Many articles and adverts are blocked, even if they’re not on blocked websites. Website Pulse, a website monitoring service, can help you conduct article-blocking tests before you publish, to see whether your site will survive behind the Great Firewall of China.

3) Be visible on Chinese social media sites – marketing on Facebook and Twitter and Google SEO won’t help you reach this market. Efforts are better spent training your marketing team or the PR agency you engage to be au fait with the most popular social media sites in China.

91% of Chinese citizens online are on a social media site (as opposed to only 67% in the US, for example).

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The most popular sites are Q Zone and Pengyou (Facebook-similar) Tencent Weibo and Sina Weibo (Twitter clones) and WeChat (similar to WhatsApp).

42% of respondents in a recent Hotels.com poll said that they made their travel decisions via social media, so ramping up your presence on Chinese social media is a no-brainer. And 53% (the highest percentage) are booking through Chinese-language travel guides – so make sure your property is known in the Chinese tourism industry.


However, 52% said they still rely on the word of mouth of family and friends – making the classic ‘Chinese standards’ (good service, good in-house restaurants and rewards programmes/deals) one of the more important aspects of your Chinese traveller demographic marketing plan.

4) Attend tourism fairs in China – the most popular are the China International Travel Mart in November and the China Outbound Travel and Tourism Market in April.

5) Target Chinese residents who are already living and working in the Middle East, Europe or America – they will travel between these locations, just as others living in those locales do, and they also bring their extended family with them from China – one family trip could represent as many as 20 hotel rooms for up to two weeks.

To get in on the resident Chinese market, contact representatives from the embassies, associations, chambers of commerce and groups in your area for promotions and to see how mutual relationships can benefit your property.

Once they’ve chosen your hotel

1) Most Chinese tourists tend to spend only 1-3 nights in each country, unless there is more than just tourist destinations. They spend a longer time in countries with casinos such as Lebanon or Las Vegas, USA, for example. Countries where sporting activities are a bigger part of the culture also rated well, with camel and horse racing in the region piquing interest.

Only having 1-3 nights in a country means they don’t want to wait – prompt, efficient service is a must. Offering an itinerary service to help Chinese travellers make the most of their stay will boost your property up the list (but make sure it’s advertised on the right channels). Most of the China Outbound market doesn’t holiday to relax – they want to experience. Help them do that on your property.

Remind your staff that despite a Chinese diner’s pleasure with a meal, their culture is not a tipping one, with 71% not typically leaving a tip in any situation. Training may need to be provided to keep services high and your staff culturally aware.

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