ChinaContact

Greetings to all, either hoping you are keeping warm and well hydrated with mulled wine or staying cool in the sea breeze (our readers are from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, so I need to be inclusive). Another complex and challenging year is coming to pass, with the next one showing all the signs of carrying on in a similar fashion. For us in the tourism industry dealing with unforeseen situations and man made or natural made crisis is part of a day’s job. We have to be the most optimistic of all sectors to carry on delivering customer service and thinking up new products and new ways of delivering them to our customers.

I won’t go into a reflective mood here – this is meant to be a happy time of year with loads of holidays (and great parties if you are not a follower of any religion) so I hope you use it well to get closer to your loved ones and remember what really matters in your life.

The ongoing process of recognising that much in our Western Capitalist system is ill and needs mending does help focus the mind on priorities and reasons for doing what we do. For me, working in travel distribution and marketing is really about connections – my connection with great people all over the world, and the easier connection we can help facilitate for people who want to travel and explore different cultures, experience how others live and expand their horizons.

Dragon Head by Ai Weiwei

The search for connection is probably best exemplified in the quick and unprecedented expansion of the Asian tourism market over the past few years, led by China the Dragon. With 2012 being the year of the Dragon, we should expect this giant flying lizard motif to be displayed everywhere we look (So I am starting this trend now). With it comes another double digit growth of China’s outbound tourism and a new waive of younger (and older) Chinese travelers who are no longer content to sit in coaches for 12 hours snapping famous sites from behind a tinted window. The confidence that comes with experience and growing disposable income is now translating into demand for more diverse and culturally insightful travel experiences. Access to information, thanks to the investment in excellent internet infrastructure in China, allows Chinese to research and plan independently of travel agents or guide books. They now take to travel forums to hear about other tourists’ experiences, monitor destinations and brands on social media and add their own views and opinions online. They look for travel partners online and group  together to negotiate discounts on travel accessories, flights and packages.

To understand how China’s growing clout is dramatically affecting the tourism sector, we need to observe the changes that South East Asia has been going through over the last 5 years or so. China is now the top market for most SE Asian countries and the top spenders in most of the Asian countries (all the way to Australia and New Zealand too!). Products and services no longer need to be exclusively tailored to Americans or Europeans – they are now being customised to Chinese tastes and preferences. And Asia’s experience will be replicated in North America in Europe in the near future (provided we don’t shut the gates but actually invite visitors to spend their money here with easier visas and better, targeted marketing and promotion).

So, as I count over 6 years since ChinaContact launched to communicate the opportunity that the Chinese tourist market represents, I hope that you will take this contemplation period to think what is your strategy and action plan to be relevant for Chinese visitors. Contrary to what you may think, that is not the exclusive domain of multinationals or large wealthy countries with millions to spend on promotion. The internet levels the playing field to a great extent (bearing in mind the internet sites popular in China are indeed different to the sites we flock to in the West) and you can take advantage of that.

So to help you along this process of seeing with your own eyes how China is changing the global tourism industry (starting in Asia) and may indeed be the saving grace of us all, I am passing along a holiday gift worth over $400 US dollars.

It is a 20% discount (worth over $400) for the Travel Distribution Summit Asia, taking place in Singapore in May. With major companies from Asia and international speakers including from China, this is an excellent education and networking opportunity. The Summit this year will include dedicated discussions and workshops on China aimed at all levels of familiarisation with the market. So it is a great entry point but also a good step on the way to implementing your China and Asia strategy. I am planning to hold a market entry workshop focused on how to utilize online marketing and social media to build brand and grow revenues in China.

How to benefit from this fantastic discount? Here are the details, and if you book before 20 January, there are also early bird rates!

• To register at the discounted rate and save 20% of the rate, please click on this link and quote the discount code ‘Leyoba‘ when prompted.
• If you are living in China, there is a special reduced China delegate rate, which you can access by quoting ‘China‘ when prompted.

So hope to see you in Singapore, or maybe see you in China or perhaps in London. In any case have a great holiday season and happy New Year and happy Chinese year of the Dragon too!

Best wishes

Roy