Tag Archives: Elaine Sun

Elaine Sun, Regional Director Middle East, Trip.com shared that the Chinese outbound tourists are projected to reach 130 million this year and in terms of the MENA region it has already surpassed 100% in terms of outbound flight and hotel growth. In her presentation, she revealed that according to the global market review international tourism reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. Middle East with 136% followed by Africa with 105% and Europe with 101% while Americas was 100% and APAC at 82%.

At the China Global Traveller Market update and seminar Elaine Sun, Regional Director MEA, Trip.com shared that there are 3 most important factors to drive in Chinese inbound visitors; focus on content, service and dynamic offerings. She reiterated that hotels should first focus on getting their content to showcase their USP by showcasing the property with 5 to 10 second short videos and good images to draw the interest of the Chinese travellers. When it comes to service, there should be fact sheets and other material translated and shared with Chinese elements such as wechat, alipay so that there is a purpose to select the hotel as against others as it shows that the hotel would take an interest in accommodating Chinese travellers. The last point mentioned was the tailormade and bespoke experiences on offer, early bird deals, amenities, offerings such as early check-in and late checkouts as flight timings are different to provide that feeling you are welcomed in the hotel is most important to the Chinese travellers.