ETOA – the European tourism association welcomes the designation of 2018 as the EU-China Year for Tourism, as announced by Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission and Mr Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, at the opening of the EU-China summit on 12 July 2016. Tom Jenkins, ETOA CEO said: “China remains one of the most important future markets for European Tourism, and that there is a designated year for tourism co-operation is of course to be welcomed. How Chinese visitors are welcomed and accommodated, how their expectations can be met is one of the central topics that the industry has to address: this initiative will help them do so.”

Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific announced Airbnb’s debut at the 2016 Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia Pacific, held from 27-29 September 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand. The community-driven hospitality company will provide insights on the region’s corporate travel trends and Airbnb for Business, the company’s business-focused offering.Airbnb for Business tripled its growth in 2016; to date, more than 50,000 companies use Airbnb for Business to make a booking. This momentum is fuelled by a new experience-led economy where there is heightened demand to customise travel opportunities on both the leisure and business travel front.

After a fruitful and energizing summer time, a new season of meetings, conferences and events is getting to a start. This year Europe Congress team has prepared the 4th annual edition of the MICE B2B forum MeetingPlanners Russia 2016 entirely focused on the growing Russian outbound market and on various worldwide destinations that are ready to welcome it.The MICE energizing forum took place at the gorgeous Renaissance Moscow Monarch Center Hotel and brought together some of the top event planners from Russia & CIS with the worldwide solution providers coming to the Russian capital in order to meet and make business with them, establishing long lasting relations and a solid, profitable network of contacts.

Events secured by Dubai Business Events to date set to generate AED344m in economic impact and attract 65,000 delegates to the emirate. The city’s official convention bureau is delivering one of its strongest year’s to-date, with 86 new international business events secured in 2016.Dubai Business Events has secured 15 percent more events in the first eight months of this year than the whole of 2015, and is poised to capitalise on increasing demand from international meetings, conferences, and incentives organisers, according to internal auditing at the city’s official convention bureau.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is projecting a significant growth in international weddings and honeymoons being celebrated in Thailand after hosting its first “Destination Wedding Planners Congress (DWP Congress)” at the Laguna Golf Phuket between 2-4 May 2017.

The CONVENE team is pleased to announce that registration for the Hosted Buyer Programme is now open. Meetings and events professionals can take advantage of a variety of exclusive benefits pertaining to CONVENE 2017, taking place on 8-9 February at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO in Vilnius.