TIP

Tourism Industry Preparedness for Chinese Tourist

CurrentlyChinesevisitorarrivalsareinthelowthousandsbutnowwithTheBahamasturningitsa8en9onandeortsto
theboomingChinesetourismmarketwecanassumedthatthisnumberwillreach100,000by2018.Measuredagainstthe
totalpopula9onof1.3billioninwhatistheworldslargestcountry,thispropor9onini9allyseemsmarginal.Butwhatrst
appearstobeanichemarketwhenonelooksatthesta9s9cswilldevelopintoaconsiderablemarket.
TheBahamastouristindustryandalsoadjacentsectorssuchastransporta9on,retail,telecommunica9onsandculturehave
beeninsucientlypreparedforChinesetouristsinTheBahamasthusfar.Onlythosewhoconsidertomorrowstrends
todaycanhopetobesuccessfulinthelongterm.Socialanddemographicchangeaswellasexternalfactorsallhavea
majorinuenceonthedevelopmentofChinesetourism.
Eventheimminentquan9ta9veincreaseintravelerswillposeenormouslogis9calandorganiza9onalchallenges.In
addi9on,itislikelythatmanyofthefuturechangesregardingtravelneedswillnecessitateadjustmentandan
improvementoftravelchoices,thinkingandcommunica9onpa8erns.Itisobviousthatcon9nuingasusualwillnotbe
sucienttomeettheseincreasinglydiverseChinesetravelneeds.Thegoalmustinsteadbetorespondtothesewishes
and,indoingso,alwaysmaintainaculturespecicperspec9ve.
TheChineseMarket
ThedevelopmentoftravelowinthelastfewyearsrevealsChinasimmensepentupdemandfortravelingandagrowing
desiretotraveltoforeignholidaydes9na9ons.Asaresultofeconomicrecovery,butalsoduetothetravelfacilita9onsand
socialchange,Chineseoutboundtourismisexpandingsignicantly.Thenumberofholidayightsalonehasincreasedin
thelastsixyearsby50%from11.3millionto17millionintheyear2011.In2011,atotalof39.2millionChinesetraveled
outofthecountryapproximately14millionmorethanin2006.Theguresare,however,tobeviewedwithcau9on
sincearound72%ofthesetripsweretoneighboringcountriesHongKongandMacau.by2020,expertsan9cipatefurther
growthinChineseoutboundtourismofaround17%annually.For2013,Euromonitoralreadyan9cipatesmorethan49
millionpeopletravelingabroad,whichwillmakeChinaoneofthelargestsourcemarketsintheworld.

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Thecurrentlypreferredwaytotravelisinapackagedealinwhichagroupwithatourguideo_envisitsafew
placesinalimitedagoof9me.Inaddi9ontothebe8ervalueformoney,thiskindoftravelfacilitatesbasicneeds
andoersmoresecurityandorienta9onduringthetrip.Withoutthesupportofatourguide,manyChinese
travelerso_enfeeluncomfortableduetolanguagebarriersandthelackofmul9lingualsignageatthevaca9on
des9na9ons.TogetherwithsafetyissuesthesebarriersarethemostseriousconcernsforChinesetouristsabroad.
Recently,Chinesetravelerswhohavealreadybeenabroadseveral9mesbeitonbusiness,tostudy,oron
holiday,theexperiencedChinesetravelerssuchastheseareincreasinglybookingindividualtrips,ortheychoose
totravelwithoutagroupandatourguidebecauseunderstandingandorienta9onareincreasinglylessofan
issue.
January,FebruaryandOctoberbecauseofthestateholidayregula9ons,compara9velylongtripsarepossible.
Withanaveragedura9onofatriptoTheBahamasofonetotwoweeks,Chinesetouristso_entravelabroadfor
longerthan,forexample,travelersfromtheUSA.Theholidayregula9onsalsomeanthat,inpar9cular,the
GoldenWeeksattheendofJanuary/thebeginningofFebruaryaswellasthemonthofOctober(thena9onal
holiday)arepreferredholidayperiod.
Chinesetouristgroupswillbemuchmoreinterestedinindividualfreedomofchoiceinthefuture,sothattheir
grouptourissomethingspecialincomparisonwithothers.Thereasonsthatmakegrouptoursa8rac9ve,thus,
moreandmoreChinesetouristswilldecidetospreadtheirtravel9meoverjustthreeorfourIslandsandalso
spendseveralnightsinoneplace.Inaddi9on,thenumberofdes9na9onsvisitedandac9vi9esshouldbe
abundant.

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Pres9geisanessen9alfactorinChinesecultureandanimportantmo9vatorforthebehaviorofChinese
travelers:visi9ngimportantmonumentsanda8rac9onsisoneofChinesetouristprimaryinterest.Therefore
Chinesetouristwilltakenumerousphotosthatcanbesharedwithothersathomeinonessocialenvironment.
Statusandrecogni9oninthesocialenvironmentareo_enassociatedwithmaterialmementos.Addi9onally,the
hightaxesonluxurygoodsinChinamakepurchasingcovetedbrandproductspar9cularlya8rac9ve.Forthese
reasons,shoppingopportuni9eswillalsocon9nuetobeinstrongdemandinthefutureandshouldbepartof
everytrip.
Chinesehaveahighands9llvalidneedforsafety.Inasafeenvironment,theChineseareknowntoberisk
takers:gambling,forexample,whichformanyChineseisanindispensableelementofanysuccessfultrip.Atrip
abroadformanyChineseisali8leadventure,duringwhichtheyarewillingtotakesomeriskhowevernotso
muchthatitimpairsindividualpres9geandthusharmsthereputa9onofthecollec9ve.Itisimportantforthe
Chinesetokeepfacewhilstonholiday.Asafeandpleasanttravelexperiencealsoincludesndingand
retrea9ngtoasmallpieceofhomeintheforeigncountrytraveledto.ThismayincludeChinesefood,accessto
Chinesemediaorake8leinthehotelroomtobeabletomaketeaorinstantnoodlesatany9me.

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COURTESY

Incombina9onwitheconomicgrowth,theonechildpolicyhasgivenbirthtoa
genera9onofli8leprincesandprincesseswhoareusedtogekngtheirwishessa9sed
immediately.Thisgenera9onisgraduallyapproachingtheagefortravelingtoEurope,
thusincreasinglydemandingperfectandimmediateservice.Thesedemandsarenot
primarilydrivenbyconsidera9onsofconvenienceinChina.Instead,theguestspersonal
pres9geandsocialstatusareemphasizedanddemonstratedbythespeedandcourtesy
showntothem.Theneedforshowingosocialrankisthereforeespeciallyapparentin
thewaytheChinesedealwithserviceprovidersandstaatopicthatbearsconict
poten9al,duetoitsblatantcontrasttothemodern,westernunderstandingofservice.
Withouttrainedsta,ChinesevaluesandstandardscanquicklybeviolatedinThe
Bahamas,causingaguesttoloseface.Thiscanhavefatalconsequencesifithappensin
thepresenceofotherChinesetravelers.Atpresent,expecta9onstowardstaares9ll
stronglyinuencedbyChineserolemodelsandauentChinesetouristswhoare
accustomedtoextremelycourteoustreatmentintheirhomeland.

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CONNECTIVITY

InChina,thesocialnetworkwasofcentralimportance
inorganizingeverydaylife,evenbeforethe9mesof
computersandtheInternet.Itisthereforenot
surprisingthatuseofsocialmediaapplica9onsis
boominginChina.MobileappsuchasWeChatand
Weiboarealsousedontripstokeepintouchwith
onesownculturalcollec9veathomeormaintainones
ownculture.Especiallywhileonahighpres9getrip,
Chinesetravellerswillusesuchsitestoshow
themselvesfromtheirbestsideinthiscommunity.
Alreadytoday,technologicalanityandenthusias9c
useofWebbasedservicesismorepronouncedin
Chinainthosesocialstratathathaveaccesstothese
technologies,especiallywhencomparedwiththe
Bahamas.TheChineseareincreasinglyaccustomedto
usingawidevarietyofdigitalservices,typically
includingmobileuse.Theneedforuncomplicatedand
mobileInternetaccessatreasonableprices,aswellas
otherdigitalservicesfreeWi,digitalsignageat
airportsormuseumswillbeaneedthatmany
Chinesetravelerstakeforgrantedinthenearfuture.
Addi9onally,moreandmoretravelerswanttochoose
andbooktheirtravelonlineandusingsocialnetworks.
However,travelagencieswills9llbethepreferred
op9onformorecomplexandindividualizedtravel
choicesinthefuture.

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EXPERIENCE

ChinesetravelingtotheBahamaswillbetravelsavvyChinesewillseekauthen9cculturalexperiencesduring
theirstaysabroad.Thiswillbeexpressedinthedesiretogettoknowthecountryanditspeopleandtoenjoy
unique,culturespecicexperienceswhichareimpossibleinthisforminChinaforexample,pinksand
beaches,swimmingpigsorvisi9ngaJunkanoorushout.Lessfrequented,consciouslyselectedandhistoric
travelsitesarealsointheirfocus.Andorganizedcontactwiththelocalcultureandspecialculturala8rac9ons
aretheprimaryinterestduringwhatwillmostlybeastayofseveraldays.Thisinterestisstrengthenedby
emergingindividualisa9onandthedesiretogettoknowotherculturesandtheirhistory,hencethedesireto
gaininsightsintothepiratelifestyle.Inpar9cular,youngerChinesetravelersareincreasinglyinterestedin
moderndaynicheac9vi9eslikemovietrailsandlessinhistoricalsites.Inspiteofthisopennessand
curiosity,op9onstoescapefromtheforeigncultureandreturntoafamiliar,purelyChineseenvironment
con9nuetobeofgreatimportancebethisinaChineserestaurantorahotelaccommodatedtoreectthe
Chineselifestyle.ThisneedwillhavetobedevelopinTheBahamasinthefuture.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Asayoungergenera9onofChinesetouristsreplacestherstwave,therequirementsintermsof
placestovisitandsitesofinterestareexpanding.Ac9vi9esthatinvolvefollowingthetrailsofa
personalidolinmovies,music,sportorculture.Althoughclassicdes9na9onsares9llvisitedfor
personalpres9geinthehomeland,theywillonlyrepresentapartofthejourney.Incontrasttothis,
thehomesofChineseandinterna9onalcelebri9es,shoo9ngloca9onsofpopularmoviesandvenues
oranywhereoeringachancetoseestarsatclosequarters,havebecomeincreasinglyimportant.
ExpertsthusbelievethatthisfantourismtothefamoussitesofChinesepopcultureoera
lucra9vegrowthpoten9alforChineseinboundtourism.Immersingintothenightlifewillalsorank
highinthepopularitystakes.Thisdesiretoorientatethemselvesaroundpresentdayandmodern
9mesisstrongestamongtheyoungmembersofthemiddleclass.

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FAMILYHAPPINESS

TheconceptsoffamilyhappinessandromancearechanginginChina,notleastbecauseoftheeconomic
boom.Aweddingbasedpurelyonemo9onsbetweentwopeopleofdierentsocialstatusiss9llmoreofa
roman9cc9oninChinatoday;itoccursmoreinmyths,soapsandpopsongsthanaspartofdailyculturallife.
Insteadgroupspeciceconomic,socialandethnicfactorscharacterisethemarriagemarketandfamilylife.
Des9na9onweddingmarketisgrowingintoamegabilliondollarindustryandthisnicheiskeyforThe
Bahamastocapture.
Asthemiddleclassgrows,sodoesthenumberofChinesefamiliesorcoupleswhocanaordtotryout
c9onalconceptsofromanceasportrayed,forexample,byHollywoodblockbustersandtodiscover
individualfamilyhappinessabroad.Itcanbesafelyassumedthatemergingindividualism,whichuptonow
cannotbepublicallylivedinmodernChina,willleadtoamorepronouncedinwardfacingfocusonthefamily
oronespartner.TheChinesewishtotravelisawishforacommonexperienceoftogethernessandfamily
happiness.Inpar9cular,traveldes9na9onswithroman9cconnota9ons.

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SPECIALINTERESTS

AmongexperiencedorextremelyrichChinese,theneedisgrowingtodeepentheirownexper9seinvariousareas
throughtravel.Thefocusisnolongeronsightsthatarealreadywellknownandwhichhavebeenvisited,butratheron
des9na9onsthatenrichapersonalhobbygolf,cigars,shingandprivateislandlifeholdimmensepoten9alforsuccess.
ItisofgreatimportanceforChineseci9zenstofollowtheirspecialinterests;specialdes9na9onsrela9ngtohobbiesare
alreadyhighlyreputedamongconnoisseursinChina.
Onthesetrips,Chineseexpertsseethemselvesaspartofaglobalexpertandtravelelite.Overtakingothers,theyseek
insider9psandknowledgetomeasurethemselveswithaselectedgroupofcosmopolitanconnoisseurs.Thetripisthus
organizedundertheauspicesofeduca9onalandevensulinsightsbeitforthetravelerexperiencingcigarproduc9on
atrsthand,orthegolffanintheclubhouseof9gerwoods.Inaddi9ontotheexperienceitself,itisaques9onofa
furthergaininpres9geinthetraveler'sownsocialenvironmentinChina.

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THEADVENTURER

ThisarchetypecharacterizesthegrowinggroupofyoungmembersoftheemergingChinesemiddle
classwhoprimarilyseekadventureatdistantdes9na9ons.Theyseethemselvesaspartofanew
travelelitewhich,fortherst9me,iscapableofconqueringtheworld.Ontheirsearchforexo9c
loca9onsandextraordinaryexperiences,inordertogainpres9gecomparedtotheirolderrela9ves
andfamilymembers,buttheyincreasinglypreferac9vi9esandloca9onsthatpromisethem
adventureandfun.Theirideologicalposi9oncanbedescribedaschinopolitan.TheseChinese
adventurersfeelcourageous,openmindedandfreespirited.yettheyarestronglyinuencedby
Chinesepa8ernsintheirsocialbehaviorandtheirvalues.Bymastering(easy)physicalchallenges
suchasextendedhikingtours,deepseashingordancingthenightawayinaclubinNassauthey
hopetogainrespectoftheremainingmembersoftheirgenera9onathome.Whereverpossible,
theycommunicatetheirexperiencesasquicklyaspossiblebydigitalchannels,inordertosharewith
theirmanyfriends.

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THESEEKEROFRELAXATION
MoreandmorepeopleinChinaarecomplainingaboutpollu9on,thecrampedlivingcondi9onsandsocialcontrolsinthe
moredenselypopulatedurbanareas.Thesedevelopmentshavemeantthatalongingfornature,freshairandthegreat
outdoorshasgivenbirthtoatypeofChinesetouristwhocanbetypiedastheseekerofrelaxa9on.Inpar9cular,
membersofthemiddleanduppermiddleclassincreasinglyseektoescapefromthesecondi9onsonatriptoThe
Bahamas.Whiletheycouldverywellndthedesiredrelaxa9ontravelingwithinChinaorAsia,itistheroman9cized
ideaofaIslandlifestyleanalterna9vetoChineseculturethatbringsthemtoTheBahamas.Thus,Chineseseekersof
relaxa9onespeciallyfollowwesternideasofroman9cismandwellbeingexpressed,forinstance,inasunsetcruise,
aromatherapyinaopenairspaoradayatthebeachwiththefamily.

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1.

SOLUTIONSANDINITITIVES

ProductDevelopment
Highligh9ngwhichproductsshouldrepresentanddis9nguisheachIsland.
Ensuringexis9ngproductsareChinesefriendlywithadequatepromo9onandinforma9on.
DevelopingnewproductstoensurethattheBahamasdeliversauniquelyBahamianproductnotjusta
productthatisthesameaseverywhereelsebutclaimstobebe8erinTheBahamas.

IndustryTraining
KeystakeholdersshouldensurethatalluppermanagementanddepartmentheadstobetrainedbyTIP.
FollowupandassessmentofeachkeyStakeholdersstasandreportsontheirreadinessforChinese
tourist.
Appren9ceshipProgram
Facilitateappren9ceshipopportuni9esforkeyindustrystatoworkinChinashospitalityindustry.
StudyofcultureandintensiveindustryspeciclanguageinChinafornolessthansixmonths.
LearnhowprovideservicetoandinteractwithChinesecustomersandunderstandsocialandcultural
sensi9vity.

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SOLUTIONSANDINITITIVES

Cer9edretailOutlets
OusikngmajorretailplayerswiththenecessarytoolstomeettheChinesedemand.
TrainingonhowtosellandupselltoChineseinordertoboostsales
Providinglanguageprociencysolu9ons
Appraisingcurrentinventoryandrecommendingopportuni9estocapturetheChineseconsumers
CulturalDeningProject
HighlightaspectsofTheBahamasculturethatshowbeplayedup.
Iden9fyingnewbusinessopportuni9esforcultureexperience.
DeningwhatitmeanstobeBahamianandprovidingauthen9cexperiencesfromfoodtoJunkanoo,Obeahto
pirateba8lereenactment.
TechSavvyBahamas
Signingstrategictelecommunica9oncoopera9onagreements.
EngagingChinesesocialmediaappstoactasvirtualtourguideinTheBahamas
WiHotspotoverhaul
Des9na9onLoyaltyCard
Collectandmonitordataonspendinghabitsandpa8ernsandrewardChinesetourist.Gainpermissiontomarketto
andbuildrela9onshipwithallChinesetourist.ThiswillhelptheBahamasbuildandrewardloyaltyandlearnabout
ChineseTourist.

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TIPS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Makethemfeelwelcomed
Giveguestthefeelingthatyouwilltakecareofthings.
Intermsofservice,theChineseo_enexpect:IwantthatandIwantitnow.
Authen9caccommoda9onistheabsolutehighlight.
[YoungChinese]aremorefocusedongekngclosertolocals.
Twoorthreedaysofdoingnothingisrela9velyunfamiliartotheChinese.
Accep9ngChinesUnionPaycreditcardsandhiringstathatspeakaChineselanguagesubstan9ally
increasesbusiness.
8. MandarinversionofBahamastourismwebsites.
9. A8rac9onsmustmeettheirexpecta9ons,asChinesetouristdesiredtovisitauniquea8rac9on
Dieren9a9onofneedswillleadtoanincreaseinthenumberofnichemarkets.Thisoersnew
businesspoten9alfortourismenterprises,hotelsandcaterers.Withpoten9alofChineseguestsgoing
toIslandsfarawayfromNassauitwillbeworthdevelopingoersfortheChinesemarketineachIslands
inthenearfuture.
Therststepistogainabe8erunderstandingofChinesetravelersintermsoftheirculturalinuences
andspecicneedsandtocatertothese.Thesecondsteprequiresinnova9onandinvestmentaswell
ascrossindustryalliancesandac9vi9esinordertoprovidetherightkindoftraveloerstothetarget
groupofChinesetouriststocometoTheBahamas.

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CHIEFCONSULTANTS

FRANJOSYGLESIASBERTHEAU
ConsultantandStrategistonDoingBusinessinChina.
Mr.YglesiasBertheau,hasbeenadirectorof2publiclytradecompanyintheUnitedStates
ofAmerica,haslivedandworkinChinaforover9yearsinthehospitalityandF&Bindustry
inChina.WhileservingastheCEOofChinaFoodServices,heconsultedandstrategizedfor
TheAmericanEmbassycommercedivisionandChamberofCommerceChina.Carrefour,
Metro,Jinkelong,andVanguardHypermarketsandhotelbrandssuchasShanggiLa,
Marriot,Renaissances,HolidayInnandmanyothers.
Hestartedhisprofessionalcareerworkingintheearly90swithAssociatedGrocersof
Florida,thanmovedupthecorporaterankstoManagerofTelecommunica9onsLa9n
AmericaDivisionforEastmanKodak,wherehelearnedthevalueofapplyinghisEngineering
skillstosimplifyandautoma9ngproduc9vityinthemanufacturingandlogis9csworldwide
divisionsofKodak,hegraduatedfromtheUniversityofCostaRicain1987withanElectrical
EngineeringDegree.In2001heCoFoundedasystemsintegra9oncompanywherehis
logis9calandmanufacturingknowledgelandedhimaccountslikeLennarHomes,DelMonte
FreshProduce,andtheCityofPlanta9on.

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CHIEFCONSULTANTS

ThomasTalhelm
PhDinSocialPsychology,
UniversityofVirginia
20122013ChinaFulbrightScholar
FounderSmartAirh8p://smartairlters.com/
ThomasuseshisextensivebackgroundinChinaandhisscien9ctraininginpsychologyto
understandChineseculture,pushingtheeldfromthevaguemetaphorsofpopularpressbooksto
precise,empiricaldata.ThomasisaPhDinsocialpsychologyattheUniversityofVirginia,a
20122013ChinaFulbrightscholar,andaNa9onalScienceFounda9onFellow.Heisalsouentin
MandarinandaformerfreelancewriterbasedinBeijing.From20072008,Thomaswasa
PrincetoninAsiafellow,teachingatGuangzhousmostelitehighschool.Thomasbecameinterested
inHanChinasstarknorthsouthculturaldivideandsetouttotestitscien9cally.Thomasbrought
thattheorytohisPhDstudiesattheUniversityofVirginiaanda20122013Fulbrightscholarship.
ThomasshowsthatChinasculturaldividefallspreciselyalongthehistoricaldividebetweenriceand
wheatagriculture.InTheTwoChinas,ThomasarguesthatChinawatchersarefocusingtoomuch
ontheurbanruraldivideinChineseculture,overlookingthedeepnorthsouthdividethatholds
trueforvillageandmetropolis.WhatChinasTwoCulturesMeanForBusinessBasedonhisyears
givingpsychologicalteststothousandsofpeoplefromalloverChina,Thomasdescribesthedeep
culturaldividebetweennorthernandsouthernChinaandwhatitmeansforbusiness.Thomas
explainshowthedierencesinvalues,personality,andsocialstylebetweennorthandsouthhave
profoundimplica9onsforthebestwaytomarketproducts,designinvestments,locateoces,and
organizebusinesssocialstructureindierentpartsofChina.Communica9ngAcrossCultures
Drawingondecadesofpsychologicalresearchandhisownempiricalstudiesoncommunica9onin
China,Thomasshowsthesubtle,yetprofoundwayswesternersandChinesepeoplecommunicate
dierently.

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CHIEFCONSULTANTS

Ma8hewArne8
MBAPublishedJournalOfEconomicsandScienceChina
UniversityOfEconomicsandBusiness
20122013ChinaBusinessScholar
ChineseGovernmentScholarshipEliteAlumni
FounderSHMediaCo/SendMeTickets.com
Withalmostover10yearsexperienceinChinadoingbusiness.Hehasbeeninuen9alinmoldingandshapingthe
event,entertainmentandnightlifeindustrythroughoutChina.Ma8hasbeenaproducer,strategistandmarke9ng
consultantworkingwithclientssuchasCocaCola,MercedesBenz,Hilton,Hya8,Apple,SwireGroup,Marlboro,Chivas,
AbsoultVodka,CohibaCigarsandmanyothers.Involvedinsomeofthemosthighproleeventsinentertainment,
bothintheChinaandabroad.Ma8hasproducedliveeventsfeaturingmusicalperformancesbytodaysmostpopular
ar9stsaswellaslegendaryGrammywinners.Thesear9stsincludeKanyewest,Usher,Akon,Pitbull,TheBlackEyed
Peas,SeanKingston,Ludacris,30SectoMars,GrandmasterFlash,MaryJ.Blige,JohnLegend,lilJon,FatJoe,YingYang
Twinsandmore.HislocalChineseconnec9onsetshimapartfromthepackbeingdubbedas"MasterMind".He
connectstherightdotstoensurethatyoureventwillbesuccessfulhereinChina.
Sinceatwosuccessfulacquisi9onsofhistwocompaniesduring2013hebeganhisshi_totheglobalbusinessand
consultantarena.HiredasaSeniorconsulateforSinoLatamandworkingwithclientssuchasDominicanRepublic,
Dominica,Panama,CostaRica,Chile,Ecuador,Nicaragua.Developingtourismandinvestmentstrategiesand
connec9nglocalChineseinvestorwithopportuni9esabroad.Hehasgivennumerousspeecheswith9tlessuchashow
todobusinesswithChinese,howtoa8ractChineseinvestment,howtothinklikeaChineseandwhattheChinese
want.HehasalsobeeninvitedtotakepartinmajorconferencesinChinaonLa9nAmericanandCaribbean
development.
Ma8isacigaracionadoandpushescigareduca9onandculturalinChina.