China Traveller
October 2009
While I am delighted to see Taiwan being awarded with Approved Destination Status (ADS) it appears as if there is little in terms of a concerted effort to promote and attract Mainland travellers to the Island thus far. The granting of ADS was a recent event and as such most stakeholders are still trying to find their feet but complacency over this new tourism ‘hot spot’ should not be permitted.
Initial feedback from Mainland travellers who have now had the opportunity to visit Taiwan have not been overwhelming in their praise with some commenting that they were somewhat disappointed by the lack of modern designed cities, saying that the Mainland cities compared more favourably. This to me indicates that a perception error is in place and the Taiwan promoters would do well to highlight the more enjoyable aspects of travelling to Taiwan.
This is merely a symptom of a larger issue however that it is essential for Taiwan promoters to define their messages and ensure that they are relevant to the Mainland target audience, the relevant messages must be an extension of Taiwan’s real attractions. So far it seems as if Mainland travellers mostly only visit the orthodox attractions such as Taipei 101. While these are natural itinerary stops, what in my opinion impresses Mainland travellers the most about Taiwan are the numerous alleys in Taipei that host hidden treasures of exquisitely designed restaurants and shops, the juicy and exotic fruits, scrumptious seafood, magnificent night markets and endless restaurants with delicious menu listings. Furthermore, I think Mainlanders are often taken aback by Taiwan’s exhibited friendliness, its greatest hospitality asset. China as a successful developing country has the best of all hardware, but Taiwan has unparalleled software, friendliness and helpfulness that comes from the bottom of the heart. This is Taiwan’s key differentiator and must thus be strongly promoted.
The majority of Taiwanese also have misperceptions of China. Many believe that Mainland China is a rural backwater and while this is correct in some areas, it is clear to all who have visited China that the country is so vast that its first and second tier city dwellers can be described as nothing less than cosmopolitan consumers with a taste for the world. China’s outbound tourists are largely consumers with a higher education and are seasoned travellers, as such their expected levels of service are high.
Mainland travellers to Taiwan are not normally first time travellers, by the time they travel to Taiwan they have already experienced the high levels of service competing South East Asian hotels and destinations have on offer. Taiwan must show through its hospitality industry that Mainland travellers are welcome, they have to show their high level of services offerings. Many Taiwan hospitality practitioners ask me what the ’secret’ is to successfully attracting Mainland travellers, but I tell them that it does not exist, it is a myth. One has to invest in order to be successful, you have to invest in PR, marketing, and you have to be consistent. Taiwan did an excellent job enticing Japanese tourists, but now they must start to entice the Mainland tourists, they need to catch up. Frankly speaking, I have not noticed any promotional work of Taiwan yet.
For starters Taiwan needs to establish a visible representative office in Beijing as soon as possible for both relationship purposes but also to get a clearer understanding of the local consumer market. B2B engagement and promotions are very important and a good place to start as well.
Before your relations with the tour operators are even in place however, one needs to define what messages your destination wishes to carry. The messages must be relevant, colloquial and easy to remember. Furthermore, it is advised to focus a large proportion of your resources on Internet promotional platforms due to its inherent cost effectiveness. This would include titan platforms such as C-trip but also ordinary chat forums and bloggers. Advertising and marketing can be very expensive on the Mainland, much more than in Taiwan, and as such creative online solutions must be employed to get a better return on investment.
The Mainland China audience appreciates celebrities so the Taiwan market will be well advised to leverage off such famous spokespersons, thankfully, Taiwan has an inexhaustible supply.
In conclusion, based on my experience Mainland travellers are eager to travel to Taiwan and I am confident that if the appropriate itinerary is provided, it will be as memorable a trip as any other comparison. I am not convinced however that at this moment in time Taiwan is being proactively and appropriately promoted on the Mainland. Taiwan needs to catch up quickly, it is not the only available destination and the current emerging promotional and experiential trend is not an attractive one.
David Liu is Managing Director of Weber Shandwick China. Born in Taiwan, David has been working in the Mainland’s public relations industry for the past 10 year. He can be reached at dliu@webershandwick.com
