Sydney, April 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Destination NSW will continue its efforts to promote tourism to Sydney and New South Wales in China by hosting a week-long tourism experience event in Chengdu and collaborating with travel wholesaler China Tourism International(Guangdong) Limited to launch the initiative.
The tourism promotion experience event will be held from April 22–27, 2015, at Chengdu IFS, a major shopping mall in China.
Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said that during the event, an estimated 100,000 Chinese consumers are expected to visit the promotion and experience New South Wales tourism offerings.
Ms. Chipchase said:"In one of China’s key markets, this tourism experience event isa fantastic way to promote New South Wales. With eye-catching imagery and innovative design, the event is sure to be a highlight at Chengdu IFS, a major shopping destination."
She said: "Visitors will be able to sample wines from New South Wales at tasting stations, while China’s 'Barista of the Year' will also be on-site serving New South Wales coffee and milk."
The promotional campaign will also engage Chengdu’s top restaurants to launch "Taste of New South Wales Food Month" in May. Local restaurants will create and promote dishes themed around New South Wales ingredients, as well as showcase Sydney and New South Wales gourmet and wine travel packages.
The collaboration with China Travel Service (Guangdong) International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. will introduce New South Wales destinations and promote travel experiences to Chinese tourists throughprint advertisements,exhibition events, andonline publishing, among otherpromotion methods.
Ms. Chipchase said: "The event will promote a variety of tourism experiences in New South Wales, including farm stays, food and wine tours, golf, events, deep-sea fishing, Aboriginal cultural experiences, and the Vivid Sydney Festival."
She said: "The event will showcase unique destinations in New South Wales such as the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley (Hunter Valley), Newcastle, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Tweed, Central Coast, Wollongong, Jervis Bay (Jervis Bay), and Kiama."
Both promotional activities aim to attract independent travelers from China. The latest data from Tourism Research Australia shows that independent travelers account for 59% of Australia’s inbound tourism market; as of September 2014, non-group visitors to New South Wales reached 260,500, an increase of 22% year-on-year, marking the highest figure since 2006.
Ms. Chipchase said the two initiatives reflect the importance of Chinese tourists to New South Wales tourism.
She said: "China is New South Wales’ largest inbound tourism market, and it is vital that we continue to explore new ways to promote the destination in growth cities like Chengdu. As of September 2014, over 443,000 Chinese visitors stayed in New South Wales for a total of 12.1 million nights, spending more than USD 1.5 billion."
Additionally,Destination NSW recently led a delegation of 33 New South Wales tourism operators to China to participate in the 2015 Greater China Mission,helping them establish direct relationships with Chinese suppliers and directly showcase New South Wales destinations to target markets.
She added: "In February, we alsoin Chinalaunched a dedicated website, Sydney.cn,to promote Sydney and New South Wales to Chinesetourists. We have also signed an agreement with UnionPay International, the international division of China's major financial institution China UnionPay, to promote Sydney and New South Wales to 4.5 billion UnionPay cardholders."