Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/513366
alls, stores and entertainment venues around the world are pulling out all the stops to welcome what is per- haps the fastest-growing customer segment: Chinese tourists. shopping centers are hiring staff people who speak Chinese, launching targeted marketing pro- grams and taking numerous other steps to embrace these new customers. not only do the Chinese have the biggest economy in the world, they spend more on international travel than anyone else on the planet, including Germans and americans, according to the United nations World tourism organization. last year Chinese travelers spent about $100 billion while abroad, to the delight of hospitality and retail businesses everywhere. about 70 percent of the 107 million Chinese who traveled outside the mainland visited Hong Kong, macao or taiwan, but the other 30 percent went farther: including 3.4 million who went to europe, 2.7 million to africa and 2.6 million to the americas. outside asia, France got the most of these visitors (about 619,000), followed by the U.s. (nearly 554,000) and italy (close to 498,000). the numbers traveling abroad rose by nearly 20 percent last year over the previous year, which was in turn 20 percent more than in 2012. But this hardly involves tour buses packed with avid bargain hunters. that may M toUrist sUPerPoWer landlords and retailers around the world are innovating to get their share oF the luCrative Chinese tourist trade By Bennett Voyles J u n e 2 0 1 5 / S C T 33 P H o t o : n a n C y n e W m a n P H o t o G r a P H y