MADRID, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Through various initiatives, the official Spanish Tourism Institute (Turespana) has gained firsthand knowledge of Chinese outbound tourism, with digital ecosystem playing a key role in response to changes in the Chinese market, which Spain considers strategic.

Ana Lafuente, tourism counselor at the Tourist Office of Spain in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Spanish travel service providers need to listen to Chinese travelers as they are seeking more unique experiences and become more mature.

Lafuente emphasized the importance of finding cultural connection points, deeply understanding the tastes of Chinese tourists, being aware of their basic travel needs, such as preferred payment methods, and recognizing what they miss when tourist destinations don't align with their preferences.

According to Lafuente, the target is that Spanish destinations and tourism service providers can reach Chinese tourists at all points of the value chain and take advantage of technologies to overcome language barriers.

A recent study by Turespana identified big growth potential in tourism from faraway locations like China. This trend is facilitated by the operation of direct flights between the two countries.

The Spanish side has placed great emphasis on "the Chinese digital ecosystem," which is "so different from ours and so omnipresent in the life of Chinese tourists," Lafuente said, adding that the ecosystem is constantly changing and one of the most popular platforms today, WeChat Channels, emerged just four years ago.

She pointed out that working with key opinion leaders is fundamental, because they know how to capture the interesting aspects of tourist destinations that attract the Chinese public, and do so in their language.

Chinese tour operators, online travel agencies and influencers were invited to share their perspectives in a conference in the capital city of Madrid in July.

During the conference, recommendations were made to boost demand and supply at a time when Chinese tourism to Spain is going on "spectacularly well, both in terms of spending figures, connectivity, and overall statistics."

Maria Llinares, tourism counselor at the Spanish Embassy in China, agreed that Chinese tourists are becoming more mature and want more colorful experiences.

Jose Sanchez, commercial manager of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, told Xinhua that these initiatives are fundamental to raising awareness of the Chinese outbound market, from new trends to cultural sensitivity when interacting with Chinese tourists.

For the first half of the year, the Spanish Statistical Office recorded 337,446 Chinese tourists, compared with 382,207 for last year's total. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)