Beijing, China. – Feb. 27, 2017 – Dragon Trail Interactive, an award winning digital marketing agency and technology company with a unique focus on China and travel, today announces the appointment of leading China tourism expert Roy Graff as Managing Director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Dragon Trail also inaugurates the opening of its first overseas office in London, with an official launch event hosted on the 15th March in London.
Roy will lead Dragon Trail’s further expansion in Europe, one of Chinese tourists’ preferred long haul destinations, and in the Middle East and Africa, two relatively new but fast growing markets. Roy will play a key role in assisting the agency better serve its growing number of clients, which include Visit Europe, Atout France, the German National Tourist Board, Turespaña, Jordan Tourism Board, Go Israel, Small Luxury Hotels of The World, Dorchester Collection and many others. Stepping into the role ahead of ITB Berlin (8-10 March), Roy will represent Dragon Trail at one of Europe’s leading tourism trade fairs.
“Roy is one the few truly recognized and respected China outbound travel experts. He has extensive knowledge of the travel and digital industries and has dedicated his career to the success of his clients” said George Cao, co-founder and CEO of Dragon Trail. “Bookings to Europe during Chinese New Year bounced back to new heights highlighting Chinese tourists’ long term resilience and interest in the region. The European Commission is running a series of programs to assist European businesses attract Chinese tourists ahead of the EU-China Tourism Year in 2018 and we feel that Dragon Trail can bring great value in helping the industry reach this objective. Our London base positions us well to assist UK companies attract Chinese tourists, which according to VisitBritain grew by 46% in 2016″.
Roy Graff brings over 20 years of experience working in and with China in the tourism, hospitality, luxury retail and digital marketing sectors, where he held a series of executive roles in business development, marketing, distribution, sales and e-commerce. Roy is the author of the book “China, the Future of Travel” published in 2015 and frequently serves as a media commentator and public speaker at leading travel and tourism conferences.
Prior to joining Dragon Trail, Roy has provided strategic advice and market entry support, as MD of ChinaContact which he founded in 2005, to some of the most trusted travel organisations including Skyscanner, VisitBritain, PromPeru, Eurostar, Tourism Ireland, Peninsula Hotels and Resorts among many others. In the early 2000s he spearheaded Gullivers Travel Associate’s development of the independent travel business in China in the early days of Chinese outbound tourism.
Roy has a bachelor’s degree in Chinese and Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and is a fluent Mandarin speaker.
