10 TRADE TALK / 贸 易
10 TRADE TALK / 贸 易 对 话 Jessie Sin Director of Meetings.com Hong Kong Office Global group travel specialists leverage ITB China to expand footprint 孙 秋 华 同 程 国 际 旅 行 社 有 限 公 司 海 岛 事 业 部 总 监 中 国 海 岛 游 游 客 青 睐 主 题 游 、 定 制 游 Jessie Sin, Director of Meetings.com Hong Kong Office is at ITB China to take advantage of the show’s exceptional networking capabilities. We asked her what’s new at Meetings.com… Customers can now build, customise and manage a free event registration page complete with hotel information, all the cool things they have planned for the trip, and an integrated hotel booking option that offers instant group rates and discounted group deals. Customers can send the page to their friends or network through WhatsApp and Facebook to see who is interested in joining, and can secure additional group travel deals once they have a confirmed number of travellers. How are you seeing the outbound group booking market in China evolving? Outbound travel from China is as strong as ever despite trade talks and other geopolitical tensions. While group travel remains strong, we’re seeing a sharp rise in independent travel as the Chinese have become more mature and savvy travellers and the country rise in wealth has led to a demand for more customized travel experiences. While the US is comparable in size to Europe, many travellers view the US as one country therefore eliminating the need for group support. China’s group travel to Europe, on the other hand, has remained more consistent since it is more complicated to navigate multiple countries and cultures. What kind of thing are you looking for at ITB China? At ITB China, we hope to learn as much as we can about China’s tourism industry and the trends affecting its market. As the leading online seller of group hotel bookings and individual hotel stays worldwide, we want to educate ourselves and others on how we can make the most beneficial aspects of group travel accessible to individuals looking for bespoke experiences. Additionally, we’ve recently expanded our footprint in Asia with the opening of our new Singapore office, so this year in particular, we want to meet as many people and learn as many things as we can about the Chinese travel market and culture at large 海 岛 游 在 中 国 境 外 游 市 场 中 深 受 欢 迎 。“ 越 来 越 多 的 游 客 选 择 主 题 定 制 游 , 以 满 足 自 身 个 性 化 的 出 游 需 求 。” 同 程 旅 游 出 境 海 岛 事 业 部 总 监 孙 秋 华 女 士 指 出 , 海 岛 类 目 的 地 除 自 然 风 光 及 水 上 活 动 之 外 , 还 有 登 顶 活 火 山 、 观 鲸 潜 海 、 丛 林 冒 险 等 深 度 体 验 项 目 可 供 游 客 选 择 。 据 孙 秋 华 透 露 , 海 岛 事 业 部 运 营 至 今 已 累 计 输 送 约 60 万 人 次 。 同 程 旅 游 的 优 势 之 一 是 利 用 大 数 据 对 产 品 预 订 和 用 户 消 费 行 为 进 行 获 取 和 分 析 , 以 此 打 造 出 的 产 品 可 以 与 旅 游 市 场 需 求 保 持 高 度 一 致 。 当 地 服 务 据 同 程 旅 游 数 据 显 示 , 在 巴 厘 岛 、 普 吉 岛 、 长 滩 岛 等 热 门 目 的 地 中 , 选 择 半 自 助 游 和 跟 团 游 的 消 费 者 各 占 一 半 。 除 了 保 证 所 需 的 当 地 服 务 之 外 , 旅 游 企 业 还 需 要 确 保 旅 行 不 会 受 到 语 言 障 碍 的 限 制 。 孙 秋 华 表 示 , 从 同 程 用 户 的 反 馈 中 看 出 , 中 国 游 客 最 看 重 住 宿 和 服 务 。 导 游 、 领 队 的 服 务 态 度 和 专 业 程 度 甚 至 会 成 为 影 响 游 客 最 终 评 价 的 关 键 因 素 。 影 响 因 素 孙 秋 华 强 调 , 多 个 因 素 正 在 为 新 趋 势 奠 定 基 础 , 其 中 一 项 是 获 取 不 同 信 息 和 内 容 来 源 的 渠 道 。 旅 游 企 业 需 要 辨 别 哪 些 因 素 可 能 会 促 进 游 客 出 行 。 “ 电 影 《 前 任 3》 票 房 高 达 19 亿 , 让 美 娜 多 这 个 小 众 海 岛 惊 艳 了 无 数 观 众 , 很 多 游 客 前 往 打 卡 , 直 接 提 升 了 美 娜 多 的 知 名 度 。” 孙 秋 华 还 介 绍 道 ,“ 同 程 在 全 国 各 地 都 有 线 下 体 验 店 , 通 过 引 进 AR/VR 技 术 , 让 用 户 在 家 门 口 体 验 海 岛 风 情 , 鼓 励 其 最 终 出 游 。” 提 升 体 验 今 年 , 部 分 海 岛 游 经 营 者 利 用 低 价 揽 客 , 实 则 安 排 大 量 购 物 店 获 利 , 这 种 行 为 让 用 户 出 游 体 验 大 打 折 扣 。 孙 秋 华 表 示 同 程 非 常 看 重 用 户 出 游 体 验 , 一 对 一 的 旅 游 顾 问 能 24 小 时 解 决 用 户 问 题 ,“ 同 程 度 假 旅 游 ” 小 程 序 让 用 户 在 微 信 上 即 可 轻 松 购 买 海 岛 游 产 品 。 同 程 珍 惜 用 户 反 馈 , 据 此 设 计 旅 游 产 品 并 迭 代 升 级 。 ITB CHINA NEWS NEWS • Wednesday 15 th May 2019 www.itb-china-news.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 11 ITALY IS THE FIRST EUROPEAN DESTINATION FOR CHINESE TOURISTS, ATTRACTING 3.1 MILLION ARRIVALS FOR MORE THAN 5 MILLION OVERNIGHT STAYS Giorgio Palmucci President of ENIT Celebrating culture and travel… together Italy, Official Partner Destination of ITB China announces strategic plans for future tourism development Italy’s national tourism board, ENIT, is at ITB China with a mission. As Official Partner Destination of the event, the aim is not only to raise awareness, but to reach specific goals for future tourism development. We asked Giorgio Palmucci, President of ENIT, to explain. ENIT is Official Partner Destination of ITB China for many strategical reasons. Firstly, 2020 will be the Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and China. We are thus organising many promotional activities and events in order to diffuse and communicate new Italian destinations to this tourism market that fosters ever growing numbers of arrivals in Italy. ENIT is working in terms of “best brand” positioning and with operative marketing actions, enhancing our brand awareness on WeChat targeting to Millennials, Families, Multigenerational groups, interested in lifestyle, culture, travel and Made in Italy. Furthermore, we are furnishing content to the platform Taobao of Alibaba for the review “Gocce di Italia”. How are you working with Chinese outbound travel professionals (TOs and TAs)? We recently signed an agreement with Shanghai Ctrip Commerce Co. Ltd., aiming to identify common strategies to promote tourism destinations and increase the number of Chinese tourists in Italy, facilitating networking opportunities and supporting Italian Regions and operators. What are ENIT’s goals in terms of Chinese visitors in the coming years? ENIT is working hardly to reach a growing rate in tourism nights, expecting at least +10% of new tourism stays for 2020, and still in 2019 our studies and intelligence tools forecast a major further growth. Actually, Italy is the first European destination for Chinese tourists, attracting 3.1 million arrivals for more than 5 million overnight stays in Italian accommodations. How is the way Chinese tourists perceive Italy evolving? Chinese tourists are looking for new important places to visit, meaning that destinations may also be less famous, but not less important for their cultural heritage, natural beauty and tourism hospitality. What destinations are trending - outside of the “great classics” like Rome, Florence, Venice etc.? Destinations such as Naples, Amalfi, Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, and others in Sicily are the new trending destinations in the South of Italy. In Northern Italy, Chinese tourists are increasingly visiting different places like Verona, Turin, Genova, Bologna, Siena or the most famous one for Italian wines such as the Barolo area in Piedmont and San Gimignano in Tuscany. What can visitors discover at your stand at ITB China? Our stand is showing some of the best destinations of our country, from the northern-east Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto Regions to Piedmont in the west. Tuscany will be present together with Apulia, too. Each destination is a treasure trove of “food for thought” for the travellers who aim to come to Italy, thanks to their varied offer, which will ensure is a good combination between “blockbuster” destinations and new trending places. On a more flavoursome note, we will be offering a drink-tasting experience on some afternoons with a showcase of Vermouth making. Are you doing any other events at the show? Yes of course. As we are Official Partner Destination, we have been glad to co-sponsor the Opening Gala Evening held on May 14th. But we’ll have our specific event, too: in fact, on May 16, the “Italian Dream Night” is expected to bring our guests (around 200 selected stakeholders in the travel field) to a dreamy night, with Italian music, the presentation of some regions, Italian wines and an allencompassing Italian mood. Added value will come through the participation of Arena di Verona, who will brighten-up both the Gala Evening and the Italian night with exclusive live performances, representing our culture through one of the most acknowledged points of our heritage, that of music KEYNOTE Giorgio Palmucci, President of ENIT 15 May 2019, 10:30 am - 10:50 am Conference Center, Room A ITB CHINA NEWS • Wednesday 15 th May 2019
