Catering to the Dragon: Is the Danish Tourism Sector "China ready"?

Jørgensen, Matias Thuen

4. term

Tourism, Master

2012

2012-08-31

79

I takt med Kinas økonomiske udvikling er kinesisk udrejsende turisme vokset kraftigt. Kina er i dag Asiens største afsendermarked og et af de største globalt – og væksten fortsætter. Det gør Kina interessant for destinationer verden over, også Danmark. I 2011 steg kinesiske ankomster til Danmark med over 30 procent, mens flere traditionelle markeder faldt. I forskning og medier hævdes det ofte, at destinationer skal være "China ready", og at viden fra vestlige forbrugermarkeder ikke uden videre kan overføres. Afhandlingen undersøger tre spørgsmål: 1) Hvad kræves for, at den danske turismesektor kan være "China ready" – og lever den op til det i dag? 2) Hvad kendetegner kinesiske turister, hvad motiverer deres valg, og hvordan kan Danmark tiltrække dem? 3) Hvordan forstår den danske turismebranche det kinesiske marked, og hvilke visioner og strategier følger heraf? Grundlaget er 16 kvalitative interviews (fire med eksperter i kinesisk udrejseturisme og 12 med danske turismeaktører) samt en gennemgang af over 30 forskningsartikler. Analysen bygger på: push- og pull-teori (push = rejsendes indre motiver; pull = destinationens tiltrækningskraft), SWOT (styrker, svagheder, muligheder, trusler) og teori om strategier og visioner. Arbejdet består af fire dele: (1) Litteraturgennemgangen peger på huller i den eksisterende viden, giver et overblik over kinesiske turisters vigtigste motiver og præsenterer en tilpasset version af Pearces "travel career model" (en model for, hvordan rejsemotiver udvikler sig). (2) En push–pull-analyse, der kombinerer litteratur og fire eksperters perspektiver, afklarer, hvad det vil sige at være "China ready". Analysen tilføjer nye motiver og konkluderer, at kinesiske turister overordnet kan opdeles i to segmenter: grupperejsende (Group Package Tourists) og selvstændige og/eller fordybede rejsende (Independent and/or In-depth Tourists). (3) En SWOT-analyse af den danske sektors forståelse af det kinesiske marked, holdt op mod de foregående resultater. Hovedkonklusionen er en spænding mellem stor interesse for potentialet og lav prioritering, fordi segmentet endnu er lille i Danmark. (4) En diskussion af strategier og visioner vejer fordele og ulemper ved at satse på grupperejsende versus selvstændige/fordybede rejsende. Afhandlingen foreslår et stærkere fokus på de sidstnævnte, da det kan give bedre resultater end den nuværende næsten eksklusive satsning på grupperejser. Tre strategiske tilgange identificeres – passive, afventende og aktive – og mange aktører lægger hovedansvaret hos DMOs, dvs. destinationers organisationer for markedsføring og koordinering. Det giver DMOs en tredobbelt rolle og skaber et misforhold: mange venter på, at selvstændige kinesiske rejsende kommer af sig selv, mens hovedparten af markedsføringen via DMOs målrettes grupperejser. Konklusionen er, at for at være "China ready" må den danske turismesektor være "China invested": prioritere det kinesiske marked, vælge målsegmenter tydeligt og samarbejde bedre for at nå dem.

As China’s economy has grown, outbound Chinese tourism has expanded rapidly. China is now Asia’s largest source market and one of the largest globally—and it continues to grow. This makes China important for destinations worldwide, including Denmark. In 2011, arrivals from China to Denmark rose by more than 30 percent, while several traditional markets declined. Research and media often argue that destinations must be "China ready," and that marketing knowledge based on Western consumers does not simply carry over. This thesis addresses three questions: (1) What is required for Denmark’s tourism sector to be "China ready," and does it meet these requirements today? (2) What characterizes Chinese tourists, what motivates their choices, and how can Denmark attract them? (3) How does the Danish tourism sector understand the Chinese market, and what visions and strategies follow from that understanding? The study is based on 16 qualitative interviews (four with experts on Chinese outbound tourism and 12 with representatives of the Danish tourism sector) and a review of more than 30 academic articles. The analytical framework includes push and pull theory (push = travelers’ internal motivations; pull = destination attributes that attract), SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), and theory on strategies and visions. The research has four parts: (1) A literature review that identifies gaps in existing research, summarizes the main motivations of Chinese tourists, and presents a modified version of Pearce’s travel career model (a model of how travel motivations evolve). (2) A push–pull analysis combining literature and four expert perspectives to clarify what it means to be "China ready." It adds new motivations and concludes that Chinese tourists can be grouped into two broad segments: Group Package Tourists and Independent and/or In-depth Tourists. (3) A SWOT analysis of the Danish sector’s understanding of the Chinese market, compared with the earlier findings. The key conclusion is a tension between strong interest in the market’s potential and low priority, because the segment is still small in Denmark. (4) A discussion of strategies and visions weighs the pros and cons of targeting Group Package Tourists versus Independent/In-depth Tourists. The thesis suggests putting more emphasis on the latter, as this may yield better results than the current near-exclusive focus on group tours. It identifies three strategic stances—Passive, Pending, and Active—and notes that many actors rely on DMOs, i.e., destination organizations responsible for marketing and coordination. This gives DMOs a triple role and creates a mismatch: many are waiting for Independent/In-depth Chinese visitors to arrive on their own, while most marketing spending via DMOs targets Group Package Tourists. Overall, to be "China ready" the Danish tourism sector must be "China invested": commit to the Chinese market, choose target segments clearly, and cooperate more effectively to reach them.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

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