Ningbo to launch direct flights to CEEC

As Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) are increasing in popularity among Chinese tourists, Ningbo in Zhejiang province will launch a new direct flight to Budapest, Hungary at the end of May.

According to local authorities, it will be a weekly flight, and more CEEC travel products will be rolled out in the near future.

Over the past 10 years, the number of Chinese tourists to CEEC has grown four-fold. Currently there are 30 direct flights between China and CEEC each week.

"Tourism and other products are on track to be implemented," said Zhou Yue, general manager of CEEC-Code. The company plans to open 60 stores around the nation, offering product exhibitions, tourism promotion and cultural experience activities.

Zhou believes that more cities will launch direct or chartered flights to CEEC.

Ningbo, the host city of the China-CEEC Expo, is building itself into a hub for cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and CEEC.

In February, a Chinese delegation composed of representatives of cultural and tourism companies and officials of the Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism attended the 44th Belgrade International Tourism Fair in Belgrade, Serbia, seeking opportunities to promote cultural and trade cooperation.