• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts
China Business Review
  • Operations
    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Brave New Business Models Making Waves in China’s Ecommerce Market

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Handshake that Changed the World

    President Carter and Vice Premier Deng at the Performance of American Arts

    January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Brave New Business Models Making Waves in China’s Ecommerce Market

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Handshake that Changed the World

    President Carter and Vice Premier Deng at the Performance of American Arts

    January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
China Business Review
No Result
View All Result
Home PR & Marketing

Destinations Target Chinese Tourists on Weibo

Christina Nelson by Christina Nelson
July 29, 2013
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterLinkedin

Brands and destinations are using social media to attract China’s big-spending overseas travelers.

By Christina Nelson 

California is already the top US destination for Chinese travelers, but the state’s tourism bureau isn’t taking any chances. In June, Visit California announced that Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan would travel the state as part of the organization’s celebrity tourism ambassador program.

Gao’s trip took her to downtown Los Angeles, Venice Beach, San Francisco, and Napa Valley, and along the way she posted updates and photos of the trip to more than 21 million fans on Chinese social networking site Weibo.

Gao is the first Chinese national to serve as a travel ambassador for the state—past celebrity ambassadors have included American actor Rob Lowe and Korean actor Lee Byung-hun—and her role is just one sign of the growing importance of Chinese travelers to the US tourism industry and retailers.

The number of Chinese travelers in the United States is expected to skyrocket in the next few years. In 2012, 1.5 million Chinese travelers visited the United States, according to the US Department of Commerce. California projects that the state will receive 1.1 million annual Chinese visitors by 2015.

Not only are more Chinese traveling overseas, they’re spending more—especially on shopping. According to the Boston Consulting Group, Chinese travelers spend nearly half their travel budget on shopping. And last year Chinese travelers spent $102 billion on overseas travel, more than tourists from any other country, according to the UN World Travel Organization.

 “Give them a chance to find you”

Chinese travelers still largely rely on package tours for international trips—to make it easier to get visas and to help with language barriers—but engaging potential customers online has become more important as more Chinese travel abroad and plan more diverse and independent itineraries, according to Sage Brennan, co-founder of China Luxury Advisors.

“They’re going to look for advice for what to do when they’re in New York and Los Angeles,” Brennan says.

Brennan advises consumer brands—even brands without a brick-and-mortar presence in China—and destinations to engage potential Chinese customers through social media before they travel. Brands like luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman will likely never have a physical presence in China, Brennan says, but the company recognized the need for a Weibo account to interact with customers who may travel to New York and stop by their Fifth Avenue store.

“You have to give them a chance to find you to have a chance” at attracting Chinese customers, Brennan says.

Increasingly that web presence is on Weibo, and for good reason. Most Chinese Internet users now browse the web on mobile devices. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, nearly 80 percent of China’s 591 million Internet users browse the web on mobile devices. Brennan says younger consumers in particular are rarely on desktop computers.

Visit California was looking to leverage these numbers when they named Gao their tourism ambassador.

Between Visit California’s own Weibo presence—61,000 followers at last count—and actress Gao’s updates on her trip, Visit California’s Brian Wright says the trip was a success. “We’ve calculated the reach to be more than 50 million,” he says.

The group’s surveys show that roughly 67 percent of Chinese respondents learned about California from websites and 66 percent from social media. Almost half of respondents said they used a mobile device while researching vacation plans and a third used a tablet.

Social media, brands, and travel

Social media platforms in China have different features, but Brennan notes that one of the biggest differences for brands on social media in China is how Chinese Internet users interact with companies. While Americans might comment on a brand’s Facebook page about how much they like a specific item, Chinese consumers use social media to actively obtain information.

“A lot of times on Weibo they will actually be asking, how do I get to the store?” Brennan says. “The networks play into people’s lives in a different way in China. It’s almost the equivalent of text messaging a friend. They feel like it’s more personal.”

Brennan says brands and destinations are just starting to catch on than they need to engage Chinese tourists before they travel. “Everyone is curious. They’re saying, what does this mean to me?”

For some companies it means thinking about how their brands fit with a specific destination.

“The travel and fashion industries really go hand in hand, especially in the Chinese market,” says Courtney Gerring of Fashionbi, a firm that specializes in digital and social media analytics for the fashion industry. “Many Chinese travelers are taking specific trips just to go shopping. They are planning their travel itineraries around key shopping destinations.”

Gerring says videos on Weibo tend to be popular. “The most engaged posts on Chanel’s Weibo page were video posts about the origin and craftsmanship of the products in France, giving a real look into French culture,” she says.

While brands like Chanel or Burberry—which added Mandarin-speaking staff to its flagship stores in Europe to cater to increasing numbers of Chinese tourists—are looking to sell their goods when Chinese travelers are in town, California officials want travelers to think of destinations in the state as they plan their itineraries.

“Our goal is to get as many Chinese travelers here as possible,” Visit California’s Wright says. “We want to make sure we’re front and center to meet their wants and needs when they’re over here.”

[author] Christina Nelson ([email protected]) is editor of the China Business Review. [/author]

(Photo by Marc Dalmulder via Flickr)

Tags: MarketingSocial MediaTravel
Christina Nelson

Christina Nelson

Next Post

China’s Charm Offensive

Recommended.

How Biden’s Economic Team Views China Trade Policy

January 14, 2021

Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

November 25, 2020

China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

October 7, 2020

Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

September 22, 2020

Latest Podcasts.

Getting prepared for Chinese New Year

January 26, 2021

A look at China’s recent spate of bond defaults

January 22, 2021

A COVID update, a record trade surplus, and new PRCG personnel

January 19, 2021

New MOFCOM rules on extraterritorial application of foreign laws

January 12, 2021
China Business Review

China Business Review is the official magazine of the US-China Business Council, a nonprofit and nonpartisan trade association that represents more than 200 American companies doing business in China.

  • How to contribute to China Business Review

Categories

  • Bilateral Relations
  • Business Etiquette
  • CBR Spotlight
  • China Deals
  • Corruption
  • Cybersecurity
  • Ecommerce
  • Environment
  • Finance
  • Galleries
  • Getting Started
  • HR & Staffing
  • Infographics
  • Innovation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Management
  • Media
  • Operations
  • Opinion
  • Policy & Regulations
  • Politics
  • PR & Marketing
  • Rural Issues
  • Safety
  • Social Policy
  • Society
  • Standards + Licensing
  • Sustainability
  • Tax
  • Tech
  • Top Story
  • Trade
  • Uncategorized
  • US-China Business Council
  • Videos

Tags

Agreements Agriculture Alibaba Best Practices Business Environment China China's Investments Abroad China Market Intelligence Chinese Consumers Chinese Investment Commentary Consumer Trends E-Commerce Economic Trends Energy Environment Events Food Foreign Investment Going Global Healthcare Reform Human Resources Infrastructure Internet Interview Investment Investments into China IPO Joint Venture Labor Legal Analysis M&A Manufacturing Media National People's Congress Q&A Strategic and Economic Dialogue Supply Chains Technology Trade Transparency US-China Relations USCBC US Exports to China Xi Jinping

Join our Mailing List

Sign up for the US-China Business Council's newsletters to stay ahead of the game with roundups, analysis, and commentary.

Sign Up

Follow Us

  • About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts

© 2020 China Business Review

No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Society
  • Media
  • Podcasts

© 2020 China Business Review