On the evening of May 23, the “Beijing Cultural and Tourism Promotion Night” event was successfully held at The Shard, London’s tallest building. The event was jointly hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, British Airways, and China Southern Airlines, aiming to introduce Beijing’s rich cultural and tourism resources to the British public, and promote tourism and cultural exchanges between China and the UK. More than 100 representatives from the the aviation, tourism, and media attended the event.
Director of the CNTO London, Mr.Li ZHANG, delivered a speech
Entrusted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the director of the China National Tourist Office in London, Mr.Li ZHANG, attended the event and delivered a speech.“the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with British Airways and China Southern Airlines, has actively promoted cultural exchanges and two-way tourism between China and the UK, creating a successful model of destination cooperation with international airlines.The Chinese government attaches great importance to the high-quality development of the tourism industry. China has become the world’s largest domestic tourism market, the largest source of outbound tourists, and a major destination country. In recent years, favorable policies for inbound tourism have been continuously introduced, including optimizing visa and customs clearance policies, resuming and increasing international flights, improving inbound tourism services, optimizing tax refund services for departures, and implementing visa-free policies for citizens of certain countries. These measures have greatly enhanced the convenience and experience for international tourists to visit China, leading to a “warming up” of inbound tourism and a continuous rise in the number of inbound visitors. The recently convened National Tourism Development Conference pointed out that China will accelerate the construction of a tourism powerhouse and promote the high-quality and sustainable development of the tourism industry.”
David Oppenheim, Global Sales Director of British Airways, said in his speech: “British Airways and China Southern Airlines, as joint business partners, have combined their efforts to expand their network, providing customers with more flight options and improved connections between the UK and China. Together, they offer a total of 32 weekly flights between London and five cities in China for the summer schedule. This collaboration is designed to enhance the travel experience for passengers, making it more convenient and rewarding for those looking to explore the unique charm of both countries.
The event also featured a promotional video about Beijing’s cultural and tourism attractions, a Chinese calligraphy experience, and a lucky draw for China Southern Airlines tickets. The atmosphere was lively, and British tour operators were confident about developing inbound tourism to China. Steve Goodenough, Product Director of Travelsphere, said: “As one of the first tour operators to be recognised by the Chinese government in 1985 and launched its first-ever China tour for UK travelers, we have just relaunched our inbound tourism products to China, and sales for 2025 China tours are booming. There are now 10 airlines operating direct flights between China and the UK, which is unimaginable elsewhere, demonstrating the market’s affirmation and confidence in tourism exchanges between the two countries.”
