Mapp And Delegation Meet With Chinese Tourism Officials

ST. CROIX — Friday’s meetings in China for Governor Kenneth Mapp and his delegation proved to be very successful, according to a press release Government House issued late Friday. The delegation’s agenda contained three meetings today, including stops at China International Travel Service (C.I.T.S.), World Tourism Cities Federation (W.T.C.F.), and Sinopec.

Morning meetings which centered around travel were conducted with C.I.T.S., a firm founded in 1954 and the first and largest comprehensive travel agency in China. It has enterprises under its direct control, of which 12 are distributed in the United States, Japan, France, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. C.I.T.S. was the first in China that joined international travel organizations such as the Pacific Asia Travel Association, the American Society of Travel Agents, and the International Air Transport Association. The trademark of C.I.T.S. also enjoys popularity around the world, making it a leader in Chinese tourism, Government House says.

Executives from C.I.T.S. included Mr. Li Pengyuan, director of American Div., Outbound Tour Dept. Ms. Zheng Lijuan, Assistant President of C.I.T.S. Limited, Ms. Wang Lihong, Director of Marketing and Promotion, C.I.T.S. Limited, Mr. Zeng Jiangqian, Chief Accountant of C.I.T.S. Limited, Mr. Zhang Jian, Deputy General Manager of CITS International M.I.C.E. Co., Ltd, and Ms. Wang Qian, deputy general manager, Outbound Tour Dept. of C.I.T.S. Limited.

Attendees from the Virgin Islands delegation included Mr. Mapp, Chief of Staff Randolph Knight, Deputy Chief of Staff Rochelle Corneiro, Chief Legal Counsel Emile Henderson, Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson Doty, Virgin Islands Director of Economic Development Wayne Biggs, Executive Director V.I. Public Finance Authority (PFA) Valdamier Collens, PFA Director of Finance and Administration Joanne Bozzuto, President STX Chamber of Commerce Kimberley McCollum, and Board Member STT/STJ Chamber of Commerce Shaine Gaspard. Peter Hiebert legal counsel from Winston & Strawn also joined the delegation.

Following the meetings with C.I.T.S., the entire trade delegation met with World Tourism Cities Federation to discuss additional travel and tourism niches available in the Chinese market. W.T.C.F. is a nonprofit, non-governmental international mass organization organized voluntarily by tourist cities of all countries and regions, non-governmental organizations, associations and enterprises related with tourism. Under the theme of “tourism makes cities even better”, W.T.C.F. will promote coordinated economic and social development of World Tourism cities, enhance urban development, elevate the image of cities, strengthen inter-city international exchanges through tourism and innovate the mechanism of member cooperation. It aims at expanding the tourism economy scale, enhancing the quality of tourism industry and improving the effectiveness of the tourism industry. It also seeks to establish evaluation system to provide a valuable theoretical basis for policy-making of tourism industry.

Attendees from W.T.C.F. included their Deputy Secretary General Mr. Li Baochun and Commissioner of Liaison Department Ms. Sophie Zhang and Mr. Ricards Matuzevics.

Mr. Mapp and the trade mission delegates attended evening meetings with Sinopec executives. Sinopec has interests in the Virgin Islands as a partner in St. Croix’s Limetree Bay Terminal operation and Asia’s largest oil refiner.