BUSINESS NEWS Chinese mark for airport Clarke Associates retain BDP work
demand for more flights between the two countries.
Birmingham Airport qualified as one of the first Charter members because it is making a number of investments to give Chinese visitors a warm welcome and a stress-free journey through the terminal. This includes Chinese terminal signage, staff cultural awareness training, Mandarin speaking front-of-house staff, specific web-pages translated into Mandarin, and a dedicated VAT refund facility for passengers. Jo Lloyd, the airport’s marketing
companies across the UK to be awarded a new Chartermark declaring they are fit to welcome Chinese visitors. The GREAT China Welcome
B
Charter is a new initiative from VisitBritain to make Britain the destination of choice for the rapidly-growing Chinese market. Visitors from China have doubled in the last five years and tourism bosses hope they will treble again by 2020. The Charter will help Chinese visitors identify hotels, attractions,
irmingham Airport and Marketing Birmingham are two of the first 100
retailers and tour operators that are making themselves ‘China-ready’ by providing information in Chinese and adapting their products for the market. This follows the announcement
by Birmingham Airport that it will become the UK’s first airport outside of London to launch direct flights from China, and the first UK airport to launch charter services from July. The joint initiative between Birmingham Airport, China Southern Airlines, Caissa Travel Management Co Ltd and Birmingham China specialist agency, United Travel, demonstrates the enormous
director, said: “Being a Charter member will enable us to be recognised for the work that we are doing to welcome Chinese visitors.” Marketing Birmingham has
attended VisitBritain trade missions to China and other countries in the Far East, and is developing a product to bring more Chinese visitors to the city. A range of online developments is being made to the city’s visitor website
visitbirmingham.com, together with an enhanced travel trade web portal with Chinese sales tools. Neil Rami, chief executive of
Marketing Birmingham, said: “We are actively promoting Birmingham both to Chinese travel agents and inward investors – positioning the area as a gateway to the country.”
Birmingham communications consultancy Clarke Associates has been re- appointed to continue a PR and marketing campaign promoting business support to SMEs across the region. Clarke Associates first won the campaign for the Business Development Programme (BDP) at the start of 2013 and following a competitive tender, has now been commissioned to deliver until the programme finishes in June 2015. BDP, funded by the European
Regional Development Fund, provides a comprehensive business support to SMEs across the Greater Birmingham Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership area. The programme, delivered in Birmingham by the Chamber, has already assisted more than 95 businesses to implement expansion plans, creating 393 new jobs. The awareness generated for the
programme has assisted Birmingham City Council in delivering £3.4 million in grants and matched funding to local businesses, making a significant impact on the West Midlands economy.
MAY 2014 CHAMBERLINK 15
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