CHINA ?
Ready for
A ccording to Worldbank , there were 143 million outbound travelers from China in 2017 . That same year , the U . S . had 87 million outbound travelers . Here ’ s what marketing adviser Martin Soler , managing partner of Soler & Associates , thinks about the potential for companies that can capture a piece of that market : “ In terms of global tourism spend , China leads the way with an estimated spending of US $ 250 billion per year for travel . The U . S . comes second with US $ 135 billion . But China is already spending almost twice as much as Americans are for travel . What is even more staggering is the imminent growth from the Chinese market . In 2016 , only 8.7 % of Chinese nationals had an international travel passport . That compares with 42 % for the
U . S . With only a tiny fraction of the population able to travel abroad , China is already traveling and spending nearly twice as much as the largest market — the U . S .
And yet very few hotels are adequately equipped to receive Chinese travelers . Not to mention going out and getting them .
As the Chinese economy grows and wages increase , millions more will have access to the disposable income they need to start seeing the world . And suddenly we realize how unprepared we are as an industry for the largest tourism market to arrive in our hotels .
Can you accept Alipay and WeChat Pay in your hotel ? Do you remember the last time you took a cab in another country and the driver didn ’ t accept credit cards ? That ’ s probably how annoyed
Chinese guests are that they can ’ t just pay with their phone . And the check-in procedure , having to put a credit card “ just in case ” or pre-pay the stay ? Both equal an ultimate sign of distrust for the Chinese traveler .
Is your hotel being distributed through the multitude of booking and travel platforms in China ? Chances are this is not the case , or it is managed through a chain level agreement on which you have little to no control .
Historically , first movers tend to keep a pretty good part of the pie . If you want to get an edge on your competition , the Chinese market should be on the top of your list . The good news is that like everyone else , as they discover your city , they ’ ll need a great place to sleep .”— C . R .
June 2019 hotelsmag . com 15