SHANGHAI - The Pacific Islands and African countries are looking to claim a share of China's lucrative tourism market, after the 2010 Shanghai Expo opened a window of opportunity for them.

By sending executives and marketing officials to attend this week's Eighth World Travel Fair in Shanghai, the countries are hoping to draw visitors away from traditional destinations, such as the United States and Europe.

The four-day fair, which began on Thursday, is expected to attract exhibitors from 45 countries and regions, and pull in more than 8,000 trade visitors and 30,000 members of the public.

Apart from regular participants, such as the US, Europe and Japan, the fair has for the first time welcomed representatives from Papua New Guinea, the Seychelles, Tunisia, Brunei and Mauritius, resulting in foreign tourism professionals and Chinese tour operators meeting, discussing and signing contracts for the upcoming tourist season.

"The fair provides an important link between the rapidly growing Chinese travel market and the global tourism industry, including countries such as the Seychelles and others, which are adding tourism to their traditional industries," said Jean-Luc Lai-Lam, a marketing executive for the Seychelles Tourism Board.

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Nebil Hedhiri, chief representative of the Tunisian National Tourist Office in Beijing, said his country reaped great benefits from last year's Expo after gaining exposure in the Chinese market.

"We have seen a sharp increase in the number of Chinese visitors. The numbers have risen by 50 percent in each of the past three years," Hedhiri said.

Around 10,000 Chinese tourists visited Tunisia in 2010 and Hedhiri is optimistic that the number will double in the coming years.

Tourism operator Melly Paivu, from Papua New Guinea, is selling his itineraries in the Chinese market in an attempt to attract more Chinese investors and holidaymakers. He said the country, known for its deep cultural history, has a lot to offer visitors.

In the first quarter of 2011, Papua New Guinea received more than 500 Chinese visitors, a rise of 5 percent from the same period last year, said Joel Keimelo, a marketing officer at the country's tourism promotion authority.

As part of a strategy to promote its attractions and tourist services to potential Chinese travelers, Papua New Guinea has signed an Approved Destination Status agreement with China that provides a green light for selected operators in the two countries to conduct business.

"Papua New Guinea has not devoted enough resources to attracting Chinese visitors, leaving this important industry largely unmanaged and putting us behind other countries in the competition for tourists," Keimelo said.

"The Shanghai exposition is an unrivalled platform for us to strengthen relationships, learn more about the Chinese market, and build new contacts," he said.

With the steady appreciation of the Chinese yuan and a thriving tourism industry, China has seen a surge in the numbers of outbound travelers. Chinese tourists were the globe's fourth-highest spenders on tourism last year.

The number of outbound travelers totaled more than 57 million in 2010, a rise of 20.4 percent year-on-year, said Man Hongwei, director of the international coordination department at the China National Tourism Administration. More than 57 million Chinese are expected to travel abroad this year, and will spend a staggering $55 billion, according to a report compiled by the think tank, the China Tourism Academy (CTA).

While China still remains Asia's largest source of outbound travelers, the number of visitors to non-traditional destinations, such as the Pacific Island countries and Africa, is increasingly on the rise, said Dai Bin, the head of the CTA.

Zou Dexiang, a 28-year-old worker in Shanghai, said he and his new wife are looking forward to their honeymoon in the Seychelles. "We chose the Seychelles because we love beaches and sunshine, and we preferred to choose somewhere that fewer people will visit.

Jia Junhua, 67, is considering a family trip to the Pacific resort of Saipan Island. "My son has taken me to Europe and the US. They are really good, but it is time to see something different."

Shanghai Chunqiu International Travel Service said it arranges for 200 people a month to fly to Saipan Island and demand is rising steadily.