Twenty-one foreign trade personnel from Hangzhou-based enterprises pose for a group photo before departing for Indonesia at the Hangzhou International Airport on Aug 24. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

At 17:55 on Aug 24, Beijing time, 21 foreign trade personnel from Hangzhou-based enterprises embarked on Flight SJ3185 from the Hangzhou International Airport for the Indonesian capital of Jakarta for a 14-day market exploration trip.

Han Dalei, general manager of an industrial equipment manufacturer in Hangzhou, was very excited about the trip as he hasn't been to any overseas exhibitions for over two years and missed his loyal overseas customers.

He long ago applied for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Card and received feedback from over 200 customers willing to negotiate with him this time at the Indonesian exhibition from Aug 31 to Sept 2.

"We have developed a lot of new products over the past two years. We would like to learn about our customers' needs and concerns face to face, and also want to further expand new product lines and lay out new sales markets," Han said.

He added that he had tried attending online exhibitions and negotiations during the pandemic, but clinching a deal involved far more than just sending videos, emails and samples.