“Swire Hotels on Domestic Chinese Travel” interview with Teresa Muk
As the Chinese mainland’s domestic travel and tourism revenue increase exponentially within the past few years, all major luxury hotel brands are now growing their presence in the Chinese mainland. Teresa Muk, Head of Brand and Communications at Swire Hotels, shares her insights on domestic Chinese travel with SCMP through The Luxury Conversation, a business platform devoted to the trends that shape the luxury market in the Chinese mainland and Asia.
Since establishment, Swire Hotels has placed a strong focus on growing their brands in the Asia-Pacific region. As of 2019, six out of seven of their properties are located in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu contributing to Swire’s offline presence in Greater China. To enhance the brand’s digital presence in China, “we are also working to strengthen our WeChat strategy so that we can utilise the platform to more effectively engage in one-on-one communication with our guests and potential guests,” Teresa says. Swire Hotels differentiates itself by curating highly personalised services to its guests online and offline. She states that it is crucial to “provide Chinese tourists with ways to gather information and book in a way that they understand and are comfortable with, and WeChat is one of those ways.”
Affluent Chinese travellers also have their own distinctive expectations when they travel domestically. For example, Teresa notices a rising trend of wellness tourism in China due to “the long work hours and urban pollution, the younger Chinese population are paying more attention to their health.”
With the ever-changing luxury market, Swire Hotels will continue to create target market specific experiences for all their properties in Greater China.
If you’re interested in reading the full interview, please visit: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2183913/what-wealthy-chinese-travellers-expect-holiday-home
