On the morning of 4th September, Pan Hang, Assistant Director of the China National Tourist Office in London (CNTO London), was invited to the London office of Emirates Airlines, where he successfully hosted the “Nihao! China” inbound tourism promotion and exchange event.

The event took place at a key moment when Emirates is actively expanding its capacity in the Chinese aviation market. Since the beginning of this year, the airline has continued to deepen its route network in China, launching two new services in July from Dubai to Shenzhen and Dubai to Hangzhou. With these additions, Emirates now serves five mainland Chinese cities, covering North China (Beijing), East China (Shanghai, Hangzhou), and South China (Guangzhou, Shenzhen). This comprehensive network offers more convenient travel options for tourists from the UK and other European countries visiting China.

During the promotion, Assistant Director Pan Hang delivered a detailed presentation on China’s tourism resources and facilitated entry policies. Focusing on the five cities served by Emirates—Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—he highlighted their cultural features, tourism highlights, and potential for business cooperation. From Beijing’s historical heritage sites such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, to the blend of natural and urban landscapes like Shanghai’s Bund and Hangzhou’s West Lake, as well as Guangzhou and Shenzhen’s innovation-driven industries and business exhibition resources, the presentation showcased China’s diverse appeal as a tourism destination and provided rich material for the airline’s future promotional efforts.

The event was attended by Jon Sheppard, Commercial and Sales Director of Emirates UK, along with 25 sales managers from across the UK, including Edinburgh, Manchester, and Belfast. Mr John Harwood explicitly expressed interest in collaboration, emphasising a desire to maintain long-term close ties with CNTO London and explore in-depth opportunities for organising familiarisation trips to China. These discussions laid a solid foundation for targeted future promotions. Other participants responded enthusiastically, noting that the event not only enhanced their understanding of China as a “vast territory with abundant resources and technological advancement” but also strengthened their confidence in promoting Chinese routes and tourism products to travellers from the UK and other European countries.

The success of this “Nihao! China” tourism promotion has not only provided Emirates UK with a more comprehensive understanding of China’s tourism market potential but has also established a solid platform for collaboration. In the future, the two parties are expected to further expand China-UK tourism cooperation through route synergy, tourism product development, and joint familiarisation trips, thereby encouraging more visitors from the UK and Europe to travel to China for business and leisure and experience the charm of China.