Sanya holds tourism promotion conference in Paris, France

Two events — a Sanya Business Investment Fair and a Sanya city tourism promotional event — were held in Paris, France, on October 11th, 2019.

The events were aimed at strengthening business and tourism exchange and cooperation between Paris and Sanya, as well as elevating the image of Sanya as an international tropical tourism destination.

Nearly 80 people attended the event, including Mr. A Dong, Deputy Secretary of the Sanya Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of the Sanya Municipal People’s Government; Mr. Li Shaoping, Minister-Counselor of Culture at the Chinese Embassy in France; Mr. Frédéric Barbier, member of the French National Assembly, and representatives from well-known Chinese and French international enterprises, travel operators, and media.

On the morning of October 11th, 2019, Mr. A Dong conducted talks with Mr. Fabrice Fourcade, Vice President of Electricite De France, and Ms. Lin Siyin, Chairman of ChangFeng Energy, Inc., to discuss a cooperative development project in Haitang Bay, Sanya.

The Sanya Business Investment Fair was held that afternoon. At the event, Mr. A Dong held talks with Mr. Miguel Gallego, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission, and Mr. Carolyn Gibson, member of the Board of Directors of the European News Station. The two parties agreed on preliminary cooperative intentions and signed a memorandum of cooperation on holding the “EU-China Tourism Leaders Forum” in Sanya.

Mr. A Dong also talked with Mr. Max Raven, Senior Vice President of the CNBC Television Station, Mr. Lyonel Rouve, Vice President of the Strategic and Business Development of French Suez Group, and Ms. Virginie Thevenet, General Manager of France’s Solid Waste Treatment and Infrastructure. They discussed various issues including the following: holding the Sanya Investment Promotion Conference during the Winter Davos Forum, Sanya’s non-waste city construction and waste electronic products, and waste recycling.

The Sanya city tourism promotion conference was held that evening. Attendees were impressed with a Hainan local dance performance, and a special Sanya promotional video was displayed showcasing the city's rich tourism offerings to guests.

At the conference, Mr. Xavier Maurey, a French representative delegate who has lived and worked in Sanya for more than 10 years, and Mr. Serge Rombi, Vice President of the European News Station, also shared their tropical island experience with guests. Subsequently, the head of the Sanya Commerce Bureau also gave an introduction on Sanya’s sound business environment and favorable policies, welcoming large international enterprises to invest in Sanya.

"Sanya has good prospects for developing in the future, as Hainan is introducing a package of favorable policies including the establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Zone (Port) and its visa-free access for people from 59 nations. Those policies are helping to transform the island into an international tourism destination. This event is aimed at promoting Sanya’s unique tropical seaside vacation offerings, strong business environment, and broad development prospects, with the ultimate goal of attracting more French businessmen and tourists to invest and visit the city,” Mr. A Dong said.

Mr. Frédéric Barbier, member of the French National Assembly, said that Paris is a city full of unique French romance, while Sanya, located off the coast of the South China Sea, is also famous for its romance. The two cities have great potential for strengthening business and cultural exchange and tourism cooperation.

Sanya has established a strong cooperative relationship with several major French enterprises including Electricite De France, French Suez Group, and Club Mediterranee S.A.

In 2018, the French National Museum Union was invited to participate in the third Sanya International Cultural Industry Expo. In September 2019, Sanya’s intangible cultural heritage Li Brocade was also showcased at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

At the end of the meeting, a strategic cooperative agreement was reached between the Federation of Tourism Industry Associations of Sanya and the Association Chinoise des Agences de Voyages en France. The two parties will combine their own resource advantages to promote Sanya’s tourism products in Europe with the aim of attracting more European tourists to Sanya.