Chinese digital marketing experts to speak at Cinnamon Travel Bloggers Conference

The much-anticipated Cinnamon Travel Bloggers’ conference (TBC Asia) scheduled for 7 June at Cinnamon Grand Colombo will see a series of presentations delivered by global experts on multiple topics ranging from developing corporate content and how bloggers can help, the takeover of video blogging, effectively reaching out to the Asian Millennials and many others. 

Amongst some of these key topics, the organisers have also introduced the very timely topic of Chinese digital marketing, providing valuable insights into reaching this key tourism generating market. The conference is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in collaboration with the national carrier SriLankan Airlines and the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA).

With the growth of Chinese travellers to Sri Lanka, companies have a huge opportunity to penetrate this enormous market using cost effective methods. Talks by Jens Thraenhart and Dr. Mathew McDougall at Cinnamon TBC Asia will both be addressing the complex issue of reaching the Chinese market. 

With blocks on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other leading global social media sites, reaching the massive volumes of potential Chinese travellers to Sri Lanka has been a challenge for the local travel sector. Cinnamon TBC Asia curated these special sessions to help understand Chinese social media and alternate digital strategies that will enable Sri Lankan brands to reach large, relevant audience numbers in China. 

Chinese travellers spent nearly $ 300 billion on travel in 2015 with even higher spends estimated in the coming years. A recent report by Fung Business Intelligence Centre and China Luxury Advisors, show that the number of Chinese outbound travellers are growing worldwide, recording over 100 million travellers in 2015 and poised to increase to 234 million a year by 2020. Less than 200,000 of those visitors arrived in Sri Lanka. 

While the island has witnessed an increase of Chinese tourists since the end of the civil war, the potential to increase those numbers is evident with the increase of Chinese travellers around the world, most of whom pick destinations in South East Asia for their travels, including Thailand and the Maldives. 

Both speakers of Cinnamon TBCasia are experts in their field and also specialise in Chinese digital marketing making them the perfect advocates for new strategies to reach the massive untapped potential in China. 

Jens Thraenhart is founder and President of Digital Innovation Asia (DIA), an initiative endorsed by the UNWTO, ASEAN, and PATA, as well as NTOs in Asia, building digital capacity in the travel and tourism industry in Asia Pacific, including initiatives such as E-Tourism Asia, E-Tourism China, Blogger Match-Up, and Digital Aid Asia. He also founded China Travel Trends, as well as award-winning China digital marketing firm Dragon Trail in 2009.

Dr. Mathew McDougall has been involved in the Chinese internet and media industries for over a decade and is a renowned expert on digital marketing, especially in the area of socially led online marketing. Dr. McDougall is currently the CEO and founder of Digital Jungle, a leading Chinese social media marketing agency. 

Sri Lankan business leaders in the travel and tourism sector stand to benefit immensely from the talks at Cinnamon TBC Asia that promises to deliver quality content, helping the industry on reaching the many million Chinese travellers who could help increase tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in the coming years. What’s more, Cinnamon TBC Asia will also prove to be an invaluable networking opportunity with 60 of the world’s leading travel bloggers, digital specialists and experts on 21st century travel.

Cinnamon TBC Asia is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in association with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) and the national carrier SriLankan Airlines, and is also supported by Sri Lanka Tourism, Four Communications, Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), Wijeya Newspapers, E FM, Travel Click International, Uptown Kandy, Reap Digital, C Visit and PATA.

To register for the conference call the Hotline +94 712070972 or visit www.tbcasia.com  or email [email protected].