11 years of growth for tourism group

Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), established in February 1998, is a leading State-owned tourism enterprise based in Beijing. It has successfully implemented a number of high profile events, including several receptions that formed part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

BTG was formed as the result of a restructuring program initiated by the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Beijing municipal government. Following its launch, BTG consisted of several subsidiaries in the hotel business and travel service, a coach and taxi service, and an exhibition company.

A year later, BTG acquired another tranche of businesses, which formerly fell under the auspices of the National Tourism Administration office and a number of other ministries and commissions.

The group's most significant series of acquisitions occurred in 2004, when four large-scale SOEs - the Beijing New Yansha Group, the Quanjude Group Co Ltd, the Antique City Group and the Beijing Donglaishun Group - were all merged into BTG.

Through acquisitions and mergers, BTG has grown rapidly over the last 11 years. Its total assets have increased from about 8.33 billion yuan in 1998 to 26.98 billion yuan in 2008, demonstrating an 11.23 percent average annual growth rate.

Today BTG has six specialized divisions: hotels and resorts, travel agencies, shopping, restaurants, coaches and taxis and scenic spots. Together these cover almost every aspect of the tourism industry.

Among these sectors, BTG's hotels, resorts and restaurant interests have already established a major national presence, with each sector now consisting of a publicly- listed company and a market-leading brand.

The division has established two widely-known brands in the hotel management industry - BTG Jianguo and Home-inn. It also includes the publicly-listed company, the Beijing Capital Tourism Co Ltd, now a platform for the reorganization of the hotel assets of BTG.

In the restaurant sector, BTG has amassed a number of leading brands, including Quanjude and Donglaishun. The former, listed in 2007, is synonymous with high quality roast duck, whilst the latter is known for its boiled mutton.

In terms of its coach and taxi services, BTG now owns the Capital Taxi Company, one of the largest companies of its kind in China.

BTG's shopping portfolio consists of the Beijing New Yansha Group and its subsidiaries, including the Yansha Friendship Shopping City, GuiYou Plaza and the New Yansha Tongluowan Commerce Company.

Its travel agency assets include BTG International Travel &Tours and China Comfort Travel Co Ltd.

BTG also has stakes in a number of popular tourist destinations, including the Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone in Hainan province, the Shahu Scenic Zone in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, as well as the Changchun Movie Wonderland in Jilin province.