Chinese tourists grab attention of world tourism sector
Outbound travelers spent $261 million around world in 2016, as Cao Yingying reports.
Ever-increasing numbers of Chinese tourists are traveling overseas, and in response, Western media and tourism companies have begun paying more attention to meeting their needs and attracting their business.
InterContinental Hotels Group, for instance, last year created a digital advertising campaign promoting its hospitality services for Chinese guests traveling overseas.
The ad tells stories about the little comforts offered by the hotel chain to Chinese travelers far from home, such as Chinese dumplings in Paris, a Mandarin speaker at a hotel’s front desk in Seattle, the United States, as well as something as basic as disposable slippers.
The effort to court China’s outbound travelers carries across all the company’s brands, including Crowne Plaza and InterContinental, according to Advertising Age, a global media brand publishing analysis, news and data on marketing and media based in Chicago, the US.
IHG did consumer research and found out that slippers and Chinese TV channels are important. Chinese travelers want bottled water and a kettle, and more than a third of them will check out of a room that doesn’t have a kettle, because they can’t make tea or ramen noodles, their favorite comfort food, said Emily Chang, former chief commercial officer at IHG Greater China, in a report by Advertising Age.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the number of outbound travelers from China rose 6 percent to 135 million in 2016, making China the world’s leading outbound market. This growth consolidates the country’s position as the No 1 source tourist market in the world since 2012, following a trend of double-digit growth in tourism expenditure every year since 2004.
Chinese tourists spent $261 million on international trips in 2016, more than double spending by Americans.
It isn’t just hotels trying to attract business from Chinese tourists.
“Frankfurt is marketed in China in particular as a shopping destination,” Thomas Feda, managing director of the Frankfurt Tourism Congress Gmb, told Frankfurter Rundschau, a German daily newspaper.
Many Frankfurt companies now accept Chinese credit cards and help with tax refunds, he added.
From Monday to Sunday, nine shopping consultants patrol Frankfurt Airport and speak to Chinese travelers in Mandarin to help them solve any language problems.
Chinese spend an average of 750 euros ($878) for every purchase in Frankfurt, according to a study by the financial services provider Global Blue. This makes Chinese citizens the world’s most willing to open their wallets when it comes time to shop.
Fraport, a German transport company that operates Frankfurt Airport, finds that Chinese guests spend about six times more money than the average customer and the number is still rising, staff member Jana Schwab told Frankfurter Rundschau.
Russia is also an important destination for Chinese tourists, with more Chinese signs appearing at the airports and train stations in Moscow and St. Petersburg in recent years.
The country takes Chinese tourist preferences into consideration and promotes diverse tourism routes for people especially interested in hunting, military history and polar exploration.
UIyanovskaya Oblast in Russia has launched a “red tourism” route customized for Chinese tourists, which links Moscow, UIyanovsk, Kazan and St. Petersburg.
According to official statistics, the number of Chinese tourists to Moscow and St. Petersburg in visa-free travel groups reached 67,000 in the first quarter this year, more than double that of the same period of last year.
Chinese travelers can use UnionPay cards and Alipay, a popular e-payment system in China, in a growing number of Russian cities and areas.
More countries and regions have accelerated the rollout of cashless services to cater to the consumption habits of Chinese tourists, as Alipay can be used in shopping malls, restaurants, airports, tax refunds and entertainment. The St. Petersburg government signed an agreement with Alipay in April to attract and better serve Chinese tourists.
In addition, countries and regions in Europe and South America have shortened the time required for visa reviews or are extending multiple entry visas, which has become one of the most important measures to attract Chinese tourists.