With a populace of 1.3 billion people and an increasingly affluent Chinese middle class, wanting to travel overseas, it becomes more significant than any time in recent memory to market your destination in the ‘right’ route to the Chinese traveler.
Understanding what correspondence channels to use and how to present your destination is key. In case you’re hoping to market to Chinese voyagers, here are a few different ways to do so successfully.
1. Understand what the Chinese need from a destination, how would they like to travel?
The Chinese traveler who can stand to visit overseas is increasingly wealthy, due to a sustained period of economic prosperity, there is a developing, more affluent middle class in China.
The vacationer is therefore often seeking extravagance, they search for a destination that will connote prestige and complexity. Numerous European cities benefit from this trend because of their established reputation however it is certainly possible to ‘create’ this sumptuous image in the brain of the Chinese traveler utilizing certain images and advancing a consistent narrative around the destination.
The Chinese regularly prefer to travel in gatherings so when marketing a destination provides the facilities for this, offering mentor visits, visit guides and collective room appointments are examples of this.
The Chinese commonly are seeking a mix of variety (experiences different from the ‘standard’) and furthermore a sense of recognition and solace (bunch travel, Mandarin language interpretation, etc). Ensure your destination provides this and markets itself as one which specifically can cater to the Chinese traveler.
2. Permeability on Baidu
The Chinese will right off the bat search for a destination on Baidu, the largest search engine in China.
Ensure that your destination is a top result when certain keywords are entered.
Engaging in SEO practices is fundamental to increase your presence the same number of Chinese won’t look further than the first or second page of results.
3. Marketing to the Chinese visitor via web-based networking media
The Chinese have an insatiable demand for long-range informal communication. They will share their experiences abroad on networks, for example, Weibo or WeChat yet additionally use informal communities to research destinations.
Weibo, a miniaturized scale blogging stage (similar to twitter) additionally users a hashtag system whereby the potential guest can pursue certain keywords and see the content being posted, the Chinese increasingly doubt customary media sources and go to internet-based life for their data (more so than we do in the west), in this sense the advanced arrangement can be very effective.
Ensure you set up an official record on Weibo and WeChat which users can pursue and produce interesting, shareable content. The striking imagery of the destination can be effective however people will search for other Chinese sightseers to be in the images, they especially trust the assessments of others on interpersonal organizations.
Post images of a destination which include the Chinese traveler and seek to directly communicate with them by means of an official record.
4. Generate positive reviews on gatherings and travel-based websites
As mentioned previously, the Chinese especially trust other user’s experiences and will spend a lot of time on gatherings, web-based social networking, and other travel websites reading user reviews of a destination.
It is imperative to manage your reputation in these gatherings and promote the spreading of positive reviews. Provide incentives for those leaving positive reviews in Chinese gatherings. Your e-reputation in China is key.
5. Establish connections with Chinese travel industry agencies
It is imperative to establish connections with the fundamental travel agencies whom numerous Chinese will use to organize and design their days off. Ctrip is the largest travel agency presiding over half of the Chinese market.
Advertising your destination on their website and building a relationship with them is key, they will often plan and recommend trip itineraries.
6. Limits and advancements
The Chinese are seeking a sense of extravagance abroad yet need this at the best cost. Offering advancements and limits can be an effective method for gathering followers via web-based networking media and increasing the appeal of your destination.
7. Utilize stories
The Chinese love narrative, they love a well-constructed story to elevate a sense of place, it includes value and meaning for them. The most well known, enduring narrative in modern China is as yet the love story.
When marketing a destination tap into this sense of romance, create Chinese characters or discover real life examples of Chinese couples who perhaps got engaged or met in a given destination. This type of narrative is very appealing to the consumer.
