The Head of the ΕΟΤ China Service, Pavlos Mourmas, had meetings with executives of the three largest tour operators of the Chinese city of Chengdu, with a population of over 22 million inhabitants, last week.
A visa center is operated in Chengdu by the consulate of the Greek embassy in Beijing, which makes the city and the wider Sichuan province, with a population of 90 million, particularly important for inbound tourism from China.
Mr. Mourmas met with the President of the Sichuan Province Travel Agency Association and owner of CYTS (China Youth Travel Service) & CTS (China Travel Service), Zhaoxue Wang, with whom they discussed cooperation issues between the 200-plus Chinese agencies, members of the association, and Greek travel agencies with the aim of increasing the tourist flow to Greece and from Greece to Sichuan province, while it was also decided to jointly organize a B2B meeting event between the two sides next September.
He also had meetings with top executives of the Sichuan Comfort International Travel and Moretrip agencies, during which the necessity of creating new tourist packages in Greek destinations, beyond those already known to Chinese travelers, was emphasized, with the aim of reducing price competition and meeting the needs of travelers looking for less crowded areas for their holidays and different thematic products (wellness, gastronomy, nature activities, etc.). Also, issues of a joint advertising campaign and public relations actions were examined, in order to inform the public about the new tourist products.
The business development manager for China of Celestyal Cruises, Eva Li, also participated in all the meetings.
GNTO presentation to Chinese tourist agencies with “Greek” programs
In parallel, the GNTO China Service presented the diverse Greek tourist product to 36 tourist agencies in the Chengdu area, which are developing programs for Greece, in view of the launch of Sichuan Airlines flights from Chengdu to Athens, with a stopover in Istanbul, in June.
The main focus of the presentation was the promotion of thematic products (thermal springs, golf, geoparks, casinos, ski resorts, etc.) in corresponding destinations in Greece, which can be combined to create new tourist packages for travelers from Sichuan province.
Also, special emphasis was placed on the cooperation of the Greek National Tourism Organization of China with Sichuan Airlines, whose representatives attended the presentation, for co-advertising and organizing joint family trips in order to support the sustainability of flights to Greece.
The presentation was followed by a buffet dinner, which also offered Greek dishes, while photographic material from the event was broadcast directly (real-time photo transfer) from the popular platform “Piufoto”, gathering more than 3,000 views in the first two days.
Participation in the event “European Culture Street 2025”
Finally, the Greek National Tourism Organization of China contributed by providing promotional materials and complimentary gifts for the public, to the Greek participation in the event “European Culture Street 2025”, within the framework of the Chengdu-Europe cultural period.
At the initiative of the Greek embassy, ??the theatrical performance “The Wings of Icarus” was presented at the event by the theater group of the 7th Middle School, with the participation of students aged 12 and over.
On the Greek side, the head of the Public Diplomacy Office of the Greek embassy in China, Ioanna Kakalidi, and Mr. Mourmas were present.
This year’s Chengdu-Europe cultural season will last until July and will include various cultural activities (art exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, film weeks, thematic exchanges, etc.), which will be implemented in collaboration with embassies and consulates of European countries.
Photo: From the meetings of the Head of the Greek National Tourism Organization of China, P. Mourmas, with the top t.os of Chengdu. Pictured, from left: Shijun Yang, General Manager Sichuan China Youth Travel Service, Eva Li, Business Development Manager of Celestyal Cruises China, P. Mourmas, Zhaoxue Wang, President of Sichuan Travel Agencies Association & Chairman Sichuan China Youth Travel Service, and Gin Huang, assistant to the President.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
