1. Cameron Armstrong
Di Wang
Michigan State University
HOTELS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES
FOR CHINESE MILLENNIALS

2. New Generation
CHINESE
MILLENNIALS

3. OVERVIEW
➜ Chinese Millennials
○ Increasing Buying Power
○ Travel Habit Analysis
➜ Hotels’ Social Media Activities
○ Current Activities Directed at Chinese
Millennials
○ Chinese Millennials’ Reception of Social Media
Content
○ Areas for Improvement
➜ Survey About Millennials and Survey Results
➜ Proposed Social Media Strategies

4. Contributor of outbound global travel
66%Of Chinese Millennials belong to the high income bracket
Age 15-29
Represented half of Chinese travelling abroad in 2015
NO.1

5. Top 5 Motivations
for Selecting Intercontinental Destination
73%
Ecotourism/N
ature
67%
Cultural/
Historical
61%
Beaches/
Seaside
Attractions
59%
Urban
Attractions
54%
Dining/
Gastronomy

6. Top 10 Destination Interest for Chinese in America

7. Visa Waiver Program
▸ In 2012, the Visa Waiver
Program enabled visits for up to
90 days without having to
obtain a Visa
▸ In 2014, the new “10 Year Visa”
agreement enabled short-term
visits for select reasons

8. Change in Tourism Spend Following Visa Waiver Program

9. Tourism Expenditure
Each Day
Chinese travelers
average
spending over
$1,100 when
traveling abroad,
excluding
accommodation
Since 2012
China has
been the
world’s top
tourism
spender
In 2014
Chinese travelers
spent $165
Billion, 33%
more than the
second biggest
spender

10. Increase in
Accessibility
▸2014: Six non-stop
airline routes added
between USA and
China
▸2015: Three non-
stop airline routes
announced

11. Chinese Tourists Lead Spending in 2014

12. Personalization
Hotel Market Social Media Trends
Mobile Bookings, Mobile
Payment
Proximal Technology
Booking Abandonment
Experience Driven Strategies

13. Current Digital Footprint:
○ Weibo
○ WeChat
○ 845,000 followers
on Chinese Social
Media
Partnership Opportunities:
○ Consumer & Co-op
○ Trade Outreach
○ In-Kind Contributions
○ Social Media Programs
○ USA Discovery Training
Program
BRAND USA
Highlighted Programs:
○ National Events
Tool
○ Golf Video &
Distribution
Platform
○ Red Robot

14. Survey of Millennials
Surveyed 100 Millennials
○46 Chinese
○ 54 American
Asked questions regarding:
○ Daily usage of Social Media
○ Popularity of certain Social Media in home countries
○ Amount of hotel advertisements experienced in home
countries
○ Appeal of certain Social Media elements
○ Click-through conversions

15. Survey Results
▸ Usage of Social Media
▹For Chinese Participants
▹ WeChat (650M users), Weibo (150M users)
▹ Banned in China: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
▹For American Participants
▹ Facebook, Instagram
▸ Most Attractive Content
▹Discounts and Customer Reviews
▸ Respondents’ Comments
▹Make advertisement’s contents efficient
▹Desire more detailed descriptions of hotel
surroundings

16. Solutions
○Make more distinguished advertising
campaigns targeting Chinese Millennials
through social media
○ One-click booking through WeChat and Weibo
○ Push marketing through discounts and special events
○ Pull marketing through customer reviews and
descriptive web content
○ Adjusting promotions, adapting to Chinese culture

17. Solutions Cont.
○Advertise in anticipation of
popular travel times, such
as summer break and
Chinese New Year
○Enable advertisements
through proximal
technology

18. Summary
Chinese Millennials are:
o Demographic with largest annual tourism spend
o Increasing travel to America
o Evolving in technological needs
o Adopting specific social media
American Companies should:
o Further develop and customize hotel advertisements on
Chinese Social Media Networks
o Tailor advertisements to target Chinese Millennials
o Consider partnering with Brand USA

19. Thank You!
Any questions?
Cameron Armstrong
Di Wang
Michigan State University