Changes needed to grow Asian tourism markets

Changes needed to grow Asian tourism markets

The greatest opportunities to grow New Zealand’s tourism industry lie in Asia but operators must adapt quickly to take full advantage, the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIA) says.

Visitors from emerging markets like China and India have different needs and expectations to our traditional Australian, British and American visitors, according to TIA Chief Executive Martin Snedden.

“To properly realise the potential of these new tourism markets and grow tourism’s contribution to New Zealand’s economy, we must understand and be confident in our ability to deliver the hospitality and experiences they are looking for,” Mr Snedden says. “Our visitor mix is changing quickly and our approach has to change with it.”

To support TIA members through this change, the association has produced two booklets to help tourism operators better understand and cater for the cultural expectations of Chinese and Indian visitors in areas like service, food and shopping.

“The China and India Cultural Briefs, providing practical tips and information, are a basic but useful starting point to help businesses deliver an outstanding visitor experience, which will encourage these travellers to stay longer, spend more and tell their friends and families that New Zealand is a fantastic destination,” Mr Snedden says.

“Arrivals out of China in particular have surged over the past few years, while India, which has a big population and a fast growing middle class with a propensity to travel, holds good potential.”

The booklets highlight cultural differences that operators may need to consider such as providing later mealtimes for Indian visitors who tend to eat later than the average Westerner. They also like to shop after dinner.

The concept of ‘face’ is very important to the Chinese and the brief highlights what to do to recognise their status. Chinese visitors are also very discerning about customer service, expecting fast, personalised attention.

The Cultural Briefs also highlight opportunities to capture a bigger share of the Chinese and Indian markets, such as couple-based day spas and other romantic options to appeal to Indian honeymooners, and flexibility in pricing to allow for the Chinese love of bargaining. Both markets want to eat food they are familiar with, but are also keen to experience iconic Kiwi cuisine as long as it’s explained to them.

Produced with the support of Auckland Airport, the China and India Cultural Briefs have been distributed free to TIA’s 1500 plus members and can be purchased by non-members (email info@tianz.org.nz ). They are also available electronically on TIA’s website www.tianz.org.nz where there is more information on how to deliver an outstanding visitor experience to Chinese and Indian visitors.

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