Tourist operators embrace China

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Queenstown tourism operators are ready to embrace Chinese New Year holiday-makers by decorating shop windows, training staff in Mandarin and accepting China's only domestic bank card.

Chinese visitors to NZONE Skydive Queenstown, Ziptrek Ecotours, i-Site Visitor Centre Queenstown and other Wakatipu operators are likely to be greeted by staff with ''Shin nee-an quai la'', which translates as ''Happy New Year'' or ''Gong chi fa chai'', which means ''Congratulations on getting more wealth'', in the advent of the Year of the Snake from February 10.

The phrases signal the enthusiastic interest more tourist operators are taking in China, given the dramatic growth from its visitor market last year, which overtook the United States and United Kingdom to become New Zealand's second-largest source of visitors after Australia.

NZONE Skydive business development manager Derek Melnick said he and his team had learned simple greetings in Mandarin and Cantonese and while most travelling Chinese had some grasp of English, they appreciated the effort made in their own language.

The NZONE shop was festooned with lanterns and gift envelopes representing prosperity for the new year. Large Chinese script wishing a happy new year to customers was posted on the wall and clearly visible outside as people walked along Shotover St.

The Chinese bank card UnionPay was added as a payment facility before Christmas and NZONE planned to join Tourism New Zealand for a follow-up trade visit to China at the end of 2013.''

We know there's a huge influx of Chinese FITs (free and independent travellers) coming in this time of year,'' Mr Melnick said.''

We know the region's been heavily promoted as a destination for this time of year. The airline connectivity has given every indication there's considerable interest.''

Ziptrek Ecotours marketing and sales manager Nicky Busst said team members were also coached in Mandarin and Cantonese pleasantries and culture. The company's brochures had been translated, decorations were in the window, UnionPay was accepted and Weibo, China's answer to Twitter, was being used.

Ziptrek will launch a promotion on February 8 especially for Chinese holiday-makers, offering them a 15% discount on its zipline experiences when they say ''Happy New Year'' in their native tongue to staff in the Camp St outlet.''

We're seeing year-on-year increases in Chinese visitors and it's great to see Queenstown get behind the growing Chinese market,'' Mrs Busst said.

Across Shotover St, i-Site Visitor Centre general manager Matt Wong said Chinese New Year preparations were left to the last minute in 2012, but the marked increase in sales from Chinese visitors who walked in after spotting signs greeting them in their own language convinced i-Site to take the occasion seriously.

Mr Wong said it was not just travellers direct from China who were choosing Queenstown for their holidays. Many Chinese students in Auckland and Australia were arranging to meet their families in the resort for a shared break and often i-Site staff were recommending activities for parties of up to six Chinese, with the student as tour leader.

Air sports associated with New Zealand, including skydiving, paragliding and bungy jumping, were especially popular among the new wave of Chinese FITs, more so than softer pursuits, such as golf, which they could play at home.

With an average of 600 people through the doors on peak days, Mr Wong said Chinese visitors were now the second-most common nationality making inquiries at i-Site after Australians. Britons were third, Europeans fourth and Americans fifth.

Chinese visitors ranked fifth last summer, he said.''

I'd love to see Queenstown celebrate in terms of a Chinese festival like Auckland, though they have a large Chinese community.''

We celebrate Gay Ski Week, Winter Festival and our own New Year. Having an event to give them a reason to come over for a week would be amazing.''

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said there had been a significant change in the market mix in the last year. Arrivals from Asia, and China in particular, continued to increase, while long-haul markets have remained ''challenging''.

Total arrivals for the year ending December 2012 reaffirmed the underlying growth in visitors. Arrivals were only slightly down on 2011, which was boosted by Rugby World Cup, and up 1.6% on 2010.

Mr Bowler said the economic situation in Europe, and New Zealand's high exchange rate, impacted on the number of long-haul arrivals.''

However, the Western markets remain valuable, and a target for Tourism New Zealand, as their visitors tend to stay longer. And some of the markets have held up well - in particular Germany which was up 12.4% in December, and ended the full year 0.1% ahead of 2011.''

Mr Bowler said Tourism NZ anticipated the growing awareness of New Zealand as the result of the release of the first Hobbit movie and its focused marketing efforts, will increase preference for travel to New Zealand across all markets, including long-haul markets such as the US and the economically stronger countries of Europe.