World Routes 2016 will take place September 24-27, 2016 in the state-of-the-art International Convention and Exhibition Centre at Chengdu Century City. Hosting the 22nd World Route Development Forum is Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, the largest air passenger hub and cargo distribution centre in the region. With more than 220 domestic and international routes, the airport handled over 33 million passengers in 2013, making it the fifth busiest in China.

Head of future hosting for Routes, Ged Brown, says the scale of everything is just one of the reasons that China is such an interesting destination for World Routes. Some 40 new airports are scheduled for construction over the next two decades while the number of outbound Chinese travellers is set to boom. “In China, some would consider Chengdu to be a tertiary city; yet a population of 14 million makes it larger than most capital cities in Western Europe,” Brown adds.

After the country’s successful hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games, World Routes first came to China’s shores the following year when it was hosted by Beijing Capital International Airport. Located in the New China International Exhibition Center, the 2009 event welcomed a then record of 2,500 delegates. For 2016, attendance is forecast to exceed 3,500 including 350 airlines, 1,000 airports and 300 tourism authorities.

Board chairman of Sichuan Province Airports Group, Li Wei , says that World Routes provides an “excellent opportunity to stand on the central stage of the global aviation industry”, and promises an “unforgettable event” in 2016. Chengdu is an incredible city, perhaps most famous for its much-loved residents, the giant pandas. A symbol of the city, a national treasure for the whole of China and a figurehead for the World Wildlife Fund, the panda remains one of the rarest animals in the world.

With only an estimated 1,500 left in the world, more than 75 per cent of the total panda population calls Chengdu home. Alongside the Sichuan Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve (the largest of its kind), a worldclass breeding centre has been established in the
city’s northern district – the only one located in a metropolitan area.

The beauty of its black and white icons aside, the ancient city has much to offer travellers. The provincial capital of Western China’s Sichuan province, Chengdu is one of the country’s most vibrant destinations. Rich in historical charm, cultural gems and natural
landscapes, the city is celebrated for its distinct cuisine and historic teahouses.

An increasingly multicultural and multinational district, Chengdu provides a fascinating fusion of the traditional and the contemporary. Attracting some 150 million visitors in 2013 (an increase of almost 30 per cent on 2012), the city’s recent adoption of a 72-hour visa-free policy is the latest demonstration of its desire to increase travel, both domestic and international.

Director of the Routes business for UBM, Katie Bland, says: “China is the world’s second largest aviation market and Chengdu is the centre of politics, commerce, trade and technology, and the hub of transportation and communication in Central Western China.”