Handling Future Chinese Tourists

MODUL Career’s Hani El-Sharkawi and Geraldine Förster were joined by BBA students Christina Maria Fuchs and Rochel Boychev-Sarikov and MSc student Matthias Gillhofer to attend a presentation by Kohl & Partner on the tourism potential for Chinese visitors to Austria.

Kohl & Partner, one of the leading tourism consultancy companies in Europe, gathered a number of industry experts to attend a panel discussion led by Bettina Haeberle, Area Director of Operations – Continental Europe, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Mag. Gregor Kadanka, Managing Director, Mondial on February 13^th, 2015, at the Hotel InterContinental Vienna.

The event was introduced by Daniel Orasche, Kohl & Partner’s Senior Consultant, who gave an extensive insight into current statistics and tourism forecasts for the Chinese market traveling to Austria. He pointed out that in particular the demand for ski and honeymoon tourism will increase substantially and that Austrian tourism has great potential in preparing for this future market. He suggested following the example of Switzerland with a strong marketing budget and growing numbers of Mandarin-speaking ski instructors. The other major area for improvement he mentioned was the length of stay, as Chinese tourists currently only spend 1,7 days on average in Vienna.

Mr. Orasche’s introduction was followed by a presentation by Bettina Haeberle about IHG’s new HUALUXE® hotel concept and their “China Ready” program - fascinating examples of how the largest hotel chain in the world is preparing for future Chinese tourists. HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts are currently being built in China for the Chinese market, following a fast-moving development strategy with the goal to implement HUALUXE® Hotels and Resorts in several key cities worldwide for Chinese travelers to enjoy the same concept abroad.

Mag. Kadanka brought back the focus to Vienna and Austria and explained that although tourist numbers are increasing, they are not flooding the market quite yet. He pointed out the characteristics of future Chinese tourism demand and introduced his theory about the “new generation” of Chinese, who grew up as only children spoiled by their parents, and are looking to experience Europe with a slightly bigger budget and a slightly longer stay in a smaller travel group than the previous generation.

The panel discussion was concluded with questions and input from the audience, which included representatives from the Vienna Convention Bureau and the Austrian Tourist Board as well as ÖHV president Michaela Reitterer who pointed out that we can be more proactive in generating tourism from China by hiring Mandarin speaking staff and offering Chinese direct debit payment solutions, tax refunds, well-organized trips, and relevant food options.

With the right PEST (Political, Economic, Social and Technological analysis) parameters including friendly visa- and Schengen regulations, work permits for Chinese, direct airline connections, reduced air taxes and technical payment solutions, the tourism market would sky rocket.

MODUL University is attracting a growing number of Hong Kong Chinese and Chinese students and preparing them for a career in the hospitality industry.  These graduates gain an understanding of the Austrian culture in addition to their knowledge about their own Chinese heritage and possess great intercultural communication skills.

More detail on Daniel Orasche's presentation can be read here in German.