DIA China Boot Camp

The explosion of social media in China is putting pressure on marketers to increase their spending, learn to navigate key platforms like Tencent and Sina, and forge alliances online with local key opinion leaders, known in China as KOLs.

One fascinating aspect of China’s digital landscape is how openly netizens take to the cyber-streets to offer thoughts, opinions and guidance. Of China’s 500 million online users, half claim to be active bloggers. China now has 580 million people active on that country’s top social network, Tencent’s QZone, out of 712 million registered users. QZone is followed in popularity by Twitter-like Tencent Weibo, with 507 million registered users, and Sina Weibo, with 400 million. Next are PengYou, also owned by Tencent, with 259 million users, and Facebook-like RenRen at 172 million.

Brands are looking to develop their own brand fans at a more practical level rather than just purely looking at weibo queens like [Chinese actress] Yao Chen. China has four main types of key opinion leaders: Celebrities, commercial accounts, grassroots folks [who] are building a name for themselves, and industry experts in a particular field.”

Microblogs called weibo are one of the fast-growing activities, along with e-commerce. Fashion and luxury brands are among the most active industries using social media. The leading players on Sina Weibo today include brands like Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Coach, Dior, Burberry, Audi, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Ferrari, but most Western brands are eager to expand their social media presence and align with opinion leaders who act as brand ambassadors.

One challenge for advertisers is the rise of fake fans sold by vendors exploiting a quick business opportunity–selling virtual “followers” that artificially inflate the fan base of bloggers and brands. Market pressure pushes bloggers to drive more followers if that is the key indicator as to whether or not they are influential. It is important for brands to look at the context of what KOLs are talking about, the level of engagement, re-tweets, comments, and then the amount of interaction they have with their fans.

While travel and tourism organizations are starting to look more at s

ocial media to enter the Chinese market, the focus is still on traditional marketing channels, mainly trade, road-shows, offline advertising, and events.  The Canadian Tourism Commission for example has executed various social media campaigns in China via its partner Dragon Trail Interactive, leveraging its Tripshow.com platform. The latest phase of the campaign leverages KOLs in ways to drive buzz in organic ways which drives visits to Canada by Chinese tourists. Here is a link to the campaign site: http://cn-keepexploring.canada.travel/campaign/index/hot

The China Boot Camp, part of Digital Innovation Asia, on June 10-12 in Bangkok will focus specifically on Chinese bloggers and KOLs, and the Chinese social media landscape. The Blogger Match-Up will bring in bloggers and influencers from all over the world, including China, for a unique opportunity for travel and tourism organization in Asia to connect with these KOLs via speed-dating scheme. To register for the event, visit http://diasiatourism.eventbrite.com. For more information on the Digital Innovation Asia events, please download the brochure, and view photos of the past China Boot Camp with top Chinese KOLs last April.

Partly sourced: AdAge (March 1, 2013)

Image Source: Baidu Data Center

China is seen as a market with huge potential for Indonesian inbound travel with the country only securing a small share of the estimated 80 million Chinese who travel abroad each year.

The charter flights will reportedly operate from Chegdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Nanjin to the Indonesian destinations of Manado and Bali.

Shanghai Qiangsheng International Travel Service Co, Ltd. General Manager, Tang Shi Guo, has said Indonesia has become a favorite destination for tourists from China.

“Indonesia is getting more and more popular for tourists from China because of various attractions and attractive tour packages, such as diving and hiking,” Tang Shi Guo said here on Saturday.

He admitted that Bali is among the favorite places for Chinese tourists to visit, though there are other interesting places in Indonesia visiting Chinese enjoy.

“Bali is certainly still the main attraction, but we are also promoting many more interesting places in Indonesia for our prospective tourists to visit,” he noted.

The number of tourist arrivals in the resort island of Bali last year exceeded the target of 2.8 million, according to the provincial tourism office.

“A total of 2,888,864 tourists visited Bali last year, exceeding the target of 2.8 million,” the head of the tourism office, Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, said here.

According to data from the office, Australia remained on top of the source of foreign tourist arrivals in Bali, followed by China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea.

The data show 684,312 Australians and 267,353 Chinese visited Bali in the year to October 2012. He said the number of US tourists visiting Bali in the first ten months of 2012 also grew positively at 33 percent.

Bali has set a target of tourist arrivals for 2013 at 3.1 million. The target has been adjusted to the supporting capacity of Bali as a tourist destination, he said.

“In the past five years, the number of tourist arrivals in Bali grew by a range of 10-12 percent. That is good,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the target could be achieved as a number of infrastructure projects including underpass and toll road will have been completed by July 2013.

More and more Chinese tourists are flocking to Bali as their main holiday destination and, as a result, are overlooking other islands in Indonesia. To counter this trend, the head of the country’s tourism said her country is “diversifying” its destinations and choices to give Chinese travelers a more varied experience in the world’s largest archipelago.

“Most (Chinese) people go to Bali, but they don’t necessarily know that Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands. Although it is the most famous one, Bali is just one of many islands worth visiting,” Mari Elka Pangestu, the minister of tourism and creative economy, said during a visit to Beijing on Tuesday.

Tang Shi added that Indonesia has many interesting destinations which should be managed well and supported with adequate accessibility and infrastructure in order to become even more popular.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s Promotion Director, Esthy Reko Astuti, said China was also a potential tourism market. “Therefore we have opened direct flights between Indonesia and China, such as Jakarta-Beijing, Jakarta-Shanghai, and Jakarta-Guangzhou,” she said.

At the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), representatives of the Tourism Ministry of Indonesia confirmed the potential, as well as the ongoing focus in looking to attract Chinese consumers.

During her less-than-24-hour stay in Beijing, Indonesian Tourism Minister Maria Elka Pangestu met with Chinese ministers in charge of trade and foreign diplomacy, and she took time to promote tourism resources to the media before boarding a plane back to Jakarta at midnight.

The tourism industry has been Indonesia’s third-biggest generator of revenue. About 470,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Indonesia in 2011, according to the ministry. Last year, there were more than 600,000, and the figure is expected to grow by another 20 percent this year.

But Pangestu thinks the number is still “below its potential”, considering that Thailand and Malaysia each attracted more than a million Chinese visitors last year, and China ranked fourth in terms of tourists behind Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Her team is now working hard to promote “16 priority destinations” nationwide, such as the Borobudur-Prambanan areas in Central Java, Yogya-Sleman in Yogyakarta and Lake Toba in North Sumatra, which boast the country’s cultural ethnic diversity and natural scenery.

“But we are not only looking for quantity. We see quality as important, too,” she said.

She added that increasing visitors from China and other countries in Asia can help offset the impact of the eurozone crisis on tourism.

To achieve this, Indonesia is improving its infrastructure, she said.

By the middle of the year, Bali will have a new airport terminal. By next year, there will also be new terminals in Jakarta and a few other cities in Central Java, so that the country can provide more flights between China and Indonesia.

At the moment, its leading carrier, PT Garuda, operates five direct flights from Beijing a week. Both Shanghai and Guangzhou also have daily direct flights to Indonesia.

Pangestu was the first female Chinese Indonesian to be appointed to a cabinet position. She was minister of trade from 2004 to 2011. During a cabinet reshuffle in October 2011, she was appointed to the newly created position of minister of tourism and creative economy. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono believes “there are close connections” between the two.

And she is applying “creative ideas” to tourism, such as promoting the idea of a common visa within ASEAN to make it more convenient for non-ASEAN travelers to visit several countries on one trip.

Noting that the Chinese movie Lost in Thailand, which was shot in Thailand’s Chiang Mai, recently grabbed a box office record of 1.2 billion yuan ($193 million) in China, Pangestu said her government has also adopted the “movie and tourism” model in its recent promotional campaign.

The Hollywood movie Eat, Pray, Love, starring Julia Roberts, was shot in Jimbaran and Ubud, Bali, in 2010, and it helped build international recognition of the island. Bali also developed an Eat, Pray, Love tour so that visitors and movie fans could go to the places that impressed them in the film.

These days, Chinese tourists are changing in terms of preferences and behavior, in her view. More and more are looking for specialized tourism, such as golf, diving and food, for example. Her ministry is striving to “cater more to the different types of potential Chinese tourists”.

During the upcoming Spring Festival, there will be celebrations in Indonesia that are also worth seeing, she said. Indonesia has already declared the festival a public holiday.

The forecast accompanied figures released by Chinese officials saying the number of Chinese tourists globally would reach 200 million by 2020.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said at a news conference after the 16th ASEAN Tourism Ministers’ Meeting in Laos during ATF that Chinese tourist numbers had soared well beyond expectations.

“Before, they assumed Chinese outbound tourists would number around 100 million globally by 2020, but according to statistics from the ASEAN-China Center and the report of a Chinese tourism official, Chinese tourists will reach 200 million  [worldwide] by then,” he said.

China, Japan and South Korea collectively had 114 million outbound tourists. Chinese tourist numbers reached 83 million.

ASEAN countries had attracted nine million Chinese tourists last year. Cambodia had received about 330,000 of them – a 40 per cent rise, Khon said.

“We are acting with the Department of  Market Study to prepare marketing strategies,” he said, adding: “We have completed about 80 per cent of the project. We need… more workshops and the help of the ASEAN-China Center.”

Ho Vandy, co-chair of the government-private sector working group on tourism, said the forecast for the future was one thing, but most important was the participation of all operators in the tourism field.

Vandy said ministry officials rather needed to strengthen the quality of tourism services.

The government should also reduce the tax on investment in the sector, he added.

The Sixteenth Meeting of ASEAN Tourism Ministers (16th M-ATM) was held on 20 January 2013 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013 (ATF 2013). The Meeting was preceded by the Thirty-Seventh Meeting of ASEAN National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and other ASEAN NTOs meetings with Dialogue Partners. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Professor Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Lao PDR, with Dato’ Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, serving as Vice Chairperson.

The Ministers were pleased with the positive growth of international visitor arrivals into ASEAN in 2012. Preliminary figures submitted by all ASEAN Member States showed that ASEAN attracted more than 74.8 million visitors last year, posting a strong 10.14 per cent growth. Enhanced air connectivity, particularly the strong growth of Low-Cost Carriers within ASEAN has been a contributing factor in maintaining Intra-ASEAN travel as the major source market with the share of 46 per cent of total international arrivals, and this was followed by the influx of tourists from Asia with the share of 28 per cent.

ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy

The Ministers were pleased with the implementation progress of the ASEAN Tourism Marketing Strategy 2012-2015, particularly through the completion of the development of the tourism digital campaign for China (www.dongnanya.travel) and its supporting online activities, executed by Dragon Trail Interactive, the development of the experiential and creative market campaign and distribution strategy, and ASEAN tourism raising awareness through press releases and blogs.

LIST OF MINISTERS 
The Meeting was attended by:

(i) H.E. Pehin Dato Yahya, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam;

(ii) H.E. Dr. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, Cambodia;

(iii) Mr. I Gusti Putu Laksaguna, Inspector General of Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia, representing H.E. Dr. Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia;

(iv) H.E. Prof. Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR;

(v) Dato’ Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia representing H.E. Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, Minister of Tourism, Malaysia;

(vi) U Aung Zaw Win, Director General of Directorate of Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar representing H.E. Mr. Htay Aung, Minister for Hotels and Tourism, Myanmar;

(vii) H.E. Mr. Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. Secretary of Tourism, Philippines;

(viii) Mr. Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive,  Singapore Tourism Board, representing H.E. Mr. S. Iswaran, Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore;

(ix) H.E. Mr. Sombat Kuruphan, Vice Minister for Tourism and Sports, Thailand;

(x) H.E. Mr. Ho Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Viet Nam; and

(xi) H.E. Mr. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN.

http://www.asean.org/news/asean-statement-communiques/item/the-sixteenth-meeting-of-asean-tourism-ministers-16th-m-atm

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These arrivals are expected to spend several billion baht nationwide.

As China, the world’s most populous country, has developed into an economic superpower, its middle class has more money to spend on travel.

China had the most visitors to Thailand last year at 2.5 million, up by 47.1% from 1.7 million in 2011.

Chinese visitors are expected to grow by at least 28% to 3.2 million in 2013 to help compensate for the drop in European travellers.

Chinese tourists will undoubtedly play a large part if the government is to achieve its goal of 2 trillion baht in tourism revenue by 2015. China’s economy remains strong, and for the moment there are no negative political factors in Thailand.

Thai TV series and films remain very popular in China, and the expansion of air connections between the countries will only foster more travel this year.

Lost in Thailand (2012), a low-budget comedy, has set a record by grossing US$184 million as of this past Sunday after debuting on Dec 12.

The film, which is set in Thailand, tells the story of two businessmen searching for their boss in the North. Hilarity ensues.

Kitcha Lawkobkit, the marketing manager at Ananda Travel (Thailand) Co, said the Chinese tourist market has several niches including families, middle-aged groups, students, traders, businessmen and golfers.

Most of the Chinese travellers they see in Thailand are workers aged 21-50 who want to relax and experience something new.

The cheap tour prices in Thailand make the country very popular, said Mr Kitcha.

He said Thailand is also a popular investment destination, and most Chinese want to see the country before they invest.

Ananda Travel is targeting honeymoon couples, sea-sports enthusiasts keen for the Andaman Sea and golfers.

Chinese tourists are also valuable because they are eager shoppers, said Mr Kitcha.

“My husband and I chose to visit Thailand due to its wide variety of outstanding attractions, both natural and man-made,” said Alice Cheng, 31, from Shanghai.

Jing Meiling, 22, from Hunan, said: “The movie Lost in Thailand as well as my love of Thai entertainers brought me here, as I want to see the real locations used in the film. This is my first visit to Thailand. I like the accommodation, food and culture, so this trip is worthwhile for me. I’m very happy, and if I have a chance, I will come back.”

Their favourite destinations are Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Rayong, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Cha-am.

Popular souvenirs for the group include Naraya handbags, fried durian chips, 3-in-1 coffee, accessories, honey and instant noodles.

“I like Naraya handbags as souvenirs for my friends in China because of their beauty, quality, functionality and price,” said Xian Mi from Shanghai.

These arrivals are expected to spend several billion baht nationwide.

As China, the world’s most populous country, has developed into an economic superpower, its middle class has more money to spend on travel.

China had the most visitors to Thailand last year at 2.5 million, up by 47.1% from 1.7 million in 2011.

Chinese visitors are expected to grow by at least 28% to 3.2 million in 2013 to help compensate for the drop in European travellers.

Chinese tourists will undoubtedly play a large part if the government is to achieve its goal of 2 trillion baht in tourism revenue by 2015. China’s economy remains strong, and for the moment there are no negative political factors in Thailand.

Thai TV series and films remain very popular in China, and the expansion of air connections between the countries will only foster more travel this year.

Lost in Thailand (2012), a low-budget comedy, has set a record by grossing US$184 million as of this past Sunday after debuting on Dec 12.

The film, which is set in Thailand, tells the story of two businessmen searching for their boss in the North. Hilarity ensues.

Kitcha Lawkobkit, the marketing manager at Ananda Travel (Thailand) Co, said the Chinese tourist market has several niches including families, middle-aged groups, students, traders, businessmen and golfers.

Most of the Chinese travellers they see in Thailand are workers aged 21-50 who want to relax and experience something new.

The cheap tour prices in Thailand make the country very popular, said Mr Kitcha.

He said Thailand is also a popular investment destination, and most Chinese want to see the country before they invest.

Ananda Travel is targeting honeymoon couples, sea-sports enthusiasts keen for the Andaman Sea and golfers.

Chinese tourists are also valuable because they are eager shoppers, said Mr Kitcha.

“My husband and I chose to visit Thailand due to its wide variety of outstanding attractions, both natural and man-made,” said Alice Cheng, 31, from Shanghai.

Jing Meiling, 22, from Hunan, said: “The movie Lost in Thailand as well as my love of Thai entertainers brought me here, as I want to see the real locations used in the film. This is my first visit to Thailand. I like the accommodation, food and culture, so this trip is worthwhile for me. I’m very happy, and if I have a chance, I will come back.”

Their favourite destinations are Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Rayong, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Cha-am.

Popular souvenirs for the group include Naraya handbags, fried durian chips, 3-in-1 coffee, accessories, honey and instant noodles.

“I like Naraya handbags as souvenirs for my friends in China because of their beauty, quality, functionality and price,” said Xian Mi from Shanghai.

Source: Bangkok Post (January 12, 2013)
NOTE: At the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Vientiane (January 21-24, 2013), tourism ministers and officials from the ASEAN member countries national tourism organizations will debate how is an important source market, and how this trends can be leveraged.  China Travel Trends will be attending ATF to cover this trend.

From hotels, airports, malls, and retailers hiring Manadarin speaking concierge services, to countries easing visa norms and doing joint marketing agreements with China, the efforts run the gamut. And most of the time, in the name of being sensitive to the Chinese cultural needs, some tourism organizations and companies resort to cultural shorthands, or cliches, while dealing with the guests.

For instance, Switzerland, a sophisticated tourism marketer as far as countries go, is in a Chinese marketing overdrive: As its mainstay German travelers are shying away, Chinese are among the fastest-growing groups, populating the Alps and buying its famous and pricey watches.

It recently came out with detailed norms and guidelines for its hotel industry on working with Chinese travelers, titled “Swiss Hospitality for Chinese Guests.” And the document, while very detailed and useful, resorts to plenty of cliches about Chinese culture in general, some surely useful, and some borderline offensive. We’ve extracted the best one below:

• Treat your Chinese guests respectfully. They are proud to be citizens of the People’s Republic of China as well as of the economic and political success of their home country. Discussions on politically sensitive matters like human rights, regional independence movements, Taiwan, etc. should be conducted with great care and diplomacy – your Chinese counterpart often does not feel at ease discussing controversial matters.
• Many Chinese understand only little English, German or French: Chinese signalling at the most popular tourist spots of the destination as well as for generally important information (airports, train stations, cable cars, museums, entrance, exit, bathrooms, etc.) is a must.
• Chinese are “last-minute travellers,” they don’t really plan their trip, and they don’t like to wait: Show flexibility with regard to the suggestions of your Chinese guests and provide fast response and service.
• Chinese visitors have high expectations: Show as much flexibility as possible and take into account their requests.
• If possible do not assign rooms on the 4th floor or containing a “4” (4, 14, 24, 34, etc.) in the room number to Chinese travellers as this number is associated with death. In particular room numbers containing “6”, “8” or “9” or being located on the 6th, 8th, and the 9th floor are considered to be lucky rooms.
• Provide clear operational instruction in Chinese about Pay-TV and indicate that the fee is not included in the room rate or the package.
• Assign your Chinese guests rooms with twin beds: The members of the group travelling together will, in general, not have known each other before starting the trip.
• Ensure fast check-in and check-out service: Chinese get rather impatient if they have to wait.
• Chinese love to drink hot tea or hot water at almost any time of the day (or night): Provide an electrical water cooker or a thermos containing hot water as well as free tea and coffee in the rooms. Hot water or hot tea is usually served at lunch and dinner as well.
• Chinese travel with little luggage: Provide a basic selection of accessories for daily use, such as shampoo, tooth brush and tooth paste, in their room.
• Chinese prefer to spend their free time in a group: Take this fact into account, when proposing leisure activities during their trip.
• Chinese dine early (at about 7 p.m.) and go to sleep rather late: Let them know what kind of evening entertainment the destination offers (shows, movies, bars, etc.)
• Chinese are evening and weekend shoppers: Make sure your shop is open when they come and adapt the opening hours.
• Shopping is also a social event: Be prepared to deal with a whole group of customers at once and entertain them with some small talk.
• The Chinese love variety: therefore, offer to your Chinese guests several small dishes rather than just one big dish. Put emphasis upon using different kinds of food stuffs (meat, vegetables, eggs, etc.).
• Chinese eat quickly: try and serve the food all at the same time and please don’t take it as a mark of disrespect when the Chinese leave the table immediately – as soon as they have put down their cutlery  or chopsticks.
• Avoid using too many milk products (cream, cheese, butter) and be moderate in the use of salt.
• The Chinese like foods which are liquid and soft. However, baked goods are not very common in China.
• Soft-boiled eggs are not so much appreciated. So please boil them longer.
• Hot drinks (and often simply hot water) are preferred to cold drinks.
• A basic selection of Chinese food, such as rice, stewed or fried vegetables and sliced meat (chicken, beef, veal, pork) or fish should be available at all meals.
• Reserve a big, if possible round, table for your Chinese guests: The group travelling together will, in principle, prefer to eat together.
• Chinese like to combine different dishes and tastes: It is appreciated if all courses are served together. The soup will, in principle, be served at the end of the meal.
• Together with the classical European cutlery, chop sticks – placed on the right side of the bowl or dish – should be provided for each person. Chop sticks should never be stuck into the food – this will be associated with bad luck or even death. Otherwise the usual European tableware and decoration will be appreciated by your Chinese guests.
• Chinese eat early: Breakfast at 7.00 a.m., lunch at 12.00 noon and dinner at 7.00 p.m. are quite standard eating hours for Chinese tourists.

What follows is a list of 32 countries that are actively strategizing and employing methods to increase Chinese visitor arrivals in 2013 to build a more lucrative tourism market:

Asia

Philippines: China is the fourth largest tourism market for the Philippines with more than 150,000 visitors arriving in the first six months of 2012. Many headed to Boracay Island, the most popular Philippine destination for Chinese tourists. The steady stream of Chinese visitors was briefly disrupted this summer during a territorial dispute, but picked up again by the fall. The Department of Tourism looks to attract additional Chinese tourists in 2013 by attending major travel fairs in China and offering ‘familiarization tours’ for travel agents and the media.

Malaysia: Malaysia increased flights from Guangzhou and Shanghai to the popular destination of Kota Kinabalu, which faces the South China Sea, to cater to the influx of Chinese tourists. Malaysian tourism minister expects its 1.5 million Chinese visitors outnumbered tourists from all other countries at the end of 2012.

Japan: Japan is one of the only countries that experienced a major decrease in Chinese tourists in recent months. The number of arrivals fell 33 percent year-over-year to 71,000 visitors following a territorial dispute over the Senkaku and Diaoyu Islands.

Thailand: Thailand received an extra boost of Chinese tourists in 2012 due to a territorial dispute between Japan and China that halted almost all tourism between the two countries. Current visitor numbers suggest that Chinese tourists will outnumber visitors from all other countries within the next five years; however, some critics say safety issues and language barriers thwart tourism growth in one of its most popular tourism destinations, Chiang Mai.

Nepal: Chinese tourism to Nepal has steadily increased since 2001, and the two countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaboratively boost tourism. As part of the understanding, both sides have opened ports and resumed direct passenger transportation between Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Indonesia: An increase in Chinese visitors to Bali this year made up for a decline in European tourists in Indonesia and made China the second biggest source of tourism after Australia. Indonesia aims to welcome 600,000 Chinese tourists in 2013, approximately 150,000 more than 2012.

Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan tourism officials push the government to pay attention to the importance of attracting Chinese tourists and suggest enhancing the country’s infrastructure to make the country better suited for increased tourism.
To that end, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and SriLankan Airlines participated in Chinese travel shows and organized their own tourism road show throughout China in 2012. The shows gave tourism officials the opportunity to establish direct relationships with Chinese travel operators and media organizations.

Vietnam: More than 1.4 million Chinese tourists visited Vietnam in 2012, and the country is looking to increase that number by introducing shopping tours, promoting discounted airfares, and increasing engagement with large Chinese travel agencies. In addition to increasing visitor numbers, Vietnam is also strategizing how to extend Chinese visitors’ stays and increase their spending. Vietnam is working on a relaxed visa scheme with Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Mynamar to increase Chinese travel between all countries.

Cambodia: China is the third largest source of tourism for Cambodia with 234,440 visitors in the first nine months of 2012, up 32 percent compared with the same period last year.

Taiwan: Taiwan is the only country that wants fewer Chinese tourists. The country’s tourism bureau recently restricted the daily arrival of Chinese travelers to 4,000, although the average for daily arrivals is consistently over 5,000. The boom began in 2008 when Taiwan opened up its borders to Chinese tourists, but complaints that the multitude of Chinese travelers overwhelmed other sightseeing tourists prompted the tourism board to restrict the inbound flow.

North Korea: Even North Korea wants in on the action. DPRK is improving its infrastructure in hopes of increasing the number of incoming Chinese tourists, which has risen since China listed DPRK as a tourist destination country in 2010. The newly opened destination is attractive to travelers for its unspoilt destinations and because it is relatively cheap compared to other international destinations. DPRK has also simplified the visa procedure for Chinese tourists to attract more tourists.

India: India has felt little benefit from the increase in traveling Chinese tourists thus far, but hopes to change that in 2013. One strategy is to use the blockbuster success of the movie ‘Life of Pi’ in China and offer ‘Life of Pi’ tour packages in China, as well as make Chinese-speaking guides and Mandarin websites available.

Russia: The national tourism agencies of China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on investment and cooperation in the tourism sector. As part of the agreement, China hosted the “Year of Russian Tourism” in 2012 and Russia will host the “Year of Chinese Tourism” in 2013 to promote the exchange of tourism, culture, and education.

Oceania

New Zealand: China is the second biggest source of visitors for New Zealand and accounted for 8 percent of visitors in November 2012. The Chinese overtook UK tourists for the first time that month, but are still far fewer than the 45 percent of visitors that came from Australia. New Zealand went to lengths to produce a tourism video with young Chinese travelers renting a campervan to explore state parks independently.

Australia: Chinese tourists also surpassed the British to become the second-largest tourism market for Australia. In the 12 months prior to September 2012, Chinese arrivals grew by 17 percent. Anecdotal evidence provided by an Australian business suggests that accepting Chines UnionPay credit cards and hiring staff that speak a Chinese language substantially increases business in cities where Chinese airlines fly.

Western Australia has been putting major dollars behind its effort to attract Chinese travelers including a 4 million Australian dollar marketing campaign by Tourism Western Australia, China Southern Airlines and Tourism Australia to quadruple incoming Chinese visitors by 2020.

Europe

France: France is the most popular destination for Chinese tourists in Europe. Fine dining, luxury shopping, and a small town tied to the origins of the Chinese Communist party are to thank for that. France is also part of the Schengen visa scheme that gives Chinese travelers access to 25 countries with a single visa. France and Germany recently opened a joint visa application center in Beijing to further expedite the visa process.

Greece: Greece is looking to increase in Chinese tourists to aid its economic recovery. In order to attract more visitors than the approximately 80,000 that arrived in 2011, the debt-ridden country is working to ease the visa procedures for Chinese travelers, open direct flights between the two countries, and lower its VAT for food catering.

Czech Republic: Hotels and stores in Prague have begun to hire employees that Mandarin or Cantanese, or hire interpreters to have on call to communicate with Chinese tourists. Many retailers are also beginning to accept the Chinese bank card, UnionPay.

Denmark: The Danish government expects the number of incoming Chinese visitors to grow at an annual rate of 20 to 30 percent over the next few years. The number of nights that Chinese tourists stayed in Denmark grew 18 percent in the last year alone, possibly due to the launch of a direct flight between Shanghai and Copenhagen. The small European country is particularly popular with Chinese businesses looking to host meetings and conventions.

Britain: A record 149,000 Chinese visitors went to Britain last year, but it’s estimated that approximately 1.5 billion pounds a year are still lost from restrictions that limit incoming arrivals. To truly open the floodgates for incoming Chinese tourists like France and Italy, Britain would need to scrap its visa regulations that require Chinese tourists to apply and pay for a visa separate from the rest of Europe. The managing director of Harrods, which has more than 70 Mandarin-speaking staff members and more than 100 China Union Pay terminals, has urged Britain to further relax its visa system as Chinese visitors spend nearly double what other foreign tourists spend while on holiday in the UK.

Germany: Germany is well positioned to receive Chinese tourists as it’s included in Schengen visa scheme that gives the Chinese access to 25 countries in a single process. Tour companies and retailers find that speaking a Chinese language is a huge advantage to luring the travelers.

Cyprus: The European island country of Cyprus is working to attract 100,000 Chinese tourists in 2013. Its first step will be hosting Chinese tour operators from Hong Kong to familiarize them with the island. The island is also in talks to host the Miss Asia beauty pageant and the final episode of a popular Chinese TV series in hopes of visually introducing the island to the Chinese.

Middle East

Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan’s efforts to increase Chinese tourism is focused on the three-month World Expo set to take place in 2017, but also includes initiatives to develop transportation infrastructure, open direct flights to Chinese cities, and communicate tourism developments and projects with Chinese tourism officials.

United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates has seen incoming Chinese visitors increase by 50 percent between 2010 and 2011, a number that is expected to rise after the country was given “preferred destination status” by Beijing. UAE’s reputation for luxury and tax-free shopping makes it a popular destination for Chinese tourists. Shops and tour operators need only hire a Mandarin speaker and accept Chinese credit cards to fully enjoy the benefits of their location.

Pakistan: The majority of Chinese visitors traditionally visit Pakistan for business purposes, but the country is hoping to boost its leisure tourism image. It provides visa-on-arrival facilities for Chinese tourism groups and is working to promote its tourism products by participating in major tourism shows in Europe and Asia. The Pakistani tourism board also worked with a predominant Chinese television broadcaster to create a documentary on Pakistan and the Silk Route.

Africa

Kenya: A boom of Chinese tourism in East Africa is bypassing local Kenyan companies due their lack of knowledge on how to attract and engage with the Chinese. According to one Kenyan entrepreneur, the best way to begin engagement with Chinese tourists is hiring hotel staff that speak a Chinese language. Other tips to cater to Chinese guests include avoid giving rooms on the fourth floor for Chinese and offer green tea instead of coffee.

Egypt: Egyptian President Morsi met with tourism officials in Beijing this summer to strategize ways to increase outbound tourism to Egypt. Chinese tourists currently account for about 20 percent of Egypt’s incoming visitors and Egypt is looking to increase that number by increasing flights between the two countries and granting visa entry to Chinese tourist groups upon their arrival in Egypt.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe welcomed approximately 30,000 Chinese tourists in 2011, more than triple the number of Chinese visitors from five years ago. The country now aims for 50,000 Chinese arrivals by 2015. It sent a tourism delegation to participate in the largest professional travel mart in Asia, the China International Travel Mart (CITM), and set up a new visa application system that allowed tourists to apply online rather than travel to the embassy in Beijing.

South Africa: A record number of Chinese tourists (60,000) visited South Africa in the first half of 2012, a 68 percent growth over the first six months of 2011, thanks to the introduction of South African Airways’ direct flights between Johannesburg and Beijing. Chinese visitors numbers have been consistently increasing since 2009 when South Africa was granted approved destination status by China, and have been further bolstered by the opening of two new visa applications centers in China in 2011 and a South African travel promotion campaign specifically targeting Chinese visitors.

Americas

United States of America: The number of arriving Chinese tourists increased by 30 percent in 2012 due to the government’s expedited visa process. The most visited cities are major American hubs including D.C., New York, and Los Angeles where Universal Studios provides Mandarin-speaking employees.

Canada: Canada’s inbound tourism numbers were relatively flat in 2012 with fewer visitors coming from Europe and the US. The exception was an increase in incoming tourists from Asia, especially mainland China. Chinese tourists made 115,200 trips to Canada in the first five months of 2012, a 22.9 percent year-over-year increase.

Arrivals from Chinese tourists first took off in 2010 after Canada was given “approved destination status” by the Chinese government and the Winter Games put Vancouver on the map. The Canadian Tourism Commission is now looking to push its recent viral tourism ad across social media channels in Asia. It’s also created a Mandarin version of its tourism website.

Costa Rica: Costa Rica’s second largest trade partner is China, but has yet to tap into its lucrative outbound tourism market. The Central American country is looking to take advantage of its diplomatic bond established with China in 2007 by positioning itself as the entrance to Latin America. Costa Rica is working to ease visa regulations for businesses, encourage tourism-related businesses to use Chinese languages, and open direct flights between the two countries.

Peru: Peru received fewer incoming Chinese tourists than its South American neighbors in recent years, but is looking to change that by easing visa procedures for Chinese visitors, promoting health tourism, and participating in international travel shows.

Source: Skift (January 8, 2013)

“You speak Chinese?” She asked in English excitedly. Unfortunately, besides “Piao Liang” and “Pian Yi”, beautiful and cheap in Mandarin Chinese, the vendor knows little about Yan Zi’s language.

The vendor is not the only one increasing his efforts to welcome Chinese visitors. In front of the Dom, Chinese national flag is printed at the side of flags of Germany and Britain on a sightseeing bus, showing that it provides guidance in Chinese.

“Many German cities have contacted us, asking for more Chinese tourists,” said Zhang Xiaoxing, marketing manager of Caisser Touristic, one of the largest travel service in Germany to host tourists from China.

In 2011, German Federal Statistic Office recorded more than 1.3 million overnight stays by Chinese visitors. “This represents a year-on-year increase of 21 percent and surpasses the record figures we achieved in 2010,” said Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB).

“China is becoming a hugely important source market for inbound travel to Germany,” Hedorfer said. “Chinese people spend one to two nights in our country and an average of 320 euros per day.”

GNTB expects the number of overnight stays by Chinese visitors to double in the coming 10 years, with increasing spending here.

“Many tourism and retail service providers have tried to adapt themselves more to the needs of Chinese visitors and to offer information in Chinese. Some hotels offer Chinese breakfast and TV channels, many cities have Chinese language websites,” said Professor Wolfgang Georg Arlt, director of China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), which analyses the Chinese tourism market.

With their increasing number, Chinese tourists have had “big changes” in the last 15 years, said Arlt. The last years saw the first wave of visitors from China hurriedly ticking off the major sights and branded shops, “leaving impression as they appear to be only superficially interested in places they visited.”

“The new Chinese tourists are arriving in more diverse locations and stay for more than just a snapshot,” Arlt said. The second wave of Chinese tourists, as they are called by COTRI, are more able to speak English or other foreign languages and are slowing down to enjoy their travel in smaller destinations.

In Caisser Touristic, individually designed service is gaining new profit. “Increasing number of tourists from China is asking to arrange their travel schedule according to their own favor,” said Zhang Xiaoxing.

For Yan Zi, it was a unforgettable experience to visit the calm city of Regensburg after reveling with beer and oompah music in the Munich Oktoberfest 130 kilometers away. “It was the original Bavaria-style revel,” she said.

According to COTRI, a number of developments have positively influenced the start of the second wave of China’s outbound tourism: increase of Chinese income, change of their consuming attitude, simplified procedures to issue passports and tourist visas, increased offline and online tourism marketing by national and regional tourism organizations, better information about traveling through social media contacts, and so on.

Since late 2012, Germany will loosen its visa regulation for travelers from China. “That will attract more Chinese tourists here. It’s also favorable for German economy,” Zhang Xiaoxing said.

Information Source: Xinhua Net
Image Source: crossed-flag-pins.com