China plays a key role in Chicago's 'epic' tourism ambitions

The City of the Big Shoulders is reaching out to the country with the big population.

Chicago earlier this week released a new 80-second tourism video, Chicago Epic. The president of the ad company co-producing the spot says it will rival the I Love New York campaigns.

"I think we'll make Chicago Epic as famous as I Love New York," Michael Fassnacht, CEO and president of FCB Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune. "That's one of our goals — we have to make this iconic."

Key US markets for the ad include San Francisco and Denver — cities that research has shown provide a substantial number of tourists to Chicago. A 30-second version, which has footage of Chicago's bustling Chinatown, will run exclusively on DirecTV through Aug 31.

In May, a 15-second, online version of the ad will be viewable in China. The $2.2 million campaign was funded by the city's tourism arm, Choose Chicago, which has branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

"With seven daily nonstop flights from China and growing, there has never been a better time for the city of Chicago to welcome more Chinese visitors," Don Welsh, president and CEO of Choose Chicago, told China Daily in an e-mail. "We are excited to show the Chinese market the magnificence of our city and what makes Chicago epic."

The $780,000 digital campaign geared toward China will be funded by the Illinois Office of Tourism and Brand USA, a public-private partnership that promotes international travel to the US.

"Having Chicago take the lead in the China market was just a smart way to go," Cory Jobe, director of the Illinois Office of Tourism, told the Tribune.

The tourism office's research shows that among Chinese adults, awareness of Chicago is 76%, close to New York and Los Angeles, both of which have 85% recognition, "so our early efforts are focusing on Chicago as the gateway city to Illinois".

"We know the majority (50-60 percent) of China's population is now online, and two-thirds of those planning to travel use online materials when preparing their itinerary," a release from the tourism office said. "We know they spend more time online per week than Americans do (five to six hours), and they also respond well to online video."

China represents the largest inbound overseas tourism market for Chicago, with more than 128,000 visitors in 2013. Chinese visitors stay an average of 9.8 nights in the city, spending more than $5,000 per trip.

In January 2014, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Chicago would expand the city's Lunar New Year celebration, with the goal of making it the largest in North America.

In December, Emanuel and Welsh announced the opening of a fourth tourism office, in Chengdu, the largest city in Sichuan province. The announcement came after a meeting of the 25th session of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Chicago, where Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Emanuel hosted a Chinese government and business delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang.

"We are committed to the Chinese market," Emanuel said in December. "That is why in 2013, Chicago became the first US city to expand beyond our tourism and trade operations in Beijing and Shanghai and into China's third largest city, Guangzhou. Now, by expanding our operations into Chengdu, the City of Chicago will have the opportunity to become the most visible US destination in the Sichuan province."

"We want to aggressively go after Chinese market share from the Sichuan province," he said. "Having a marketing presence in Chengdu makes a statement to these high-spend international travelers that we want their business."

"This is the first time in Chicago's history that China has surpassed the United Kingdom as Chicago's largest overseas inbound market," Welsh said. "Mayor Emanuel recognizes the enormous potential of Chicago's visitor industry — particularly in China — and continues to invest."

When Emanuel took office in 2011, Chicago had approximately 40 million visitors a year; the number rose to 50 million in 2014.

In September, Emanuel and Choose Chicago announced that the city set tourism records for the summer and was on pace to reach the mayor's goal of 55 million visitors a year by 2020 and to create 30,000 jobs.

China is Chicago's second-largest trading partner after Canada. In December, Chinese real estate giant Dalian Wanda Group announced it would invest $900 million in a riverfront residential and hotel tower.

Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com