The China Outbound Travel education series – part 01
25 June 2009 // Filed under China Outbound Education
In the coming weeks we will be releasing chapters of the China Outbound Travel Handbook 2008 in blog post sized chunks for easy reading. The posts are abridged versions of the book to give a general overview of China’s tourism industry, the marketing and sales approaches that work, case studies from different destinations, tips on hospitality and more.
At any point you can go to our website to read the full version or join the ChinaContact Tourism Network and download the PDF version for free. A license to print the handbook can be purchased from our website as well.
Part 01: Introduction to the China Outbound Travel Handbook
This China Outbound Travel Handbook was first published in 2005 and comprehensively updated in 2008. It was written from two distinct business views – Chinese local expertise and Western experience of doing business in China. It provides practical information you can use as well as insight into the challenges of dealing with China’s tourism industry and how to prepare for them.
The co-author Roy Graff served as E-commerce director for Gullivers Travel Associates and Country Manager of Octopusavel.com in China from 2002 to 2005. His company provides full service representation to tourism destinations, hospitality and travel companies as well as bespoke services covering consulting, strategy, business development, training and product localization. Roy also maintains the ChinaContact Tourism Network which helps travel professionals worldwide to network and interact online about China’s tourism industry.
The China Outbound Travel Handbook will give you the basic understanding and insight to begin operating in this challenging, complicated but potentially hugely profitable market place. You will learn who is travelling abroad, what are the best ways of reaching them, how the travel industry is organised in China and how to show your hospitality to Chinese visitors abroad. This handbook is the travel industry professional’s definitive and user friendly tool for effective promotion and marketing in China. It will facilitate the establishment of profitable relationships with the right counterparts in China and improve your ability to welcome the Chinese traveller successfully.
After twenty years of successful reforms, China has become an active player in the international tourism industry. Travelling abroad is now a regular part of the lives of many people in China, for both business and leisure.
Doing business in China and with China, has been the subject of countless books and training courses for more than a decade. These books and manuals have dealt with general business practices that can be applied to as many industries and sectors as possible. While they are useful for background knowledge and some insight into China’s business culture, ultimately they cannot answer specific questions about China’s tourism industry. Tourism is one of the youngest industries in China, with outbound tourism literally the ‘baby’, still learning to define itself and realise its potential. The industry suffers from lack of regulatory enforcement and a ruling body several steps behind the private sector.
There are between 200 and 250 million Chinese today that are financially able to travel overseas . 2007 outbound numbers reached nearly 41 million, an increase of 18.6% over 2006. WTO estimates a minimum annual growth of 12.8%, reaching 100 million by 2020. There are over 700 licensed outbound travel agencies in China. The number of countries given ADS (Approved Destination Status) is more than 135 and still increases. It is an exciting time to be working in tourism, with China representing the single greatest growth opportunity in the world to western travel destinations and tourism companies.
Next week: Part 2 – the China travel industry
2009-06-25 :: Roy Graff