India sets up elaborate displays in the exhibition hall during the three day Beijing Int'l Tourism Expo (BITE), which concluded at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC) on June 29, 2014.

The three day Beijing Int'l Tourism Expo (BITE) 2014 concluded at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC) on June 29. Tourism organizations from 81 countries attended the event.

The United States, Japan, Greece, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Morocco, Swiss, Turkey, Cambodia, India, Russia and Israel, all set up elaborate displays in the exhibition hall.

The United States, which established its tourism office in Beijing last year, is due to spend 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million) in the Chinese mainland to promote its resources, Sunday Wang, public relations manager of the office, told China.org.cn.

Although the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Japan decreased in 2011 and 2012 due to worsening diplomatic relations, the number of tourists recovered by a big margin in 2013, reaching a record 1.3 million, according to an anonymous member of staff working for Japan's tourism office in Beijing.

A recent report on China's outbound tourism shows that a record 9.8 million outbound tours were made by Chinese people in 2013, with a total expenditure of 128.7 billion yuan (US$20.8 billion). It is predicted that the expenditure by Chinese tourists will increase to 140 billion yuan (US$22.6) in 2014.

Statistics from Japan's tourism administration show that Chinese tourists spend around 15,000 yuan on average, the highest among all foreign tourists coming to the country.

Increasing numbers of Chinese are willing to travel independently, rather than joining a tour group. Only 30 percent of Chinese tourists now choose package tours.

The Beijing Int'l Tourism Expo, which debuted in 2003, has become a major showcase event for tourist destinations and attractions as well as travel-related products and services providers set at full throttle in the Chinese tourism market.

Twenty six Chinese provinces attended the event.

An employee from Air China gives a traditional dance on June 29, 2014 during the three day Beijing Int'l Tourism Expo (BITE), which concluded at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC) on the same day.(From Chinadaily)