Workshop on China tourism preparation

Tony Everitt
Tony Everitt
Preparing for the emerging tourism market of China is the aim of a Destination Queenstown workshop for Wakatipu operators featuring a panel of guest speakers, on May 20.

The two-hour workshop will feature a panel of as yet undisclosed guest tourism representatives from the Wakatipu and wider New Zealand, plus one speaker from China.

The speakers would give insights into Chinese culture and expectations and offer their own observations of the people. How the Queenstown and overall New Zealand tourism market was perceived in China, and how Queenstown was being promoted, would be discussed.

DQ chief executive Tony Everitt, who was previously Tourism New Zealand's regional manager for China and Japan, was likely to facilitate.

"Because China is a growing market, it's giving our members the information on how they can benefit in business and be ready," DQ communications manager Jen Andrews said on Friday.

DQ had monitored the Chinese visitor market for some time and had increased efforts to raise awareness of Queenstown by familiarisation and air travel opportunities.

The venue was yet to be decided, but the workshop would run from 3pm to 5pm, Ms Andrews said.

A familiarisation tour of New Zealand by a China Southern Airlines delegation before Christmas - which included Queenstown - was described by China Southern president Tan Wangeng as "pivotal" to the airline's decision to move immediately to three direct China Southern Airlines flights between Guangzhou and Auckland a week, from April 8.

Tourism and airline chiefs are confident Queenstown businesses will benefit from the anticipated influx of Chinese tourists.

 

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