Online course “Nihao, China!” from the PCT Entry Center and Profi.Travel starts on June 25th.
In three days of an intensive online course, you will learn how to adapt your product for a tourist from China, which content works best for promotion, which online platforms exist and how to use them, as well as how to start selling your product on the local market. The discount on the online course is valid only until June 17th.
On June 25 at Profi.travel a unique event will be held, which we recommend not to miss for all those who are already receiving Chinese tourists, preparing for their reception or would like to establish a stable tourist flow from China. Profi.Travel, together with the Competence Center of the PCT Committee on Inbound Tourism and the best experts on China, conducts a unique online course “Nihao, China” from June 25 to 27, 2024.
Watch the course
The training program is paid. The course is designed specifically for travel industry professionals — tour operators, hoteliers, tourism facilities and specialists from regional travel agencies. In three days of an intensive online course, you will learn how to adapt your product for a tourist from China, which content works best for promotion, which online platforms exist and how to use them, as well as how to start selling your product on the local market. The discount on the online course is valid only until June 17th. For those who wish, it is possible to obtain a certificate of advanced training issued by the Academy of Roskachestvo following the results of training.
About the organizers and the idea of creating a course
Competence Center under the Committee on Inbound Tourism of the PCT It has been in existence for more than a year. The organization is designed to help PCT members and the entire industry develop inbound tourism in an informational and consulting aspect. One of the main tasks of the Center is to bring together experts from different industries and support representatives of the tourism industry in adapting the product.
Profi media holding.Travel has been actively working in the field of inbound tourism for more than 8 years. We understand that it is extremely important for the monetization of tourism products and the stable financial condition of the entire industry not only to work with the reception of Russian citizens, but also to ensure a stable influx of foreign tourists.
China has been firmly embedded in our lives since 2017, when we joined Profi.Travel has engaged in attracting foreign tourists by annually holding online exhibitions Russian Expo Days. Once a year, on the dates of the RED, Russian regions and travel companies promoted their opportunities to eleven target markets. China was one of the main destinations. At RED China, we attracted representatives of the tourism industry from various provinces, who studied the Russian tourism product for several days at online presentations.
Profi Analytical Center.Travel, which works with research and concepts of tourism development in the countries and regions of Russia and abroad, has gone even further in exploring the potential of the Chinese market. Over the past five years, we have conducted research and developed promotion concepts for more than 20 destinations, for some of them the Chinese market has been worked out especially carefully. So, in 2019, while conducting a study of tourist flows in Uzbekistan, we paid special attention to China, analyzing the arrival of Chinese tourists in the country. And in 2022, together with experts, we developed a strategy to attract tourists and a separate route for Chinese visitors to Transbaikalia.
Having studied all these years the Chinese consumer and his preferences, the specifics of working with him in In Russia, we have come to extremely interesting conclusions. At some point, it became clear that the tourist product in The Russian language, prepared by operators for Chinese groups, gradually began to outlive itself. After the pandemic, the Chinese tourist has changed significantly. It became clear that it is very important to share new information with colleagues in the travel industry. The tourist infrastructure has grown in Russia, everything is ready to receive a high-budget tourist from China, but it is very important to establish a “bridge of communication” between these two worlds, explaining exactly what kind of product the Chinese want and expect from hotels and tour operators.
Inna Glushkova, Head of the online project Russian Expo Days, Head of the Center for Competence and Development of Inbound Tourism at the Committee on Inbound Tourism of the PCT:
“During the RED exhibitions, we realized for sure that most of the tourist product requires serious adaptation, and our colleagues practically do not know the art of packaging for different target markets. These knowledge and skills are of particular importance now. For tourists from China, not only the excursion program and the level of accommodation are important, they need real legends. For example, the famous story about geniuses being born under the northern lights is, of course, banal, but it worked perfectly for one of the regions.”
Why China and why now?
China was a very large market before the pandemic, and now its growth expectations are even higher. The potential of outbound tourism from China is estimated to have 130 million people per year. According to the latest World Travel Market forecast, these millions occupy the first place in spending.
Alexey Vengin, Director of Profi media holding.Travel, Co-Head of the PCT Inbound Tourism Committee:
“If we take into account the size of the Chinese market, its potential, proximity to borders, flight program, geopolitics and other factors, it seems to me that everyone who is related to tourism should no longer even look, but actively move towards the Chinese market. I am very surprised that this is not happening everywhere so far.”
Most likely, one of the main obstacles for Russian companies to enter the Chinese market is stereotypes. For many Chinese tourists today, they are still large groups of the economy segment. But in ten years, the average Chinese tourist has changed about as much as the average Chinese car. The stereotypes that developed in the 2010s have long been outdated.
“Now the basis of Chinese outbound tourism is made up of fairly well—off individuals, who often know English, perceive not only Chinese cuisine and are able to order additional services during the trip,” Alexey Vengin continues, “so I wanted to draw the attention of the market to modern China and its potential.”
Some statistics:
- 42% of travelers from China are independent tourists%;
- 34% come as part of group tours;
- 24% choose customized tours for small groups;
- 46% come in groups of up to 10 people;
- 53% — in groups of up to 20 people.
The Chinese tourist, like any other, has not been spared by globalization. Now travelers from this country are somewhat similar, for example, to Russians traveling to Kamchatka or to the neighboring region. These are quite inquisitive and young people who are primarily interested in emotions. And they require a completely different approach from the travel industry.
Offering tourists traditional “red” sightseeing routes is a tactic that has already lost its effectiveness. Today’s travelers from China is looking for a much more diverse experience. The mobility of individual tourists today allows them to reach most of the Russian regions. Chinese guests can visit museums, theme parks and other tourist sites if they take care of their positioning in advance.
For example, the types of tourism with the highest growth in demand in China:
- health tourism — 298%;
- historical and cultural tourism – 262%;
- urban hiking — 224%.
What problems does the Russian tourism business face when entering the Chinese market?
- The market is complicated. Is it worth starting to work with him at all and how to take into account all the risks.
- There is no understanding of what kind of product a Chinese tourist needs, how to properly pack it and prepare it for promotion.
- We have heard about promotion tools like Baidu and Symbian, but the knowledge is sketchy — there is no system. It is unclear how to use them.
- It is unclear whether the region, tourist site, or hotel is suitable for Chinese tourists. Will they be interested in him?
The Russian tourism business entering the Chinese market has two main questions: where to find a Chinese tourist, and what product to offer him? We devoted the online course “Nihao, China!” to the answers to these two questions.
Do I need a course if I haven’t started working with China yet?
The course will be useful equally for both groups — professionals of the tourism industry who are already working and those who would like to start working and attract tourists from China
- to tour operators;
- hoteliers;
- tourist sites (museums, parks and others);
- tourist information centers.
The program is designed in such a way that it will be interesting for those who are already working with China, and those who are just thinking about entering the market. To all those who want to attract Chinese tourists interested in additional services, who choose the quality of their vacation rather than the low cost.
What will be in the program?
It’s all about how to adapt your travel product to the Chinese market, as well as a lot about where and how to take tourists from China. Maximum benefit, minimum water. Let’s answer the questions:
- How to start working with the Chinese market and what needs to be done to increase sales and attract tourists?
- Is your product suitable for modern Chinese tourists and how to adapt your offers for them?
- What kind of content should I create to make it attractive to Chinese tourists?
- On which online platforms to post information and how to work with bloggers?
- What promotion tools are most effective for promoting to a direct tourist?
- How to find and build interaction with B2B partners in China?
- What mistakes should not be made when creating a product and localizing content, and how to avoid misunderstandings when interacting with B2B partners?
Chinese social networks and marketplaces, why do the Russian travel business need them?
We have given the Chinese Internet a special place in the program. Many people have heard the names Baidu, Symbian and WeChat, but how to work with them?
In the online course “Nihao, China!” we analyze:
- WeChat — instead of messengers and for advertising campaigns;
- Avia and Qunar — instead of the usual aggregators of hotels and tours;
- Weibo is a microblogging service instead of Yandex;
- Little Red Book — instead of Instagram* (the social network belongs to Meta, whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation);
- Mafengo and Qyer are travel sites instead of TripAdvisor;
- Baidu Map — geoservice instead of Google Maps;
- Douyin is a platform with short videos instead of TikTok.
There will be more than just theory. On the third day of the course, you will be able to register on the sites and learn how to post content and even how to start selling.
View the detailed program
Online Course Experts
“We study a lot of various English—language studies on the Chinese market: what happens to Chinese tourists, what they are interested in, where they go,” says Alexey Vengin, “When we come across Russian experts who think in cliches, for us they are not experts. The course is taught by those experts who operate with modern data and do it without water. They not only have the most relevant and up-to-date data, but they see trends and know how to work with it.”
Polina Rysakova, Director of the research institution “Laboratory for the Study of Chinese Tourism” and Deputy Chairman of the St. Petersburg Association of Guides and Translators of the Chinese language. An expert at the China Professionals recruitment agency.He has been conducting excursions for Chinese tourists for 20 years and sees changes in the inbound tourism market on the example of St. Petersburg from the inside — those very individual tourists who are gradually replacing huge groups from trade unions. The course will help participants create a portrait of a Chinese tourist and take a look at Russia through his eyes.
Anna Chelnokova-Shcheika, Director of the Russian branch of Woori Media&Culture.An expert in the field of territorial branding, media communications and intercultural interaction. Specializes in comprehensive marketing of Chinese companies and promotion of European companies in China. She has worked on promoting tourist routes in Chinese regions and knows exactly how they package their product. Helps Russian companies and regions to develop a strategy and enter the Chinese market. She developed the content component and packaging for the launch of the Depot restaurant on the Chinese market. During the course, he will share cases of creating a travel product for domestic tourists of the country and local “chips” that are worth adopting.
Arina Nesvit, head of the digital direction of the Asia Pacific agency in China, which specializes not only in promotion, but also in research of the Chinese market. WeChat Instagram has launched more than a hundred successful marketing campaigns in the Chinese market, its own person in Douyin, Weibo and WeChat and other “Chinese instagrams” (* the social network belongs to the company Meta, whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation). It successfully implements proven techniques from other areas in the promotion and sale of travel products, for example, bringing Russian companies to Chinese marketplaces. During the course, he will talk about the triggers of a Chinese tourist, how he plans a trip, as well as the platforms where he makes a purchase.
Elena Fedina, Commercial Director of Kalina Travel Service. The company receives up to 50,000 tourists from China per year and was an authorized tour operator for the Chinese delegation to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 20 years in inbound tourism, chief expert of the Center for the Development of Communications and Technology, an organizer of events for SCO delegations. The course will teach you how to pack and adapt products that will fully meet the needs of Chinese guests, as well as turn your hotel into a magnet for travelers from China.
Kirill Potapenko, CEO of the RUSAPAI Asian Marketing Agency as part of the DVR GROUP, the city of Vladivostok. He has been specializing in tourism marketing for 30 years: there are cases of successful cooperation with airlines, Asian tourist destinations, and the organization of pham and blogger tours. He is working to attract Chinese tourists to Far Eastern hotels and restaurants and regularly sees real Chinese people — without illusions and stereotypes. Co-founder of the Pacific Tourism Union and the Discover Vladivostok project. The course will examine the experience of successful tourism marketing of Vladivostok in the Chinese market.
More information about the experts on nihao.profi.travel
What result should we expect?
In three days of the online course, you will:
- you will learn how to start working with the Chinese market and what needs to be done to increase sales and attract tourists;
- you will understand whether your product is suitable for modern Chinese tourists and how to adapt your offers for them;
- learn how to create content that is attractive to Chinese tourists, post it on Chinese online platforms and work with bloggers;
- master effective tools for promoting and working with direct Chinese tourists, such as WeChat, Avia, Weibo, Little Red Book and others;
- you will figure out how to find and build work with B2B partners in China;
- you will learn what mistakes should not be made when creating a product and localizing content and how to avoid misunderstandings when interacting with B2B partners;
- identify specific steps to enter the Chinese market.
Cost and tariffs
Considering the need of the Russian market for this course, we are at Profi.Travel would love to make it free. However, the level of the course is determined by experts and our efforts to prepare a high-quality program. Therefore, only on a paid course we can guarantee you a decent quality of education.
To make the course available to the maximum number of participants, we offer two rates:
THE BASIC PACKAGE
15,000 rubles . 13,000 rubles — if you pay before June 17
Includes:
- two days of training with master classes;
- without an archived record;
- a personal diploma of completion of the course.
The package is suitable for those who:
- will be able to attend online 100% of the course time;
- It is only studying the issue of entering the Chinese market, the interests of Chinese tourists and potential sites for hosting its tourist products.
THE “MAXIMUM” PACKAGE
35,000 rubles . 32,000 rubles — if you pay before June 17
Includes:
- two days of training with master classes;
- The third day “the 5 most important steps for successfully entering the Chinese market and organizing sales”;
- the possibility of receiving an entry 15 days after the end;
- certificate of professional development issued by the Academy of Roskachestvo.
Choose a recording package if you want:
- refresh the knowledge gained during the course later;
- use the recording to master the instruments on your own;
- share valuable information with colleagues.
Attention! You can join the course only until June 17 at a special price.
Buy a course
The valuable information that you can get on the course “Nihao, China!” will help you enter the market at the very beginning of its growth, thereby outstripping competitors for a long time.
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