THE Chinese tourism market in Victoria offers plenty of opportunities for south-west businesses, owners have been told.
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The Ni Hao: Welcoming Business Workshop, as part of the Great South Coast Small Business Festival, was held at Deakin University’s Warrnambool campus on Monday.
Two free sessions were attended by south-west business owners from a range of industries, including accommodation and hospitality.
Asialink Business’ Nick Henderson told the 50 attendees the inbound arrival of Chinese tourists was due to grow to 3.2 million by 2024.
“During 2017 China will surpass New Zealand as the largest source market for inbound tourists,” he said.
“The average spend is $4400 per person, and the average stay is seven to 10 days.”
Mr Henderson said the drivers behind this growth was word of mouth between travellers, a growing middle middle class income in China and improved technology and connectivity.
“The Chinese are the number one spenders on overseas travel since 2012,” he said.
Melbourne airport has 56 flights from China each week, and $2.4 billion was spent in Victoria by Chinese tourists in 2016.
Mr Henderson said Chinese tourists had a high expectation of customer service.
He suggested businesses could attract tourists with Chinese translations, simple explanations of products, and attentiveness and responsiveness to problems or issues in a timely manner.
Online Chinese payment options for web bookings, and free wi-fi are also draw cards, he said.
“You need to make sure you up the game when it comes to the provision of service,” he said.
“QR codes can also be an effective way of communicating information.”
He said there were opportunities for businesses to sell merchandise, but it was important to keep the products local. “No made in China stickers,” he said.