Talking about Chinese tourism, we are increasingly faced with underdevelopment and adaptability of infrastructure to Chinese consumers. Obviously, to the extent of strong cultural, mental and linguistic differences, there are special requirements for the service and the tourist facilities. It doesn’t matter if you own a hotel, a restaurant or a museum - if you do not satisfy the needs of Chinese tourists, you lose a huge audience, and, accordingly, your income.
For example, in Russia only 25 cities have correctly adapted objects, among them Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi and other big cities. In cities of less obvious, but still popular among Chinese citizens, such infrastructure is present among single hotels and restaurants, most often under the brands of large international chains, or is absent altogether. Yes, it is possible that Chinese tourists will appear in non-adapted establishments, but they are unlikely to return there again.
So what is the "friendly" object to China?
- All sounds Chinese. First of all, you need to take care of the translation of signboards, navigation elements, menus and other information materials. For hotels, an important aspect will be the availability of a TV channel and press in Chinese.
- Staff with knowledge of Chinese. Only 10% of the total population of China is fluent in English, for the most part these are young people and business representatives. As for the main Chinese tourist flow, these are 40+ aged people with poor or completely lack of knowledge of foreign languages. Obviously, a person with knowledge of the Chinese language should meet, place and serve such guests.
- Attention to details. Not everyone pays attention to such trifles as sockets, but they are different from European ones. Given the love of Chinese tourists for communication and photographing, the inability to charge your camera or mobile phone will be a significant cause for frustration. Consider installing universal outlets or at least adapters.
- Chinese payment system. Here, hoteliers and restaurateurs should take into account two points at once: the presence of POS-terminals that support the Chinese payment system and ATMs that accept China Union Pay cards;
- Nutrition. Chinese citizens are absolute adherents of their own cuisine, yes, they enjoy tasting traditional dishes and delicacies, but they prefer to eat the usual food. With a 90% probability, the choice will be made in favor of a hotel that has national cuisine, or is located next to an authentic restaurant. It is better to develop dishes or a separate menu for Asian guests, as well as comprehensive lunch offers for large tourist groups, since they make up 80% of the tourist traffic of China;
After the reorganization of your facility to the requirements of a Chinese audience, it’s worth moving on to developing a strategy for its active attraction, which we will discuss in detail in the next article.
You can contact:
Maxim Kuznetsov - vice-president of the RAUIE
investment@raspp.ru
WeChat: maximkuznetsov
Gao Muyang - deputy Head of trade and economic development Department
businesscn@raspp.ru
WeChat ID: Sauron_1863
