A trip to Beijing by a Port Douglas accommodation owner is hoped to help further stimulate relationships with the rapidly emerging Chinese high-end travel market.

Jason Moore, of Freestyle Resort on Davidson Street, was invited to join a joint Tourism Events Queensland and Destination NSW Greater China Marketing Mission in Beijing last week.

The annual trade event, now in its fourth year, attracted 40 Queensland and 36 NSW product suppliers and destination promoters for an exciting business programme.

“We met with around 80 travel agents/operations staff and 80 product managers from the Greater China region in one-on-one appointments in Beijing and Chengdu over six days,” Mr Moore said.

“As senior managers in their travel organisations, I experienced a diverse range of familiarity with our Reef and Rainforest region.

“They ranged from those (and there were many) who had visited once or more on familiarisation trips, to those who were online-educated to level of Tourism Australia Aussie Specialist Travel Agents, but yet to visit our region. Most, though, had visited Australia due to their seniority and position.”

Mr Moore said what consistently arose in discussions were requirements for a high-end experience to our region based on FIT travel, which had recently evolved extremely quickly in the Chinese market with travel agents moving to cater for this rapidly emerging market.

“So, from my personal timing for Freestyle Resort and the Port Douglas Daintree region opportunities in the China market, it was  convenient timing to meet decision-makers in the marketplace at the right time, when they were searching for appropriate product suppliers,” Mr Moore said.

“Service levels of a high standard are a dominant requirement in the high end/FIT China market (as is the case in other markets), so these attributes, along with our natural exclusive assets of the reef and the rainforest, make for a very attractive destination for this niche market in the broader Chinese travel demographic.

“I found, without exception, that as you got to know your Chinese counterparts, they were open in discussion, they were engaging and pleased to make your acquaintance.

“They were most interested in our region.”