Gearing up for the rush

To cater to Chinese visitors during the holiday, tourism bureaus, department stores, duty-free shops and scenic spots in foreign countries and regions are preparing to join in the celebrations.

China International Duty Free, a specialist marketer and distributor of Chinese consumer brands, is running a Hong Bao, or "Red Envelope" promotion in 12 airports and downtown duty-free stores across Asia and the Middle East until the end of the month. In China, cash gifts are traditionally presented in red envelopes.

Similarly, star-studded Beverly Hills is staging a month-long festival, marking the fourth annual Chinese New Year celebration in the US city.

As the new visa rules facilitate ease of travel, Julie Wagner, chief executive officer of the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau, expects to see a rise in the number of Chinese tourists during Lunar New Year.

She said participating hotels in the city will provide special packages for Chinese guests throughout the month, offering popular amenities such as in-room kettles and Chinese teas, newspapers and breakfasts.

Some industry insiders have compared the holiday preparations to a "mini-Christmas" bonanza in Western countries.

According to a recent China Luxury Forecast survey, conducted jointly by the PR agency Ruder Finn and the market researcher Ipsos, travel spending in China will continue to soar. Last year, Chinese tourists spent $129 billion on overseas travel, and that figure is set to rise this year.

"Spring Festival is for family reunions and relaxing, but about 20 percent of our clients have booked shopping trips; we have arranged for shopping malls, outlets and department stores to meet their shopping needs," Liao of Aoyou said.

James Roy, associate principal at the China Market Research Group in Shanghai, said riding the Chinese festival is a good strategy for retailers overseas. "The Chinese tourist is the biggest spender when traveling aboard, so it's important to make Chinese consumers feel welcome and comfortable," he said.

"However, there's a line between showing respect, and failing to cater to consumers' tastes. Many brands don't know much about Chinese culture and fail to use Chinese elements to attract their target customers. They don't know where the line is."

Wu Jiangang, a research fellow at the China Europe International Business School, said Spring Festival doesn't have the potential to become a "symbol of consumption" like the Western Christmas. However, the newly emerging Singles' Day shopping promotion on Nov 11 may stand a chance.

"In Western countries, Chinese culture still has long way to go before it can be part of the mainstream. Chinese who want to shop overseas only care about discounts or product details, they don't care whether these things are offered during Spring Festival, Wu said.

"However, I think festivals without a profound cultural background, such as Nov 11 - so-called Singles' Day - have a chance of being accepted by overseas retailers," he said. "First, it (Singles' Day) is about shopping, and second, it can easily be understood by people outside China. There's no cultural barrier."

"Now, with the overseas expansion of the e-commerce giant Alibaba, Singles' Day has become a perfect platform for promotions in overseas markets. It could certainly become a new global festival with Chinese elements."

Contact the writer at suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn