Why the Chinese Market is Important: Puamau
And given the last minute booking nature of the Chinese, it boils down to price, value for money and whoever is the quickest to confirm is who wins the most!
5. An estimate on the Budget Rosie Holidays spends on promotions in China this year and in total, if possible from when you first ventured there?
Our cost of marketing and promotions in China over the past 15 years has grown significantly and also in line with our expectations and targets from this market.
Rosie Holidays was also the first Fijian company to operate chartered flights from China to Fiji which we started in 2015 with our first chartered flights with Fiji Airways from Shanghai to Nadi during the Chinese New Year period.
Since 2015, Rosie Holidays has operated chartered flights every year during the Chinese New Year period with Fiji Airways from selected cities and regions across China as part of our strategic plan to develop the greater China markets beyond their Tier 1 mega cities.
These chartered flights are not cheap and our investment with Fiji Airways over the past five years has been over FJ$10 million alone in operating these charters.
We continue to see potential for charter flights in 2020 despite the softening market and will be working closely with Fiji Airways to grow this segment of our business from China.
6. Has competition from other holiday destinations been more competitive this year and how has
Rosie Holidays countered this?
Fiji is always under constant competitive pressure from other similar holiday destinations and when it comes to China, there is a long list of competitors!
One of the great things about not being the most popular in China is that we can learn from the mistakes of our larger competitors and adjust our approach to be more customised to the niche markets that we are tapping in China on this long journey that we are on.
Our key focus is to deliver a quality authentic experience that these Chinese travelers can relate with and learn from so they go back with a renewed perspective which they are inspired to share with their peers, family and friends.
7. What has the response been like from Chinese visitors on their return from Fiji?
The responses that we have been tracking with our clients is that Fiji is indeed very beautiful and pure where they mean un-spoilt.
There is a general positive feeling that many hotels have made very good effort to improve their china friendly services where they have items on their menus for Asian guests as well as within their overall amenities.
This shows that the tourism industry is maturing in its understanding and catering for this very important market.
One very big positive feedback has been our introduction of chinese friendly payment systems where Rosie’s is the first Fijian company to be offering AliPay and
WeChatPay digital wallet payment solutions for the Chinese visitor.
This is very big news in China as this is their way of life and so to be able to deliver this in Fiji where they can pay for all their ground services is massive positive improvement on their rating of Fiji as a destination.
8. What do the Chinese really look forward to in Fiji when on holiday here?
The new generation of Chinese visitors that we are targeting are looking for customised authentic experiences which they not only enjoy learning a new perspective but also one where they can share live with their peers and friends.
I recall a group that we took to experience a traditional fish drive with a local village here on the mainland.
That experience sparked the arrival of close to 2,000 additional visitors from China because it was something that they had never seen before and something that was very authentic for them.
It went viral through their sharing of this one authentic experience!
9.How many Chinese visitors have been to Fiji this year through Rosie Holidays?
Rosie Holidays handles fifteen thousand Chinese close to visitors which is approximately one third of the total Chinese visitors’ arrivals into Fiji.
10. Further comments on the China market if possible.
When you go shopping in a supermarket, you obviously don’t buy everything on the shelves that’s on offer.
In the same way, China much like a Supermarket!
And so we need to be very deliberate in the type of Chinese traveler that we want to bring to from this super economy.
Another challenge that the tourism industry is facing is the need to improve regulations where a business is deemed to be an inbound tour operator by their business license without any further requirements for service standards.
This is where we have been a strong advocate that any new business that wants to establish an inbound service must pass the requirements of the Society of Fiji Travel Associates (SOFTA) which is the standard bearer for inbound operators in Fiji.
As an industry, we need to be deliberate in our continued development of the Chinese market to Fiji and work together as a united front to help ensure that proper development of key standards that will ensure our long term mutual success from this great market. is very
11. What of other markets, including the top two - Australia and New Zealand?
Australia continues to be a challenge for Fiji where our growth this year has been flat and has been the case for the past few years.
It’s not good for Fiji that our largest source market remains stagnant.
Having said that, there is some encouraging signs of change with the news of Rob Thomson coming in to take charge of our destination marketing with Tourism Fiji in Australia and the introduction of the new A350 fleet by Fiji Airways on their Sydney service which will hopefully improve our fortunes.
12. Has this year been good for the other markets?
New Zealand, North America and United Kingdom have been very positive growth markets for Fiji and for our business.
Japan is also seeing some promising growth.