A former Belfast man who heads up the Pacific Asia Travel Association says there's scope to develop a direct air link between Northern Ireland and China to cash in on the Chinese fascination with all things Titanic. martin Craigs has facilitated the visit of Titanic Quarter representatives to attend two of China's largest tourism industry events as part of a global marketing initiative.
And he believes Northern Ireland has "an impressive tourism" offering for high-spending Asian travellers - providing there are adequate linkages.
"Long-term, the key to helping Northern Ireland access this immense market is to promote a direct air link between Belfast and China," he said yesterday.
"Given the enormous appeal of Titanic to Chinese audiences and the growing lack of capacity in London's airports, the concept of a direct link could become a reality.
"That's something I personally want to see and it's an issue which I've already broached with carriers."
It is understood management at Belfast International Airport have made tentative enquiries about the possibility of a route to Asia.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), formed in 1962 and headquartered in Bangkok, is an advocate and catalyst for developing Asia Pacific's travel and tourism industry.
The number of Chinese people visiting overseas destinations has spiralled from just 10 million in 2000 to 83 million last year as rapid urbanisation and an emerging middle-class have made Chinese travellers the world's highest spending.
And Titanic Quarter says it is aiming to translate the country's fascination with the Titanic into investment and visitors. Representatives from Titanic Quarter have been attending the PATA Travel mart in Chengdu and the Global Tourism economy forum (GTef) in macau, which will be attended by some of the most influential entrepreneurs and decision makers in Asia.
Titanic Quarter's chief executive David Gavaghan, who will be speaking at the GTef event, said: "Chinese president Xi Jinping has forecast that the number of outbound Chinese tourists may exceed 400 million by 2018. The size of the market is almost incomprehensible but the opportunities for Titanic Quarter, and Titanic Belfast in particular, are enormous.
"We're only just starting to tap into the Chinese market but the UK's largest Chinese travel agent is already bringing weekly tours to Titanic Belfast.
"Chinese investors are also increasingly looking at UK locations, primarily London, but we believe that Belfast's strong value proposition will prove attractive too.