Hospitality and the Need for High Quality Content – HI-COM
With the COVID-19 pandemic showing signs of coming to an end, now is the time for those in the hospitality sector to prepare for the new normal. There are plenty of opportunities up ahead, and the deciding factor in whether they may be taken advantage of will likely be an organisation’s ability to communicate and appeal to new international visitors.
The focal point of international travel in Asia looks to be making a shift, and when Chinese borders open up, there will be rush of tourists eager to explore. Below, we take a look at how organisations in the hospitality sector can, and should, adapt.
Correct and Stylish Translations Make the Service More Attractive
When translating hospitality content, it should be a given that translations should be technically correct, but they need to be contextually correct too. Take for example the sentence ‘four-person automobiles are available for leasing’. It is technically correct, and conveys the necessary information, but it isn’t natural English. A better sentence might be ‘Family-sized cars are available for rent’.
In the first case, the reader might immediately be taken out of the text, their focus shifted away from the service being offered, towards the oddness of the phrasing. In the second, they likely receive the information, note its positive aspects, and read on. The same goes for any language – it is important to have the contextual meaning of a translation checked by someone who understands it.
The same can be said for style. In English, for example, hospitality content tends to be fairly matter-of-fact – a mixture of plain information mixed with occasional evocative adjectives. While in Chinese, listings can often be more lyrical and poetic – plain information is often complemented by abstract verse.
Which Locations Should You Focus on As Your Next Target?
In the ASEAN region, Cambodia is trail-blazing in terms of its vaccination program. At the time of writing, a quarter of its population have received at least one dose. It has plans to achieve herd immunity by Q4, in order to open its borders to vaccinated tourists, and its economy is once again growing.
This could mark a turning-point in the Cambodian hospitality sector, and opportunities for international hospitality organisations. Why? Cambodia has often been treated as a stop-off point, often for Angkor Wat, in tourists’ larger South-East Asia tours. But if Cambodia opens before other countries in the region, it’s predicted that travellers will spend more time there, opening up new opportunities for hotels and tours catering to those who stay for a week or more, rather than just a few days.
Hainan is another place to keep an eye on. Known as the ‘Hawaii of China’, it has been inundated with domestic tourists over the last year, only adding to its status as a luxury beach-filled getaway. A combination of duty-free shopping, a beautiful natural environment, and the establishment of world-class hotels has turned the island into a place full of opportunity in the hospitality sector.
Being Ready: When Chinese Borders Open
After two years of travel across borders being extremely limited, there’s a good chance that border restrictions will ease in 2022. The consequences of this will be twofold: first, and perhaps most significantly, there will be swathes of Chinese tourists looking to holiday outside of the middle kingdom. Now is the time to get prepared for that moment – by localizing content aimed at Chinese tourists, it will be possible to stand out in the crowd of hospitality service providers.
Second, international tourists will be able to visit China. For companies operating within China, this represents a good opportunity to focus on getting their international offer perfected. By translating services into several languages, it will be possible to engage tourists coming from all over the globe.
HI-COM is a digital marketing agency dedicated to providing China-specific strategy, social media communication and e-commerce marketing services to businesses around the world. Working with more than 100 brands, HI-COM is the go-to partner of companies that want to enter China market! Contact us for your free consultation today!
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