Many in the travel industry are looking to tap an increasingly lucrative Chinese clientele.

At the International Exhibition for Business and Leisure Tourism, which launched its ninth session at the China National Convention Center in Beijing on Friday, representatives from airlines, hotels, foreign embassies and various travel agencies from around the globe set up their booths to help generate interest among Chinese visitors.

Many at the three-day exhibition showcasing foreign and domestic travel destinations held high expectations of the market even with the current economic woes in the West.

"These exhibition events allow us to see and hear what the Chinese market is calling for," said the counselor at the Turkish embassy's culture and tourism section, Iknur Yigit.

"Sales are going up and we've been getting more and more Chinese tourists lately."

Yigit said Turkey has seen a 25 percent increase of Chinese tourists from the year before.

"Everybody's eyes are on China right now and Turkey is one of the top travel destinations in the world. It was named No 6. And it shows. Usually each year when we come to this event, we see about 500 visitors a day."

Evelyn Paiwonski from the Dominican Republic was attending the exhibition for the first time. Her aim was to help "lay some groundwork" for her country.

The Dominican Republic, she said, has only about 4 million tourists each year, with Chinese making up a small amount of that group.

"We understand that there's a lot of potential in this market," Paiwonski said. "So we're working hard at making it easier for the Chinese."

Paiwonski said that getting visas for travel to the Dominican Republic can be difficult. The paperwork takes almost six months and that could dissuade a Chinese tourist from making the trip, she said. But she is helping to make it possible for Chinese tourists to travel there more easily.

"If they already have a valid visa from one of the Schengen countries, Canada or the United States, then all they have to do is pay $10 on arrival to retrieve a tourist card valid for 30 days," she said.

For the United Arab Emirates, the market for China is getting larger and larger - and by 2015, the commercial trade between the two countries is expected to reach $100 billion, Chief Operating Officer Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer said.

"With these kinds of figures, it means there are going to be more Chinese businessmen and therefore more Chinese tourists," he said.

Describing the Chinese market as "important and powerful", he said his country is hoping for more increased investments. The UAE's commercial trade with China has increased 35 percent from previous years.

Alessandro Gianandrea, a China operation manager from Gartour Incoming Operator and Travel, said that there is plenty of room for everyone in the Chinese market. Representing Italy, he said his country has always been a popular destination for Chinese tourists - and he cannot see the market decreasing because of the current problems with the euro.