LATIN AMERICA/CHINA. Latin America is the focus of a new joint venture between Chinese Friendly International and Latin tourism marketing agency Berry Whale designed to improve the experience of Chinese tourists in the region.
Chinese Friendly International, which operates on behalf of Chinese nationals in foreign countries, wants Berry Whale to take the lead on promoting Latin America’s tourist attractions to Chinese visitors.
China has been the main tourist source market around the globe since 2011, with an estimated 131 million travellers in 2016 alone. It is predicted that 1 billion travellers will come from China between 2017 and 2020. While countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Argentina already attract considerable Chinese visitor numbers, there is significant untapped potential in the region, the parties believe.
Under the terms of the Chinese Friendly-Berry Whale deal, certification processes for cities, hotels, airlines, airports, attractions and other companies operating in the Latin America tourism supply chain will be promoted.
The commercial agreement will also drive the development of a platform facilitating information-sharing about Chinese Friendly’s services in Latin America. In addition to workshops, training events and continuing education seminars, Chinese Friendly plans the First Latin American Congress of Chinese Tourism, set to run in the second half of 2017 in an as-yet-unnamed Latin American capital.
Berry Whale names American Airlines, Louis Vuitton and Quiksilver among its clients in the travel and retail space.
