China’s largest online outbound travel agent is opening its first Southern Hemisphere shopfront in Queenstown.
Qyer—which has more than 80 million registered users—will open a Q-Home, where its FIT visitors from China will be able to book personalized services and activities, share stories and have face-to-face contact with Qyer in Queenstown. It will also serve as a venue for Queenstown’s tourism operators to reach the Chinese market directly, and learn more about Chinese culture and travel habits.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd is in Beijing, China this week signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Qyer, China’s largest one-stop outbound travel website.
Mr Budd says the agreement will open up new opportunities for the RTO to promote Queenstown in this important market.
“Not only is this deal important for Qyer’s customers coming to Queenstown who will now have a place to go to make travel arrangements with the company, DQ will now have direct access to Chinese travellers who are considering a visit to Queenstown through Qyer’s website and services,” he says.
“As a year-round destination, our motivations are to encourage growth in travel outside of peak times—this relationship with Qyer will enable us to promote autumn and spring to Chinese travellers. We welcome Qyer to Queenstown and look forward to working together for mutual benefit.”
Qyer will become a member of Destination Queenstown when the Q-Home opens, which means the company will become part of the unique membership model that DQ operates under whereby all commercial rate payers contribute to its annual funding pool.
“We welcome Qyer to the business community in Queenstown,” adds Mr Budd.
“We are excited to extend our cooperation with Destination Queenstown by working with the members of DQ business community together, to offer convenient on-the-ground services, tailor-made travel products and unique experiences for Qyer’s FIT users eager to explore Queenstown as their next destination,” says Mr Cai Jinghui, president and co-founder of Qyer.
“I believe that our partnership will not only promote tourism and travel trade between the two sides, also facilitate further cultural exchange between China and Queenstown.”
China is currently Queenstown’s second largest international market, and its top long-haul market, making up 13% of its annual international visitor arrivals, and the proportion of FIT travellers (as opposed to travellers part of organised tour groups) from China has increased.
