[URBAN NOTE] "How China’s Oprah Chen Luyu sold Toronto"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's article describing how Toronto's trying to attract Chinese tourists by sponsoring the visit of Chinese talk show host Chen Luyu to the city does three things.

1. It describes a promotional campaign I knew nothing about.
2. It involves a pop-culture personality I'd never heard of.
3. It reminds me that I should know more about these things.

When popular television host Chen Luyu came to Toronto last fall, she brought her 140 million viewers with her.

Considered China’s Oprah Winfrey and popularly known as Luyu, she also brought a half-dozen young people who tried out everything from EdgeWalk, or standing outside the CN Tower more than 350 metres above the ground, to kayaking by Centre Island and a helicopter ride over the Niagara gorge.

To help sell the city in China, Tourism Toronto paid about $250,000 to cover the costs of flight, hotels and other activities to film the TV show, which just aired.

[. . .]

Tourism Toronto officials have long focused on the China market — hiring a dedicated China marketing specialist back in 2008, when travel restrictions still existed, partly because sheer demographics indicated these visitors would becoming a growing and a coveted group.

Estimated at 142,800 last year, they are dwarfed by the more than 2 million Americans who visited this region. But Chinese visits are up more than 40 per cent from 2009, and 25 per cent from 2010.

“It is the No. 3 international market for us, behind the U.S. and the U.K,” said Weir. “But it won’t be long before it is No. 2.”

That’s in part because the growing Chinese middle class, estimated at 300 million, is discovering international travel. In 2010, Canada was designated as an approved destination status, long after many other countries. It makes leisure travel possible for Chinese citizens; previously, it was limited to business travel.

Because visitors from China spend so much time getting here, they are more likely to stay longer, and spend more.

According to Tourism Toronto, the average stay for a tourist from China is eight nights — and the average amount spent is $1,341, not including airfare.

Business travellers from China, usually stay 6.5 nights. Visitors here to see family and friends stay on average 17 nights and spend $918.

All visitors to Toronto, mostly Canadians and Americans, stay on average 3.5 nights and spend $474.

“When people get on a plane and fly 13 hours here, they’re not just coming to Toronto,” Weir said. “They’re going to go Niagara Falls, often Ottawa or Montreal, or to Muskoka to see Norman Bethune’s house in Gravenhurst.”