Qian Jin, Area President for China and Mongolia, Hilton Group
We saw the central and local governments make quick and effective measures to relieve the burden for hotel operators. These measures include exemptions and deferrals of taxation and social insurance, and waiving parts of energy bills as well. Our hotels also received timely guidance from governments in different cities on virus prevention and pandemic control. We welcome and appreciate all support and help from government offices at different levels.
From this week our hotels start resuming operations. Various government bodies, such as the market regulation bureau, culture and tourism bureau and health supervision bureau, helped us in resuming operations.
As the epidemic gradually goes down, we believe the tourism market will recover. Inbound travel, for both business and leisure, will resume in due cause. As mid- and high-income families in China continue to grow, there is a steadily growing interest toward leisure and short-stay travel, and experiential and solo travelling among Chinese consumers. After the epidemic, we have also noticed people's attitude towards family is also changing. The emotional bond becomes stronger than ever, which also generates a growing interest in family travel. Hilton remains resilient and confident our industry in China will recover. Hilton will re-emerge stronger than ever in time to come.