Beijing to buddy world cities for lessons in development, promotion

In an interview with TTG Asia e-Daily following yesterday's PATA conference opening session, Beijing's vice mayor, Ding Xiang-Yang, said he believed in inter-border and global cooperation as a means of improving city planning and development, as well as Beijing's tourism fortunes. He said that promotional agencies would be established in New York, Paris and Hong Kong, and cooperation would be between different levels of government offices. “Our agreement will be focused on attracting tourists from these cities and establishing a strategic scheme to learn their best practices,” he said, adding that Beijing also wants more business trips and events to be held in the city. In 2010, Beijing had 4.9 million foreign tourists, with tourism accounting for seven per cent of its GDP. While Beijing is home to veritable world monuments such as the Great Wall of China and the Imperial Palace, much of its past has been erased through rapid development. In addition, the common refrain facing many developing cities – ie, a loss of character – has not escaped Beijing. Asked what best practices Beijing wants to learn, Ding said: “We want to have an understanding of their tourism management and operational plans. In my opinion, Beijing needs to have a unique identity of its own. If the Chinese go to France, they buy perfume. Italy, leatherware, South Africa, diamonds. I often ask, 'What do you want to buy in Beijing?' Sure, we have the Peking duck, calligraphy brushes, etc, but how do we have a unique identity and promote it to the world? Asked if Beijing has not been able to maximise Olympics infrastructure, Ding said: “I believe the effect has not yet ended. The various venues and the successful hosting will help us get more tourists.” Though improving, Beijing hotels' RevPAR has not returned to 2007 levels yet. Latest available data from STR showed a RevPAR of 399 yuan (US$61) for year-to-date October 2010, 32 per cent lower than the same period in 2007. (Sources: Raini Hamdi, Beijing, TTGAsia)