想在中国旅客市场分一杯羹就得走“中国风”
中国剧增的境外旅游受到世界旅游业的欢迎。世界旅游业应注重迎合消费者的喜好。
阿联酋航空公司只是简单地提高行李重量限额就成功赢得了中国游客的青睐,这些人购物很疯狂。
希尔顿全球酒店集团亚太地区总裁马丁·林克说:“他们之所以提高行李重量限额是因为他们发现,中国游客出国旅游,总是满载而归。”
“仅仅做了这个小小的改变,他们赢得了极大中国市场份额。”
关于中国:中国境外旅游趋势
在美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)最近一期节目《中国进行时》中,我同很多旅游业内部人员进行交谈,谈论如何迎合中国剧增的境外旅游。
为了契合主题,我们在北京首都国际机场内录制我们的谈话。这对一个国际性电视节目来说机会难得。该机场有望成为全球最繁忙的客运枢纽。
这并不意外,因为中国商务旅行和休闲旅游业的蓬勃发展。估计到2020年,会有2亿中国人出国旅游——达到去年境外旅游人数的2倍。
中国旅游研究院北京研究员陈旭是一位研究旅游发展趋势的政府智囊团,他说:“出国旅游一直是中国游客最大的梦想之一。”
“如今,中国政府解除境外旅游限制,所以,境外旅游对很多中国人来说更容易了。”
人们更加富有,签证也更简单,所以很多中国游客有能力到境外消费,很多人在线预订他们的境外旅游,比如通过携程网。
她让我猜销售一个旅游套餐需要多久,我说:“8分钟?”
她笑着说:“17秒。”
毫无疑问,中国游客境外奢侈消费的兴趣和购买能力都是巨大的。中国的境外旅游消费在世界上是最高的。2012年,中国的境外旅游消费高达1020亿美元。
主要的预定量是通过移动设备来完成的。携程网首席运营官孙洁说:“我们网站上的酒店预定,有超过一半是通过移动设备来完成的。”
希尔顿酒店的马丁·林克补充说:“中国人不用台式电脑或笔记本电脑,直接用手机。”
“有些公司以有新网站感到自豪,但是,如果不能在手机上阅读到这些信息,再好的网站也无济于事。”
如果网站没有中文版,同样也形同虚设。
中国旅游研究院的陈旭说:“我们每个季度都会对中国的境外游客做调研。我们发现去年一整年,中国境外游客最不满意的地方是缺乏中文服务,中文节目和中文菜单。”
他补充说:“作为商人,你或许应考虑提供更多的中文服务。”
携程网公司的数据和中国旅游研究院的季度调查数据一致。
孙说:“我们在网站上挂上酒店名及其网址,那些有中文服务的酒店点击率比其他没有中文服务的酒店来得高。”
那会影响消费者的选择吗?
“肯定会”
2011年,希尔顿度假酒店针对中国游客启动“希尔顿欢迎计划”。在一系列针对中国境外游客的措施中,希尔顿推出了中国银联支付终端,聘用会说流利普通话的前台工作人员,定制一系列客房设施,如中文电视节目和茶壶等。
林克告诉我:“2011年8月,我们和中国境外的其他15家酒店共同启动了这个项目。”
“现在共有82家酒店参与,那些酒店的中国境外游客比重也在短短两年翻了一番。”
这向世界旅游业传达一个明确的信息:增加中文电视节目,提高免费行李限额,迎合他们的需求,2亿游客就会朝你走来。
中国剧增的境外旅游受到世界旅游业的欢迎。世界旅游业应注重迎合消费者的喜好。
阿联酋航空公司只是简单地提高行李重量限额就成功赢得了中国游客的青睐,这些人购物很疯狂。
希尔顿全球酒店集团亚太地区总裁马丁·林克说:“他们之所以提高行李重量限额是因为他们发现,中国游客出国旅游,总是满载而归。”
“仅仅做了这个小小的改变,他们赢得了极大中国市场份额。”
关于中国:中国境外旅游趋势
在美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)最近一期节目《中国进行时》中,我同很多旅游业内部人员进行交谈,谈论如何迎合中国剧增的境外旅游。
为了契合主题,我们在北京首都国际机场内录制我们的谈话。这对一个国际性电视节目来说机会难得。该机场有望成为全球最繁忙的客运枢纽。
这并不意外,因为中国商务旅行和休闲旅游业的蓬勃发展。估计到2020年,会有2亿中国人出国旅游——达到去年境外旅游人数的2倍。
中国旅游研究院北京研究员陈旭是一位研究旅游发展趋势的政府智囊团,他说:“出国旅游一直是中国游客最大的梦想之一。”
“如今,中国政府解除境外旅游限制,所以,境外旅游对很多中国人来说更容易了。”
人们更加富有,签证也更简单,所以很多中国游客有能力到境外消费,很多人在线预订他们的境外旅游,比如通过携程网。
她让我猜销售一个旅游套餐需要多久,我说:“8分钟?”
她笑着说:“17秒。”
毫无疑问,中国游客境外奢侈消费的兴趣和购买能力都是巨大的。中国的境外旅游消费在世界上是最高的。2012年,中国的境外旅游消费高达1020亿美元。
主要的预定量是通过移动设备来完成的。携程网首席运营官孙洁说:“我们网站上的酒店预定,有超过一半是通过移动设备来完成的。”
希尔顿酒店的马丁·林克补充说:“中国人不用台式电脑或笔记本电脑,直接用手机。”
“有些公司以有新网站感到自豪,但是,如果不能在手机上阅读到这些信息,再好的网站也无济于事。”
如果网站没有中文版,同样也形同虚设。
中国旅游研究院的陈旭说:“我们每个季度都会对中国的境外游客做调研。我们发现去年一整年,中国境外游客最不满意的地方是缺乏中文服务,中文节目和中文菜单。”
他补充说:“作为商人,你或许应考虑提供更多的中文服务。”
携程网公司的数据和中国旅游研究院的季度调查数据一致。
孙说:“我们在网站上挂上酒店名及其网址,那些有中文服务的酒店点击率比其他没有中文服务的酒店来得高。”
那会影响消费者的选择吗?
“肯定会”
2011年,希尔顿度假酒店针对中国游客启动“希尔顿欢迎计划”。在一系列针对中国境外游客的措施中,希尔顿推出了中国银联支付终端,聘用会说流利普通话的前台工作人员,定制一系列客房设施,如中文电视节目和茶壶等。
林克告诉我:“2011年8月,我们和中国境外的其他15家酒店共同启动了这个项目。”
“现在共有82家酒店参与,那些酒店的中国境外游客比重也在短短两年翻了一番。”
这向世界旅游业传达一个明确的信息:增加中文电视节目,提高免费行李限额,迎合他们的需求,2亿游客就会朝你走来。
How to win China's tourists
Presented by hongkaren Date:2014-6-1 15:50 译文
As the global travel industry rolls out the welcome mat for China's surge of outbound tourists, it should consider tipping the scales in their customers' favor.
Consider Emirates Airline, which has won over retail-crazy Chinese travelers by simply boosting their baggage allowance.
"They increased their luggage allowance because they recognized when Chinese travelers go abroad, they come home with more than when they left," says Martin Rinck, Asia-Pacific president of Hilton Worldwide.
"And just by making that change, they won tremendous market share of the Chinese consumer."
On China: China outbound tourism trends On China: China outbound tourism trends
For the latest CNN "On China" program, I talked to a panel of industry insiders about how to cater to China's rush of outbound tourists.
Fittingly, we filmed our discussion inside Beijing Capital International Airport -- a rare opportunity for an international TV network. The airport is on track to become the world's busiest passenger hub.
That's not a surprise, given the boom in Chinese business and leisure travel. By 2020, it's estimated more than 200 million Chinese will go overseas -- double the number that did so last year.
"It has been one of the biggest dreams for Chinese travelers to go outside and travel overseas," says Chen Xu, a Beijing-based researcher at the Chinese Tourism Academy, a government think-tank that studies tourism trends.
"And now the government has lifted restrictions on outbound travel, so for more Chinese, it's much easier to travel abroad."
Fueled by more visas and more money, rising numbers of Chinese tourists are now able to fly further and spend more, many booking their own adventures online on travel sites like China's CTrip.com.
She asks me to guess how long it took to sell the package. I play along: "Eight minutes?"
"17 seconds," she says with a smile.
Without a doubt, the interest and buying power of China's ultra-luxury travelers is immense. Across the board, China's outbound tourists are the world's biggest spenders. In 2012, they spent a record $102 billion on international tourism.
And major booking volume is moving across mobile devices.
"More than 50% of our hotel bookings are on mobile," says CTrip.com's Sun.
Hilton's Martin Rinck adds: "China skipped the whole desktop/MacBook/computer thing and went straight to mobile."
"Some companies are really proud to have a new website, but if it doesn't have the functionality to be read on a small device and have full integration on a mobile device, it's really of no use."
It's also of no use if you don't welcome your Chinese guests in Mandarin Chinese.
"We do this outbound Chinese travelers survey every quarter," says CTA's Chen Xu. "And we noticed that last year, for four consecutive seasons, lacking Chinese service and lacking Chinese-language TV programs or menus were the most unsatisfying factors."
"As a business, you probably have to provide more Chinese-language services," he adds.
CTrip.com company data is in line with CTA's quarterly surveys.
"On our website, we rank the hotels and the sites," says Sun. "The hotels with Chinese services are ranked higher than the other hotels."
And does that influence consumer choice?
"Absolutely."
In 2011, Hilton Hotels & Resorts launched "Hilton Huanying," a welcome program tailored for Chinese travelers. In a number of Hilton properties outside China, it rolled out China unioPay terminals, front desk staff fluent in Chinese, and a range of tailored in-room amenities like Chinese-language TV and tea kettles.
"We started the program in August 2011 with 15 participating hotels outside of China," Rinck tells me.
"We now have 82, and those hotels doubled their percentage of Chinese travelers in a period of just two years."
It's a clear message for the global travel industry: Tune those screens to Chinese TV and boost that baggage allowance. It pays to understand the needs of the 200 million tourists coming your way.