Accor expands travel and trade expo to 10 cities in Asia Pacific

Accor has expanded its annual World of Accor trade expo to 10 destinations this year.

In 2005, World of Accor expos will be staged in Auckland, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Melbourne and Sydney. It is the first time that World of Accor has been held in China and Korea.

Representatives from Accor’s worldwide network of 4000 hotels will participate in the trade expos to showcase new hotel product, and to discuss with clients their domestic, inbound and outbound hotel needs.

Over 50 Accor delegates will take part in the travel expo and, for the first time, they will be joined by representatives of Club Med. Accor recently took a strategic 28.9% stake in Club Méditerranée and the two organisations will be working closer to promote each other’s product.

The expansion of World of Accor comes at a time of vast expansion in Accor’s hotel network in the Asia Pacific region.

Over the next two years Accor will add up to 50 hotels in the Asia Pacific region, bringing the group’s network close to 300 hotels.

“This is one of the most exciting eras for the tourism sector in the Asia Pacific region and Accor is undergoing its most rapid expansion since it first entered the continent two decades ago,” said Accor Asia Pacific Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing, Ray Stone.

“Significant new hotels are opening across China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Australia and the South Pacific region and we want to ensure that the travel industry is fully aware of the new product and destinations on offer.

“It is also a time when outbound travel from Asia Pacific is at a new peak, having enormous significance for the future of the global tourism market. We have already seen the power of the Japan outbound market, and now we are witnessing dynamic growth from China, India and Korea.

“Being a French company, and with 2005 being designated a year of celebrating ‘France in China’, it was perfect timing for World of Accor to make its debut in China. We showcased our Shanghai event with a performance by France’s most famous dance and entertainment troupe, the Moulin Rouge, who came to China for the first time, specifically for World of Accor.” 

Mr Stone said that all travel trade personnel were welcome at the events and in addition to the opportunity to meet with Accor delegates around the world, they would be offered stylish cuisine, entertainment and excellent prizes.

“I hope we can meet as many representatives from the travel industry as possible during the series of expos,” said Mr Stone. “It is the perfect opportunity to discover more about the rapidly growing World of Accor.”

Tokyo - April 5, 2005
Seoul - April 8, 2005
Beijing - April 12, 2005 
Shanghai - April 15, 2005
Hong Kong - May 31, 2005
Bangkok - June 3, 2005
Singapore - June  6 and 7, 2005 
Melbourne - July 7, 2005 
Sydney - July 11 and 12, 2005

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