Exciting year lies ahead for 2nd edition with outstanding results achieved at inaugural China Xi’an Silk Road International Tourism Expo.The inaugural China Xi’an Silk Road International Tourism Expo (CXSRITE) concluded on a high note with a total of 32 participating countries and regions, as well as 24 local provinces. Over the three-day event, more than 30,000 members of the public, 3000 trade professionals and 100 international hosted buyers visited the exhibition, rendering great success for the exhibition.

Held at the Qujiang International Conference & Exhibition Centre , CXSRITE 2014 was the first international tourism event with the Silk Road theme to be held in Xi’an, the ancient capital city of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The exhibition was held in response to Chinese President Xi Jin Ping’s suggestion to establish the “Silk Road Economic Belt” to accelerate economic growth in the region during his official visit to Kazakhstan.
The three-day exhibition was a buzz of activity with performances and destinations’ presentation sessions at the stage area, presented by exhibiting travel agencies, theme parks and resorts, airlines and tourism organizations from the various provinces. Apart from highlighting their participation at the stage area, the exhibitors also attempted to attract visitors to their booths by conceptualizing and designing unique booths, as well as conducting various unique activities and performances at the booths to showcase their local arts, culture and heritage.
For example, India Tourism’s booth adopted the Taj Mahal as the focus with the staff dressed in ethic Indian wear; the Tourism Authority of Thailand invited local craftsmen to showcase traditional Thai craft; the Korea Tourism Organization had a series of Korean pop performances, a demonstration of the making of the traditional Korean paper fan, cosmetic surgery enquiry sessions, as well as photo-taking in traditional Korean costumes; while Iran’s Mazandaran Province also showcased their unique designs in architecture and local folk music.

Domestic exhibitors also adopted various Chinese elements and the use of colors associated with the Chinese to exemplify the Chinese culture and heritage at their booths, such as the donning of traditional Han wear by the staff and performances by Chinese performers. Interactive activities such as lucky draws and polls on social media also drew large crowds, all vying for the attractive prizes offered by the exhibitors. On the third day, a special Awards Ceremony was held to thank exhibitors who exemplified creativity, excellent booth design, as well as garnered popularity among the visitors and generated on-site product sales.
Apart from the exhibitor showcase, organizers also adopted a market-oriented approach, providing a successful platform for tourism stakeholders to engage in business discussions and network with one another. Local trade professionals also had a chance to gain deeper insights on how to increase their companies’ competitiveness through a trade seminar delivered by Past CEO of National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS), Mr Robert Khoo. Members of the public were also able to enquire with major travel agencies on their latest and promotional travel packages at a congregated and convenient venue.
During CXSRITE 2014, several concurrent themed events were also held, all targeted at accentuating and strengthening Xi’an’s position as a tourism city and importance in the Silk Road. One such event included a special showcase of the Tang Dynasty Welcome Ceremony and performance at the city gates. The Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Administration also conducted talks with United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Silk Road Programme Manager Ms Alla Peressolova on inviting UNWTO Secretary-General Mr Taleb Rifai to visit Shaanxi and to host the 7th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism in Shaanxi.

The Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Administration estimated that more than 21 special tourism industry MOUs were signed during CXSRITE 2014, worth over 10.567 billion yuan (estimated US$1.76 billion dollars).
The successful staging of CXSRITE 2014 was commended by officials from the China National Tourism Administration and the Shaanxi Provincial Government. The local media also extended their generous support, with over 150 written news articles and 1200 reproduced news articles in other online portals before, during and after the exhibition period.
With such success for the inaugural exhibition, more exciting things are in store with the CXSRITE series serving as the new starting point for Silk Road Tourism. Director of Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Administration Mr Yang Zong Wu commented that the CXSRITE series will continue to expand in scale annually with increased international participation, and will strive to become the largest tourism exhibition in the Shaanxi region with the unique “Silk Road” theme to facilitate and promote regional and international tourism cooperation.
China Xi’an Silk Road International Tourism Expo 2015 is set to be staged in September 2015 at the Qujiang International Conference & Exhibition Centre.
For more information, please visit www.srite.com.cn.
Some Impressions: