How to Identify the Right Chinese Outbound Travel Agencies to Work with?
For most DMCs and incoming tour operators all over the world, growing their tourism business in the Chinese market starts from identifying and forming business relationships with a Chinese outbound travel agency.
A Chinese travel agency can be a private or public government company that provides travel-related services such as fixed-date departure holiday packages, bespoke itineraries, flight tickets, hotel bookings, airport transfers and local activities etc. There are travel wholesalers, outbound tour operators, bespoke & luxury travel companies, MICE agencies, elite and special interest clubs and so on, each working effectively in their specific segments.
These licensed Chinese outbound travel agencies based in mainland China, have direct access to Chinese consumers and enjoy established sales channels and networks of clients. Becoming their regular destination ground handling partner means a continuous and stable source of business for your company.
But how to identify, approach and establish a relationship with the right Chinese agencies?
Understanding how a Chinese travel agency looks for a destination incoming partner would give insight into what to do next.
- Conducting research on Baidu would be the first step if a Chinese travel agency is looking for a new overseas supplier. Be aware only Chinese version websites which have been Baidu search-engine-optimised and hosted on local servers in China can be found and stand out, instead of being stopped by the Great Firewall of China.
- Asking their peers in WeChat groups for recommendations. There are many active travel trade professionals’ WeChat groups in China, they are an excellent place for them to exchange information, get recommendations and identify new business opportunities.
- Visiting travel trade B2B roadshow events. In 2023, these events whirlpooling Chinese cities have gained extraordinary momentum, which is something definitely worthwhile to participate in.
- Referring to Chinese outbound travel trade yellow books and other reputable publications, in digital format, for new suppliers in various overseas destinations.
- Feeling more credible if the foreign DMC has a WeChat Official Account with regular content output and a growing base of followers in China. They would prefer to communicate with you via WeChat messages rather than emails.
- Asking for your packages in Chinese with full descriptions, ideally, with images or even videos, they would then negotiate for the best prices.
- Greatly prefer to deal with a DMC with Chinese staff and a local office inside China, for easy communication, and no time difference, they also feel your company has financial strength by having a Chinese office and a long-term dedication to the Chinese market.
Contact our team for further advice on connecting with Chinese outbound travel agencies matching your expectations!
Email: promotion@e-travelworld.cn
WhatsApp: +447876071251
