This document discusses strategies for attracting Chinese tourists through social media. It notes that China's economy continues to grow at over 7% annually, adding to hundreds of millions of middle class consumers. Chinese tourists on average spend $1000 more than other international visitors. In 2012, 83 million Chinese traveled abroad, spending $102 billion total. The top 10 destinations for Chinese tourists are listed. The document recommends targeting Chinese travelers digitally as China has over 591 million internet users who frequently use social media. Specific Chinese social platforms like Weibo and WeChat are outlined and it is advised that hotels create engaging content and build followers to inform and recruit visitors from China.

1. A"rac&ng
Chinese
Guests
Using
Social
Media
October
,
2013

2. The Promise of Chinese Tourists
• It’s
no
secret
that
China’s
economy
con&nues
to
expand,
at
more
than
7%
a
year
even
as
the
global
economy
wobbles
due
to
a
number
of
market
condi&ons.
• This
con&nued
growth
will
add
to
the
hundreds
of
millions
of
preexis&ng
middle
class
consumers
also
boos&ng
their
levels
of
disposable
income.
• Chinese
tourists
on
average
spend
approximately
$1000
USD
more
than
overseas
tourists
on
foreign
trips
• Data
compiled
by
the
United
Na&ons
World
Tourism
Origina&on
showed
that;
– 83
million
Chinese
ci&zens
travelled
abroad
in
2012
and
by
2015,
this
figure
will
top
100
million.
› A
1000%
increase
from
2000.
– Chinese
tourists
spent
$102billion
USD
in
2012,
more
than
any
other
country.
Chinese visitors can bring your property a valuable source of new bookings and opportunity.
Sources: McKinsey - Mapping China’s Middle Class. June 2013. United Nations World Tourism Organisation, April 2013. U.S. Bureau of Industry, Travel and Tourism

3. Where Chinese Tourists Visit
The 10 most popular destinations (summer, 2013)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Hong Kong
Phuket
Taiwan
Bangkok
Paris
Dubai
Macau
Seoul
Singapore
Bali
Source: Daodao, Wall Street Journal

4. When T
argeting Chinese Travelers: Think Digital
• Rising
incomes
and
the
prolifera&on
of
smart-­‐everything
has
helped
to
make
China
a
wired
society.
• There
are
currently
over
591
million
internet
users
in
China,
according
to
the
China
Internet
Network
Informa&on
Center
(CNNIC,
June
2013).
• That
means
there
are
43
&mes
more
internet
users
in
China
as
there
are
people
living
in
Australia.
91%
of
those
Chinese
ne&zens
visit
social
media
sites,
and
66%
of
those
social
media
users
follow
brands.
• Increasingly,
the
way
to
reach
Chinese
consumers
of
any
product—be
it
hotels,
computers
or
luxury
purchases—is
through
digital
marke&ng
in
general,
and
social
media
in
par&cular.

5. The Chinese Social Media Landscape
Social Media is, at its core, a means of
communication.
Whether
communica&ng
ideas
to
friends,
consumers
or
internet
at
large,
social
media
enables
individuals
to
make
their
voices
heard
across
the
internet,
across
wireless
networks
and,
increasingly,
across
the
world.
Brands
and
companies
are
increasingly
using
social
media
to
become
a
source
of
trusted
and
highly
prized
informa&on
for
consumers.
In
China,
the
importance
of
social
media
is
amplified
due
to
consumer
mistrust
of
tradi&onal
adver&sing,
the
rapid
prolifera&on
of
internet-­‐enable
devices
and
a
booming
middle
class
who
will
increasingly
shape
product
offerings
for
decades
with
their
preferences
and
habits.
The Chinese social media landscape is unique and substantially different than its Western
counterpart.

6. Social Media is Now Mainstream Marketing
• Social
Media
is
no
longer
the
preserve
of
Silicon
Valley
CEOs
or
uber-­‐hip
20-­‐somethings.
• Mul&na&onal
hotel
groups,
independent
hotels,
guesthouses
and
motels
are
increasingly
turning
to
social
media
to
be"er
communicate
their
values,
ideas
and
content
to
consumers.
•
“Consumers”
no
longer
just
refers
to
people
or
groups
looking
to
purchase
something.
In
the
world
of
social
media,
“consumers”
include
everyone
from
retail
shoppers
and
interna&onal
travelers
that
simply
want
personal
recommenda&ons
about
where
to
stay.

7. Why Western Hoteliers Should Embrace Chinese Social Media
• As
more
Chinese
tourists
travel
abroad,
the
market
will
become
more
fragmented.
Certain
socio-­‐economic
groups
will
favor
certain
des&na&ons
and
hotel
types.
Younger,
white
collar
workers
will
favor
trips
to
South
East
Asia.
Social
media
will
allow
you
to
target
messages
on
specific
demographics.
• “This
new
genera&on
of
Chinese
outbound
travelers
is
making
their
own
decisions
about
where
to
go,
where
to
stay
and
what
to
do
by
doing
their
own
research
online,
going
beyond
the
old
stereotype
of
big
buses
of
group
tourists.’’
Lily
Cheng,
Managing
Director
of
TripAdvisor,
China
Social media will allow properties to directly talk to
Chinese looking for information and
recommendations about where to stay. Also,
Chinese are very apt about sharing negative
experiences about their stay and hotels need to
monitor and respond as appropriate.

8. Why Should Hoteliers Invest in Chinese Social Media?
Chinese Netizens spend 20.5 hours/week online and trust online peer recommendations.
Crea&ng
awareness
is
cri&cal,
especially
in
China.
This
is
cri&cal
in
lesser
known
ci&es
and
for
more
niche
property
op&ons
such
as
B&B
or
Guesthouses.
Pos&ng,
sharing
and
referring
interes&ng
and
engaging
content
will
help
to
build
your
follower
base.
Be
sure
to
encourage
“Liking,”
“Sharing”
and
“Repos&ng.”
Source:
China
Internet
Network
Informa&on
Center
(CNNIC),
June
2013.
With
a
solid
follower
and
fan
base,
it
becomes
possible
to
inform,
recruit
and
network
via
social
media.
FAQs
and
Q&As
can
also
be
posted
for
use
by
followers.
Chinese visitors
are likely to
continue following
and engaging with
a hotels’ social
media accounts
once they have
been on vacation.

9. Selecting the Right Platforms
• The
Chinese
social
media
space
is
complex
and
can
be
difficult
to
navigate
without
the
help
of
a
professional
agency.
• Chinese
social
media
plaoorms
are
best
used
in
conjunc&on
with
each
other,
as
each
major
plaoorm
serves
a
different
purpose
and
can
be
used
to
connect
with
consumers
in
a
different
manner.

10. A Look at Chinese Social Media Platforms
Plaoorms
Type
Poten&al
Op&ons
Users
Branded
pages
Micro-­‐blogging
Features
such
as
Wei
Ac&vi&es
and
Wei
Magazine
Over
500
million
Page
layout
can
be
changed
to
match
campaign
Branded
pages
Customer
service
possibili&es
Instant
Messaging
SNS
Video
Sharing
Page
layout
can
be
changed
to
match
campaign
Lucky
draws/giveaways
Prac&cal
marke&ng
Branded
pages
Videos
will
be
featured
in
relevant
channels
Ad
availability
throughout
Available
entry
into
branded
zone
Branded
pages
E-­‐Commerce
Offer
verified
products
and
reviews
Gain
valuable
guest
experience
informa&on
Branded
pages
Shows
“related
brands”
Over
300
million
Daily
news/ar&cles
sent
QR
Code
Branded
pages
Keyword
setup
and
auto
response
Visual
Based
Over
170
million
Over
150
million
User
base:
Childless
women
browsing
from
work
and
school
who
have
incomes
over
$30,000
User
base:
Childless
women
Social
Media
Integra&on
to
share
products
online
browsing
from
work
and
school
who
have
incomes
over
$30,000
Shows
products
that
are
available
to
buy

11. WeiXin (WeChat): A One-to-One with 300,000,000 Users
• Gain
access
to
the
rapidly
increasing
market
of
300
million
users.
• Content
can
be
pushed
to
fans
in
one-­‐
to-­‐one
messaging
serng
• Stored
informa&on
can
be
easily
accessed
via
keyword
search
• Keyword
setup
and
auto
response
• Daily
news/ar&cles
sent
to
subscribers
• QR
Code(s)
can
direct
users
to
landing
pages,
minisites
and
other
social
media
plaoorms;
QR
codes
placed
elsewhere
can
also
drive
users
to
WeChat
accounts.

12. Landing Pages and Localized Sites
Pos&ng
content
to
Weibo
is
an
effec&ve
way
to
engage
with
tourists,
but
may
not
be
enough
to
a"ract
travelers
on
its
own.
A
custom
designed
and
built
Chinese
language
landing
page
or
minisite
can
be
a
very
effec&ve
means
of
connec&ng
with
travelers
about
overseas
travel.
A
Chinese-­‐
language
site
hosted
on
a
Chinese
domain
will
be
easily
accessible
in
terms
of
both
linguis&c
understanding
and
internet
best
prac&ces.
Chinese-­‐
language
websites
can
be
op&mized
for
search
and
social
media
marke&ng
on
Baidu
(China’s
most
popular
search
engine)
on
Chinese
social
media
plaoorms
respec&vely.

13. Going Mobile: The Rise of Smart-Everything in China
• According
to
CNNIC
(June
2013),
China
had
460
million
mobile
web
users
as
of
July
2013.
• 70%
of
new
internet
users
in
China
access
the
internet
via
mobile
device.
• China
has
over
300
million
3G
users,
meaning
that
roughly
300
smart
devices
across
the
country
are
perpetually
connected
to
the
world
wide
web.
• Given
the
overwhelming
rates
of
mobile
internet
usage,
any
digital
marke&ng
strategy
must
make
use
of
mobile
plaoorms
with
content
and
messaging
op&mized
for
mobile
use.

14. Conclusions
• The
choices
available
to
Chinese
tourists
are
ever
growing,
as
is
the
informa&on
available
to
them.
• Given
the
online
habits
and
preferences
of
the
Chinese
tourists,
using
social
media
and
targeted
online
campaigns
represent
the
most
effec&ve
means
this
massive
and
growing
target
audience.
Conveying
what
quali&es
your
hotel
has
and
what
you
are
able
to
offer
tourists
will
be
key.
Remember
that
tourists
have
thousands
of
places
they
could
visit
so
you
have
to
stand
out
against
a
great
deal
of
compe&&on.
• If
you
would
like
to
know
more
about
leveraging
social
media
to
recruit
Chinese
travelers,
or
have
any
ques&ons,
please
do
not
hesitate
to
get
in
contact
with
us.
We
have
years
of
experience
in
this
field
as
well
as
talented,
mul&cultural
and
mul&lingual
staff.
Thank you for reading and be sure to share with
your friends, fans and followers.

15. Contact Us
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