Social media open channels for tourism providers, forum told

The new luxury in China is not buying Gucci bags but going on safari in South Africa and posting pictures as "Moments" on WeChat, said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of Shanghaibased China Market Research Group, during the International Luxury Travel Market Asia 2015 Opening Forum on Monday.

Rein works with international companies to help them understand the evolving Chinese consumer behaviors.

His speech, part of ILTM Asia's efforts to help global luxury industry players better tap the massive Chinese market, highlighted elements such as the country's distinctive social media habits as factors luxury travel suppliers worldwide must pay attention to.

WeChat, the most popular instant messaging app in China, is also featured in The Chinese Luxury Traveler 2015, a newly released report on travel trends of China's high net worth individuals published by Hurun Report and ILTM Asia.

WeChat is the third-most popular communications tool in China, following traditional media and television. The application is also the most commonly used function on smartphones in China.

Users can chat and share pictures and status updates via WeChat, recording and disseminating their daily experiences. They can also use the application to pay for movie tickets and taxis, as well as shop online.

It has become an important part of the travel experience for Chinese, Rein said.

Foreign travel companies that want to enter the Chinese market have started to use WeChat as a marketing option, but have not yet adequately integrated the application into their services, he added.

Rein suggested that travel destinations and agencies should encourage users to share photos on the site by offering rewards such as free tickets.

Symon Bridle, chief operating officer of the Rosewood Hotel Group, said the company is trying to understand how to effectively communicate with potential customers through social media such as WeChat.

"The Weibo approach is talking to a mass of people. Through WeChat, you are talking more directly to the individual. I think WeChat is the biggest challenge in social media. We've shifted more of our advertisement spend to digital platforms and trying to find more creative ways that we can communicate with people through digital forms. China really leads the way in mobile."

WeChat is a new element that luxury travel operators should pay attention to, Rein said.