HNA Tourism Named Best Tourism Investment Group at 2016 World Tourism Forum

ISTANBUL, Feb. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 World Tourism Forum Global Meeting and Awards Ceremony is being held at the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul, Turkey from February 4-6, 2016. HNA Tourism Group (HNA Tourism) is the first Chinese group to be invited to attend the World Tourism Forum Global Meeting and in its first appearance has been honored with the award for "Best Tourism Investment Group". Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, Former President of the European Commission, Mr. Recep Tayyop Erdogan, President of Turkey and senior representatives from European governments, leading tourism firms and leading international media outlets attended this meeting.

The World Tourism Forum is known as the "Davos for Tourism" and is one of the most influential global tourism forums in the world. It is a non-profit organization initiated by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, dedicated to providing a platform for global communication about global tourism development strategies and trends, innovation and sustainability knowledge sharing between industry insiders, as well as cross-sector cooperation. A specially formed international jury board was tasked with selecting award winners and the "Best Tourism Investment Group" category aims to select a winner based on the value, volume and impact on their investments. Receiving this prestigious award is an affirmation of HNA Tourism's diversified global investment strategy and comprehensive management system. 

Li Tie, Vice Chairman and CEO of HNA Tourism Group, said "HNA Tourism is a modern Chinese tourism group. Since our founding, we have earned recognition in multiple areas, and this award from the World Tourism Forum is a first for a Chinese tourism company, and gives credence to the comprehensive development strengths of HNA Tourism, displaying the global recognition and appreciation we have received as a Chinese tourism group. In 2016 we will continue to consolidate our group's resources, deploying globally, creating a world-class Chinese tourism brand, and a convenient and high-quality travel experience for global tourists."

HNA Tourism Investment Portfolio in 2015

• Made a strategic cooperation with the government of French Polynesia; building Tahiti into a tourism hub in the South Pacific.
• Completed investment in the US hotel chain, Red Lion Hotel Group.
• Signed a memorandum of cooperation with Kuoni Group in Switzerland, one of the three largest tourism groups in Europe.
• The luxury five-star hotel, Tangla is opening its first international location in Brussels in March 2016. It's also the first Chinese owned hotel brand to open in Europe.
• Created a JV company with NH Hotel group for development of high-end hotels in China, while at the same time setting its sights on the European and global markets.
• Signed strategic partnership with Pierre et Vacances-Center Parcs Group to bring the center park concept to China.
• Invested USD 500 million in Tuniu.com to become the largest single stock holder.
• Made a strategic investment of RMB 200 million in the overseas short-term rental O2O platform Zhubaijia.com
• Linked up with Uber China and Uber Global to create a seamless transportation platform.
• HNA Tourism's subsidiary company, E-Life Financial and Mastercard joined together to promote digital payment and innovation in the consumer tourism sector.

The group also joined forces with Guangda Securities and Chang'An Bank, promoting the "Fund+Listed Company" model, a brand new platform for tourism finance.

About HNA Tourism Group Co., Ltd.

Founded in Beijing in March 2007, HNA Tourism Group is one of three strategic business of HNA Group, which specializes in tourism investment and assets management. It owns and operates airlines, hotels, travel operators, online services, and tourism investment among other businesses. In 2014, HNA Tourism had total assets valued at about US$18 billion and an annual turnover of more than USD$ 5 billion. One of the top 5 largest tourism groups in China, it has full ownership and majority stakes in more than 20 brands such as Capital Airlines, Deer Jet, Caissa Touristic and Tangla Hotels.

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SOURCE HNA Tourism Group