City officials from Georgia visited well-known tourist destinations including the Great Wall during their trip to China. CLICK HERE or on photo above for video.

A group of mayors and city officials from Georgia who traveled to China last month say they’re better prepared to deal sensitively with cultural issues that will arise more often as the state attracts more investment and tourism from the Asian nation.

The China National Tourism Authority invited the officials by way of Atlanta travel company China Professional Tours to participate in the International Mayors’ Forum on Tourism in Zhengzhou, the capital city of east-central China’s Henan province. 

The April 10-13 conference aimed to provide a platform for leaders to promote their cities and share knowledge about tourism and a wide range of issues facing world cities.

In an indirect follow-up, GlobalAtlanta and the World Trade Center Atlanta plan to host a June 12 forum bringing together organizations to discuss Georgia’s preparation for the influx of Chinese tourists expected to follow a U.S.-China pact that allows for more group trips between the countries.

Mayors Heidi Davison of Athens, Jere Wood of Roswell and John Fretti of Valdosta made the April trip, along with Savannah Mayor Pro-tem Edna Jackson and Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall. 

In addition to networking with city officials from around the world and perusing tourism displays from China’s provinces, the Georgia delegates also sampled some popular destinations.

In Beijing, they scaled the Great Wall and walked through Tiananmen Square, an important public space known to most Americans as the venue where the Chinese military violently put down pro-democracy demonstrations in 1989.  In the capital, they also made a call on Georgia’s new economic office.

Mixed in with official duties in Zhengzhou were trips to museums, gardens and dance and kung fu performances in the nearby mountains. 

They also witnessed the Miss China Tourism pageant, a flashy production organized in part by Nick Qin, president of China Professional.  Mr. Qin also organizes the Miss China Universe pageant and travels often between Atlanta and China.

Ms. Jackson joined the delegation on behalf of Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, who was kept away by prior engagements.

She told GlobalAtlanta that the trip gave her invaluable experience in dealing with the complex protocols of respect that Chinese people use in their business dealings.

“The Chinese people are very ceremonial, and I can appreciate that,” she said. 

Familiarity with these Chinese practices is becoming increasingly important in Georgia as the state ratchets up business deals with China and looks to win more. 

In Savannah and Brunswick, trade with Greater China (including the Hong Kong customs district) has been largely responsible for the record volume the port has handled over the past year. 

In late April, Ms. Jackson attended the signing of a letter of intent by Mr. Johnson and Jiujiang city Executive Deputy Mayor Zhao Dongliang to form a Savannah sister relationship that will become Georgia’s first with a city in China.

Jiujiang is a city of 5 million people in Jiangxi province.

Ms. Jackson was impressed on her first trip to China by the disposition of the people, whom she said handled their American guests with grace.  Interpreters assigned to each delegate acted as considerate and congenial hosts, not just translators.

“We became very attached to them,” said Ms. Jackson. “Your every wish was taken care of.”

Ms. Davison acknowledged the winsome nature of the group’s hosts but said her favorite part of the trip was wandering around the city, unfettered by bus schedules and tour operators.

A teacher by trade, she enjoyed interacting with wide-eyed children and adults and feeling in a small way that she bridged the cultural gap during those short excursions shared with her husband, who also made the journey. 

Overall, the food, accommodations and schedule were spectacular, but more attention to detail and better information about what to expect could have improved the first-year event, she said. 

It seemed more focused on promoting China as a destination than allowing other cities to make their case.  The fact that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s speech was cut to five minutes illustrates the need for better planning next time around, she said.

But the experience has already helped Ms. Davison in her role as mayor.

She spoke about the trip while welcoming members of Georgia’s consular corps to a recent luncheon.  She often speaks at events hosted by the University of Georgia’s Chinese student groups, and Athens is looking to branch out on the global stage.

“One of the things we’ve been talking about is that we need to do more work in an international arena than what we’ve been doing thus far,” she said.

The China trip was Ms. Davison’s first and her fourth trip abroad.  She recommends traveling to China for no less than 10 days.