, aquatic sports, golf courses and traditional Chinese physiotherapy. Two unique features of Sanya are its tropical rainforest and its facilities set up to heighten interest in ocean sciences. Local attendees also learned about a number of compelling places of interest across Sanya, including Yalong Bay, Haitang Bay, Wuzhizhou Island, Sanya Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone and Tianya Haijiao, while observing a variety of Sanya's tourism promotion products, including Sanya Travel Album, the German version of a hand-painted tourist map of Sanya and a brochure detailing eating establishments, accommodations, shopping outlets and attractions across the city. The event attracted a large number of local attendees who were either busy enquiring about travelling to Sanya or took part in the interactive section.
Christin, a local attendee from Frankfurt, commented, "It was a successful promotional event. I heard a thing or two about Sanya although the city is very far from us. Through participation in the event, I learned that Sanya is a charming vacation destination with substantial tourism resources and travellers from our country now enjoy visa-free access to the resort. This confirms my determination to visit Sanya."
The Celebration had previously been held in Bangkok, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Moscow, Russia, London, the UK, and now it moves to Frankfurt. Sanya's municipal government plans to host additional promotional events across the world with the aim of enhancing the awareness and heightening the reputation of Sanya in international tourism markets.
