Destination Marketing Organization Overseas Adopting Social Media Channels in China

As we all know, nowadays, social media marketing is regarded as one of the most important marketing methods which can be seen almost in every business sector. In terms of traveling business, social media marketing is relatively more valuable since traveling business comprises communication, location, sharing, guiding, etc.

Oversea destination marketing organizations often use three types of social media in China for destination marketing: Micro-blog (e.g., Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo), SNS (e.g.,Renren and Douban), and mobile social applications (e.g., WeChat).

Each type of social media channels shares some technology affordances and offers different functions for communication. Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo are two most used Micro-blogs with the largest number of users in China. Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, experienced a 74% annual increase and reached over 500 million users with 46.2 million daily active users by the end of 2012. Renren, known as the Chinese Facebook, has nearly 200 million users. Douban, another popular Chinese SNS, has 62 million users. WeChat, the most popular mobile social application, had more than 235 million users in 2013 and the number of users has doubled since 2012.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Singapore Tourism Board (SGTB) adopted more social media channels than other DMOs did, including Micro-blogs, SNS, and mobile social applications. The Macau Government Tourist Office (MOTO) adopted Micro-blogs and mobile social applications. The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MYPB) and USA Tourism Board (USTB) adopted Micro-blog and SNS. The Korea Tourists Office (KRTO), Thailand Tourism Board (THTB), and Japan National Tourism Organization in Shanghai (JPNTO-SH) adopted only Micro-blogs. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TWTB) and Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia (MTCE) did not use any of social media channels in China. In general, eight out of ten DMOs adopted Micro-blogs for promotion, which appears to be the preferred social media channel among DMOs. Four out of ten DMOs adopted SNS and only three DMOs adopted the mobile social application, WeChat.