This means great things for both Pittsburgh and Chinese travelers. This flight increases opportunities for Chinese tourism in Pittsburgh, contributing to the regional economy. Specifically, Caissa Touristic and VisitPittsburgh are working together to ensure that the hundreds of Chinese travelers arriving on these fights will be booked at local hotels and explore all that Pittsburgh has to offer. Earlier this year Idea Foundry worked with VisitPittsburgh and Guest Service Solutions to offer free training to those in the service and hospitality industries to prepare for an increase in Chinese visitors.

This historic flight has been years in the making. Idea Foundry started working in China 8 years ago to promote investment in our region and study at the university and high school levels. However, during Idea Foundry’s first trip to China, we encountered a major problem. People in China didn’t know Pittsburgh and searching for Pittsburgh on Chinese search engines produced few results. Realizing that no one would want to invest, work, or study in a place they didn’t know, Idea Foundry began, and has continued, to increase awareness of Pittsburgh in China. This charter flight shows just how far these efforts have gone. We are excited to see our and our partners’ efforts on creating this flight, which included numerous trips to China, come into fruition.