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ChinaContact Monthly Newsletter, Summer 2014

September 8, 2014 By

 

 
China Outbound Tourism
  

 

Monthly Newsletter
 
Summer 2014
Monday 8th of September
Greetings !

 

The Travel Daily Conference (formerly Travel Distribution Summit China) has been growing quickly from year to year. 

This year, it was held at Sheshan resort outside Shanghai on 3-4 September, attended by 1,200 delegates. The big names in online travel were in attendance as well as distribution, e-commerce and digital marketing professionals from hotels, travel agencies, car hire, intermediaries and technology companies. Known Chinese brands like Baidu, Alibaba, Ctrip, eLong, Qunar, Qiongyou, Tuniu, Yiqifei,  send senior staff. Foreign companies already in China or preparing their market entry were all in attendance, including Daodao (Tripadvisor), Tianxun (Skyscanner), HotelsCombined, Kayak, Booking.com, Abacus, Hotelbeds, CarTrawler, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelport, Sabre, Amadeus, Travelzoo.
The forum is held predominantly in Chinese with simultaneous interpretation by headset, so for those that speak no Chinese, following the conversation would have been difficult. There were networking slots throughout the day (Breakfast, half hour coffee breaks, lunch and one casual buffet dinner) but the sheer number of delegates made effective networking quite difficult considering the space available for mingling was quite tight.
It feels that the event has now become too large, if it continues in this format I would recommend those that plan to attend on researching and scheduling appointments with other delegates ahead of time. Hearing what the industry leaders are doing and how they answer questions from the floor is quite informative.

 

The main messages to come out of this conference were:

 

  • The leading OTAs will continue consolidating and scaling through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
  • New niche sectors are growing fast and attracting investment and traffic: Car hire (self drive), services apartments as alternative to hotels, online activities and attractions.
  • Unique content driven e-commerce is crucial in an online eco-system dominated by social media.
  • Foreign companies are all saying they are focused on China long term but are very cautious about large scale roll-outs.
  • GDS sector has seen some opening up, with BPS ticketing for some foreign carriers now available to foreign GDS. But the vast majority of ticketing is still under a monopoly of TravelSky, the GDS owned by the Chinese carriers.
  • The ease and convenience of online travel helps grow full independent travel and semi independent travel in China at a much faster rate than the overall travel market. 

Roy                  

———————————– 

If you have China related stories or questions to contribute, send them to us by email [email protected].
News from ChinaContact
ChinaContact is pleased to release its latest market entry package, aimed at small businesses targeting China. This all-inclusive package offers consulting, marketing, website registration and translation services. Benefit from a 15% discount until the 31st of August.
 
For any inquiry, contact us at : [email protected]
 
Chinese social media use has taken off in recent years and is an increasingly important tool to reach and shape opinions within the Chinese market. However, a recent study by UK-based luxury retail and travel consultancy China Edge (sister company of ChinaContact) shows that Chinese social media platforms have so far been almost entirely neglected by London hoteliers. 
 
China Edge surveyed the Chinese social media engagement of 102 hotels in London, including 87 five-star and 15 four-star properties. Out of this pool, only six of the properties had registered Sina Weibo accounts, and none had WeChat accounts.
 
We have prepared 8 top tips for VisitBritain’s China Welcome Charter portal, and would like to share them as they apply to all destinations. 
Why 8 tips? Because No. 8 is regarded as the luckiest number in Chinese culture. ‘Eight’ is pronounced ‘Ba’ in Chinese which sounds similar to the word ‘Fa’ which means to make a fortune… 
 
Roy Graff, Managing Director of ChinaContact has been invited to be a guest speaker at the inaugural gathering for  a new networking series organised on September 23rd by the YPO-WPO Exchange Organisation: Expanding Horizons. The luncheon will gather hoteliers and suppliers to the hotel industry to which Roy will introduce the potential presented by the Chinese consumer . 
 
Interesting battles lines are being drawn as the online travel market in China is witnessing strong interest from international players. TravelDaily.cn assesses how Skyscanner hopes to strengthen its presence via its acquisition of Youbibi.
 
ChinaContact have been providing ongoing strategic advice, market research and marketing support to Skyscanner in China since September 2013.
 
News From The WWWorld…
Top Stories Of The Month

China’s Next Growth Milestone: Outbound Tourism

 Currently, it is estimated that 100 million Chinese travelers venture beyond their borders, becoming active tourists around the world. 

While these numbers are impressive, the growth projections are even more staggering. CLSA, a CITIC investment and brokerage firm based out of Asia, predicts that outbound tourism in China will reach 200 million by the year 2020…

Read more

Amadeus integrates UnionPay into the payment platform

UnionPay International and Amadeus sign an agreement to integrate UnionPay debit and credit cards into the Amadeus Payment Platform (APP).
[...]
With this agreement, Chinese travellers will now find it easier to travel overseas as they pay with their preferred payment card, allowing travel providers to gain a strong foothold into Chinese outbound and domestic tourism.
 

Read more
COTRI: “Welcome China Global Webinar” on September 24th
It will be a 12 hour long webinar hosted by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Director of COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, that highlights China’s role as the world’s number one tourism source market.
[...]
This webinar offers 60 minute segments about Chinese outbound tourism in specific regions around the globe such as Oceania, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
 

Read more 
General Outbound News
  • Chinese tourists spend over $1,000 a day
  • Chinese outbound trips may exceed 115 mln this year
  • Space voyage ticket sales take off in China
Travel Destinations
Africa
  • Reunion Island Tourism outlines procedures for visa-free entry for Chinese visitors
  • Egypt: Zaazou Meets Chinese Ambassador on Tourism to Egypt
  • Chinese tourists remain Zimbabwe shy
  • Cameroon preparing itself for Chinese tourists
America
  • More Chinese set to travel to Brazil
  • Independent Chinese tourists take low-key turn in Los Angeles
  • Locals tap into booming Chinese tourism market in NYS
  • Harvard is new summer hot spot as Chinese students crowd Boston
  • Selling Seattle: Chinese tourists soon to be No. 1
  • China to top US business travel spending by 2016
  • Chinese visitors flock to Canada
  • China becomes the biggest source market for Vancouver tourism
  • Why Chinese tourists travel to Hawaii, Guam or Saipan
  • Caracas seeks to lure more Chinese tourists
Asia
  • Taiwan to implement new criteria for Chinese tour groups
  • Independent travelers from more Chinese cities allowed into Taiwannbsp;
  • Singapore : Number of Chinese tourists plunges 30% in 1H14
  • Where do Chinese tourists travel in Central Asia?
  • Thailand to exempt Chinese tourists from visa fees
  • Jackie Chan tapped to lure Chinese tourists to Indonesia
  • Malaysia : Do more to woo back China tourists 
  • Chinese tourists to Maldives grows 20.2%in first half of 2014
  • Number of Chinese visiting Japan soars
  • Chinese tourists dropping more cash than ever on trips to Korea
  • Number of Chinese tourists to Nepal nearly doubles in 2011-13
  • Chinese visitors drive record figures for Dubai tourism
Europe

  • Europe relaxing visa rules to attract Chinese travellers

  • ‘Paris Syndrome’ drives Chinese tourists away

  • French ambassador admits to concern over crime against Chinese tourists 

  • Spain expects 300,000 Chinese tourists in 2014

  • Bath looks to China for tourism boost

  • Chinese visitors to Ireland set to treble in the next five years

  • Prague : Regions want Chinese tourists, firms, investors  

Oceania
  • Independent Chinese travellers hold the key to Australia’s tourism market 
  • Tourism Australia appoints first agents to lead ‘high yield’ China tourism strategy
  • Tasmania : Chinese tourist numbers up almost 50% in past 12 months
  • New Zealand on Chinese tourists’ wish lists
  • Expert examines the Chinese outbound travel market for New Zealand 
Luxury 

Travel and Hospitality

  • BMWs are Boring: Wealthy Chinese Tourists Travel to Brazilian Slums, Chernobyl
  • Exotic locations lure wealthy tourists
Retail
  • Alipay makes it easier to get back overseas shopping tax
  • Chinese are traveling more but shopping less
  • 3 Reasons there ‘s “no time to waste” in China ‘s luxury E-commerce market
  • Cashing in on China’s big-spending tourists
  • Mulberry steps up its digital game in China with new Wechat account
Hospitality
  • How China is sculpting the hotel industry
  • Best hotels in Britain according to Chinese tourists
  • Marco Polo Hotels unveils new luxury brand
  • New survey by Hotels.com : Increase in Chinese travelers : connected to technology
  • Yas Island hotels benefit as Chinese tourist numbers soar
Aviation and Cruises
  • Changi Airport launches S$1 million campaign to win back Chinese tourists
  • VIDEO:First ever direct charter flights between Beijing and Birmingham
  • New airline distribution channel opens in China with first Abacus BSP air ticketing
  • Assessing how AirAsia X is trying to capitalize on opportunities in China
  • Luxury crackdown brings fear of flying first class in China
  • VIDEO: Cruising’s new frontier: Chinese tourists
  • Global cruise lines set sail for China in pursuit of booming leisure market 
Online and Digital News

General digital news

  • Digital Marketing is critical to reaching Chinese travelers?
  • In China, more people now access the internet from a mobile device than a PC

 Online Travel 

  • What travel brands should know about the changing face of digital China
  • Ctrip asserts supremacy with its performance, gears up for deeper penetration
  • Price war sees online travel agencies turn to business clients
  • Planning to step into China as a meta-search brand? Be ready for the grind
  • Priceline to invest $500 million in Ctrip
  • Why Tuniu bleeds red ink in China’s red-hot online travel market
  • China OTA transactions touch $10 billion, Ctrip still leads in market share
  • Expedia dismisses eLong rumors as inaccurate
  • Chinese outbound travel service Lailaihui raises $16.3 million

E-commerce and M-commerce

  • Marketing in China: Ecommerce not just a way to shop, it’s a lifestyle 
  • Can Tencent win the mobile commerce battle with Alibaba?
  • Travel e-commerce set for a big leap in China as intermediaries invest aggressively
Social Media 
  • Digging for diamonds among China’s “KOLs”
  • WeChat reaches 438 million monthly active users as growth slows
  • China intensifies crackdown on social media with curbs on instant messaging
  • Online messaging service QQ targets attraction bookings in China
  • Fake luxury brand accounts confuse Wechat users
                                                                                                
      

 

Sincerely, Roy and the ChinaContact Team
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Disclaimer: With the exception of articles published on the ChinaContact blog, articles mentioned and linked in this newsletter have been curated to bring you news and information about topics relating to Chinese outbound tourism. The opinions expressed in these articles are of the authors only and are not endorsed by ChinaContact. We make every attempt to verify the accuracy of news stories. We are not held liable for any inaccuracies or misrepresentations in these articles.
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Related Events

 

- China Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings : CIBTM 17-19 September, Beijing 

- World Travel Market : WTM, 3-6 November,
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- China International Travel Mart : CITM 14-16 November, Shanghai 

 

- Guangzhou International Travel Fair : GITF, 6-8 March 2015, Guangzhou 

- China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market : COTTM, 14-16 April 2015, Beijing.

- International Luxury Travel Market Asia : ILTM Asia, 1-4 June 2015, Shanghai

 

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