China holds World Expo tourism evening in Berlin

BERLIN - Chinese and German officials, and global tourism professionals gathered at a gala Wednesday to celebrate the upcoming 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Dietmar Schmitz, commissioner general for the German pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, told Xinhua that "since 1998, the development in Shanghai was so impressive to me that I believe this city has a very good future."

The German pavilion, with the theme "Balancity," will encompass 6,000 square meters, the largest of all participating overseas countries.

The China World Expo Tourism gala also sought to strengthen the long-standing relationship between Germany and China.

"There is a long tradition between Germany and China. Germany was one of the first travel destinations in the European Union for Chinese tourists and last year 519,000 Germans visited China," said Liu Jinping, vice chairman of the China Tourism Association,

Berlin will open the China World Expo Tourism year on the occasion of the ITB Tourism Trade Show, which runs from March 10-14, Schmitz said. The trade show  will house a delegation of more than 70 Chinese tourism companies or associations from 21 provinces.

According to statistics presented at the trade show, Chinese outbound travel will bolster a 4-percent increase in tourism compared to Europe's stagnation and a 5-percent decrease in the United States.

The Shanghai World Expo, which opens May 1, is expected to attract 70 million people to visit the displays of exhibitors from more than 200 countries and some international organizations, Liu said.