Experience Gold Coast has partnered with TravConsult, an Asian market and cultural expert, to provide 50 Gold Coast operators with market insights and cultural etiquette on key markets including China, Japan and South Korea.
Experience Gold Coast’s Head of Business Events Brooke Campbell said re-establishing and strengthening the connection between Asia and the Gold Coast is part of the city’s plans to grow the visitor economy and continue rebuilding the international business event pipeline.
“China was our largest international source market by total visitors and total expenditure pre-pandemic, and we want to put our best foot forward as we welcome back these international delegates,” Campbell said.
“It’s a fiercely competitive market and we need to always be pushing the Gold Coast as a premier destination for conferences, exhibitions and incentive group travel,” she said.
TravConsult’s managing director Trevor Lee said to successfully host famils and win the bids, it is critical to understand the cultural keys that underpin building relationships, negotiations, and identifying the revalue proposition through the lens of each different market.
“There are distinct cultural differences, and you simply cannot approach them as one mass market of ‘Asia’.
“We took Gold Coast business event operators on a journey to learn crucial strategies, skills and knowledge to win the business, deliver the promises and wow the Asian guests from China, South Korea and Japan,” he said.
The intensive workshop coincides with the announcement of China Eastern Airlines resuming Shanghai-Brisbane services, the first Chinese airline to return to Queensland with non-stop service starting at three days per week and daily from December 8.
Initially flying three times a week, the service will deliver 41,000 inbound seats in its first year and commence daily seasonal flights from December until early 2024.
