BEIJING — A major obstacle to the return of China’s trade show industry has been removed as the government announced it would allow the issuance of all categories of visas, from Wednesday March 15.
The country has seen a rapid turnaround in its COVID-19 policies, from abruptly ending its “zero COVID” policy in early December, to declaring victory over the virus in mid-February, and lifting its last border control measure.
“This is good news for Chinese events open to foreign visitors, including the Shanghai Motor Show in April and the massive Asian Games in Hangzhou in September. It is also good news for the trade show industry,” said Paul Woodward, the company’s chairman. Advisor Paul Woodward. “Although official business visas have been available for a few months, the lifting of remaining restrictions will undoubtedly help to make it easier for those wishing to travel to China to attend trade shows. While Chinese trade shows are currently experiencing a strong recovery, participation by international exhibitors and visitors is growing more slowly. This is a relatively small share of most shows in the country, but we currently expect a faster recovery towards mid-year.
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The recovery will be gradual, as many business travelers have had their travel documents expire during the pandemic, and the backlog has created delays. The next step is to have much-needed flight inventory, said Michael Duck, EExecutive Vice President, Business Development, at Information markets and Executive Vice President, Group Business Development, at Informa Group.“There is no doubt that business visitors are keen to meet with their suppliers and customers in the PRC,” Duck said. “Trade shows across the country will benefit from the strong recovery in access, as we have seen around the world. What is needed now is the resumption of international flight schedules to and from China.”
Jochen Witt, President and CEO of JWC GmbHanticipate It will take a few more years before the pre-pandemic level of activity returns. “The Chinese exhibition industry is showing great optimism, as evidenced by the many projects under construction or planning for new venues,” he said. “If the current political tensions do not cause major setbacks, I expect China to return to its 2019 level by 2025 at the latest and once again assume its role as the main growth engine of our industry.”
Contact Paul Woodward at pw@paulwoodward.com; Michael Duck at Michael.Duck@informa.com; Jochen Witt at jwitt@jwc.eu.com