Lancaster businesses look to Asia
LANCASTER, Pa. — The tour bus pulls up at Amish Farm and House, and the guests file into the benches: women on the right, men on the left.
They get a crash course on Amish history and a little about religion, customs and Pennsylvania Dutch. All of this is in Mandarin.
After a tour of the house, they go outside and walk around the farm, “milk” the faux cow and feed the goats.
International tourists in Pennsylvania Dutch country are still the minority, but their influence is growing. Lancaster County has long seen the most visits from our neighbors in Canada, followed by European tourists.
But as more Chinese tourists visit the U.S., the local tourism industry wants to make sure Lancaster is one of the first places on their mind after they visit the main metropolitan centers. Lancaster businesses and Discover Lancaster are taking steps to encourage more Chinese tourists.
“You’re just seeing an emerging Chinese market, so I would say you’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg,” said Mark Andrews, manager at Amish Farm and House.
The majority of the 8 million tourists visiting Lancaster a year live on the East Coast and stay for a day.
But there’s potential to expand that number by attracting people attending meetings and sporting events, along with international travelers, said Joel Cliff, spokesman with Discover Lancaster.
After international travelers visit major tourist destinations like New York City, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, they may come to Lancaster on a second or third visit.
The National Travel and Tourism Office expects China to be the country with the largest growth in visitors in the next few years.
The Chinese economy, at least for a portion of the population, has been good. At the same time, the country has eased travel regulations. In November, China allowed travel visas to extend from one year to 10.
On average, the Chinese are taking more trips abroad now, according to the Chinese International Travel Monitor 2014.
“That is huge, and that’s going to continue to be huge,” said Peggy NanaSinkam, group sales manager with Amish Farm and House. “You’ve got the rising middle class. You also have people who can get a visa, and that’s encouraging second and third trips to America.”
But “it’s going to take a little bit of time for that big boom, especially in China, to reach us,” said Jennifer Buchter, managing director of hospitality and sales at Miller’s Smorgasbord, Plain & Fancy Farm and the AmishView Inn & Suites.
In the meantime, businesses and Discover Lancaster are taking steps to spread the word about Lancaster.
Discover Lancaster has hosted several familiarization trips to introduce Lancaster to tour operators from other countries over the past few years. They tout the region’s Amish history and its location close to major metropolitan areas and as a stop between New York and Washington, D.C., or Philadelphia and Niagara Falls.
Businesses have dedicated staff to international sales and increased their attendance at international trade shows.
Companies have advertised in international tourist publications to connect with families or individual travelers.
The Amish Farm and House is ready with scripts for guides in 16 languages and maps for guests in five languages.
There’s been a shift in the past few years from lots of German guests, to French guests and, in the past two years, Chinese, Mr. Andrews said.
Discover Lancaster has translated information on Lancaster, including a video, into Mandarin.
That version of the local getaway guide should be completed by the end of the year.
The agency is also working to get a UnionPay ATM in the visitor center. UnionPay is the national bank card association in China, and its availability here would be an asset when promoting the region.
And once the tourists arrive, they often need translation. Language barriers can make it difficult for visitors to enjoy a site, especially if they’re on a tightly scheduled tour.
Amish Farm and House hired a few tour guides to speak Mandarin instead of relying on tour operators’ translators.
Plain and Fancy Farm also is creating a Mandarinlanguage brochure to help visitors navigate it even during a short stop.
The amount of money Chinese visitors spend in the area has increased dramatically. Looking at the value of Visa credit card purchases in the region ranked by country, Chinese visitors didn’t make the top 10 in 2008, Cliff said. But they jumped to No. 2 by 2011, and are second only to Canadians. By last year, Chinese tourists spent more than $1 million on Visa credit cards, Mr. Cliff said.
“There’s a huge amount of untapped potential,” Ms. Buchter said.