Hawaii: The Most Popular Home Location for Chinese Investors
Hawai’i is the most expensive destination for Chinese visitors because competing destinations are lowering their prices. About 170,000 Chinese traveled to Hawaii in 2016, up 3 percent over the previous year. The Chinese traveler is very sophisticated and seeks out new experiences. Today’s developing Chinese market in Hawaii is very lucrative, and the easing of visa rules has helped spur the recent doubling of Chinese visitors.
Aloha from Hawaii: Discover the Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are one of the most geographically isolated places on earth, over 2,400 miles and nearly 4,000 km to the closest landmass, which is California, USA. Born of a volcanic hotspot. This unique history of formation and isolation has given rise to breathtaking and extraordinary wonders. A special culture has evolved from the unique natural environment of these islands. Native Hawaiians are the host culture here, and the values of Aloha have laid the foundation for Hawaii we have today.
Today Hawaii is a bold showcase for farm-to-table fusion cuisine, culturally conscious fashion and innovation. Visitors will find themselves spoiled for options between romantic boutique getaways and family-friendly five-star resorts. High-end retailers have put Hawaii on the map of world-class shopping destinations, and Hawaii’s passionate chefs have created a foodie frenzy here.
There are six major islands to visit in Hawaii: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and the island of Hawaii! Each has its own distinct personality, adventures, activities, and sights.
Hawaii housing market is attractive to Chinese buyers
It’s easy to be charmed by the islands’ beautiful beaches and tropical landscapes, because of the beauty of the stability of the government, safe environment, and multicultural community. Hawaiian locations rank in the top five “power markets” where the wealthiest and most powerful players tend to own property, Other key major indicators of “power” status include airport accessibility, ease of doing business, a prestige brand presence, and a housing stock that prioritizes privacy, views, and exclusivity.
From its famous beaches to the peak of Haleakala, Maui offers a wealth of unforgettable experiences. The second largest of Hawaii’s five major islands attracts rich people from around the world to enjoy its wide sandy beaches, pristine blue waters, and dozens of golf courses and tennis clubs.
Although Chinese nationals have been among the biggest foreign buyers of US real estate in general. Hawaii is smack dab in the middle of China and the US, with direct flights from major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing.
The new generation of Chinese tourists in Hawaii
China’s population is 1.4 billion, and they have so many wealthy people and so much disposable income, they are the No. 1 outbound source market in the world. Chinese travelers have the potential to transform the face of Hawaii’s tourism and real estate industry. More than 15% of Chinese tourists come to Hawaii as independent travelers, booking their own trips, following their own schedules, renting cars and confounding local drivers. Fewer Chinese tourists in Hawaii today come with group tours, often part of steeply discounted, multi-city packages that jam as much Hawaii into as little time as possible.
Since 2012, China Eastern Airlines has launched the first direct, regular air service from China to Hawaii. These are expected to push higher Chinese visitor numbers. The Chinese stats come with a footnote that has the visitor industry abuzz: the Chinese spend more( Over $382 per person per day) than the Japanese, who have traditionally been Hawaii’s biggest spenders.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has opened offices in Beijing and Shanghai and launched a Chinese-language version of its website. The Bank of Hawaii has made arrangements with China’s largest issuer of bank cards, permitting electronic transactions with thousands of merchants throughout the Islands.
How Hawaii Tourism Professionals can lure Rich Chinese Property Investors?
To lure the Chinese, the Hawaii Tourism Authority has budgeted more than $2.7 million this fiscal year for marketing. Here, you will find some good digital marketing strategies for helping your business.
- You should know and understand your target audience, what they really want and need as well as their budgets, particular interests, and motives for traveling.
- Develop a Chinese website optimized for the Baidu search engine.
- Relevant posts are important. Chinese tourists like to research and plan their trips several weeks beforehand, making pre-trip targeting during their overseas stays.
- Pay attention to national holidays when people from China are more likely to travel such as Chinese New Year (February), Golden Week (October), and Dragon Boat Festival (June).
Trust the Process: Chinese Social Network
Chinese tourists particularly younger ones are increasingly planning trips using social media apps like WeChat and are less likely to book through big tour groups. They have also rapidly adopted smartphone-based payment systems.
It’s more convenient for Chinese tourists to easily find the right information about your travel agency online. Chinese travelers like to share their experiences in real-time on well-known social media channels are Weibo and WeChat. Make sure you monitor and respond to comments on booking channels include Qunar, eLong while Mafengwo, Qyer are preferred travel communities and review sites. Establish official Chinese social media accounts and Chinese-language landing pages for websites.
Tailor-made travel packages
The digital landscapes are completely different from the rest of the world. China is relying heavily on a mobile ecosystem, and 97% of the usage of the internet happens on these platforms instead of traditional internet browsing. You should focus on the channels that matter for your target audience. In general, it’s important to think about your long-term strategy on Chinese OTAs (Ctrip, Fliggy, Qunar ect.), and other online travel platforms (Mafengwo, Qyer) for B2C engagement. Hiring a Chinese agency to help you through your journey in China is a must.
Boost the consumer’s interests through a KOL campaign
Travel agencies can run a KOL campaign for attracting more Chinese travelers. The Chinese influencers posted about their itineraries and their favorite attractions along the way on their own social media channels, and also helped travel agencies to create a mini-site (scan the QR code in WeChat to enter) with guides to different parts of the venues, including video content, photos, and descriptions of recommended venues.
Our very large KOL’s (Key Opinion Leaders) catalog will allow you to choose the right and most suitable KOL’s for your activity. GMA will help you distribute clean and relevant content for your brand.
Chinese mobile payment
Once you have the Chinese mobile payment solutions AliPay and Wechat Pay integrated, which is used by all the Chinese, you would be known as “Chinese-friendly” and thus able to catch their attention.
GMA can help you to integrate Alipay and WeChat Pay in your business, and to embark on a new discovery with your potential Chinese customers.
Establish a PR strategy
The Chinese digital sphere is host to many sharing platforms (Q & A/forums) allowing Chinese travelers to share their experiences abroad. These platforms are therefore indispensable channels of communication for the implementation of digital strategies for travel agencies. Mafengwo is a perfect example of PR online. Chinese travelers share detailed information about their travels and add photos, videos, and notes to the places visited.
Usually, Chinese travelers used to do a lot of research before their travels, hotel, restaurants, and museums. Many other platforms offer similar services like Ctrip, QuNar, Tuniu, … It’s interesting to see that the travel agency’ reputation is very important for Chinese people.
Gentlemen Marketing Agency: Your Digital Marketing Travel Agency
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