Pacific Alliance spurs tourism from China

During the Pacific Alliance’s third roadshow on September 1-8, nine businesspeople from Peru, six from Chile, nine from Colombia and eight from Mexico met with more than 300 Chinese tour operators in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong (around 80 per city) with the goal of bringing more Chinese tourists to the Alliance’s member countries.

“The Alliance allows us to work together to offer tourists from China the chance to step out and discover the history, food and overwhelming natural beauty of our countries in a single trip, giving them a fuller picture of the unforgettable experiences our destinations offer. Peru welcomes them with open arms, ready to exceed the expectations of even the most discerning traveler,” said Marisol Acosta, director of Tourism Promotion at PROMPERÚ.

In the roadshow’s third iteration, the Alliance’s four tourism boards (SERNATUR, ProColombia, the Tourism Board of Mexico – MTB – and PROMPERÚ) were able to explain to attendees the ins and outs of this integration mechanism and the tourist attractions of each participating country.

In terms of tourism, the Pacific Alliance economic agreement has allowed the agencies promoting this industry to implement work plans designed to create new business opportunities for companies through macro-roundtables, international trade shows and roadshows.

These events include the 2^nd Pacific Alliance Macro-Roundtable in Mexico (2015), which was attended by 16 Chinese wholesale agencies, the 3^rd Macro-Roundtable in Peru (2016), with the participation of 20 Chinese companies, and the 4^th Macro-Roundtable in Chile, which also had wholesale agencies from that destination. This last event led to around 2534 business meetings.

Last year, 23 tour operators from the Pacific Alliance promoted their destinations at the second roadshow held in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. At this event, 287 Chinese businesspeople were trained and more than 1300 meetings were held, with potential deals worth more than US$6 million.

It should be pointed out that in 2016, China became the world’s foremost outbound tourism market with 135 million tourists, according to the World Tourism Organization. The growing number of tourists flocking to Pacific Alliance countries was one reason it reached this milestone. 2016 saw a 34% jump up from the previous year, to a total of 136,220 Chinese tourists. Most Chinese travelers seek experiences related to nature or culture, so this market is increasingly interested in the countries of the trade bloc.