Session name:

Session 3:

On the junction between

Sports and Tourism

14:30-15:30

Speakers:
 

Sandie Dawe, VisitBritain

Chad Lion-Cachet, Sportsworld

Martine Ainsworth-Wells, Visit London

Chair: Roy Graff

Content:

Panel discussion

This session focuses on the hottest topic for 2008 - how to make the hype around the Beijing Olympic Games pay dividends in terms of increased tourism revenues? While China hopes that the Olympics will help attract many more visitors to China, in reality many Chinese are planning to escape the mayhem and spend that period out of China. Flights out of Beijing before the Olympics may be quite cheap and Chinese are hoping for a great deal on outbound packages.

With London hosting the 2012 Olympics, this special link should serve to enhance Britain's image in China and with it Chinese tourism. Our panel speakers Sandie Dawe from VisitBritain and Martine Ainsworth-Wells from Visit London have had many dealings with their counterparts in China and have been focusing attention on maximising Britain's exposure in conjunction with the Olympics and other sports events.

The company which was selected to sell Beijing Olympic tickets in Britain is Sportsworld. Its CEO Chad Lion-Cachet will be discussing his experiences of developing business in China and his company's efforts to attract Chinese outbound tourism for sports events taking place in Europe.

Chinese have belatedly discovered the passion and excitement of football. For many, some destinations are only known for their legendary football heroes.

By raising these issues with the speakers we will gain a deeper understanding of the opportunities that are there for the taking.

• How can destinations and travel suppliers benefit from this trend?

• Can sports be used to attract more Chinese visitors to the West?

• How can you capitalise on major sports event to grow tourism from and to China?

• Which sports events are more attractive to Chinese and why?