COTRI Delivers its Chinese Tourist Welcome Training Programme in the Czech Republic for the First Time

On June 23rd, 2016, COTRI held a session of its Chinese Tourist Welcome Training Programme in Prague in collaboration with the EU SME Centre and COTRI Country Partner for the Czech Republic and Slovakia EXPEROS.

The training programme was held at the Hotel Ambassador directly on Prague’s famous Wenceslas Square and was attended by representatives from a number of companies, including: Cartier, Skyport, Premier Tax Free and Slovakia’s Kolumbus Travel Agency.

The event was held to coincide with the opening of the first direct flight route between Prague and Shanghai, which will be operated three times per week by China Eastern Airlines with an A330-200 aircraft. This service will complement Prague’s existing direct flight routes to Beijing and Chengdu, which are operated by Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines respectively.

Training partner the EU SME Centre, headquartered in Beijing, is an initiative of the European Union that supplies a wide range of practical support services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Europe, enabling them to do business in China.

The event’s other collaborative partner EXPEROS is an aviation consulting travel firm headed by Jiří Pos, who offers a vast wealth of experience in the field of international aviation. As a COTRI Country Partner, EXPEROS serves as an exclusive accredited associate of COTRI responsible for administering our products in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. On account of its local expertise, EXPEROS is able to offer appropriate, tailored advice to parties interested in market entry and penetration and is able to provide support to regional networks as well as participating in various on-the-ground consulting and research projects.

Following this first session in the Czech Republic, a number of further training programmes are due to follow in the country in the near future. The Czech Republic attracted close to 300,000 Chinese arrivals in 2015 – more than the UK – and a number of local industry players, including the national tourism office, are eager to develop new products to draw these travellers beyond Prague and introduce them to the rest of the country.

COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute provides expert insights into the worldwide developments of China’s outbound tourism market. As Chinese outbound tourists are travelling to a large range of destinations, our publications cover a number of different regions. Important Chinese visitor activities are analysed, and detailed insights are presented.

With COTRI’s insights you can create a successful business strategy with in-depth market insights, comprehensive qualitative analyses, and future prospects. The recently published Spring 2016 Edition of the COTRI Market Report features in-depth analysis of the developing trends in Chinese outbound tourism, supported by a wealth of qualitative and quantitative statistical research.