3/1 To Win
Derby is welcoming a 17-strong delegation from China as part of plans to boost trade, investment and tourism – and Derby County will play a significant role in showcasing the city.
The party of business leaders from Hefei in Anhui province are experiencing the very best that the city has to offer investors – and the Rams will be cementing ties with representatives of the Hefei Football Association who have also made the trip.
The visit comes almost a year after Derby City Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with its counterpart in Hefei.
The travelling party will take in the Rams’ Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Sheffield Wednesday at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday afternoon and four coaches from the Hefei FA will also visit the Rams’ Training Centre to look at the structure and training programmes at the club’s top-class Academy.
A Rams delegation including Academy Director Darren Wassall and Chief Operating Officer John Vicars visited Hefei earlier this year and the club has pledged to help improve coaching education provision within the HFA.
Councillor Ranjit Banwait, Leader of Derby City Council said: “This is the first Chinese business delegation to visit Derby and one of the biggest visits to any city outside of London. There is an excellent breadth of businesses.Building even stronger ties with Hefei, demonstrates our commitment to one of our key pledges, linking with overseas markets as a way of guaranteeing the future economic prosperity of the city.
“As part of our post-Brexit economic strategy, our ambitious vision for the city involves establishing strong links with Hefei and their visit this week is the next important step to realising economic, cultural and sporting collaboration. Hefei is a good fit for Derby - has a population of 7 million people and is one of the fastest growing cities in China, with economic growth comparable to some countries in the world.”
Other plans for their visit include:
Work to develop strong tourism links is progressing with accredited tour operators – to create an itinerary for Chinese tourists to visit local attractions, and then to market it in Hefei.
The aim is to establish Derby and Derbyshire as a ‘must see destination’, with early visitors from China encouraging others to follow. This will benefit local hotels, restaurants, attractions and shops.
The delegation includes significant entrepreneurs from industries in Hefei, including property development, tourism, medical technology and steel manufacturing.
