On January 5, the China Tourism Association (CTA) announced the inauguration of the China Business Travel Association (CBTA) under the CTA.
The inauguration ceremony was held at Empark Grand Hotel Beijing, where nearly 100 people, including leaders from the CTA Secretariat, director and member unit representatives of the CBTA and industry, were in attendance. Xiaoyin She, deputy secretary-general of the CTA, chaired the meeting.
As a non-profit industry association focused on China’s business travel sector, CBTA will promote business travel growth by hosting both online and offline forums and sessions to standardise understanding and practices in business travel services.
Charlie Li, CEO of TravelDaily China, has been appointed as director of CBTA.
Initiated by TravelDaily China (the parent company of China Travel News), the CBTA’s founding members include industry players such as CWT China, Trip.biz, Zhejiang Geely Business Travel Services, China Air Service, Yiqifei.com, Shanghai Jinjiang International Hotels, and Hainan Airlines.
The global business travel market is rebounding significantly and GBTA predicts the industry will surpass its pre-pandemic spending level of US$1.4 trillion this year. China is expected to recover back to being the number one business travel market in the world, and its spending in 2024 is projected to rise to more than US$406 billion.
In a rapidly digitalising world, the business travel industry’s growth is vital for promoting commercial exchanges and cooperation across sectors. Approved for establishment on November 3, 2023, the CBTA is a testament to CTA’s commitment to propelling the industry forward.
