Luxperience 2014 and
the rising Importance of the female travel market in Asia Pacific
The rise of the
female traveller, on business and leisure, in Asia Pacific continues to grow at
an exponential rate. By 2030, it is
estimated that it will have increased by as much as 400%. Luxperience
2014 is working with its exhibitors to ensure that they are responding to and
capitalising on this market trend.
Lindy
Andrews, CEO of Luxperience says, “There is no doubt that there has been a rise
in female travellers across Asia. The majority of these affluent Asian women
travelling are from the wealthier areas of Asia, such as Tokyo, Singapore,
Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Seoul.
Just as an example, in Singapore 32% of all business travellers are
female and Hong Kong has the largest percentage of female business travellers
at 36%.
At Luxperience 2014, we are happy to share these learnings with our exhibitors
to ensure they have the market knowledge prior to their joining us so that they
can cater to these all-important markets
and are thus able to establish meaningful connections with our international
buyers.”
Some
pointers from the Luxperience 2014 team on how to cater even more effectively
to the female travel market in Asia Pacific:
·
Solo
travel is a growing trend amongst female travellers – consider introducing a
no-single supplement during your shoulder months
·
Include
an experiential aspect to your product - experiential packages have gained
traction with many women citing adventure sports rather than shopping as the
past time for their holiday.
· Women
are known to do their research through
peer-to-peer recommendation – win over the female travel sector through “real”
and effective engagement on your social
media channels
·
For
hotels – consider introducing women-only floors
· Hotel
spas – offer a health and wellness centre as opposed to a fitness studio, or if space and investment in your property are a
concern, look to providing in-room spa
services and/ or partnering with a local accredited
alternative therapy practitioner
· Guided
shopping – have ready a list of top 10 shops in your city / location for women
travellers looking for some retail therapy.
This responds to a market trend amongst Asian female travellers in
particular. Research shows that many purchase
travel as a gift for themselves, or as a reward or an opportunity to celebrate
a special occasion. On a trip like this, spending levels reach between $5,000
and $20,000. In fact, a recent survey shows that affluent Asian women are more likely to purchase an overseas holiday
than men (96% vs. 89%) and these women have the financial power to buy luxury
premium goods. In China alone, female consumers dominate the purchase of luxury
goods.
Lindy
says “Given the massive spending power of the Asian woman, tourism operators
need to think about tapping into this market. The number of women travelling in
Asia will continue to rise, especially as Asian economies and the travel
industry continues to mature; tourism operators need to respond to this.”
Exhibiting
at Luxperience 2014, Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau share that
they have not only seen a rise in female Asian travellers, but also male. In
fact, shopping from Asia visitors (both
male and female) yields the highest revenue to the destination. Some of its
luxury retailers say as much as 50% of purchases are made by Asian visitors. The wide acceptance of China Union Pay debit
and credit cards in Beverly Hills adds convenience to shopping from mainland
China.
To ensure they are
‘China ready’, the Beverly
Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau (BHCVB) has ensured that several of its five star hotels include amenities such as
Chinese breakfasts, tea and packaged noodles with kettles in each room, Chinese
newspapers and slippers. They are also working closely
with a local affiliate of China National Television in Guangzhou to investigate
adding Chinese TV stations in their hotel rooms. The Visitor Center also
employs bilingual staff who are trained to assist visitors with directions,
suggestions and collateral all in-language. BHCVB will use their participation
at Luxperience as a platform to update Asian buyer delegates at the global business
exchange, on these initiatives.
Luxperience
2014 will take place from 31 August to 3 September 2014 in Sydney Australia.
For participation from India, get in touch with Deepika Chowdhry at deepika@candidindia.com