Interview With Roy Graff, Managing Director of ChinaContact
Roy Graff, Managing Director of ChinaContact shares more insight on this year's WTM-ChinaContact forum titled China - The Future Of Travel which takes place on November 14th, 2007 at the WTM conference in Excel, London.
ChinaContact Managing Director Roy Graff has made his career in travel and tourism business development with an emphasis on China. He has a deep understanding of China's culture and business practices from academia, public and private sector work since 1994.
Returning to Europe after a long period of travel industry work in China, Roy founded ChinaContact in 2005 to assist tourism companies, travel providers and tourism promotion bodies eager to discover the tremendous potential of China as both market and destination. Since 2002 until early 2005, Roy was engaged in senior level business development and travel product distribution for the world's leading independent provider of products to the travel trade, Gullivers Travel Associates (now part of Travelport).
He lived in China's two commercial power houses, Beijing and Shanghai and travelled extensively to China's major cities, forging good personal relationships with key private sector and government contacts.
Building on his experience of online travel, sales and marketing and China know-how, he was tasked with launching a brand new merchant model travel site to the Chinese market.
He has also served as China Director of E-commerce for gta, overseeing all aspects of the company's electronic product distribution in China. In September 2004, Roy planned and executed a high level three day conference on modern tourism trends titled 'The Future of Travel is Here', co-hosted by Beijing Municipal Tourism Board. It was attended by provincial and city tourism board chair persons from China, senior level representatives from UNESCO, WTTC, Visa, AIG and other leading international companies totalling over 100 participants.
In 1996, Roy represented the Israel Tourism office in Taipei, Taiwan while learning Mandarin Chinese at the same time, completing a BA in Chinese & Economics from London School of Oriental & African studies. He was vice president communications of PACE (Professional Association for China's Environment) and is an active Tourism Concern member and campaigner. Roy cooperates with UNESCO, IUCN and other bodies to promote a sustainable and ethical tourism industry in China.
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Roy Graff
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Roy Graff, Managing Director of 
