Speeches: Paul Laeremans, IRU President

International Bus & Coach Forum Profitable Bus & Coach Operations in or with China
	Shanghai, PRC, 16 March 2005

Speeches

Opening
Paul Laeremans, IRU President

Mr. Mayor of Shanghai, distinguished government representatives, dear guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Allow me, on behalf of the International Road Transport Union, which brings together bus, coach, taxi and truck fleet operators' national associations on 5 continents, to extend to all of you present today my warmest welcome to this first International Bus and Coach Forum here in Shanghai.

This event would not have been possible without our three partners: Busworld with its local partner VNU Exhibitions, the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) and the IRU's Chinese Member Association, the China Road Transport Association. I would like to thank them very much for their active support and great efforts.

The theme of this Forum "Profitable Bus and Coach Operations in or with China" should give the entire bus and coach industry and associated tourism sector a better view of China's vast potential as both the largest customer base in the world and a destination which will witness exponential growth in demand.

China has a fast growing economy with a population of 1.3 billion, a fleet of 2.8 million commercial road passenger vehicles, 226000 bus and coach operators and 13.6 million employees in the road transport sector. Expenditure on travel is currently growing by 27% per year.

Road transport by bus and coach has a vital contribution to play in promoting tourism. Tourism generates more economic development and growth which, in turn, contributes to greater prosperity. In 2004, the travel and tourism sector accounted for some 20 million direct and indirect jobs in South East Asia. The World Travel and Tourism Council expects this to rise to 27 million by 2014. The direct and indirect contribution of travel and tourism to GDP amounts to 7 % in that same region.

China has a cultural heritage dating back thousands of years and indeed Chinese cultural and scientific knowledge has had a huge impact on the world. This incredible wealth will no doubt make China an increasingly popular tourist destination in the years to come.

An expected 100 million Chinese citizens will be visiting the rest of the world by 2020, and the tourist industry must start to prepare itself now to receive and serve these new clients to the best of its ability.

However, when we consider economic development and increased demand for tourism, we must satisfy these demands while ensuring sustainable mobility. We must ensure that our children and grandchildren will still be able to benefit from even better mobility and tourism opportunities.

Therefore, the use of common passenger transport should be promoted to the largest extent and all Forum partners should be strongly committed to this goal.

The IRU has developed a 3 "i" strategy for achieving sustainable development based on: innovation, incentives and infrastructure.

In order to be sustainable, the travel and tourism industry must offer innovative products to customers. For example, better co-ordination and planning between the modes of transport to bring tourists to their destination more efficiently, safely and reliably and the creation of high quality niche markets in coach tourism.

Incentives should be introduced by governments to further expedite the penetration of innovative technologies and best practices in the market.

Good and safe infrastructure is of course vital to the proper functioning of road and intermodal transport networks. The best examples, in this respect, are the spectacular achievements and plans of the Chinese Government to build a nationwide motorway network, 35,000 km which will be completed by the end of 2005.

Achieving goals via the 3 "i" strategy requires the active commitment of several stakeholders who are here today: governments, bus and coach operators, organising authorities, tour operators and travel agents and last but not least vehicle manufacturers. Let us use this invaluable direct personal contact with these different actors to enhance our creativity by offering innovative products and services along the entire travel and tourism supply chain.

In this context, our expert panellists will attempt to answer the following questions:

How can public transport by bus and coach contribute to better urban and inter-urban mobility and reduce the use of the private car?
How can the globalisation of trade and manufacturing contribute to higher quality and safer buses and coaches at competitive prices?
How can China's tourist potential be further developed to the advantage of the Chinese citizens and the rest of the world?
How can partnerships between the Chinese travel and tourism industry and its foreign counterparts be encouraged?

The business of this Forum will be to explore what can be achieved by working together for a better future, not only for our industry, but also for all of society.

Allow me to thank all participants, especially those who have come so far, for being here today. It shows that a healthy entrepreneurial spirit combined with an eagerness to explore new business opportunities is still very alive in the bus, coach and tourism industry.

I thus encourage you all to participate actively.

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