Chinese Take Another Look at Azerbaijan in Shanghai

At the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing, President Xi hailed Azerbaijan as an important cooperative partner for China in Eurasia.

China represents one of the largest sources of tourism for Azerbaijan. With the rise of new tier 1 cities, this has resulted in not just an increase of wages for households, but also an increase in travel budgets and spending.

Azerbaijan boasts a rich history dating back over 5,000 years and a composite culture that has evolved with the passing of travelers along the great Silk Road, making it an ideal destination for Chinese families.

As the destination marketing organization for the Azerbaijan Tourism Board (ATB), we took the opportunity to introduce Azerbaijan to ITB China in Shanghai for the first time in conference history. ITB China is the world’s leading travel trade show and the marketplace for China’s travel industry. The three-day event attracted over thousands of travel visitors, global travel players, and travel technology providers.

Azerbaijan Enters China

To achieve our objectives of market entry, our task was to establish distribution channels by increasing exposure and engagement with the travel industry and media.

This would be the first time travel trade stakeholders from ITB China would encounter Azerbaijan, and we wanted to encourage attendees to “Take Another Look” at Azerbaijan and enhance our tourism proposition in the industry. To achieve this, we had to stand out from the crowded field of exhibits in attendance.

Spotlight on Azerbaijan at ITB China

Together with our 8 partners, we hosted ATB’s first-ever appearance in China with an exhibit at ITB China.

1. We powered the exhibit with 280 high quality trade appointments and one-to-one meetings between partners and our stakeholders.
2. We held a media tour for the CEO of ATB, with a total of 8 media interviews. We achieved a media reach of 12,532,200 and a PR value of 572,718 USD.
3. We also held our Destination Launch Reception where over 120 trade and media guests were invited to “Take Another Look” and enjoy a night of Azeri music, dance, wine, desserts and photo taking with traditional Azeri clothes.