China’s largest city and the hub of its vast textile industry is ready to welcome 100,000 visitors to ITMA ASIA + CITME 2008. From July 27 to 31, Shanghai will host China’s biggest-ever textile machinery exhibition, uniting the ITMA and CITME events to provide a ground-breaking display of latest technology.

Shanghai is gearing up to meet the demands of show delegates from China, other Asian countries and the rest of the world, with a comprehensive range of travel and visitor services offered by the event organisers and their business partners. With top class hotels available for attractive prices – including five-star rooms starting at around US$100 – the city can boast an unrivalled combination of economy and comfort, coupled with the appeal of a popular tourist destination and major commercial centre.

Official travel agent New Shanghai CITS, founded in 1987, is part of China International Travel Service (CITS), and offers specialist flight, hotel and visitor services specifically tailored to ITMA ASIA + CITME 2008 visitors. Full details can be found on the company’s website (www.mice.name), and dedicated staff members Joyce Hwang and Ivy Kang are also available to answer telephone queries about packages on offer.

Additionally, there are accredited travel partners in many countries worldwide to enable visitors to discuss their plans locally, including: Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mexico, New Zealand, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and Vietnam.

ITMA ASIA + CITME is jointly owned by CEMATEX and a Chinese consortium made up of CCPIT (Sub-council of Textile Industry, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade), CTMA (China Textile Machinery Association), and CIEC (China International Exhibition Centre Group Corporation). The organisers are determined to ensure that the entire process of planning and booking a trip is as simple and straightforward as possible, with online registration available via the exhibition website (www.itmaasia.com), which also has links to assist with all visa, travel and accommodation requirements.

With all 126,500 square metres of stand space now fully booked, the show will take up all 11 halls at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

Maria Avery, CEMATEX Secretary General, says: “Visitors can contact the official travel agency CITS direct, or they can book through one of the other partners in their own country. Once in Shanghai, they will find the city and the SNIEC fairgrounds pleasant and easy to get around.

“And, of course, the city of Shanghai itself is an amazing place to visit, with countless leisure and cultural attractions for the out-of-show hours or for those delegates planning to extend their stay to take advantage of the sightseeing options. CITS also has a full programme of tours and excursions specially designed to allow show visitors to make the most of the Shanghai experience.”

CIEC spokesperson Anne Zheng reports that visitor interest in the show is building steadily: “The number of pre-registered visitors is exciting. Approximately 1,300 overseas visitors have registered while over 10,000 Chinese visitors are confirmed, and we are confident that many more visitors will register after we have finished our road shows in important textiles industrial zones in China during May. These zones, including Shanghai and provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong, cover over 70% of China's textile industry in terms of turnover.”

India will provide the largest single international contingent, and successful roadshows to promote ITMA ASIA + CITME have been held in eight major Indian textile centres. So far, some 15 state and local textile associations have confirmed that they will send delegations to Shanghai.

Says Anne Zheng: “Over 2,000 Indian visitors are expected to attend the event and nine travel agents have created special packages for the show, which is now being promoted in the Indian media.

“We can also now report that delegations will be sent by the governments or associations of Indonesia, Turkmenistan and Egypt, in addition to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam which confirmed earlier.”

For visitors, Shanghai has a host of unique attractions. It is a city of contrasts, with a fascinating blend of oriental and western cultures and of past and present. European-style buildings stand alongside typical Chinese structures and ancient temples. Its population of over 16 million enjoys a pleasant climate, with average temperatures of around 18°C. Its location, at the mouth of the Yangtze River on the East China Sea, has helped Shanghai develop as a modern metropolis and an international centre for industry, commerce and finance – with a special affinity with China’s huge textile manufacturing trade.

Highlights for visitors include the famous Bund area, along the Huangpu River, which presents a living exhibition of widely-varying architectural styles, old and new – and earn it the title of the ‘Pearl of the Orient’.

The Yu Gardens – a 400-year-old masterpiece of landscape styles – and the People's Square – the cultural and political heart of the city – are among other unmissable sights. Visitors will also not fail to pick out the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, at 468 metres high the tallest in Asia and third tallest in the world.

Culture vultures will appreciate the Shanghai Grand Theatre – actually three separate theatres – which stages ballet, opera, symphonies, chamber music, modern drama and musicals.

Naturally, Shanghai is also famed for its gastronomic delights, with hundreds of restaurants offering local and regional Chinese specialities, as well as every type of international cuisine. A selection can be found in the renowned Nanjing Road East zone, billed as “China's No. l Street”, and now an all-weather pedestrian arcade that integrates shopping, restaurants, amusements and sightseeing.