How to Attract More Chinese Tourists to Western Australia - Coursework Example

How to Attract More Chinese Tourists to Western Australia Introduction The tourism industry in Western Australia is one of the most important sectors of its economy and this is mainly because of the fact that it has a great many places which tourists can visit and enjoy. Western Australia has in recent years become a very attractive tourist destination in Australia and this sector has continued to grow as more tourists keep coming every year. While this may be the case, the need to ensure that this state remains a serious destination for tourists has made it imperative for its government and private sector to work towards developing ways to attract tourists from newer markets. The fastest growing tourist market in the world today is China and its growth has inspired the stakeholders in the tourism industry of Western Australia to work towards attracting people from this country to visit (Scott 2013, p.126). This essay will be an analysis of the ways that Western Australia can attract more Chinese tourists while at the same time ensuring that there is a continued presence of tourists from this country. The various challenges will also be addressed and a comprehensive discussion will be done to analyze the means being used to attract more Chinese tourists into the state. Background In recent years, Western Australia has become a popular tourist destination for a number of Chinese and this has mainly been because of the excellent services which the tourism sector in this state provides for them. This has created the need to ensure that more tourists from China keep coming to the state and the government as well as the private sector has worked towards the development of initiatives to achieve their objectives. Chinese tourists have become attractive for the Western Australian tourism industry because with the fast economic growth of China, the Chinese middle class has also grown, and the members of this class often have the desire to go out and see the world outside of their country (Kusluvan 2003, p.515). The spending power that they have can only be described as incredible because for most Chinese tourists, money is never the problem. In addition, the Chinese middle class, consisting of several hundred millions, is one of the largest in the world, and this is a massive untapped tourist market that Western Australia seeks to exploit. This would be a great boost to the economy of the state considering the fact that tourism is one of the mainstays of its economy and that without it, there would be massive losses in income within the state. The high potential of Chinese tourists visiting Western Australia is mainly based on the fact that these tourists have come to surpass the British to become among the largest tourism market for Australia (Shie, 2007). Because of the large numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Australia, it is only logical for Western Australia to work towards the development of means to ensure that these tourists choose to visit the state over other parts of the country. This will enable the state to tap into the Chinese market which will most likely continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Since there have been more Chinese arrivals every year, the government of Western Australia has chosen to make the state an attractive destination for them. Evidence has shown that the acceptance of Chinese Union Pay credit cards would be one of the most fundamental steps towards making the state an attractive destination. This has been the case in the last few years as many companies in this state have accepted this means of payment as a way of adding a competitive edge over their rivals. In addition, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of tourism companies which have hired staff that speak Chinese as a means of ensuring that there is an increase in business especially in destinations where Chinese airlines go (Zeppel & Beaumont, 2012). It has also been found that the government of this state has invested millions of dollars in marketing campaigns to ensure that it is an attractive destination for Chinese tourists. The main target of the government is to ensure that the number of Chinese tourists visiting the state quadruples over the next decade since this will be a massive economic boost for Western Australia. However, the tourism industry in Western Australia has to redouble its efforts because with the increasing spending power of Chinese tourists, there will likely be more demand for better services which, if not offered, might force them to move to more attractive markets (Jamrozy, 2007). The fact that there are also a large number of other tourist destinations all over the world should act as an incentive for the tourism industry in Western Australia to develop its services to such an extent that they are beyond reproach. Literature Review Miller, Van Megen and Buys (2012) state that Western Australia has to diversify its tourism industry because this industry has among the biggest potential for growth in the whole of the country, a fact which has to be exploited to the fullest. However, they also state that the process of diversification is fraught with many challenges and among these is the integration of rural communities to ensure that they become active participants in the development of the tourism industry. Globalisation has acted as an impetus for the integration of rural communities into the tourism industry because these have the potential of developing into attractive destinations for tourists. For a long time, the rural population of Western Australia has been kept out of the mainstream tourism industry and this has not only been a loss for the industry, but it has also hampered the economic development of these areas when compared to other parts of the state. Thus, the integration and packaging of rural areas as viable tourist destinations, in addition to including them as potential places to visit by Chinese tourists can be an added advantage to the entire state. This is mainly because of the fact that it will provide the motivation for a large number of tourists who have visited before to return in a bid to visit other destinations within the state to which they had not been. However, Miller, Van Megen and Buys (2012) argue that one of the main challenges that have to be overcome to make rural areas an attractive destination is the potential loss of control over the sector which the rural communities might experience it they are not empowered to take charge of it themselves. Because of this, there needs to be a better understanding of what is needed by the locals to ensure that the local tourism industry becomes viable while at the same time enabling them to retain control over it. Alonso and Ogle (2009) state that Western Australia has to invest more in attracting tourists because this state has the potential of being among the leading destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. They state that the hospitality and tourism industries have over the years developed in importance and have come to attract tourists both from within and outside the country. They provide the example of Swan Valley, situated a little distance outside Perth, where wine and food tourism has developed to such an extent that it is an attractive destination for those tourists who choose to visit Western Australia. The need to ensure that a good relationship has developed between the companies involved in the tourism industry and their customers has become essential in making the state an attractive destination especially considering that new markets, such as China, are currently opening up. Moreover, Alonso and Ogle (2009) argue that the lack of research concerning the impact of tourism on local businesses, especially in the hospitality and tourism sectors, has to be remedied. This is the only way through which the government can be able to determine whether the increase in the number of Chinese tourists in Western Australia is viable for the local economy or not. In addition, it will enable the government to work towards policies which will ensure that local businesses are helped in improving their services to such an extent that they encourage Chinese tourists to choose to visit Western Australia over other parts of the country. Shanka, Ali-Knight and Pope (2002) state that the Western Australian tourism industry is one of the most important sectors of its economy which contributed over 4 billion Australian dollars to the state. They state that out of the large number of tourists, who visit this state, international tourists are beginning to increase in number and this has been to such an extent that soon, they will become the majority of the tourists who visit. This has created a situation where the Western Australian government has to work hard to ensure that it promotes the development of the industry to such a extent that it is able to keep on attracting international tourist, a factor which will have a positive impact on the domestic economy. Shanka, Ali-Knight and Pope (2002) further state that most of the tourists, especially those from China, travel outside of the Perth Metropolitan area, with most of the visitors being international students. The efforts made by the government of Western Australia to promote tourism from China seems to have borne fruit because among the biggest numbers of tourists to the state have been people from China. The main reason why Chinese tourists often choose to visit Western Australia has been because of the excellent services provided by its hospitality industry as well as the effort made by many hotels and tour companies to provide staff members conversant in Chinese to serve them. The popularity of these services have ensured that more Chinese tourists visit Western Australia and this has encouraged many of them to recommend it as the destination of choice to their families and friends. The international, particularly the Chinese market, of which its growing middle class form a significant part, has worked towards offering massive opportunities of growth for tourism in Western Australia. Pomering (2013) states that Western Australia, in order to attract more tourists, has developed a system of marketing, which features elements of indigenous Australian identity, in its advertising internationally and this has been done to ensure that tourists visit with the expectation of seeing the exotic part of the state. In addition, it has been done in order to provide tourists with the chance to see Western Australia as a destination which has melded elements of indigenous and European cultures. This form of campaign has been especially prominent when advertising in the Chinese tourist market where it is aimed at appealing to those individuals who would like to visit Australia. The ability to ensure that this form of branding works has been a government initiative which has been designed to promote Western Australia as a place where tourists will be able to experience life outside of the cities. Despite this attempt being made to market the state, it has also raised some contention within the society because of the fact that while their name and culture are used for marketing purposes, the indigenous people are rarely ever involved in the promotion of tourism within the state. It is for this reason that Pomering (2013) states that the government has to make the indigenous people a part of the tourism industry because their active involvement in it, as well as the exotic cultural practices and history that they have to offer will go a long way in promoting Chinese tourism within Western Australia. Zeppel, (2010) seems to be in agreement with Pomering when he states that such tourist attractions as natural areas and wildlife have to be left under the stewardship of the indigenous people. This is because if indigenous people are given stewardship, they will be able to preserve and protect these areas to such an extent that they will continue to be tourist attractions for many years to come. In this way, Chinese tourists, many of whom often visit for the sake of touring natural areas and seeing wildlife, will continue to be attracted to Western Australia as an ideal destination and this will ensure that there is an increasing number of tourists from China. Discussion The need for Western Australia to boost its tourism sector has been found to be necessary to promote its economic growth. This aim has made it imperative to tap into the Chinese market, which is the fastest growing market in the world with a large number of Chinese choosing to tour all over the planet. It is for this reason that the Western Australian government has worked towards the development of a number of tour packages which are likely to be attractive for Chinese tourists. Among these has been the use of indigenous culture and sites as a means of attracting the target market as well as encouraging, through incentives, the local tourist and hospitality sectors, to ensure that they provide the best services possible for Chinese tourists. Moreover, it has been found that it is imperative for the indigenous people to be made active participants in the tourism industry and this is mainly through ensuring that they are given stewardship over wildlife and other natural areas in the state. The involvement of indigenous people will provide Chinese tourists with the incentive to visit Western Australia because a number of these tourists tend to visit natural areas. The marketing of Western Australia for a Chinese audience should include featuring destinations which are highly attractive for them, from the beaches to the natural reserves as well as to other spots in the state where they can simply have fun. In this way, Western Australia will be able to attract a continuous number of Chinese tourists over the years and will be able to quadruple the number of tourists from China by 2020, as it is its aim. Conclusion As has been discussed above, the tourism industry in Western Australia is one of the most important sectors of its economy and this is mainly because of the fact that it has a great many places which tourists can visit and enjoy. In recent years, Western Australia has become a popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists and this has mainly been because of the excellent services which the tourism sector in this state provides for them. It is for this reason that Western Australia has to invest more in attracting more Chinese tourists because this state has the potential of being among the leading destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese tourists are poised to overtake all other international tourists to Australia and this has given Western Australia the incentive to ensure that a large part of Chinese tourists choose it over other Australian destinations. The need to attract Chinese tourists to Western Australia has made the tourism sector take steps to ensure that they are comfortable and among these steps has been the employment of staff that is conversant in Chinese. This has led to the promotion of Western Australia as the ideal place to visit for many Chinese because they are able to make themselves understood while at the same time understanding what their tour guides are telling them, hence a successful trip. References Alonso, A. D., & Ogle, A. (2009). Impact of daylight savings on small hospitality and tourism businesses: A western Australian case study. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9(4), 314-324. Jamrozy, U. (2007). Marketing of tourism: A paradigm shift toward sustainability. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 1(2), 117-130. Kusluvan, S. (2003). Managing Employee Attitudes and Behaviors in the Tourism and Hospitality. New York: Nova Publishers. Miller, E., Van Megen, K., & Buys, L. (2012). Diversification for sustainable development in rural and regional Australia: How local community leaders conceptualise the impacts and opportunities from agriculture, tourism and mining. Rural Society, 22(1), 2-16. Pomering, A. (2013). Indigenous identity in the nation brand: Tension and inconsistency in a nations tourism advertising campaigns. Corporate Reputation Review, 16(1), 66-79. Scott, N. (2013). Knowledge Sharing and Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism. London: Routledge. Shanka, T., Ali-Knight, J., & Pope, J. (2002). Intrastate travel experiences of international students and their perceptions of Western Australia as a tourist destination. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3(3), 245-256. Shie, T. R. (2007). Rising Chinese influence in the South Pacific: Beijings "island fever". Asian Survey, 47(2), 307-326. Zeppel, H., & Beaumont, N. (2012). Climate change and tourism futures: Responses by Australian tourism agencies. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 12(2), 73-88. Zeppel, H. (2010). Managing cultural values in sustainable tourism: Conflicts in protected areas. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 10(2), 93-104. Read More