Chinese-speaking Tourism Marketing Internship

招贤纳士:旅游业公关公司招聘中文兼职实习生

工作地点:布赖顿市

China Travel Outbound is a PR, sales and marketing agency with offices in Brighton and Beijing. We help tourist attractions, destinations, hotels and restaurants promote themselves to the huge market of Chinese tourists who are now choosing to holiday in the UK, Europe and America.

We’re looking for a fluent Mandarin speaker to intern with us! You will receive valuable experience in working in an office and, hopefully, improve your English language skills and build new contacts and networks.

There are 130,000 Chinese students studying in the UK and we want you to help us communicate with them. We are organising a series of VIP weekends for the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Chinese Student Societies of the UK’s universities. As our intern, you will contact the right people, invite them to participate in the trips, and build a network of ambassadors for our British tourist destination, hotel and attraction clients.

You will need a knowledge of the international student environment, in particular Chinese societies, or a willingness to learn quickly. You need to be able to use Chinese and UK social media.

Fluent Mandarin Chinese is required, Cantonese would also be an advantage.

Job description is available here: Chinese speaking intern for China Travel Outbound

Please send your c.v. and a covering letter telling us why you would be great for the role to [email protected]

Tourism Marketing Intern – 20 hours per week for 10 weeks

We’re hiring! Join a fast growing, award-winning international marketing agency based in Brighton

China Travel Outbound is a PR, sales and marketing agency with offices in Brighton and Beijing. We help tourist attractions, destinations, hotels and restaurants promote themselves to the huge market of Chinese tourists who are now choosing to holiday in the UK, Europe and America.

We’re looking for a recent graduate to intern with us! You will learn lots of useful skills to help boost your career in marketing, PR, or tourism and you will learn all about the biggest travel market in the world, the outbound market from China. You’ll be helping us manage our clients which include attractions like Royal Museums Greenwich, destinations like VisitBrighton, and restaurant chains like Hard Rock Cafe. You’ll also be looking after our social media and writing newsletters, blogs and reports. Great writing skills and a love of the English language are a must for this role.

Strong admin skills, flexibility, an interest in travel marketing and a willingness to learn are all vital for success in this role.

Fluent English (spoken and written) is required. Strong IT, design and social media skills an advantage.

Speaking Mandarin is NOT a requirement. However, it would be a huge plus!

Job description is available here: Job description

Please send your c.v. and a covering letter telling us why you would be great for the role to [email protected]

We’re hiring! Account Executive : Graduate Role in Brighton

Join a fast growing, award-winning international marketing agency based in Brighton

China Travel Outbound is a PR, sales and marketing agency with offices in Brighton and Beijing. We help tourist attractions, destinations, hotels and restaurants promote themselves to the huge market of Chinese tourists who are now choosing to holiday in the UK, Europe and America.

We’ve recently won three new clients and our small team in Kemptown is getting busier. We’re looking for a graduate with at least one year’s experience working in a marketing or agency environment, to come to join us, to learn the business, and to grow with our company. You’ll be helping us manage our clients which include attractions like Royal Museums Greenwich, destinations like VisitBrighton, and restaurant chains like Hard Rock Cafe. You’ll also be looking after our social media and writing newsletters, blogs and reports. Great writing skills and a love of the English language are a must for this role.

You will also need to have the energy and commitment to go out there and represent our agency at events, to pick up the phone to suppliers and clients (some of them in the UK, some in China), and to form relationships with our team in Beijing. Strong admin skills, flexibility, an interest in travel marketing and a willingness to learn are all vital for success in this role.

Fluent English (spoken and written) is required. Strong IT, design and social media skills an advantage.

Speaking Mandarin is NOT a requirement. However, it would be a huge plus!

Job description is available here Account Executive – JD 230317.

Please send your c.v. and a covering letter telling us why you would be great for the role to Helena Beard at [email protected] 

Salary: £15,000 – £16,000 p.a.

Closing Date : 15 May 2017

Interning at China Travel Outbound

By Leah Hui: Tourism Marketing Assistant at China Travel Outbound; University of Sussex Class of 2016 Graduate.

What a thrilling half a year it’s been. I started as an intern at China Travel Outbound on 14 November 2016, a date that’s been eternally etched into my brain – it’s surprising to me how different my life was this time last year, so how did I get here?!

Why did you want to work at CTO? 

I remember scrolling through the university careers page and seeing the job role for CTO pop up. After reading the description, I thought “Hmm… this looks interesting” and immediately applied for the role. It involved various forms of writing mixed in with social media and helping out behind the scenes, a perfect blend. There was also the added bonus of getting to learn about the Chinese travel market which is an area personally, even if biologically, close to my heart. It’s because of this that I thought I could contribute something of value here.

What’s good about being an intern?

I’ve viewed being an intern as a necessary stepping stone for myself to a professional life. I haven’t been completely thrown into the deep end but, instead, I’ve gained an enriching learning experience from it. I’ve been able to improve on my existing skills whilst also learning and developing new ones. Having always loved writing, it’s been great for me to learn how to write well and how to do so for different groups of people. The most rewarding part for me has been seeing blog posts I’ve written go live on the company website. This also feeds in to learning how to use various software packages, which involved learning how to edit the website and create newsletters, skills that I’m sure will come in useful at a later point in my life. It’s also been great to learn about how to communicate effectively with clients, whether through email or the telephone. This whole learning process has been of utmost value to me and I am forever grateful that I’ve had the chance to experience it.

What’s your highlight been?

Learning how to make a cup of coffee.

I’m only joking. But unbelievably, I didn’t actually know how to make one when I arrived here. Flash forward to now and I’m able to juggle making multiple cups!

I have helped oversee, along with two other interns, the Chinese Student Society VIP Trip project from its humble beginnings. It’s been a solid five months of managing and organising a trip for five universities to visit Brighton for a weekend. From its first stages of researching universities, to contacting people, to creating relationships between students, to inviting them and organising their transport for them, I can’t say it’s been easy. So, for me, to see this project finally come together and happen has been a real treat.

I also got to accompany our MD, Helena, in Brighton to show around a couple of journalists from China Central TV. We took them to the Royal Pavilion and The Regency Restaurant where they filmed and interviewed various people. It was really interesting to see the processes that went on behind the scenes and then the end result of that a week later. Amazing to think that CCTV has more than one billion viewers. The numbers in China are enormous. Also, hearing the translations for The Regency’s Mandarin menu was a hilarious moment that I won’t soon forget.

What are your regular tasks?

My regular tasks are varied. I’ve researched and created copy for CTO’s trade newsletter which is sent out on WeChat in China and I’ve also written content for the company’s millennial-targeted WeChat account. I update CTO’s Twitter account daily as well as manage the company email. Once a month, I research and write a blog post which is uploaded onto CTO’s website. I’ve also helped to create a number of CTO’s newsletters which is sent out to clients via email. I also frequently help out with any other tasks that Helena or Julie needs doing which has included proofreading, creating spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations, and researching various things.

And then there’s the student project which requires different tasks to be done every week. Communication and building relationships between myself and the students involved has been vital, as well as organising every other aspect.

What’s it like to work at CTO?

CTO has been joyous to work for. Being based in a small office has been nice as it’s been much easier to get to know everyone that way. From the very beginning, both Helena and Julie have been great in supporting and guiding me in the right directions whilst also letting me figure things out for myself. Many of the conversations shared usually end up revolving around food but I think that’s my fault more than anyone else’s. They’re both lovely and funny people – I even received a panda face mask from Helena as a gift when she visited China.
Panda Mask 1

I’ve also worked alongside two other interns which made starting a new job a lot less daunting. It’s been nice to share this experience with other people and get to know them.

One of the interns, Charlotte, finished her experience at CTO in December. Here’s what she had to say about her time here:

“Interning at China Travel Outbound gave me the exact kind of work experience I had been looking for. I learned a lot from Helena and Julie, and am sure the skills I developed will prove useful in my professional future. I learned how to answer and redirect phone calls with a professional demeanour, how to navigate sites like WordPress and MadMimi, and how to adapt my writing for different audiences. I also loved how Helena and Julie were not afraid to give me advice and constructive criticism and really appreciated my time there as it was the perfect learning experience.”

The Roman Baths appoints China Travel Outbound

We are delighted to announce that The Roman Baths, Bath has appointed us to promote them to the Chinese Market.

Chinese tourists already account for 10% of visits to The Roman Baths, and visits grew by more than 10,000 last year. China Travel Outbound has been tasked with driving further growth in Chinese visitors to The Roman Baths through sales, marketing and PR in China.

The Chinese campaign will include managing the attraction’s online reputation and promoting The Roman Baths to Chinese media, bloggers and Key Opinion Leaders. The Roman Baths will also be marketed to travel agents and media on China Travel Outbound’s trade newsletters via the Chinese social media platform, WeChat.

Helena Beard, Managing Director, China Travel Outbound, said, ‘The Roman Baths is one of the finest historic sites in Northern Europe and we are delighted to be working with them. It is an incredibly exciting time in outbound tourism from China and the Chinese travel trade and media are particularly interested in exploring Britain’s rich cultural heritage.’

Rebecca Clay, Heritage Marketing Manager, The Roman Baths said, ‘We recognise the huge importance and potential of the Chinese market and are really looking forward to working with the team at China Travel Outbound to help us build and manage our profile in China.’

For further information about China Travel Outbound, please visit www.chinatraveloutbound.com

For further information about The Roman Baths, please visit www.romanbaths.co.uk

———–

The Roman Baths is at the heart of the City of Bath World Heritage Site and consists of the preserved remains of one of the greatest religious spas of the ancient world. For more information, please contact Rebecca Clay at [email protected]

CTO’s crazy CNY

The final week of the Year of the Monkey. A crazy week that was…

… nerve wracking

when we got a call from Radio 4 on Wednesday asking for comment for the 6 o’clock news on Chinese arrivals to the UK over this Chinese New Year. With 30 minutes to gather estimated arrival stats and a view on the market. Tick.

Listen to the Radio 4 news item here.

… manic

when China Central Television rang (at around the same time) to ask if we had any good stories about Brighton to encourage them to forego two other (marginally more famous!) university towns to film their annual news slot about Chinese travellers over Chinese New Year here. With an audience of 1.2 billion viewers across Asia, that sort of opportunity doesn’t come along every day!

IMG_1573

… exciting

when we heard our pitch about Chinoiserie at the Royal Pavilion and eating habits in Brighton’s seafood restaurants had won. Followed by more mania arranging two interviews and a two day filming schedule for the next morning. Which, thanks to our amazing clients at VisitBrighton, we did.

… hilarious

watching the traditional Lion Dance switch to ‘Gangnam Style’ at Brighton’s CNY celebrations at the Clarendon Centre at the weekend.

Ready for a laugh?

… proud

as we celebrated winning a fantastic new client, The Roman Baths, Bath. That’s our second prestigious heritage attraction alongside the wonderful Royal Museums Greenwich and we couldn’t be happier.

… nostalgic

as we graduated from the Entrepreneurial Spark Business Accelerator, now we’re ready to go it alone. What a wonderful experience that has been and we will miss all the fantastic entrepreneurs we have met along that journey. If you are interested in starting your own business, I can’t recommend it enough.

The Year of the Rooster has 13 lunar months. Unlucky for some. But I have a feeling it’s going to be a blast.

Happy New Year everyone! I’m off to IKEA for a rest…

 

Time to get serious about China

This article first appeared on the travel news website, Travel GBI.

Helena Beard, managing director of China Travel Outbound, on what the industry can do to capitalise on the increased interest in the UK among the Chinese travel trade.

Few people have had such an influence on UK tourism as President Xi Jinping. Following the Chinese leader’s visit to England in October 2015, there was a flurry of Chinese investment in our football clubs, hotels, housing developments and now, we hear, the humble Buckinghamshire pub where he shared a pint with David Cameron.

Other highlights of 2016 included the launch of the first direct flight from China to Manchester in June, the lifting of flight restrictions between the two countries in October, and the moment when we all sat up and listened; the release of the annual visitor stats. Chinese tourist visits in 2015 were up a massive 46% over the previous year, shooting China into the top 10 of the UK’s most valuable inbound markets.

More than 120 million people travelled overseas from China in 2015, a number forecast to hit 220 million by 2020. That means roughly one in 10 people travelling overseas is Chinese. The market will be worth an eye-watering $255 billion in the next 10 years, twice that of the US.

The UK currently attracts fewer than 300,000 of them. Place these stats against the backdrop of a weak pound, a relatively strong yuan, and a drop in popularity of continental Europe due to security fears, and never before has such an opportunity for UK inbound tourism been quite so obvious.

The lifting of flight restrictions and the ambitions of President Xi for improved connectivity have also led to an increase in services. In just the last two weeks, Hainan Airlines has announced new flight routes to the UK from five of China’s regional cities.

At a grassroots level, our team in Beijing is reporting an increased interest in the UK among Chinese travel trade and media contacts. They want to know more about Britain’s tourism proposition and are particularly interested in unique experiences beyond the established tourism trails.

While the royal palaces may always claim the number one spot on the to-do list, the market is becoming increasingly adventurous and independent and we are asked more and more about experiences and activities; weddings, restaurants, countryside pursuits, golf, and even British beer tasting. It is safe to say that in China right now, the UK is definitely trending.

So what are we as an industry doing to maximise this opportunity?

More than 300 tourism businesses have signed up to the VisitBritain Great China Welcome Charter, a programme developed in recognition of survey results showing that our ‘Chinese welcome’ needed improvement.

VisitBritain has also opened new offices in China and runs successful marketing campaigns to attract the growing affluent middle-classes to visit this distant island. Yes, they are doing a great job. But is it enough to sit back and rely on their efforts?

Let’s look at the US, a country welcoming two million visitors from China and expected to be the number one market within three years. Tourist boards, hotels and attractions in the US are investing in the Chinese market, running targeted campaigns, training their staff and developing their products accordingly.

Our daily conversations with British tourist boards, hotels and attractions tell us that, although some of the more forward-thinking organisations are keen to invest in this market, many others are relying on VisitBritain to do the job for them.

There simply isn’t enough money to go round and prioritisation of source markets is based on historic visitor numbers and, arguably, fairly unreliable research methods. I would argue that if you are going to take a leap, better to look forward, not backwards.

Finally, the inevitable word about visas. As we are not, and never will be, part of the Schengen agreement, the UK is at a disadvantage compared to countries such as France, Germany and Italy, where visiting Chinese tourists can use one visa to travel throughout a number of exciting countries with varied landscapes, culture, cities and, frankly, better weather.

In January, Philip Hammond proudly announced the introduction of a new two-year visa system, and there have been improvements in accessibility and processing. But more needs to be done, including the introduction of the promised 10-year multi-entry visa.

China operates on a system of relationships and networks, collaboration and cooperation, loyalty to friends and partnerships with colleagues. The easier it is for the Chinese to visit and make these affiliations with the UK, the better our export prospects, the more students will come here to study, and the greater the economic benefits to our tourism industry.

We need more action in our post-Brexit world, and we need it fast.

 

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Royal Museums Greenwich appoints China Travel Outbound to handle Chinese promotional campaign

Following a competitive pitch, Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) has appointed specialist Chinese travel PR and representation agency, China Travel Outbound, to deliver its first ever promotional programme in China.

Chinese tourists already account for 4% of visits to the Royal Observatory, making China one of the key international markets for the museum. China Travel Outbound has been tasked with driving significant growth in Chinese visitors to the Royal Observatory and with developing stories and key selling points to build Chinese visitation to the other three museums within RMG; the National Maritime Museum, the Queen’s House and the Cutty Sark.

The Chinese campaign will include a sales mission to visit key Chinese travel agents and tour operators, trade communications, and a Public Relations campaign in mainland China. Promotional literature and visitor information will also be translated into Mandarin Chinese.

Helena Beard, Managing Director, China Travel Outbound, said,

‘The Royal Museums of Greenwich are prestigious London attractions and we are delighted to be working with these world-famous brands. With the right promotional support, we believe there is a great opportunity for RMG to grow its Chinese visitor figures significantly across the museum portfolio.’

Amy O’Donovan, Travel Trade Marketing Manager, Royal Museums Greenwich said,

‘We were looking for an agency with the skills, experience and contacts to help us enter this complicated market. China Travel Outbound fully understood our needs and offered an insight-driven, realistic and sustainable plan of work which we can put into action simply and immediately.’

For further information about China Travel Outbound, please visit www.chinatraveloutbound.com

For further information about Royal Museums Greenwich, please visit www.rmg.co.uk

 

Helena Beard, Managing Director of China Travel Outbound, shortlisted finalist for the NatWest everywoman awards

Artemis logo

22 extraordinary women whose vision and tenacity have driven their entrepreneurial success have been named as this year’s finalists in the 14th annual NatWest everywoman Awards, the UK’s most prestigious event celebrating the achievements of women business owners.

Helena Beard of China Travel Outbound from Brighton has been chosen as a finalist in the Artemis Award category, sponsored by Crystal Clear – this Award will go to the most inspirational woman running a business which has been trading for a minimum of 18 months up to three years.

Last year over 120 million Chinese spent nearly $200 billion travelling overseas offering enormous potential for British tourism brands.   Helena Beard founded China Travel Outbound to help these organisations capitalise on this growing market, offering them access to the Chinese tour operators, media and digital platforms using a UK based marketing agency offering payment in sterling and contracts under English law.

After a long career in travel marketing, Helena jointly launched China Travel Outbound, but a split with her co-owners and supplier issues led to a downward spiral and very nearly saw the business self-combust with no clients.  Taking advice from Entrepreneurial Spark, she abandoned a second business concept and returned to run China Travel Outbound herself, quickly growing a customer base whilst simultaneously learning as much about the market as possible.  In just 12 months Helena has acquired a client list that boasts VisitBrighton, Royal Museums Greenwich and Hard Rock Cafe amongst others and a sales pipeline that includes a premiership football club, hotels, attractions and a West End musical.  She has launched an office in Beijing and now lectures in marketing to further support her family whilst the core business becomes more established.

The surge of entrepreneurship has been one of the most encouraging business trends of the last decade with record numbers of new business registrations. The prospect of lighter regulation, lower corporation tax, an enviable pool of talent and venture capital funding makes the UK one of the easiest countries to launch and grow a business. Yet the rate of women-led business start-ups remains significantly lower than that of men – 5.7% versus 10%. Research undertaken by Deloitte suggests that targeted help for early stage women entrepreneurs could provide a £100bn boost to the UK economy over the next 10 years, proving the need to provide a better environment in which women-led entrepreneurial businesses will succeed at similar levels as for men, thereby benefiting the companies, stakeholders and, ultimately, the national economy[1]. The FSB agrees, with its report by the Women’s Business Council suggesting that the UK is missing out on some 1.2 million enterprises due to the untapped business potential of women and recommends more visible and diverse role models as one of its seven key recommendations[2]

Speaking about the finalists, everywoman Co-founder Maxine Benson MBE comments, “The ambition, success and humility of our finalists make them all strong accessible role models for other women and girls considering starting their own business. Gender has never been a barrier to great ideas or initiatives and this year’s finalists bear that out. We live in one of the best countries for entrepreneurship[3] and there is no better place for enterprise to flourish, as our finalists prove. We wish them continued success and good luck!”

Julie Baker, Head of Enterprise at NatWest, said: “We are very proud to recognise these women, who are not just successful in their own businesses, but are also great role models. The importance of women in business cannot be underestimated, so we hope these role models will inspire other women to take their first steps in business. To help these entrepreneurs and would-be business owners, NatWest has a network of over 340 externally accredited Women in Business specialists who understand our customers’ ambitions and provide business advice, mentoring and networking opportunities.”

Sharon Hilditch MBE, Founder and CEO of Crystal Clear International, said: “We are very proud to be involved with everywoman and the work that they do to advance women in business. Sponsoring the Artemis award this year is fantastic, as it means we get to help recognise a relatively new business woman and her success so far. Having these kind of amazing achievements early on can really help spur you on and keep you going towards something even more wonderful!”

The awards were judged by 19 of the country’s most successful businesswomen including Chrissie Rucker MBE, Cath Kidston MBE, Julia Hands MBE, Amanda Wakeley OBE and Rosaleen Blair. The winners will be announced on Wednesday 7th December at a lunch reception at The Dorchester Hotel attended by over 300 leading figures from business, politics, the media and the City.

www.everywoman.com/ewawards
@everywomanuk
#ewawards

Notes to editors

The Awards Judges

  • Sarah Anderson CBE, Director, Simple Solutions UK
  • Maxine Benson MBE, Co-founder, Everywoman Ltd
  • Rosaleen Blair, Founder and CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions
  • Jessica Butcher, Co-founder and Director, Blippar
  • Lynne Cadenhead, Director and CEO, Emotional Sciences Ltd & Bio ID Security
  • Celia Duncan, Women’s Editor, Daily Mail
  • Karen Gill MBE, Co-founder, Everywoman Ltd
  • Wendy Hallett MBE, Managing Director, Hallett Retail – The Concession People
  • Julia Hands MBE, Chairman and Chief Executive, Hand Picked Hotels Ltd
  • Joanna Hansford, Managing Director, Jo Hansford
  • Sharon Hilditch MBE, Founder and CEO, Crystal Clear International
  • Cath Kidston MBE, Founder, Cath Kidston Limited
  • Anna Lee, Co-founder, STORM Watches
  • Avril Owton MBE, Proprietor, Cloud Hotel
  • Chrissie Rucker MBE, Founder, The White Company
  • Rita Sharma OBE, Founder and Managing Director, Best At Travel
  • Sam Smith, CEO, finnCAP
  • Ruth Sunderland, Associate City Editor, Daily Mail
  • Amanda Wakeley OBE, Founder and Creative Director, Amanda Wakeley

About everywoman

everywoman is an expert in the advancement of women in business.

We deliver a range of innovative products and resources that unlock the potential and talent of women in business globally. We also uncover success stories and elevate role models to support and inspire others across a diverse range of sectors.

Our clients range from companies who want to develop and retain a pipeline of female leaders, through to individual women who are committed to driving their future success and inspiring others.

For those women starting out or looking to progress their careers, the everywomanNetwork provides a wealth of personal development resources, advice, and inspiration to address challenges faced at key stages in business. Topics covered include confidence, time management, leadership, communications, presentation, well-being and profile. Available 24/7 with no geographic boundaries, these resources are inspiring tens of thousands of women in over 100 countries to achieve their career ambitions.

Managers and future leaders of tomorrow have access to offline events and leadership programmes that equip them with the confidence and competence to lead and develop high performing teams.

For those in senior management, everywomanClub provides cross-sector networking and thought leadership. Members are profiled as role models through a variety of initiatives that are shared with thousands of women globally.

Importantly, we understand that role models exist at every level in business and our Award programmes profile the women who will inform and inspire future leaders and the next generation.

www.everywoman.com

About NatWest

NatWest is proud to lead the way as the pioneering Bank for women’s enterprise. Each year, more and more women are launching their own businesses, and for many, it’s a big decision with a number of challenges to overcome. Recognising these unique challenges and the contribution that women business owners make to the UK economy, NatWest has a network of over 340 externally accredited Women in Business specialists across the UK offering specialist support, practical guidance and networking opportunities to female entrepreneurs. We are proud to work closely with organisations like everywoman that also promote and support women’s enterprise.

For more information, visit http://business.natwest.com/business/womeninbusiness.html, or call us on 0345 711 4477.

About Crystal Clear

Founded by Sharon Hilditch, MBE in 1995, Crystal Clear quickly established itself to become one of the leading professional anti-ageing skincare brands, supplying global celebrities, salons and customers alike with a specialist range of luxury skincare products and pioneering treatments. Crystal Clear’s success has been built upon its commitment to the research and development of new and ground breaking products, with a passion for providing exceptional treatments that deliver outstanding results.

www.crystalclear.co.uk

Julie Withers joins China Travel Outbound

Julie WithersWe are delighted to announce the appointment of Julie Withers as Account Manager at China Travel Outbound. Julie has extensive marketing, communications and account management experience gained at organisations ranging from the NSPCC to Country Living Magazine. Julie’s skills include strategy, new business development, content marketing and event management.

Julie has joined us to help support our growing client base and to undertake new business development. She’s very excited to be working with the growing outbound China travel market and is already proving to be a valuable member of the team. Get in touch with Julie to talk about opportunities in China for your business.