Post-pandemic prospects of Chinese tourism in Italy Future trends and how to cater to the new needs of Chinese tourists

Abstract

This thesis main goal is to provide an analysis of the current situation in terms of tourism agreements and initiatives between Italy and China to predict the future trends in tourism and promotion, with a large focus on the new possibilities for Italian hospitality industry and destinations to attract Chinese tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic. After postponing for the second time the “Italy- China year of Culture and Tourism”, it is important to understand the current Italian tourist offer toward the Chinese market, to consider how new Chinese tourists consider Italy as a destination and how to promote it to the fullest through social media and through online travel agencies (OTA). We will analyze the most important OTAs in China, and the strategies to adopt for a target such as Generation Z, with considerably different needs comparing to tourists of Chinese origin to which we were accustomed. When it comes to promotion in China, Cross Platform Advertising is important even in the tourism sector, utilizing the most popular platforms in the Chinese digital environment, and then we will have a deeper look into how live-streaming is now essential when dealing with marketing in China. It will also be fundamental to analyze how Covid-19 has had an important impact in every aspect of the tourism sector, from the new needs of travelers to the new policies, and how the tourism trends during the pandemic will reflect in the future.