Region needs to be prepared for China
MORE work will be needed to get the Darling Downs’ tourism operators ready for Chinese visitors.
That’s the view of Southern Queensland Country Tourism CEO Mary-Clare Power, who said the Asian market offered plenty of opportunities for the industry.
The comments come after new statistics from Tourism and Events Queensland revealed China overtook New Zealand as the state’s top source for international visitors last year.
Ms Power said while there was plenty of potential to attracting wealthy middle-class Chinese visitors, she cautioned that tourism operators needed to be able to cater for them.
“We’ve got to be Chinaready, because they behave differently and have different expectations to other parts of Asia,” she said.
“The way they communicate is different and the level of expectations and different levels of food and languages that are required of operators.
“I know there are people who think we just need to fly them in there, but as a region we need to be ready for it first.
“We did a China-ready workshop and everyone who attended realised they weren’t China-ready. There is work to be done, and you have to change your business model.”
But Ms Power said the rapidly-shifting nature of how the Chinese travelled could benefit the Darling Downs, especially as they moved away from large groups and opted to instead travel independently.
‘‘ WE’VE GOT TO BE CHINA-READY, BECAUSE THEY BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY AND HAVE DIFFERENT EXPECTATIONS TO OTHER PARTS OF ASIA.
MARY-CLARE POWER
“Fully independent travellers are probably a much-better fit for our region,” she said.
Ms Power said markets in Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea would be more open to Darling Downs operators right now.