For Chinese, by Chinese, in Spain

Young entrepreneurs from the Middle Kingdom are blazing a trail in the European nation's tourism market

Spain is expected to see a surge in Chinese tourists from this year, thanks to three extra direct flights between the two countries and 12 new Spanish visa processing centers opened nationwide.

Already, several entrepreneurs from China have set up tourism startups in Spain to profit from the increasing inflow of their compatriots.

Spain welcomed 300,000 Chinese visitors in 2015, up 15 percent year-on-year. The Spanish government has set an ambitious target of attracting 1 million a year by 2020, boosted by improved flight connections and significantly relaxed visa procedures.

It is as though Zhang Yiming foresaw the boom. In 2013, he went to Madrid to pursue a master's degree, but ended up starting a business to make the most of the opportunities brought by the rise in Chinese tourists.

Last year, he founded ChineSpain with business partners Lorenzo Palomares and Antonella Rodogno. The company provides services to independent Chinese travelers.

According to the China Tourism Academy, about 70 percent of China's 100 million outbound tourists in 2014 preferred independent travel to group tours. This created a lucrative opportunity for independent travel agencies.

"Chinese tourists now want better travel experiences. They want to understand other cultures in depth," Zhang says. "However, in most cases, unique local experiences are very difficult because of the language barrier."

ChineSpain has teamed up with more than 350 tourism providers in 22 Spanish cities, offering them advice on how to serve Chinese better by paying attention to their demands and customs. The company receives 15 percent commission from local operators that join its network.

The most sought-after services include 10-day routes across popular cities, taking in vineyards and famous restaurants.

For travelers seeking a typical Spanish experience, the company has several packages, while couples wanting to get married in the European country and those interested in medical tourism can get help with personalized travel arrangements.

In 10 months, the startup has generated 50,000 euros ($55,000) in revenue. By 2018, Zhang says it expects to reach its target of 3 million euros.

Njoyspain Consulting is another Chinese startup blazing a trail in Spain's tourism market.

Liu Shaowei, who founded the self-funded travel consultancy last year, was born in China's eastern Zhejiang province, but has spent much of his life in Spain. His parents moved there in 1990 to work in the family business.

Like ChineSpain, Njoyspain Consulting advises local tourism players on how to improve services for Chinese visitors.

"I realized that small and medium-sized companies in Spain didn't have the economic resources to exploit the market spawned by Chinese travelers," Liu says.

Njoyspain offers services to Spanish hospitality companies such as translation of food menus, brochures and lessons on Chinese language and etiquette.

The startup, which employs three people and has several partners in Spain and China, is growing fast. Thirty companies have signed up for its packages, and the startup is also working to win government contracts in Spain to develop marketing campaigns for Chinese social media.

Despite the increasing importance of Chinese travelers to Spain, local entrepreneurs are still reluctant to use Njoyspain's services, Liu says. "Our packages cost only a couple of hundred euros, but investors are still conservative toward this new market."

However, attitudes are gradually changing thanks to the large sums of money Chinese spend during their travels.

Global Blue, a market intelligence consultancy, estimates that Chinese shoppers accounted for 31 percent for sales at duty-free outlets in Spain over the past 12 months.

"Taking into account the new flight connections, shopping spends by Chinese travelers in Spain will increase by up to 20 percent this year," predicts Luis Jose Llorca Lizaso, managing director for the Spain market at Global Blue.

Liu adds, "It's been hard to get the business running because many Spanish entrepreneurs don't fully see the benefits of adapting their services to Chinese tourists. However, the scene is changing quickly, and we expect this year to be a turning point for this industry."

emmagonzalez@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 07/22/2016 page29)