Tourism Australia has signed three marketing deals in China this week aimed at promoting Australia to high yielding travellers and business events professionals.
The wide-reaching, multiple marketing deals consist of partnership agreements with two major airlines – China Eastern Airlines and Singapore Airlines – as well as with one of one of China’s largest e-commerce companies specialising in travel services, Alibaba.
Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan said each of the agreements were different in nature but, together, would help strengthen distribution and Australia’s ability to target China’s rapidly growing and lucrative free and independent travel (FIT) segment.
The first deal was signed with Alibaba, one of China’s largest e-commerce companies, which provides businesses with online payment and search services. The company has recently launched an electronic transaction site called Alipay, where Chinese consumers can purchase customised travel packages.
Under the new, three-year partnership, Australia will become the first overseas long-haul destination to have its own dedicated sales webpage on Alitrip’s website. The portal will be co-branded using ‘There’s Nothing Like Australia’ campaign assets and feature Australian travel packages offered by Tourism Australia’s dedicated network of preferred travel distribution partners in China.
Mr O’Sullivan said the deal would help tap into the fast growing online travel market in China, allowing Tourism Australia and its state and territory tourism partners to target the Chinese FIT market with highly personalised travel packages.
The second deal signed in China was with China Eastern Airlines. The new deal extends an existing memoranda of understanding by a further three years and will see the two parties jointly spend up to $11.5 million on campaigns and other marketing activities at a time when the airline expects to significantly expand its services to Australia. A key feature of the agreement will see China Eastern, Tourism Australia and its key distribution partners in China work collaboratively on building and selling travel packages.
The final agreement with Singapore Airlines focuses on business events within the Greater China market, complementing and existing MoU already in place between the two parties which covers the leisure market.
Under the new agreement, the two parties will each contribute A$1.35 million towards jointly developing a range of campaigns, marketing and promotion activities within Greater China, targeting MICE agents and corporate buyers.