Planning the visit to China, Hong Kong, Shanghai

Every time you visit an overseas market, plan your trip in advance, making sure you have confirmed appointments with all your existing suppliers and potential suppliers that you wish to meet. Since you are the buyer, and particularly if you are an important buyer, the supplier will probably assist you with your visit arrangements. He may recommend where to stay, make a hotel booking for you and arrange for a car to take you to his office or works. If you visit a market as part of a trade mission, many of these arrangements will be made by the visit organizers.

Travel within Western Europe is relatively easy; especially if you equip yourself with the information on the country and town you are visiting before departure. Much of this information can be obtained from the country’s tourist office in London. Even on arrival you should be able to obtain a town map and other information from the local tourist office. If you are going to countries further afield especially developing countries, you will not find the same information so readily available, so make sure you use a reliable travel agent with representatives in the countries you propose to visit. Things do go wrong from time to time on overseas business trips and the travel company’s representatives and the supplier you are visiting should be willing to help you. Make sure you have addresses and telephone numbers of people to contact in an emergency. The British Embassy will also advise and possibly help if you are faced with a really serious situation.

Your travel agent should be able to advise you about the documents, eg visas, that you may require. They should also warn you of the health risks and which inoculations are compulsory and which are desirable. The British Airways Travel Clinics and a number of other specialist organizations will give you good advise on what protection you need and what medication to take with you. Your doctor should have leaflets explaining what protection is needed for each country. He can also arrange inoculations, anti-malaria tablets and any other medication that you may require. Keeping fit is vital if you intend to have a successful visit.
A good travel agent will be able to advise you about clothing requirements, eg for very hot or very could countries, and travel to and from your arrival point. Unfortunately, in some developing counties unless your travel agents representative meets you at the hotel, you might find the reception will claim they have no booking you. Hotels get overbooked and are taket over at short notice for important visiting parties of dignitaries and you need the help of the travel agent’s representative in such situations. In developed countries it is not usually necessary to have this assistance but in some developing countries it is essential.
It is vital to have traveller’s cheques for visit expenses and cash in local currency, assuming it is freely exchangeable on the world’s currency markets. Clearly, Western European countries, North America, Japan and other developed countries are unlikely to present and real problems. In some developing countries with exchange controls you need to know about exchange rates before you arrive and any problems you are likely to have changing traveller’s cheques and paying hotel bills in hard currency. It may not be easy to change travellers cheques at any hour of the day or night and you need to change money at your point of arrival. Since you are intending to purchase goods or services or at least enter into business arrangements during your visit you should know the sterling exchange rate and the structure of the local currency before you arrive. This knowledge will also enable you to make price comparisons with the goods and services being sold locally.