The booth of Japan National Tourism Organization at the China International Travel Mart 2018. [Photo by Xu Lin/China Daily]

Samoa Tourism Authority sales and marketing manager Leituala Joe Chan Ting believes the fair is important to the Polynesian island that's visa-free for Chinese.

"It's important to improve our air connectivity. So we're trying to have more codeshare airlines and charted flights for Chinese customers," he says.

"Chinese like our picturesque beaches and colorful activities, such as fishing and hiking."

Samoa receives around 3,000 or 4,000 Chinese visitors a year. They often visit neighboring Fiji as part of their trips.

Shanghai, Beijing and Shaanxi jointly hosted an inbound-tourism event at the fair.