{"id":47126,"date":"2018-10-08T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/?p=47126"},"modified":"2020-11-16T17:53:31","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T17:53:31","slug":"ireland-chinese-tourists-expected-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesetouristagency.com\/ireland-chinese-tourists-expected-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland : Chinese tourists expected to grow by 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Tourism Ireland, the\u00a0number of Chinese tourists<\/a>\u00a0visiting Ireland could reach 200,000 in 2025, more than double that in 2017. Indeed, in 2019, about 100,000 Chinese tourists went to Ireland, up about 15 percent year-on year.<\/p>\n

Tourism Ireland announced that it has joined forces with WeChat, a popular social media platform in China, to attract more Chinese tourists to the island of Ireland.<\/p>\n

The partnership involves a new mini-program on WeChat, called ‘Explore Ireland’, designed to make it as easy as possible for Chinese visitors to choose the island of Ireland.<\/p>\n

Chinese tourists in Ireland<\/span><\/h2>\n

In order to attract the growing inflow of Chinese tourists, Tourism Ireland and Irish tourism partners launched the China Ready training program. This is a program designed to help Irish tourism companies to grab business opportunities and develop their strategy in China with for example\u00a0Wechat<\/a>. Tourism Ireland also developed a joint campaign with one of the biggest Chinese travel companies to attract travelers to come visit Ireland in winter. The Tourism Ireland\u2019s manager for China, James Kenny, said: \u201cOur aim is to win a greater share of the 4 million Chinese visitors who travel to Europe each year\u201d.<\/p>\n

Most of Chinese tourists of the first-tier cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, had already traveled a lot. They know many countries and want now to discover new destinations. They are more independent than their peers are. Chinese living in the second-tier cities are less experienced than those living in the first-tier cities of China. That\u2019s why this segment of Chinese tourists will prefer guided tour and group travelling.<\/p>\n

In addition, because it\u2019s a new country, they will spend a lot of money. They want to bring gifts and memories to their families and friends. The luxury tourism is more and more chosen by travelers. They want the best: quality, convenience and comfort.<\/p>\n

Chinese tourists\u2019 characteristics<\/h2>\n
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Age distribution of outbound tourists from China in 2017 and 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The highest number of package trips are booked to Southeast Asia and Europe despite the difference in distance for Chinese tourists and the average spending associated with such destinations. A trip to Europe can also provide a language barrier, which is why a travel agency can help mitigate confusion, especially for travelers who want to visit multiple destinations.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Mc Kinsey\u2019s research shows that age is a factor in the popularity of certain types of tours. Self-guided tours, for example, are favored by 44 percent of travelers aged 20 to 24, and that number drops to 27 percent for tourists more than 60 years of age.10 Meanwhile, package tours of 10 to 20 people account for just 4 percent of the youngest cohort of tourists but become more popular with older demographics.<\/p>\n

Chinese tourists have a diverse appetite for outbound trips, dispelling the myth that they prefer to take a trip only to do shopping. According to Mc Kinsey\u2019s research, when planning a trip, Chinese outbound tourists desire places that offer natural scenery, high value for money, and family-friendly locales, though the importance of these factors varies by destination.<\/p>\n

Finally, the new Chinese millennial generation is really complex, to\u00a0attract this target<\/a>\u00a0you will need to use new tools. They want a unique and amazing experience. Indeed, they want to show their travel\u2019s pictures to their friends and their family and they expect you, travel agency, to make it wonderful and unforgettable. They look for high-end package tours with customized and flexible travel experience.<\/p>\n

How to attract Chinese tourists?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Even if Chinese travelers are ready to spend a lot of money abroad, attracting them requires a strategic approach and you need to follow some tips to generate traffic on your website.<\/p>\n

Partnership with Chinese travel agencies<\/span><\/h3>\n

The majority of\u00a0Chinese tourists travel in groups<\/a>. According to the latest report by the tourism agency of China, group travel takes up 70% of traveling for Chinese people. Therefore, communication among agencies can make your website known, and allows you to generate your first business in the country.<\/p>\n

WeChat to communicate with Chinese tourists<\/h3>\n
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One of our clients, French Dream, on WeChat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chinese tourists will decide what to book and where to go mostly according to their friends or family advice followed by reviews and comments from users on Chinese social networks in China.<\/p>\n

China is the world largest connected country: more than 90% of Chinese people have an account on at least one Chinese social network.<\/p>\n

Wechat<\/a>\u00a0is the most used social media in China and, regardless of the size of your company, it is an essential media to develop your marketing strategy in the country. Including Wechat in your digital strategy to attract Chinese tourists is one of the most powerful tools you could use.<\/p>\n

WeChat is the app on which Chinese spend most of their time. It is thus the best way to offer your brand visibility and create a community that will follow you.<\/p>\n

Press Relations<\/h3>\n

Having a good reputation online is essential in China. Press Relations is one of the key points on which any digital marketing strategy should be based. PR is a marketing tool that excludes Paid ads. It consists of having an authority profile talking about your company. It can be media (newspapers, blog..), KOLs or even community. More than attracting Chinese travelers to your website, it is important to raise your company awareness and to make it more visible for Chinese by using online Public Relations.<\/p>\n

Consequently, it is always useful for a company to use Press Relations to promote your travel tours. With PR you can establish a coherent brand position, write press releases in Mandarin and disseminate this content by targeting journalists.<\/p>\n

PR has the advantage of lasting in time and it gives your company legitimacy.<\/p>\n

SEO on Baidu is an important tool<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The most widely used search engine by Chinese people and Chinese tourists is Baidu. The website owns 70% of the market shares, it ranks 5th among the most visited sites in the world and currently has more than 800 million web pages.<\/p>\n

SEO on Baidu is the key for the visibility of your travel company in China. Baidu now offers a wide range of services, such as web searches, image search, music, forums or a Q&A service. It is structured like an ecosystem (Baidu Search, Baidu Promotion, Baidu Video, Baidu Maps, Baidupedia).<\/p>\n

SEO on Baidu<\/a>\u00a0requires several steps, which may be different from what needs to be done on Google. The notions of trust and notoriety remain essential for companies wishing to enter the Chinese market and be visible on Baidu.<\/p>\n

Key Opinion Leaders to create more engagement<\/span><\/h3>\n

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In order to have a quick high visibility in China, few methods are as effective as partnerships with Key Opinion Leaders. Indeed, the word-of-mouth is very strong in China. Since few years, they became a real part of the influencer marketing because they are numerous and powerful. KOLs are often Chinese celebrities who are experts of a specific subject. They are popular social media users and they have created viral contents to develop a community around them.<\/p>\n

Working together with Key Opinion Leaders will help your travel company to:<\/p>\n