The second annual Scotland China Ready Tourism Conference will take place next week bringing together key specialists in the field.
The event will feature speakers from international marketing agency Dragon Trail, tax free shopping giant Global Blue, VisitScotland, LNER, Gretna Green and China’s Consulate in Scotland.
The thrust of the event is to inform and inspire Scottish tourism businesses about the fast-growing, ever-changing Chinese market.
With a 22 per cent year on year increase to the UK forecast for 2019, Edinburgh’s Chinese visitor numbers are forecast to exceed 200,000 per annum for the first time this year.
If the numbers keep rising at the same rate, there is the potential for Chinese visitors to overtake those from the US by 2025.
Chair of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group’s China Ready Initiative Rob Lang, said: “As the Chinese market continues to grow – and diversify – there’s never been a better time for Scottish businesses to understand and embrace the Chinese market opportunity.
“Edinburgh continues to lead the way, coming second in Tencent’s recent global rankings of overseas cities on the wish list for Chinese travellers, and earlier this month, travel giant CTrip reported that orders for trips to Edinburgh from China surged 111 per cent year on year during the Chinese Labour Day holiday.
“However we are very aware that most Chinese visitors will be looking to explore beyond Edinburgh and that means that we need to work to build a Scotland wide China Ready approach, so the conference is designed to keep Scottish tourism businesses up to date with the latest market insights, Chinese visitor segments, behaviour and trends, as well as practical ideas for businesses looking to make the most of the market opportunity.
“It’s a must-attend event for any Scottish tourism business considering working with the Chinese market”.
Speakers at the event include Chinese Consul General Pan Xinchun who will talk about strengthening links between China and Scotland.
Sienna Parulis-Cook from Chinese marketing agency Dragon Trail will discuss the changing profile, travel patterns and future trends of the Chinese market.
VisitScotland senior marketing manager Christina Bruns will outline the organisation’s work on supporting market growth including the launch of a new Travel Scotland WeChart channel and the development of the new Scotland WeChat mini app.
Derrick Hardman, UK managing director at Global Blue, will share the company’s specialist knowledge and insights into Chinese spend patterns and behaviours, including the latest mobile payment trends.
The Scotland China Ready Tourism Conference takes place on Tuesday 11 June at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Edinburgh.
