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September 11 2008
Hong Kong
In addition to attracting an historic 4.7 billion global audience and enhancing China’s image on the world stage, the 2008 Beijing Olympics is all set to give the country’s tourism industry a significant boost, judging by a growing intention of global consumers to visit China one day and the positive feedback on China from the international audiences and visitors, according to multi-country online surveys conducted by the Nielsen Company over the course of the Games.
The Nielsen Company conducted a 16-country online survey following the Opening and Closing ceremonies to gauge global consumers’ opinions about China, and has uncovered a direct link between viewers’ positive impressions of China and their intentions to visit one day.
Over eight in 10 consumers surveyed had never visited Mainland China before, while 45 percent said they intended to travel there one day. The level of interest has increased to just over half (51%) when the same question was asked following the Closing Ceremony. Correspondingly, those who claimed to have no interest in visiting Mainland China dropped from one third to around a quarter over the course of the Games.
Interest to visit China was highest in Hong Kong and Singapore (86%), and was matched by four in five Indians, followed by more than two thirds of people in Mexico (72%), Taiwan, South Africans (69%) and South Koreans (66%).
“According to the World Tourism Organization, China will be the world’s largest tourist destination by 2020 receiving 137 million overseas tourists in 2020, and in the meantime and generating 100 million outbound tourists of their own. With the Beijing Olympics generating such strong interest in China, they may well reach these numbers earlier than anticipated.” said Grace Pan, head of leisure and travel research, The Nielsen Company China.
For those who had travelled to China before, the Games may have stimulated a return visit. Among those who had visited previously, more than eight in 10 said they intended to return.
The strong intention among international audience to visit China has a lot to do with the positive image China has successfully built with the Olympic Games. According to Nielsen study, seven in 10 viewers across 16 countries and territories agreed that Beijing appeared more modern and high-tech than they had expected, and in Beijing itself, nine in 10 (92%) foreign visitors rated Olympic venues as very good or good.
The feedback was even more positive following the Closing Ceremony when over half (56%) said the environment exceeded their expectations.
The Nielsen Company gauged feedback from foreign audiences following the 2008 Olympic Games Opening and Closing ceremonies, plus a Mid-Olympics wave (August 15th – 19th). The surveys were conducted online in 16 countries and territories, with a total respondent number of 25,951.
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing information, media information, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com
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