What do Chinese Tourists Want and How Social Media Meet Their Needs?

UNCLE SH I V A A journey to the West WHAT DO CHINESE TOURISTS WANT AND HOW SOCIAL MEDIA MEET THEIR NEEDS? By Uncle Advertising and Shiva Communication – December 2014 Why should we focus on social media solutions to reach Chinese tourists directly? China's population: 1,354 billion 597 million Chinese users are active on microblogs. Chinese travellers spent a record US$102 billion on WeChat has about Around 95 million 600 million users worldwide. travellers are predicted for 2013. international tourism in 2012. For China's young generation of « DIGITAL NATIVES », social media, online bookings and mobile technologies are essential tools for planning and booking trip well ahead of departure. Recommendations concerning number of fans and posting frequency: 15 Paris 1 million New York Singapore Sydney fans The top 15 destinations Weibo accounts count 300 000 fans on average. The number of fans is one of the key performance indicators but it can lead to wrong conclusions about consumer behavior and brand performance. Fans expect updates on a regular basis. More posts don't necessarily mean higher engagement. Privileging high value content is essential. Oversharing or, on the contrary, posting from time to time, has to be avoided. How Weibo meet Chinese tourists' needs? The importance of matching content with tourists' interests 2 main sources of information : Internet Word-of-mouth (social media and forum) (friends, family and other travelers) Chinese tourists are traveling independently. They want to experience something new and are looking for unique journeys. While shopping remain their favorite activities; relaxation and entertainment have now moved further up the wish list. 2 directions for posts : Creating suitable and attractive content: pictures, video. Reposting travellers experience SWITZERLAND - An excellent tourist destination FRANCE – What about cheese... 17C SINGAPORE - TOP 10 of the restaurants THAILAND – Outstanding hotel and food suggestions by travellers How Weibo can attract new travellers? 1- Key Opinion Leaders CALIFORNIA & Gao Yuan Yuan With more than 20 million fans on Weibo, Ms. Gao has been chosen by Visit California as a brand ambassador. Enthusiastic, she embodies the California attitude and represents the growing Chinese market and the visitor profile. 高 园园 邀 你 新年 游 加州 Earlier this summer, Visit California treated Ms. Gao and her family to a "California Dream Vacation“, filming a series of videos featuring stops at Universal Studios and Disneyland in the Los Angeles area and posted updates to her Weibo account, driving fans engagement. 2- Contests Singapore Participants are asked to write a love post to Singapore, showing their affection for the city. They need to use the hashtag #u aeaa t #Send love from your heart to Singapore. Participants with the "most beautiful“ message will win airlines tickets to Singapore. 亲情 不过 冬 “ 邀 你 夏南 洋 hetM: 11A26-12A28 OOEENRRSRN NESK. OREGEEARen "ENERRAe And what about WeChat? WeChat is a service provider, social network and gaming platform with a huge potential to be explored. True Story: In the shiny open spaces of duty free stores in Dubai airport, Chinese tourists, with an inexhaustible spending power, are enjoying the tax-free shopping. We notice that Chinese citizens can't get their eyes off their smartphones, and more precisely off WeChat. By talking to friends or posting pictures of the items simultaneously, Chinese travelers in transit make up the biggest customer base for duty free stores. Numbers are growing: It's not 1 or 2 bottles of perfume they buy; it's 10 of them at once... deni i 浅 诗 飘 矣 01 12A # 小 清新 吃 货 游 清 迈特 DIIR, KRE- 回 : 小 伙伴 们 来到 高 大洋 的 东 . 辅 回 的 晚 的 報 厅 店 如其 名 , 除了 View 很 good , 食物 . 四大 吃 货 们 每晚 的 「 酒店 宵 夜 趴 ,, 今晚 由 女 土豪 同 鼠 童鞋 赞助 一 回去 地 对 是 要 群 3 斤 的 。 昨天 圣 国 老人 道 请 我 去 它 的 家 多 的 害 301A 人 小 清新 吃 货 们 在 古城 暴走 了 三 个 博物馆 之后 , 到 The Good 耐 么 重 今天 的 行程 是 古城 见 悠 * Tha innd View | 朋友 热情 道 请 我 吃 晚報 , 我 能 说 -SA N7+-A ... HScheese. HAR 2911A # 小 清新 吃 货 走 天下 # . 301A Tourists posting pictures about food, hotels and sightseeing on their WeChat is a unique way to make their friends dream and push them to go abroad as well. Chinese tourists are also looking for direct recommendations and help. WeChat is a perfect tool to interact with them. Asking for recommendations, using the Location Based Service to get the nearest museums or restaurants is now possible. Looking for an ATM nearby? Send your location and receive a list of ATM nearby. - 中国 联通 令 17:19 23% .. 中国 联通 令 17:26 26% Chats 招商 银行 信用卡 中心 Chats 招商 银行 信用卡 中心 您 附近 的 招 行 ATM 招商 银行 信用卡 74 Dongzhu'anbang Road, Changning.. 家乐福 武宁 店 距离 1.06 千米 武宁 路 20 号 ATM 分类 查找 , 更多 优惠 : [ ] 餐饮 美食 [ 2 ] 生活 购物 [ 3 电影 休闲 [ 4 ] 积分 店面 兑换 15 ] 附近 招 行 网点 [ 6 ] 附近 招 行 ATM [ 7 ] 附近 酒店 推荐 龙 之 梦 商场 距离 1.4 千米 长宁 路 1018 号 7 楼 ATM 地铁 9 号 线 徐家汇 站 距离 1.57 千米 地铁 9 号 线 徐家汇 站 ATM Best practices Using Key Opinion Leaders who embrace the target market in order to create buzz and brand awareness. Delivering high value content and mixing up media such as video and pictures to make Providing an excellent customer service and being able to answer to any inquiries. travelers dream. Running successful contests with well-chosen prizes to engage fans. UNCLE SHI VA Uncle Advertising Shiva Communication 285 Jiangsu Road Building 2 - 200050 SHANGHAI 40 - 42 Boulevard Jean Jaurès 92110 CLICHY www.uncle-ad.com www.shivacom.fr Uncle Advertising is a full service agency providing creative advertising solutions, digital marketing and social connectivity strategies. We provide 'creative solutions' which build brands and businesses in China. We help brands to listen, understand and engage in conversations in Chinese social media: Weibo and Wechat. For more information, please visit our linkedin company page Uncle Advertising (Scan our QR code), follow us on Twitter @ShanghaiUncleAd or drop us an email at [email protected]. Contributors: Elsa Bouillot, Josselin Roulet П1