More than 200 Chinese travel agents will meet to do business with over 40 hotel brands from across Southeast Asia next week as the Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA) Roadshow arrives in Shanghai and Beijing from 10 to 12 April 2012.

Previous years’ success has made the Southeast Asia Roadshow a key calendar date for the region’s hoteliers and agents. With hotel brands from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and elsewhere, delegates will discover the rich variety of hotels available in the region and complete an ‘Asian’ passport to be entered into a draw for a range of prizes.

According to GTA’s Vice President Hotel Sourcing for Asia-Pacific, Martin Jones: “We are delighted to once again be supporting our key supplier partners in showcasing their products to the increasingly important mainland Chinese market. Past experience has shown us that if we inspire our travel agents – in person and face to face – about the wealth and variety of accommodation throughout these stunning destinations, they in turn will inspire many more of their clients to visit.”

The Roadshow’s popularity has been helped by many hotels’ expansion plans in the region. For instance, InterContinental Hotels Group[1] plans to double the number properties it manages in Southeast Asia in the next three years to meet demand from tourists and business travellers. The company is “very bullish on Southeast Asia” and “particularly excited about Vietnam and Thailand” as business and leisure travel recovers and they expect demand for accommodations on Phuket, Phi-Phi and Krabi, as well as Bangkok, to grow.

“The roadshow is one of the many ways with which we are able to add value to our client and supplier relationships,” adds Daryl Lee, GTA’s Vice President Sales for Asia. “One of our major growth focuses is Asia and our travel agent clients recognise that our dedication to growing travel to and within the region and our strength in sourcing the best accommodation for their clients will help their business succeed.”

The Roadshow takes place on 10 April at Shanghai’s Marriott Hotel City Centre and on 12 April at Beijing’s Novotel Beijing Xingiao.