When localisation or travel companies consider how to get the most out of the global tourism market, it pays to go back to basics. With a huge population, a growing, aspirational middle class and excellent transport links, China is the number-one tourism market worldwide.
The first and most important thing travel companies can do to enhance their appeal is to effectively localise their content, including websites, brochures and, increasingly, videos, which will need to be perfectly subtitled or voiced over.
Word of mouth being an important component of marketing in China, it’s always advisable that the content is written in an informal, relatable style, as if a friend were telling you about a favourite destination.
Search and social
A coherent search engine optimisation strategy should go hand-in-hand with effective localisation. A comprehensive approach that establishes Baidu (China’s equivalent to Google) search volumes and then weaves the resulting keywords into the final text will ensure potential bookers can find your website. Another important factor to consider is mobile optimisation. In China, online is mobile. It’s the biggest smartphone market on the planet, with 466 million smartphone users identified by a PwC study conducted in 2014.
