Dusit International and Changzhou Qiao Yu Group announce the establishment of Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts, the joint venture hotel management company that will spearhead Dusit International's continued expansion in China.

　　Thailand-based hospitality group Dusit International and China-based real estate developer Changzhou Qiao Yu Group announce the establishment of Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts, the joint venture hotel management company that will spearhead Dusit International's continued expansion in China. Its major shareholders include Dusit International, Changzhou Qiao Yu Group and noted hospitality veteran Mr Giovanni Angelini, former CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.

　　Marked by the opening of the company's Shanghai office on this auspicious date, the event signifies an important milestone in Dusit International's long-term expansion plans.

　　"Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts will develop the Dusit Thani, dusitD2, Dusit Devarana and Dusit Princess brands throughout China," says Mr Chen Li Bin, Chairman of Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts. "We look forward to a very successful future with this newly formed management company."

　　The company expects to operate at least 30 properties in China within the next three years, focussing on mid-tier to deluxe projects in Changzhou, Qingdao, Qingyuan, Lingshui, Shenyang, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Suzhou and Shaoxing.

　　The first of these hotels, dusitD2 Fudu Binhu Hotel Changzhou, hosted its soft opening on 23rd July 2013. Nicknamed 'the diamond' due to its impressive gem-like structure, the hotel is conveniently located in the Wujin Hi-Tech Industrial Zone of Changzhou, Jiangsu Province and offers guests floor-to-ceiling views over the adjacent West Taihu Lake.

　　"China is a market with abundant opportunities," says Mr Chanin Donavanik, Board Director of Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts and CEO of Dusit International. "I believe a South-East Asian chain can do very well here, offering a different approach to hospitality."

　　China is now Thailand's largest feeder market with 1.1 million visitors to Thailand in Q1 2013, a 100% increase Y-o-Y. Additionally, Chinese travellers spent a record US$102 billion on international tourism in 2012, a 40% rise from US$73 billion in 2011.

　　"China is the world's largest source market for international tourism, as well as one of the biggest travel destinations," adds President of Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts, Mr Lim Boon Kwee. "China is set to become the biggest hotel market--therefore we need to be here."