BEING “CHINA READY”

We’ve been increasingly working to help airports understand what it means to be “China ready”. With the prospect that one in four international travellers could be Chinese by 2030, and the fact that Chinese travellers typically spend more than any other tourists, can any airport afford not to take seriously what this means. 

In the air, this means working to attract new air services to and from China. On the ground, there’s signage to think about, Chinese language apps to help navigate around the airport, language proficient staff, and hot water on tap. Winning Chinese travellers to an airport will certainly mean engaging with Chinese technology platforms, social media and payment systems.  Think of it as a whole new world to explore.

With Chinese New Year almost here, we thought we’d share a couple of great examples we observed last week when passing through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Floors in many shops greeted passengers with Chinese New Year signage, and many displays had a strong Chinese New Year theme. The airport cleverly linked promotions targeting customers paying with UnionPay with the chance to receive a Van Gogh print. 

Do let us know if you see any particularly good examples of airports which are engaging with the Chinese market. 

For more information on how we can help your airport head over to our China Workshops page.