New platform taps in to China outbound market

Posted: Mon 15 Mar, 2010 12:00 AM

A new interactive platform for China outbound travellers has been launched with the backing of PATA. Venue for the launch of ChinaTravelTrends.com was a social media marketing workshop at ITB Berlin hosted by the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI) and Dragon Trail.

With more than 50 million outbound travellers are expected to leave China this year PATA CEO Greg Duffell told the workshop that Chinese tourists are demanding the right treatment and the right products for their tastes and expectations. COTRI Director, Prof Wolfgang Georg Arlt, said that the Chinese outbound market was one of the few source markets showing growth during the global economic crisis. In 2009, more than 47.5 million Chinese travelled across the border - an increase of four percent compared to 2008. The Chinese government has recently declared more support to the growth of outbound tourism.

China, with the largest number of internet users, has developed into the largest tourism source market in Asia. With growing choice and increased consumer sophistication, destinations and companies must use up-to-date communication to reach the attention and imagination of these high-spending customers. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are banned in China, but their Chinese equivalents are getting even more traffic than the ‘western’ social media equivalents, delegates heard.

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