6 Ways to Attract & Amaze Chinese Outbound Travelers
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People from China love to go to other countries. They are very important to the travel and tourist business around the world. Statista found that tourists from the Chinese mainland make up up to 80% of all visitors and spend up to 80% of all travel money in many Asian countries.
As a travel agent, you would not want to miss out on this important market segment. The travel business around the world is trying to find out what Chinese tourists like and what they need in order to attract them. And in this piece, we’ll show you 6 ways to attract and amaze Chinese outbound travelers for your successful with Chinese market.
Understand Chinese Culture
The first thing you need to do to attract and impress possible Chinese customers is to learn about Chinese culture. The Chinese culture is rich, varied, and has a long past. It is known for many things, such as its philosophy, art, writing, music, cuisine, and traditional ways of doing things. Reading books and articles about Chinese culture, going to cultural events, and getting a Chinese consultant are the best ways to learn about Chinese culture.
Reading books and articles
Books and papers are good places to start learning about Chinese culture because they are free or cheap. A lot of pieces have been written about the cultures of China. You can read as much as you want, but only from sources that you can trust.
If you are just starting to learn Chinese, you will learn faster if you read things that teach you about Chinese society in a systematic way. Before you can learn more about Chinese culture, you need to know what it is all about.
Great series of articles to teach you about Chinese culture:
- Chinese Culture, Customs and Traditions (A Complete Guide)
- Chinese Culture 101
- Ancient China Traditions and Customs
Excellent books about Chinese culture:
- ‘The Chinese Mind: Understanding Traditional Chinese Beliefs and their Influence on Contemporary Culture’ by Boye Lafayette De Mente
- ‘The Search for Modern China’ by Jonathan D. Spence
Attending cultural events
A great way to learn about Chinese culture is to go to cultural events. Experiencing the culture in person will help you connect with and understand it better, especially if you meet local people and spend time in the environment. It’s always better than just reading and watching things on your computer.
One of the best ways to find events is to search for them on Facebook. Now, most events have a strong online presence and use social media to get the word out.
There is a section on Facebook just for events. You can go there and look for “Chinese culture” or “China” to find events. You can also narrow down the results based on where you are and what date you want.
Hiring a Chinese consultant
A great way to learn about Chinese culture is to go to cultural events. Experiencing the culture in person will help you connect with and understand it better, especially if you meet local people and spend time in the environment. It’s always better than just reading and watching things on your computer.
One of the best ways to find events is to search for them on Facebook. Now, most events have a strong online presence and use social media to get the word out.
There is a section on Facebook just for events. You can go there and look for “Chinese culture” or “China” to find events. You can also narrow down the results based on where you are and what date you want.
Provide Chinese Local Guide
One of the most important parts of going abroad is getting help with the language. A tour’s language support comes in the form of a tour guide, a sign, a board, handouts, and other ways to show information. If you want to serve Chinese tourists, you must be able to help them with their language.
For Chinese tourists to have the best possible time, it’s best to give them a Chinese tour guide. A Chinese tour guide who knows a lot about the local culture and can tell people about it in a way that is meaningful to Chinese people. During the trip, they also give you a sense of closeness, safety, and comfort with people from the same country.
This improves customer service, makes deals go more smoothly, and makes travel better all around.
Offer Payment Options That Chinese Travelers Prefer
The next step is to offer ways for Chinese tourists going abroad to pay, such as Alipay and WeChat Pay. People in China love to use their phones to pay for things. In fact, in Mainland China, Alipay and WeChat Pay (which are linked to the country’s biggest ecommerce sites and the country’s biggest chat app) are used so much that “even beggars accept handouts via QR codes.”
WeChat Pay and Alipay have teamed up with other payment systems in other countries, like Line Pay in Japan, to make it easier for Chinese tourists to travel abroad. Statista says that 54 countries around the world have accepted Alipay so they can better serve Chinese customers.
You surely know that when you shop as a tourist in some places abroad, you can get the sales tax back. These apps will be a big help to travelers because WeChat Pay and Alipay have built-in ways to get your sales tax back.
Provide Chinese Cuisine
China is a place with a lot of different, rich, and complex foods. Most Chinese tourists have never tried food from other countries that is so different from their own. It’s not that they don’t want to try the local food where they are going; they do. If they don’t like it, though, they only try a little bit. At the end of the day, they will still choose Chinese food to eat.
So, if you want to give your Chinese customers the best possible service, you need to know this about them. You could combine one Chinese meal a day with food from your own country. Of course, it’s best to ask your customers what they want before you decide what to serve on your tours.
Here are some tips on how to serve your Chinese customers:
- Giving them Chinese breakfast choices as well as breakfast options from their own country. Chinese breakfasts like steamed cakes, Dim sum, rice porridge, and dumplings with soy milk are very popular.
- Give them chopsticks and hot water to drink.
- To best serve your customers, you might want to hire a Chinese cook.
Provide Cultural Activities and Tours
The fifth tip we can give you is to give your Chinese tourists great culture activities. Chinese people like to travel in very different ways than people from the West do. When they travel abroad, they love to check out the local history and enjoy the local arts and events. In fact, Chinese culture is known for its rich and varied traditional arts and holidays, such as calligraphy, pottery, tea ceremonies, the Chinese New Year Festival, the Lantern Festival,…
So, when you go abroad, you can see that Chinese people are more likely to do cultural things that are close to their own. They love to visit churches, pagodas, and other places of worship. They also often take part in workshops or go to museums to learn about local art forms and enjoy going to local events. So, you should keep this trait in mind if you want to make sure they have a great trip.
For instance, your travel firm wants to make a special trip to Japan for Chinese tourists. You can add cultural activities like tea ceremonies, lessons in Japanese calligraphy, or trips to well-known historical places to your tour.
Partner with Chinese Travel Agencies
Last but not least, working with Chinese travel agencies is another way to gain Chinese customers that will help a lot.
You will get a lot out of this plan because Chinese travel agencies know a lot about the Chinese travel market, including travel trends, famous destinations, and what customers want. By working with them, your agency can take advantage of their knowledge and learn about the wants and interests of Chinese travelers. So you can make changes to your products and how you sell them to attract and serve the Chinese market. Also, they might help you get customers by putting you in touch with them. You can get a lot from their large customer group.
You can find them on Chinese social media sites like Weibo or on the websites of online travel agencies. Here are China’s biggest online travel agencies (OTAs): Alitrip (Fliggy), CNCN.com, Ctrip,eLong, Lvmama, LY.com, Qunar.com, and Tuniu. Another way to find and connect with big travel agencies in China is to go to travel expos. It’s a great chance for you to get in touch with a useful network of Chinese travel companies.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed and provided you with tips on 6 essential ways that help you attract and amaze Chinese travelers:
- Understand Chinese culture
- Provide Chinese local guide
- Offer payment options that Chinese travelers prefer
- Provide Chinese cuisine
- Provide cultural activities
- Partner with Chinese travel agencies
By implementing these six strategies, your travel agency can successfully attract and cater to the needs of Chinese travelers, forming long-lasting relationships and ensuring a wonderful experience for your customers.
