Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Chinese-based social media applications are the key to unlocking access to the high-end Free Independent Travellers (FIT) for Phuket, experts told a packed room at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Thailand seminar last week.
The in-bound Chinese market for Thailand is booming with more arrivals between January and June this year than all of 2014, putting the country on pace for more than 12 million arrivals.
Though the Chinese market is often painted with a single brush – zero baht package tours – the key speaker at the event, David Johnson of Delivering Asia Communications (DAC), estimates that 7-10 per cent of these arrivals are FIT.
A fresh wave of FIT travellers is splashing across Thailand, explained Vanessa Zhu, DAC’s digital marketing specialist and communications director for China.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand Guangzhou Office, Chinese travellers now want golf tours, diving, honeymoons and Muay Thai training camps. Medical tourism is also on the rise, while soft adventure, such as ziplines, rifle shooting, ATVs, snorkelling and trekking, and hitting shopping malls and restaurants, continue to be big.
Higher-end Chinese are, however, starting to aim for beauty, health and wellness.
To market themselves to these clients, Phuket businesses need a completely new set of tools, explained Ms Zhu.
There are clear equivalents for mainstream products such as Facebook inside China: Weibo (Twitter), Baidu (Google) and DaoDao (TripAdvisor). However, the big pusher is WeChat, which comprises the functions of Facebook, LINE, Instagram,Twitter, PayPal, Skype, Pinterest and more.
This makes it essential for companies wanting to access the high-end FIT Chinese market to understand how to use the ‘new’ social media platforms effectively.
One of the many ways suggested during the seminar was to dial in on KOLs, such as famous Chinese bloggers or other Chinese celebrities, encouraging them to visit a destination and push product on their followers.
Also highlighted as essential for those wanting to successfully tap into the market are recruitment of good Chinese speaking staff, menus and itineraries; setting up WeChat accounts to allow more convenient interaction with guests; development of specific itineraries for the market; offerings of press trips to get Chinese social media buzzing with your brand; and encouragement of guests to indulge in posting selfies online.
Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Chinese-based social media applications are the key to unlocking access to the high-end Free Independent Travellers (FIT) for Phuket, experts told a packed room at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Thailand seminar last week.
