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Southern states bank on familiar ring

By Maggie Lee (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-17 10:05

Amid celebratory send-offs and gala receptions for the first group of tourists from the Chinese mainland to the US, a number of tourism officials from the American South are already gearing up to attract more Chinese visitors to their region.

"We have a long way to go to achieve brand awareness among Chinese (mainland) tour operators and consumers, but we have all the ingredients to become a top destination," said Kevin Langston, director of international operations at the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Langston and his counterparts from other southern US states are turning to names that ring familiar with Chinese mainland tourists.

Research has suggested that many Chinese people connect Georgia with the Olympics held in its state capital of Atlanta in 1996 and the classic movie Gone with the Wind.

Similarly, the state of Tennessee promotes the homes of two well-known natives: Elvis Presley and Jack Daniel.

Langston and representatives from other Southern states discussed their ideas with tour companies, regional tourist boards and others in the hospitality industry during the China-Southeastern US Tourism Forum held in Atlanta on June 12.

"What we lacked was a powerful consensus among the industry in the state that we wanted to pursue the Chinese market. This event is testimony to the fact that we are now ready to move ahead quickly," Langston said.

Regional music, cuisine, history and other themes are to feature in a planned collaborative pitch from the South to the Chinese mainland.

Chinese mainland tourists are being seen as representing a new, more personal dimension in the relationship between the South and China, Langston said. Currently, many Chinese travelers in the South get no further than where their business takes them, to Atlanta convention halls.

Chinese language expertise will be imperative, Langston said.

He said he has heard of disappointed Chinese tourists who were promised a Mandarin-speaking tour guide and instead got Chinese college students who spoke Mandarin but were not trained in hospitality.

Travel research has shown that group tours appeal particularly to people making their first trip to a new destination and these travelers often require home-style comforts - familiar food, language and a competent guide to handle problems.

Yet, first-time travelers to the US are likely to stick to well-beaten tourist trails in Hawaii, west coast cities, New York or Washington DC, research has shown.

It is on return trips to the US that southerners place the most confidence in attracting Chinese visitors to spots like Savannah, Memphis or the Appalachian Mountains.

"Customers do have a desire to see the real America," Langston said.

Nick Qin, president and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based China Professional Tours, cautioned that US hospitality may need to customize the "real America" a bit for the new group tourist.

"You have to know what kind of habits Chinese people have," said the Chinese native.

Details such as tea and slippers in hotel rooms or Chinese signage, will decide which accommodations Chinese tourists choose, Qin said.

As the Southern hospitality industry learns about the new markets, regional destinations may find a niche in attracting business travelers for an afternoon or a few days of leisure between meetings, Qin added.