I just returned home from a sales mission in China and Malaysia for my full-time job. I go once a year so it’s easy to see changes from year to year. Here are the top 4 Tourism trends in the China market that I noted and action steps for how you can take advantage of the trends.
1. WeChat, WeChat, WeChat.
I know that regular readers are familiar with this mega App. In fact, some of you even did your homework last week and connected with me! But this app does everything. We went to a cultural center one day and all the vending machines used WeChat pay only. No cash.
A young man accompanying our group told me his granny gave him 2000Rmb cash ( approximately $300 USD) for New Years and he hasn’t spent it. He says he never uses cash, and doesn’t go to a bank anymore so the cash sits in his apartment. His paycheck is deposited into his banking account, which is tied to WeChat. All his bills are paid through Wechat pay by transferring money from his accounts. He pays for everything with WeChat pay and never carries cash.
Your action step.
Set up a personal WeChat account and become familiar with the app. Or sign up for the waiting list for my WeChat course, where I will walk you through everything you need to know.
There are companies in the U.S. that can help you set up WeChat pay at no cost. If you want to increase sales from your Chinese guests, this is a great tool to become familiar with.
2. DIY is BIG.
In China, the common term for experiences where you create items is DIY. Some examples in the U.S. are the Hershey bar 
experience where you make your own candy bar and customized wrapper, panning for gold, or making glass at the Corning Museum of Glass. Every time I mentioned DIY, there was a surge of interest.
While in Malaysia we went to Royal Selangor which is a pewter museum for the famous brand. Their DIY element was called “The School of Hard knocks” and participants made a small pewter bowl, with their names hammered into the soft metal. Each participant took the bowl, and also received a certificate. Certificates are important in the Asian market and add another level to the experience.
Your action step.
Does your attraction or DMO feature a project that is easy to learn and doesn’t take much time? The item should be small and easy to pack as well. A certificate of completion is easy to create and adds another element.
3. Health, Wellness and the outdoors.
Asians are a very health conscious society and I am always amazed at how much knowledge everyone has about the interaction of the body and its environment. Foot massages are very common in China for their health benefits, and food and drink all seem to have elements to balance and improve health. Having said that, the air 
pollution in the major cities is intense. There are apps that people download to measure the health effects of the daily air. There were several days I wore a mask and still felt the effects of the pollution.
Your action step.
We need to be respectful in how we position ourselves, but the US has very clean air that we all take for granted. If you are a rural destination, can you feature pictures of blue skies and open spaces? Alaska is popular because of the Aurora boreal is ( Northern lights).
American Ginseng is a sought after root that grows in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. I am working with a group of woodsmen who harvest American Ginseng to develop a short woodland tour with retail opportunities. Who knew it was in my own backyard!?
Do you have any maple syrup farms that Chinese can walk through and taste the true syrup with no additives? Apple and pumpkin picking is another popular fall activity.
4.Visa rejection rates.
Chinese citizens must apply for a Visa from the U.S government before they can visit. We must do the same, and everyone was excited when the 10 year Visa was created in 2014. That means we can all enter each other’s country multiple times on the same Visa. That would support tourism growth.
However, in the last 2 years, Visa rejection rates for those applying for Visas has grown dramatically. If someone is rejected, the US government doesn’t have to give a reason. We heard the rejection rate is between 30-40%. Many business groups, and high-end groups, end up going to another destination because so many members of their group are rejected. We heard of a medical meeting group that originally had 200 participants. Only 60 received visas so they canceled the trip.
Your action steps.
Make sure your elected officials know that high visa rejection rates affect tax revenue and employment. Thanks to Rosemary McCormick for suggesting that I discuss this trend!
Final thoughts.
This visitor market is huge and has the potential for all of us to grow and diversify our visitor base. If you aren’t sure where to start, I am hosting a China Sales Mission Program starting in January 2019. It will focus on:
- developing the correct product for this market
- learning how to work with US-based Chinese operators
- conducting sales calls on NYC based Chinese tour operators.
- Learning to use WeChat
Don’t think you need to be a North East based attraction or DMO to benefit. These operators sell tours that include all the U.S. Many of them have West coast offices, as well as Chicago and Orlando offices. Click here to learn more and reserve your spot. I promise you will learn a lot and be more effective in your sales calls. All that will translate into more business. Join us!