THE INTERVIEW

driving itineraries in the United States . Considering how and when experiences will resonate with the China traveler

and being nimble enough to accommodate them is key to our success .

RK : I have been in the international

market for all of my career on the airline side , the overseas representation side

Travel Oregon has hosted Fam tours for Chinese operators .

market . If approached with cultural sensitivity , it takes three to five years to get a new product or destination established , followed by many more years of staying the course and working the market . Not many tour operators want to be the first to promote a new destination , so it ’ s our job to take as much of the risk out of that decision as possible .

TRAVEL OREGON

How long has your organization been making a concerted effort to build your presence in the China inbound market ? SB : When I started at the museum in 2010 , we had

already been offering Mandarin narration of our popular live Hot Glass Show . We also had been meeting with Chinese tour operators and U . S . -based receptives at trade shows . I have been traveling to China on annual sales missions for anticipated the rapid evolution of this market and how it will further evolve over the next decade .”

several years , and I continue to attend key trade shows .

GE : Travel Oregon has invested in the China market for almost a decade ; however , six years ago , data pointed to a surge in Chinese visitors to Oregon . At that time , Travel Oregon [ began ] aggressively building our presence in the market , leading to our recruitment of in-country representation .

RK : We are in year four of our concerted efforts in building an awareness in the China market .

— Greg Eckhart , Travel Oregon

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60 July 2016