Scotland China Ready Tourism Conference unveils its China Champions

The second annual Scotland China Ready Tourism Conference is all ready to take off at Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria on 11 June, a serendipitous date which aligns with the one-year anniversary of the first-ever direct flight from Beijing to the Scottish capital.

The event will bring together a salubrious set of high-profile China market experts, alongside practical experience from local and national “China Champions” — featuring speakers from international marketing agency Dragon Trail, tax free shopping giant Global Blue, VisitScotland, LNER, Gretna Green and China’s Consulate General in Scotland.

Chair of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group’s China Ready Initiative Rob Lang, said: “As the Chinese market continues to grow – and diversify – there’s never been a better time for Scottish businesses to understand and embrace the Chinese market opportunity.

“Trips to Edinburgh from China surged 111%”

Edinburgh continues to lead the way, coming second in Tencent’s recent global rankings of overseas cities on the wish list for Chinese travellers, and earlier this month, travel giant CTrip reported that orders for trips to Edinburgh from China surged 111% year on year during the Chinese Labour Day holiday.”

Lang went on to add: “However we are very aware that most Chinese visitors will be looking to explore beyond Edinburgh and that means that we need to work to build a Scotlandwide China Ready approach, so the Conference is designed to keep Scottish tourism businesses up to date with the latest market insights, Chinese visitor segments, behaviour and trends, as well as practical ideas for businesses looking to make the most of the market opportunity.

It’s a must-attend event for any Scottish tourism business considering working with the Chinese market”.

Keynote speakers include:

• Chinese Consul General Pan Xinchun, who will explain how initiatives such as air connectivity, Edinburgh’s hugely successful 2019 Chinese New Year Festival and thriving business and educational links continue to strengthen the bridge between Scotland and China;
• Sienna Parulis-Cook, from Chinese travel marketing agency Dragon Trail, a renowned Chinese marketing expert and regular international speaker, who will share with Scottish delegates the changing profile, travel patterns and future trends of the Chinese market;
• Christina Bruns, Senior Marketing Manager for China at VisitScotland, who will outline the exciting work they are doing to support market growth, including their award winning work with the Chinese travel trade, the launch of the new Travel Scotland WeChat channel and the development of the new Scotland WeChat mini app;
• Derrick Hardman, UK Managing Director at Global Blue, who will share their expert knowledge and insights into Chinese spend patterns and behaviours, including the latest mobile payment trends.