HNA Tourism Group Chairman Zhang Ling Talks About the New Economic Dynamics of the One Belt, One Road Initiative

The Fourth Global Tourism Economy Forum held in Macau

Macau, October 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fourth Global Tourism Economy Forum was held in Macau from October 12-13, 2015. Approximately 60 ministerial officials, senior executives from leading tourism companies and travel industry experts, as well as more than 1,000 representatives from many countries and regions took part in the event. Zhang Ling, member of the Board of HNA Group Co., Ltd. and Chairman and CEO of HNA Tourism Group Co., Ltd., participated in discussions during the event.

Under the theme "The One Belt, One Road Initiative: Unleashing the New Dynamics of Cultural Tourism", the forum, with focus on the Chinese government's One Belt, One Road strategy, continues the efforts of the first three editions of the event to promote cultural tourism, seek development opportunities and spur regional and international partnerships.

During the face-to-face "Ministers and Private Sector CEOs-Bridging Our Distances through Connectivity" session held on October 13, Mr. Zhang presented HNA's plan for promoting tourism along the Silk Road route and unleashing the dynamics of cultural tourism based on the One Belt, One Road strategy from the perspective of enhancing regional connections and dealing with the challenges concerning software and hardware connections faced by tourism service operators.

Mr. Zhang said that HNA has been committed to building an open service company by leveraging the advantages that the firm has across its multiple businesses as China pushes forward the One Belt, One Road strategy. With Hainan as the hub, the company seeks to serve as an "air pivot" for the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road and plans to roll out new routes that provide transport services for countries that are the beneficiaries of the One Belt, One Road initiative, creating quality international tourism routes and services with the characteristics of the Silk Road. At the same time, HNA Tourism plans to pay close attention to the unique cultural heritage in each region, encourage cultural exchanges and lead the healthy development of the tourism sector in an ethical manner. HNA Tourism is ready and willing to cooperate with tourism partners worldwide to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the travel industry and facilitate regional and international partnerships.

Looking ahead, HNA Tourism expects to capture new opportunities brought about by the development of tourism through the countries and regions along the path of the One Belt, One Road initiative and become a next-generation builder of the connections linking the important economic hubs in Asia and Europe, with a focus on tourism infrastructure, product innovation and cultural exchanges. These efforts will help the One Belt, One Road initiative create win-win situations through cooperation, promote cultural exchanges and friendships and serve as a model role for the global tourism industry.

About HNA Tourism Group

Established in Beijing in March 2007, HNA Tourism Group, one of HNA Group's three strategic businesses, is a large modern tourism group encompassing multiple businesses including aviation, hotels, tourism, finance and internet services. With quality brands such as Capital Airlines, Deer Jet, Caissa Touristic, Tangla Hotels and Henna, among others, HNA Tourism ranks sixth among all China-based tourism groups. In 2014, HNA Tourism reaped nearly 40 billion yuan in revenue, with total assets exceeding 100 billion yuan.