Agents offered Beijing incentive
Agents directing bumper business to Beijing will be rewarded with a holiday to the city and cash prizes under an initiative launched by Beijing’s tourist authorities. Agents that send more than 1,000 Brits to holiday in Beijing qualify for the incentive programme launched by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism (BMBT). Those clocking up over 1,000 bookings in a year will be invited by BMBT on a five-day sightseeing tour of Beijing, with return flights, accommodation and transfers paid for. The top two agents selling the most tours to Beijing in a year will receive a cash reward of £6,500 as well as the holiday to the city. According to BMBT, this is the first of many initiatives being launched to boost visitor numbers to Beijing. The city’s tourism authorities are keen to boost awareness of the city and increase visitor numbers ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games. Beijing is in the north of China and is well-placed for world-famous sites including the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. Beijing is currently visited by around 400,000 Britons each year, according to BMBT, while visits from the whole of China to the UK total around 100,000 per year. However, improved relations between China and the UK have come about following the approval by Chinese authorities of the UK as an official “approved destination”, making visas for travel between the countries easier to obtain, and an increase in Chinese holidaymakers to the UK is expected. Report by Ginny McGrath
Ginny McGrath
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026