International Tourism Marketing Strategy for Gansu Province, China

26 Feb 24
21 Apr 24

In partnership with:
Department of Culture and Tourism of Gansu Province, Work Bank

1 – 21 June

Lanzhou. Gansu Province, China

Context:

With support from the World Bank, UN Tourism is collaborating with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Gansu Province to develop a Tourism Human Capital Strategy and an International Tourism Marketing Strategy for the Province within the framework of the Gansu Revitalization and Innovation Project. In April 2024, a first UN Tourism mission took place to Gansu Province to launch the project activities, in particular the tourism human capital component. In June 2024, a first mission to Gansu took place of the expert team developing the International Tourism Marketing Strategy.

At the outset of the mission in June, a project review meeting took place in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, with key project stakeholders in the Province to clarify and reach consensus on the expected outputs and the detailed planning of activities for the marketing component. During the first days in Lanzhou, also focus group meetings were held with representatives from the provincial tourism marketing department, other tourism institutes and private sector players to gain valuable insights on the tourism product of Gansu, the current marketing activities undertaken by the Government and the private sector, and the opportunities and challenges to take into account when developing the international tourism marketing strategy for the Province. Subsequently, field inspection visits were undertaken to key tourism sites in Gansu Province to assess the current status and potential for international tourism development and identify opportunities for promoting the tourism products to international markets.

Highlights:

During the focus groups meetings in Gansu, tourism stakeholders stressed the need to have more direct flight connections with key source markets from Asia and highlighted that currently some negotiations are underway for this.

A detailed analysis was made of the presence of Gansu Tourism in international social media, and opportunities were identified for further strengthening this. An online survey was launched to get further inputs from Gansu tourism stakeholders on the status of international tourism marketing and to solicit recommendations for further marketing actions.

The field inspection visits in the Province confirmed the high potential for international tourism development and promotion, using as top attractions the unique colourful geoparks near Zhangye and Lanzhou, also promoted as rainbow mountains, which nowadays already prominently feature in selected international tourism (social) media. In addition, the marketing strategy will also build on the unique cultural heritage of Gansu, including historic mountain grottoes and Buddha temples spread over the Province, that offers potential to attract select niche markets, in particular visitors from Asian countries with a key interest in these cultural attractions.

Stay Tuned:

Findings of the meetings and field visits will be used to present an analysis of the current market situation of international tourism in Gansu Province and to develop the international tourism marketing strategy for the Province, including a growth vision, recommendations on targeted source markets and market segments, and proposed marketing goals and actions.

Upon submission of the draft marketing strategy, an online validation meeting will take place between the main project partners and the expert team, and feedback received will be integrated in the final version of the strategy. Subsequently, an awareness raising seminar will be delivered for selected officers of Gansu Province, focusing on the implementation of the marketing strategy.