Queenstown's tourism operators, marketing body and chamber of commerce are riding the crest of a national wave to capitalise on China, the resort and the country's fastest-growing visitor market. James Beech finds out how Queenstown is becoming Chinatown.
Two Chinese couples in the same week chose Queenstown and one of its signature attractions to pop the question.
Following the wedding of Yao Chen, the actress, Tourism New Zealand's brand ambassador in China and queen of Chinese microblogging site Weibo, in St Peter's Church last November, Queenstown is proving to be a popular destination for young couples to both propose and marry, NZONE Skydive business development manager Derek Melnick said.
''We're definitely seeing a dramatic surge in young, independent travellers from China,'' Mr Melnick said.
''Last winter China was not even in our top five biggest markets and now they're in the top three ...
''The new wave of Chinese tourists are coming from second-tier cities, indicating the effectiveness of New Zealand's marketing penetration.
Skydiving, like other activities uncommon in China, was aspirational to Chinese people, Mr Melnick said.
NZONE Skydive staff are trained in Chinese pleasantries.
NZONE was the first adventure company in New Zealand to accept China UnionPay, China's credit card of choice, in October 2012, and has more than 1500 followers on Weibo in 12 months.
''We predict a bumper Chinese New Year for Queenstown from January 31, based on the success of the current National Day of China holiday,'' he said.
Those couples were part of the influx of Chinese people choosing Queenstown and New Zealand as the place to spend their ''Golden Week''. The first week of October is celebrated each year to mark the National Day of the People's Republic of China on October 1 and is a public holiday period equal to Chinese New Year.
China is New Zealand's second-largest visitor market after Australia and the fastest growing, up 27% to 229,184 in the year to August.
It is the second most lucrative visitor market and Chinese travellers spent $645 million last year, up 24%, the Tourism Industry Association says.
Destination Queenstown is now developing a China-specific strategy, to outline where resources and attention should be focused to get the best from Chinese market growth.
Chief executive Graham Budd said the concise document would be available in a month.
''The Chinese visitor now is not a visitor to be scared of. They're a visitor who wants to participate in our culture and our experiences we have to offer and we need to make them feel welcome and acknowledge their cultural difference.''
International markets manager Ben Chapman and trade marketing executive Christiana Zhu for DQ, Mr Melnick for NZONE and dozens of other Wakatipu and national operators, are taking promotion of Queenstown's attractions
To China, heading off from October 19 to November 8. They will attend Kiwi Link Greater China in the eastern city of Wuxi, then join a Frontline Roadshow to update travel trade representatives in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, similar to a Tourism NZ-led expedition Queenstown operators joined a year ago.
''We hope to inform and motivate more travel trade in China to select Queenstown and Southern Lakes as a region to send their clients,'' he said,''It's very much development of market through training and informing. The appointment book for DQ is full.
''We can expect there to be an event of this type each year now as the Chinese market grows and we might see more than one visit a year, given the ... growth and importance of this market.''
Mr Budd said Chinese visitors participated in all types of activities Queenstown offers. Chinese visitors still travelled in tour groups, but the mix was broadening. Some younger free and independent travellers, and family groups, were seen now.
Mr Budd encouraged more Queenstown operators to accept China UnionPay. He welcomed a new partnership announced last week between the Tourism Industry Association and Smartpay, which let each association member receive one free Smartpay terminal dedicated to UnionPay for six months.
Accepting UnionPay is ''essential really, if you want any decent business out of a Chinese visitor'', Mr Budd said.
''It's their preferred method of payment.''
Other ways to cater for greater numbers of Chinese tourists was a topic for discussion at the ''China Ready'' workshop attended by more than 100 Wakatipu operators in Crowne Plaza Queenstown on September 23.
The touring workshop was organised by the Christchurch Airport initiative ''South'' and supported by regional tourism organisations. DQ and Mr Budd, as South chairman, took the lead.
''South has recently employed a full-time business development manager in Shanghai to deal with the travel trade, so that's a complement to our own trade efforts,'' he said.
''We've got a multi-pronged approach to training, informing and motivating the Chinese market.''
Sister city bid
The Queenstown Chamber of Commerce is looking into building a sister city relationship with Hangzhou, voted ''the happiest city in China'', to usher business opportunities and make the most of the link between Dunedin and Shanghai.
The city of 2.4 million, an hour by train from Shanghai, shares Queenstown's industry of tourism, as well as creative, education and financial service industries and a mature wine retailing market, the chamber said.
Auckland has 20 sister city relationships, but 92% of its commercial return comes from its sister city relationship in China.
Tourism promotion
Tourism New Zealand and China Southern Airlines inked a deal last month to jointly promote New Zealand tourism in China.
The new memorandum of understanding signed in Guangzhou, China, covers brand advertising and promotional campaigns, tactical promotional campaigns, public relations, major trade shows, special events, distribution development and other mutually agreed activities, until 2016.
The marketing organisation and airline intend to implement fully integrated campaigns across multiple channels encompassing consumer, trade, media and online, where possible. The organisations are making equal financial commitments to the multimillion-dollar agreement.
Research initiative
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment opened applications last week for the China Market Information Programme, an initiative given $1.6 million over two years to co-fund business research projects on the needs and preferences of Chinese visitors.
The aim of the programme is to assist tourism businesses to better target and develop products and services for the China visitor market. The Government will match private-sector investment dollar for dollar.
Tourism policy manager Robyn Henderson said: ''One of the key themes to emerge from the China Market Review - released earlier this year by Prime Minister John Key - is the need to ramp up the ability of our visitor sector to adapt to and gain higher returns from the China visitor market.''
Be mine ... Huang Jun, of Xiamen in the Fujian Province, proposed to his girlfriend, Fang Ye, after touching down from an NZONE 15,000ft tandem skydive over Queenstown, courtesy of tandem instructors Will Da Silva and Krasimir Bankov. It was the first visit to New Zealand for both Huang and Fang and the trip was planned around the surprise proposal Huang dreamed up at home in China. PHOTO: BRIAN FARNAN Familiar sight ... Queenstown has been at the forefront of campaigns to entice China's millions of holidaymakers to this country since this Tourism New Zealand and Auckland International Airport campaign in 2011. The visitor market is maturing with Chinese visitors to the resort rapidly increasing year-on-year. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
