About one billion tourists were abroad in 2012, and that amount is projected to increase during 2013. Some noticeable differences in the tourists this last year were that there were more Chinese tourists than ever, and they spent an average of 30% more than other tourists.
In light of this, more than thirty different countries are planning ways to lure in more Chinese tourists during 2013. The tactics include everything from providing Chinese translation at major landmarks to simplifying visa norms.
Countries Vie for Chinese Tourism
Restaurants, hotels, attraction sites, and more are all recruiting people to provide Chinese business translation services for the expected tourists this year. With debt problems widespread across the globe, people have high expectations for this year’s tourist season.
China has recently experienced a job boom, and the middle class is expanding. People have more disposable income, and other countries are fighting each other to be the place where they spend it. The U.K., the U.S., and Australia are all hoping Chinese tourists will give some life to their flagging economies.
Main Touristic Cities
Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korean, and Japan are popular neighboring countries, and they have already begun rewriting their tourism policies in anticipation of 2013’s Chinese tourists. In the Philippines, Chinese tourists make up the fourth largest market for tourism.
Over the summer, there was a territorial dispute that interrupted tourism, but it has picked up once again and more plans are being made to attract Chinese nationals. In America, Chinese tourism increased by 30% in 2012, and now the United States is looking to increase that number once again in 2013.
Many different landmarks throughout the country are making an effort to hire people who are able to provide professional translation services in Mandarin, and the U.S. government has introduced an expedited visa process.
Go Big or Go Home
Attracting Chinese tourists seems to be on everyone’s agenda for the New Year. Even countries like Gambia, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan are making marketing efforts to get their share of Chinese tourism. Basically, the only country that has not had any increase in tourism from China has been Japan, though not from lack of effort.
A dispute over the Senkaku and Diaoyu Islands has been the main reason for the decrease in tourists. However, they are still one of the thirty or so countries making tourism policies right and left trying to take advantage of China’s thriving economy.