Safety and service quality hugely important to Chinese tourists, Global Tourism Economy Forum told

[rooster59]

 

Safety and service quality hugely important to Chinese tourists, Global Tourism Economy Forum told

 

Photo: Dr Xinjun Wang, CEO Ivy Alliance, speaking at the Global Tourism Economy Forum 2018

 

European tourism leaders and dignitaries have been told how safety and service quality are key to attracting Chinese tourists.

 

This week Thaivisa attended the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) in Macau, an annual trade exhibition and discussion platform for the tourism industry.

 

The event was attended by 1500 delegates from around the world, including ministers, business leaders and other key figures from the tourism industry.

 

The focus of this year’s event was to promote tourism between the European Union and China and how European countries can tap into the formidable and lucrative Chinese tourism market.

 

In 2017, 5.3 million Chinese tourists visited Europe, a new record. By comparison, around 10 million Chinese visited Thailand for tourism during the same period.  

 

Speaking at the China Outbound Tourism discussion panel, attended by Thaivisa, Dr Xinjun Wang, CEO Ivy Alliance, revealed that safety and service quality is of paramount importance to Chinese tourists when choosing to visit a destination.

 

Countries “must provide basic confidence for Chinese travellers when it comes to safety”, Dr Xinjun said during his presentation.

 

This helps to explain the sudden and sharp decline in Chinese tourists visiting Thailand, triggered by the Phoenix boat tragedy in July, which claimed the lives of 47 Chinese holidaymakers.

 

It wasn’t only the perceived lack of response from the authorities in Thailand in the aftermath of the event, nor was it the comments from a senior figure in the Thai government who initially laid the blame for the boat tragedy with Chinese tour operators in Phuket, that angered the Chinese and kept them away.

 

It is that perhaps now large numbers of Chinese tourists no longer feel that Thailand can help to ensure their safety, which has resulted in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand declining for the first time.

 

In his presentation, Dr Xinjun also explained how generally speaking, the Chinese tourist is tech savvy.

 

They expect to be able to manage their whole travel itinerary through their smartphone - such as paying for goods in a store using a mobile app to even applying for visas and booking accomodation and travel through apps like Alibaba.

 

But it’s not just for shopping and making visa applications a little easier, Chinese tourists also expect technology to be used to help keep them safe.

 

In Phuket, authorities recently started issuing GPS wristbands that are used to track Chinese tourists when they go in the sea.

 

The measure raised eyebrows among some quarters in Thailand and was almost ridiculed by some sections of the media as a desperate attempt by the Thai government to track foreigners. However, this is exactly they type of measure that Chinese tourists expect when visiting a destination.

 

Such is the importance Chinese tourists place on safety, Alessandra Priante Italy’s Head of International Relations & Protocol - Tourism, also told the panel of the success of a promotional campaign on WeChat that rather than promoting Italy as a destination for culture, the arts and gastronomy, promoted it as safe destination for Chinese tourists.

 

According to the Asia Tourism Trends 2018 report, the release of which coincided with the hosting of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, Italy now records the highest number of Chinese tourists ahead of France, Germany and Spain.

 

In Thailand, ministers have discussed waiving the Visa on Arrival fee and some other short term measures to help address the decline in Chinese tourists.

 

However, if following the message given to European tourism leaders, in order to fully restore confidence among Chinese tourists, Thailand will need to make significant improvements in safety.

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-10-27

[Thian]

I just hope the Europeans told those chinese that we need well mannered tourists who:

 

- dont jump queue's

- don't spit on the floor and absolutely not in coaches/buildings

- don't hog sidewalks

- don't scream or run around like drunk chickens.

 

If they can do that they will fit in fine.....

 

Also Europeans don't understand how you can see Europe in 5 days by sitting in a coach all day long, only to come out for a picture and off to the next destination far away.

[BigBadGeordie]

So the Chinese say ,

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

that safety and service quality is of paramount importance to

But Thailand offers, a free visa, a handbook and all you can eat prawn buffets! 

Why, because TAT know better than the tourists themselves.

[RotMahKid]

Then Thailand is not the destination for Chinese people, because it's not safe and service they don't know how to give that to customers. You also need to have cash around you all the time, because of the many blackouts they have in this country. But safety and service are the main problems in Thailand.

[DoctorG]

I am surprised travel people needed to be told the obvious. All tourists expect to not get killed and to be treated at least fairly whilst visiting. 

Many conferences are just junkets. 

[Ulic]

The most important thing for Chinese tourists visiting Thailand..........cheap prices and all you can eat shrimp.

[animalmagic]

I am not sure that local economies actually get much financial benefit from zero sum tours.  All the money goes to the Mainland China organisers and the Chinese owned businesses that they patronise where they travel.  

To the average Chinese tourist it's all about saying you've been there, and showing the photos to prove it.  I had a Chinese guy working for me in HK who took great delight in showing me millions (actually only a slight exaggeration) of pics from his family trip to Disney.  They had every permutation of pick 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 from 5 at every place of 'interest'.  There were almost 20 pics of them standing outside the gates of the place.

[Nyezhov]

My main beef with the Chinese tourists is the pushing and shoving. So I push back. I have gotten smiles from Thais for doing so. I stood up a Chinese pusher in the BTS yesterday and got a thumbs up for my efforts.

[colinneil]

10 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

My main beef with the Chinese tourists is the pushing and shoving. So I push back. I have gotten smiles from Thais for doing so. I stood up a Chinese pusher in the BTS yesterday and got a thumbs up for my efforts.

Ohh you big bully.

Poor little Chinese person.

[bluesofa]

15 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

My main beef with the Chinese tourists is the pushing and shoving. So I push back. I have gotten smiles from Thais for doing so. I stood up a Chinese pusher in the BTS yesterday and got a thumbs up for my efforts.

Stuck at the back of the queue near the wall, they might assume he was just a chink in the curtains.

[Nyezhov]

14 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Ohh you big bully.

Poor little Chinese person.

He was bigger than me, and Im big. We had just left Rachadamri and even before the turn he starts shoving his way to the door, either thinking he was to be first off, or scared that no one would let him off at Siam. So I wouldnt move, and he was trapped between me and the glass thing by the seat. Then when it was time to get off, I just kept walking slow in front of him. Everybody else was queing up nice.