CHINA'S business travel market volume increased by 20 percent in 2012 and is expected to overtake the United States to become the world's largest business travel market in 2015, a global accommodations company said yesterday.
China has always been a very important market for business travel with great potential, especially in northern part of the country, Tobias Ragge, CEO of Hotel Reservation Service (HRS) said at a news conference as it opened its first Beijing office yesterday.
"China has huge demand for business travel since executives from domestic enterprises need to travel outside the country, while global CEOs also need to fly to China for business opportunities," said Jiang Jun, Managing Director Corporate Solutions, HRS China.
Annual expenditure among mainland business travelers will total 36.5 billion yuan (US$5.88 billion) by then, predicts the report from HRS.
Business travel expenditure has been increasing dramatically on the Chinese mainland in recent years. It increased by more than 20 percent yearly to 24.5 billion yuan in 2012 and will rise more quickly this year, Ragge has said.
The Beijing office based in the capital's Central Business District will cover businesses in northern China.