How to promote your hotel to Chinese clients?

Chinese people are already out there !

Prior to the coronavirus epidemic paralyzing worldwide travel in 2020, China sent more visitors abroad than any other market, with around 150 million Chinese tourists spending $277 billion abroad in 2019, The exodus stopped in 2020, and as part of its “zero Covid” policy, China continued to forbid its people from traveling abroad.

The abrupt termination of China’s zero-COVID policy, despite an unknowable human toll, is undoubtedly a blessing for the world economy, relieving consumers and merchants of three years of supply chain disruptions brought on by arbitrary closures of ports and industries. The lifting of China’s travel restrictions due to the epidemic is also a big relief for the international hotel sector.

According to Wolfgang Arlt of the China Outbound Tourism Research Center, 110 million visits will likely be taken in 2023. It is anticipated that there would be 228 million journeys made in 2030. Most of them would stay in different hotels available worldwide. Studies from AC Nielsen shows that most Chinese tourists choose high levels of hotels to stay in: one in three of them will choose a 4-star hotel, while one tenth of them will choose a 5-star hotel when outbound.

 

10 tips to promote your hotel to Chinese clients

1- The Chinese choice, adapt your offer to Chinese clients

2-Transportation: Chinese will check convenience

3- Safety is a priority 

4- Price and discount

5- Have a Website in Chinese

6- Partner with local Chinese agencies 

7. Online Promotion, because everything is digital in China

8. Multimedia, the power of great picture or amazing video

9. Social Networks: abuse of WeChat, Red to communicate 

10. Press Relations, leverage the power of media 

 

 

The Chinese choice, adapt your offer to Chinese clients

Chinese choose hotels based on their own knowledge, those of their peers, promotions, and through the internet. Chinese tourists consider a lot of things before choosing a hotel, one is safety.  Most Chinese travelers are going abroad for the first time, so their first priority would be their safety in the place they’re going to and, of course, the safety of the place they’ll be staying at.

Expert Tips: How to win back Chinese tourists in 2023?

1. Restore your Mandarin website and make sure it works smoothly in China
2. Check your account on Ctrip or Qunar, make promotions
3. Offer discounts on your WeChat and Red accounts for old subscribers and their invitees
4. Develop a special program to invite your Chinese guests

Transportation: Chinese will check convenience

Another factor usually considered by Chinese is the convenience in transportation. A large number of Chinese are not good in English; therefore a hotel with personal transport service or tour buses or the like is a huge plus in the Chinese market.

Safety is a priority 

You have to mention somewhere that the place is safe, and far away from crimilality. It seems to be nothing for you, but Chinese people are afraid to be rubbed. 

 

Price and discount

Price is also part of the points to consider. Chinese more than others look carefully at the prices even though they spend way more than the average person while on holidays. For instance, they go to Italy to shop luxury goods because of the lower prices of these said goods compared to the highly priced  goods in mainland China; they do it the same way with hotels. Two hotels with basically the same services but different prices, they’ll go to the cheaper one instead.

How to be seen by the Chinese Market?

1. Have a Website in Chinese

Having a website in Chinese is the first action to be seen by the Chinese market. Most of the Chinese, cannot read nor understand basic English, but are very interested in travelling around the world. Make yourself be known and show that you can accommodate them with understanding them and letting them understand you.

Also, have your website hosted in China. It is important for Chinese to see your website to arouse interest, it must attract visitors by SEM or SEO, talk about your website on forums or on Chinese social networks.

Why is your website blocked or slow in China?

 

2. Partner with local Chinese agencies or Multinational agencies in China

A huge number of Chinese travel in groups, due to many reasons:

• Language barrier. As mentioned above, Chinese travellers can barely speak English, so a guide would be ideal.
• Visa. Agencies take care of everything including obtaining a visa, which can often be a hassle to Chinese citizen for its complicated process.
• Fear. Most Chinese people only started travelling during the last decade, so travelling alone is never an option.
• Culture. In Chinese culture, people are used in doing things in groups.
• Price. Travelling with a travel agency in a large group is cheaper than travelling alone or small group and China is a very price sensitive society.

  

Talks among different agencies can make your hotel and website known, and can give you your first business. Agencies are generally hard to find, they have specific requirements and have been already working with contractors for years. Having strong media marketing is a must!

3. On-line Promotion

Internet in China is increasing its influence; both large and small brands use the internet to promote their businesses. Whether by direct promotion with banners or indirect via Buzzs or public relations, on-line communication has now become almost mandatory.

A low initial investment, ROI (Return on Investment) generally good and measurable, a wide range of media, interactivity with the customer, all these factors make on-line promotion a big factor in the Chinese tourism sector.

4. Multimedia

Using quality multimedia is a particularly effective tool in the travel industry. The tourist has to have a fantasy image of the country he will visit. Attractive pictures, videos of fantasy-like images are used by agencies to attract customers looking for a trip, but also to raise awareness about their vacation destination.

5. Social Networks

Internet influence on Chinese citizens has become vast and wide. The major part of Chinese Internet users spend time on is on social networks, like Weibo and WeiXin. Weibo is a mix between twitter and facebook, it combines the responsiveness of twitter, looking for information with the social and playful side of Facebook. WeiXin is like WhatsApp with a side of e-commerce marketing.

6. Press Relations

Doing PR in China is very important. It allows you to promote your service to a wide variety of Chinese citizens. This communication is primarily with rich visuals or feedbacks and testimonials from people who have visited the country.

Online Public relation in China and particularly in the travel industry is increasing at a rapid rate. more information here

A new article on a Chinese site can be viewed tens of thousands of times.  

Product Placement

Film and television are a media form of communication to inform Chinese public of your travel destination. A movie watched by millions of Chinese can make a lasting memory and do wonders. A hit TV series is the ultimate weapon which profoundly influences the mass public.

Today, film or other audiovisual, brands in the real emotional and identifiable by the consumer.

For example, a Chateau Lafite for special occasions, a Mac for professionals, and icecream Haagen-Dazs to seduce a beautiful girl, your hotel in a honeymoon scene – It was during a scene that the consumer thinks the best use of the product or in a place.

How Chinese Celebrities can Boost your tourism destination ?

This discipline is called product placement, a marketing technique to maturity in the U.S. today, and progress in China. The cinema is a reflection of life, real life or the life that you would like to have. The spectator believes what he sees.

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