China International Travel Service
　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ——Its Establishment and Development

It has been 50 years since the establishment of the China International Travel Service on April 15, 1954. Today, at the turn of the century, CITS has become the country's largest comprehensive travel agency, offering a wide range of tourist products and providing excellent services. It has achieved notable success over the past decades, during which its head office alone hosted 9 million tourists from abroad. In particular, in the 20 years and more since China's reform and opening up, CITS Head Office has developed into an all-round enterprise, dealing in diversified businesses with tourism as its mainstay. To promote tourism, it has set up 14 subsidiary companies in major source countries abroad and established sub companies in port cities across the country. In 2002 alone, it hosted 600,000 tourists, with a turnover of more than 4 billion yuan (approximately US$500 million), far ahead of other travel agencies in China in terms of business achievements. CITS Head Office is a pioneer enterprise worthy of this name in China's travel industry. Simultaneously with the development of tourism, it has engaged in other business activities such as stock participation, setting up of holding companies and wholly-funded companies, and joint ventures in trade, investment, finance, real estate, aviation and insurance. . In 1999, CITS Head Office was admitted by the World Tourism Organization as an affiliated member of WTO Business Council. In the same year, “CITS” was recognized by the State Bureau of Trade Mark as China’s notable brand.

Quality and Credibility
In order to build up a good reputation, CITS Head Office sets great store by quality and management. In chain business, with its 160 group members it has formulated a variety of corporate identity service codes with a unified brand-name, standard and image. It has established CITS enterprise standards and compiled a booklet relating to regulations to be followed by tour-guides. Every year we carry out a quality-service project with a specific theme. In 1998 we were able to set up file records concerning our guide services through the wide distribution of "Comments on CITS Guide Service" to tourists. In our reception work, we practice contract management with our branches, hotels, restaurants and tour coach companies. We have strengthened quality supervision by issuing questionnaires to tourists to solicit their opinions, all of which are input into computers. Besides, we have set up a travel safety system and a mechanism for handling complaints from tourists, and provided 24-hour phone and hotline services.
Quality control has always been one of core competitiveness for CITS enterprises. In 2000,CITS successfully passed the ISO9001 authentication of its quality service system.

Our Achievement
Over the years CITS Head Office has continually overfilled its tasks with quality service and high efficiency, for which it has been awarded the titles "the first among the 100 top travel companies," "the most outstanding enterprise," "the highest foreign exchange earner among tourist enterprises," "advanced unit in nationwide quality control" and "quality-efficiency unit". It is the sole travel agency awarded such honors in the country's tourist industry.
In 2001 CITS Head Office was placed with honors on the list of China’s top 500 enterprises, ranking first in the country’s tourist industry and is the first 100 of the enterprises in terms of per capita business income and profit.

Development of Tourist Products
CITS Head Office attaches great importance to the development of tourist products. In line with the needs of various markets, it has opened a series of carefully-selected tour routes, among which are the Silk Road Tour, China's Ancient Capital Tour, Grand Canal Tour, Ethnic Customs Tour, Splendid China Tour and Yangtze River Three Gorges Tour. At the same time, tours serving special interests have been introduced such as study tours, keep-fit tours, convention and incentive tours, bicycle tours, trekking on the Great Wall tour and coach tour.
In recent years, with the rapid development of the individual-tourist market, CITS has launched a number of services on a more flexible basis, such as self-selected tours, join-in tours and freely arranged group tours. It has set up a Panda tour company in China's major tourist cities to meet the specific needs of the individual-tourist market. FIT travel has become a new area of CITS' business growth.

Vast Marketing Network
The opening of a vast market overseas is a guarantee for the continuous flow of CITS's incoming tourists. Up to now, CITS Head Office has established a stable business relationship with about 1,000 tour operators and travel agencies all over the world. Its tourist products have won customers' recognition everywhere, forming an extensive worldwide sales network.
To open up more international markets and enhance cooperation with its customers, CITS has been successively admitted into such international tourism organizations as WTO, PATA, IATA and ASTA, and has established 14 subsidiary companies overseas.
In 2001,jointly invested by CITS Head Office and the world top 500 American Express Company, CITS American Express Travel Services Ltd was established.

Development of Human Resources & Application of New Technology

Market competition is, in the last analysis, a matter of rivalry in talents and rational development and exploitation of human resources. CITS Head Office boasts a team of high-quality managerial and sales personnel who are proficient, knowledgeable and experienced. A precondition for this is the proper selection and training of personnel, to which CITS has always paid great attention. Among its 850 staff members, 80% and more are graduates from institutes of higher learning, of whom 65% are now sales managers and guide-interpreters. They speak a wide range of languages and are highly efficient force capable of meeting urgent needs and market requirements.