Chinese consumers know little or nothing about Brisbane as a tourist destination and most say they are unlikely to visit, according to QUT research.
Researchers from the Consumer Research Group, within QUT Business School, and Taizhou Polytechnic College in China asked 836 Chinese consumers in 13 provinces about their awareness and perceptions of Brisbane, Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome. The participants were also asked how motivated they were to travel to each city.
Brisbane was the least well-known of the five locations, with 57 per cent of respondents knowing very little or nothing about the city.
Sydney was more recognisable with 38 per cent unfamiliar with it, with Paris (24 per cent unfamiliar) and Hong Kong (16 per cent unfamiliar) the two best-known cities.
Asked how likely they were to holiday in each city, participants rated Hong Kong their most likely destination, followed by Paris, Sydney, Rome and Brisbane.
Each city was scored on several criteria, including how “exciting”, “prestigious” and “unique” they were. Sydney scored higher than Brisbane in every category, except “traditional” and “souvenirs”, where they were equal.
Lead researcher Professor Brett Martin said the results of the study suggested tourism campaigns for Brisbane needed to raise awareness of what the city offers in order to snare a better share of the highly-coveted Chinese market.
“The growth in the number of Chinese tourists to Australia is well-known, driven by the rise of the middle-class in China and their desire for exciting tourism experiences,” he said.
“Australia wants a slice of this potentially lucrative tourism market but the results show more traditional destinations, like Paris, are better known than Brisbane and Sydney. However, Sydney is far better known than Brisbane and Chinese consumers like it more and are more likely to travel there.
“Awareness is critical to marketing and for marketers to make informed decisions about what the target market thinks of their product, they need to know how aware consumers are of their brand.
“While the overall view of Brisbane was neutral to slightly positive, its relatively low awareness shows there is work to be done in communicating the benefits of the city as a tourism destination.”
The research found the main motivations for travelling among Chinese tourists were, to gain knowledge about a destination, to feel refreshed, and to closely experience the local culture.
However, Chinese women were more likely to want knowledgeable, refreshing and meaningful holidays than men.
QUT is part of a national collaborative group of five major Australian universities that form the ATN (Australian Technology Network of Universities).
Media contact:
Rob Kidd, QUT Media, 07 3138 1841, rj.kidd@qut.edu.au
After hours, Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
