Scotland launches charm offensive on Chinese social media

Scotland's tourism authority is hoping a new Mandarin campaign promoting Edinburgh on Chinese social media will lure visitors from what it describes as the world's"most valuable tourism market".

A piper plays in a city center area of Edinburgh that is popular with tourists.?GETTY IMAGES

The 40,000 pound($50,000) year-long campaign, funded by Visit Scotland and led by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, is the first of its kind, and features posts on Weibo and WeChat. Images of Edinburgh's architecture, heritage and history are accompanied with event listings and travel tips for Chinese visitors to the Scottish capital.

Edinburgh is the most visited city in Scotland－87 percent of all Chinese visitors to the country hit the hilly coastal city－and it is in the top-five most-visited urban centers in the UK among Chinese tourists, along with London, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester.

According to Visit Scotland's official statistics, 48,000 Chinese tourists visited the country in 2015, though the actual figure is likely to be far higher because international passenger surveys do not accurately account for group travel, according to ETAG Chief Executive Mags McNeil.

In 2015, 160,000 visitors to Edinburgh Castle－the emblematic fortress that dominates the city's skyline- listed their point of origin as China. During the campaign, ETAG is partnering with 20 local tour operators, including the Scotch Whisky Experience, one of the most popular tours among Chinese visitors.

ETAG and Visit Scotland have also collaborated on a"China ready" program set up in 2015 in which businesses are encouraged to adopt China-friendly payment methods,including Union Pay, and offer Mandarin translation services.

"It's about raising awareness, to help businesses understand this is a growing market, probably the fastest-growing and most valuable tourism market that's ever existed, anywhere," says McNeil. "We help educate them on Chinese culture and preferences- even very simple things like the Chinese liking for a glass of hot, rather than cold, water with dinner."