January 21 is the deadline for the Early Bird delegate rates for IFCOT2009, the premier forum in Beijing for the travel industry to discuss outbound tourism issues. This year, the list of hot issues is greater than ever and includes:
- How will the Chinese tourism sector react to the global economic downturn?
- What can individual countries do to attract more Chinese in the face of increased competition?
- How can international tourism organisations tap into the opportunities arising from the Chinese government's stimulus package worth 4 Trillion Yuan?
- What are the key considerations in tapping the growing niche market segments in China for outbound tourism?

IFCOT2009 is being held on April 24th at the Beijing Marriott City Wall Hotel in conjunction with the COTTM (April 22-24) and is a fantastic networking opportunity for international tourism professionals who can also use this time to visit COTTM and assess it as a future trade exhibition opportunity. COTTM Exhibitors receive discounted registration, as do previous delegates of IFCOT.