China will be the focal point of this year's BRICS events at World Travel Market 2012, the leading global event for the travel industry, as the country becomes one of the biggest inbound and outbound tourism markets.

Two China Business Network sessions appraising China's tourism industry will be held on Tuesday 6 November, starting with a talk on inbound tourism which has grown to make the country the world's fourth biggest market for foreign tourists.

With the destination being the size of Europe an expert panel will discuss not only how to get the best out of a visit to the country but also the Chinese Government's own recognition of the importance of tourism and its plans to drive the industry further.

The panel will be chaired by Dr Adam Wu, the Chief Operating Office of the China Business Network, a consortium of organisations specialising in both business consultancy and targeted marketing services for Chinese and foreign authorities.

He will be joined by World Travel and Tourism Council President and CEO David Scowsill and TUI China CEO Marcel Schneider who heads up the vertically integrated operator's China business.

The trio will be joined by India Tour Operators Chairman Subhash Goyal who will be bringing his own perspective of working with tour operators from another BRIC country.

Following the focus on the inbound market, attention will switch to the outbound market which saw 70 million Chinese tourists travel abroad in 2011, a figure that could grow by a further 10 million this year alone.

Speakers will share practical experience supporting senior officials business, travellers and the high-end market as they travel overseas, as well as how best to target cost effectively in the Chinese outbound market.

The discussion will again be chaired by Dr Wu while Schneider will also stay to lend his expertise.

They will be joined by Ukinbound Chief Executive Mary Rance, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai, European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) Executive Director Tom Jenkins and China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI) Director Professor Wolfgang Arlt.

Reed Travel Exhibitions Director World Travel Market Simon Press said: “Either inbound or outbound, the China market is becoming so large no-one in the travel industry can afford to be ignorant of its impact.

“The speakers on both panels have been chosen to give valuable insight on both markets which has been gleaned from direct experience and will be of interest to both newcomers to China and old hands.”

The China focus in the BRICS sessions is just part of WTM 2012's ongoing work with the key destination.

In May this year the first WTM Vision Conference – Shanghai was held and which focused on the global impact of the Chinese markets.

Press said: “China's impact is huge already and only going to grow further which is why it is so important the travel industry's leading global event organisers places such importance on it.”