TECHNOLOGY
CHINA CONNECTION
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HOW HOTELS ARE RESPONDING TO TECH DEMANDS FROM THIS IMMENSE — AND TRAVEL- HUNGRY — COHORT .
Contributed by ELLIS BOOKER
Now representing international tourism ’ s top spender , Chinese tourists bring with them a number of unique technology preferences .
Some of these undoubtedly derive from China ’ s strict censorship policies , which ban a few Western platforms ( notably , Google and Facebook ), an environment that has spurred Chinese-centric offerings , such as Baidu , the country ’ s leading search engine , and WeChat , the multipurpose messaging , social media and mobile payment app . Other differences may simply reflect the organic preferences of Chinese customers .
In either case , understanding the tech needs of Chinese travelers is key for Western brands looking to succeed in this enormous and growing marketplace .
MOBILE PREFERENCES Mobile is , by far , the top technology difference between East and West .
“ The penetration rate of Chinese mobile ‘ netizen ’ reached 98.6 % by the end of 2018 ,” says Anthony Emanuelo , Wyndham Hotels & Resorts ’ vice president , international operations and brand leader for Tryp by Wyndham . “ This tells us a strong story about how to reach travelers on the platforms they ’ re using and through the mediums they prefer most .” He notes that instant messaging , online search , online news and short videos — an area of explosive growth , reaching 46.71 billion yuan in advertising monetization in 2018 with a growth of 744.7 % versus the previous year — are among the most popular online activities .
October 2019 hotelsmag . com 49