麦肯锡公司董事长兼全球总裁    鲍达民

麦肯锡公司非常高兴能有机会再度参加北京市市长国际企业家顾问会议，并向北京市领导提交咨询报告。在往届会议上，我们曾分析北京市乃至全中国在追求平衡、可持续和包容性发展的过程中所面临的机遇和挑战，并就此提出一些参考意见。例如，我们曾探讨如何促进北京市创意产业的发展，也曾展望中国未来20年的城市化进程及其对北京的影响。两年前，我们还曾建议成立“中国城市研究院”，藉此推动北京真正向“世界城市”转型，同时为全球各地的城市化树立良好范本。

在以往研究的基础上，今年我们希望进一步讨论所有伟大城市的一个重要构成要素，那就是成为首屈一指的旅游目的地。这并不是说北京还不算是座伟大的城市。北京无疑应该跻身世界上最有风格、最有意思和最有活力的城市清单。本报告的重点恰恰在于阐明北京能够并且应该成为与罗马、伦敦或纽约齐名的世界名城。北京如果能够达成这一目标，她必将成为国际游客、尤其是亚洲游客的必访之地，从而推动北京乃至全中国的经济发展，极大提升中国在亚洲以及世界的“软实力” 。

本报告分为三部分:
1. 分析背景。当前北京在世界大城市中的排名以及国际游客对北京的认知度。
2. 全球趋势。为什么许多城市要利用旅游业推动经济发展、打造城市品牌？它们是如何做的？
3. 四大举措。北京需要通过何种努力方可成为国际游客的世界之都。

一、 分析背景: 当年的“紫禁城”如今仍是处处“禁城”—“令人禁足之城”
北京其实早已是全球化的城市。若按国际游客总数计算，北京在全球排第17名。根据美国《外交政策》杂志的城市调研指数，北京是全世界第14大全球城市。北京在某些方面拥有无可比拟的内在优势：她是世界人口最多的国家的首都，无论历史文化还是现代文明都有其最佳代表（比如绵延几千年的传统文化、世界最先进的建筑和基础设施），此外还有故宫、颐和园、天安门、长城这些蜚声中外的观光景点。然而，这些资源几乎都为中国国内游客所专享，因为北京的游客98%来自中国国内。在占总数2%的国外游客中，25%来自欧洲，20%来自美国，而近半数之众的游客则来自亚洲（见图1，北京游客来源地分析）。和其它亚洲国家相比，中国的亚洲游客数量仍有提高的余地，因为其它亚洲国家平均接待的邻近国家游客约占其国际游客总数的60%。
图一

 
大力吸引国际游客除了可以提升北京在旅游业方面的全球地位，还有一个更重要的原因—促进消费。国际游客在北京旅游期间的日平均消费约为200美元，而国内游客只有130美元。此外，国际游客的旅游消费上升空间很大。目前，到北京旅游的国际游客30%的支出用于长途交通，15%用于住宿，10%用于餐饮。以上三项是任何游客不可或缺的支出，也称为固定支出。那么在北京的国际游客在自由支出方面情况如何呢？他们能否不吝惜开销，充分体验和享受北京博大精深的历史和文化呢? 答案是否定的。外国游客在文化娱乐方面的支出仅占6%，旅游景点门票费用也只有5%。这些数据表明，北京被游客们视为“交易型”目的地。商务旅客来到北京，开展完业务即离开；休闲观光客来到北京，走马观花地看完几大景点也会立即离开。北京需要努力的方向是成为“关系型”目的地。世界名城一般都是这类目的地，它们会吸引回头客，让游客们初至便流连忘返，此后也愿意多次造访，因为这类城市已经具备俘获游客内心的巨大魅力。

看看伦敦、巴黎、纽约、米兰。乍听这些城市名，人们就会产生许多联想。伦敦能让你想起庄严的白金汉宫、肃穆的塔桥或是阴郁天气里温馨的小酒馆；巴黎让你怀想夜晚的灯火、浪漫的艾菲尔铁塔和诱人的美食；纽约则是高耸入云的帝国大厦、壮观的自由女神以及摩天大楼脚下中央公园里的一片绿荫；米兰则是高品味的时尚之都以及饕餮宴后的一杯浓郁咖啡。可当Trip Advisor等网站向外籍人士随机调查，问起对北京的印象的时候，人们的回答却很让人意外—他们用的词包括“拥挤”、“不愉快”、“商业化”、“脏乱”、“令人失望”等等。自然，大家承认，北京拥有令人惊叹的人文景观，例如紫禁城、长城、颐和园。可是，另一方面，实际造访过程中糟糕的旅游体验也同样令他们叹为观止。中国旅游研究院年度客户满意度调查也印证了游客的失落情绪：2011年北京仅排名第九。

从积极的一面看，游客们抱怨的这些问题都是能够解决的，因为改善游客体验总比打造观光景点要容易得多。北京原本就具备丰富的历史文化古迹，因此我们充分相信，北京有机会成为一座真正的世界名城，与到访的游客建立持久的能在心灵层面沟通的关系。要做到这一点，需要相关部门做出切实努力，准确把握游客的心理与需求，并日复一日地付诸实践。

二、 旅游业的全球趋势
毋庸讳言，世界已变得越来越小。现在，人们可以很轻松地选择坐飞机外出度周末，或者花一周的时间飞越半个地球去度假。交通的便捷和可达性使旅游成为刺激经济增长和消费的重要引擎。现在，旅游业已占全球GDP的3.3%。在较小的国家和地区，如马尔代夫和塞舌尔，旅游业就更为重要，对GDP贡献度甚至超过30%（见图2，比较各国旅游业附加值）。下面一组数据更加具有针对性：在东南亚，旅游业的平均GDP贡献度是4.3%，东北亚仅2.4%；中国的旅游业贡献度只有2.6%，低于美国(2.8%)、意大利(3.2%)和法国(3.7%)。因此，旅游业的重要性万万不容小视。
图2

从时间上来看，今天的旅游业比以往任何时候都更重要。未来10年中，仅在亚洲就会新增9亿人口的中产阶级—国际游客因此将增加4亿人。随着人们总体收入的上升，花在旅游方面的可支配收入也会大幅增加。事实上，当人均收入达到25,000美元时，旅游支出会经历相当强劲的增长 (见图3，旅游需求随收入增长而增长)。如今，休闲旅游在亚洲方兴未艾。自2005年起，亚洲范围内的出境休闲游以每年6%的速度递增，我们预计这一势头至少会保持到2015年。约70%的亚洲游客希望在来年能比去年多旅游几次或至少持平；约92%的亚洲游客一年至少旅游一次。简而言之，亚洲游客出行次数多，且行程安排相当独立，他们日益了解自己的需求，期待上佳景点、优质服务以及在本国难以体验的舒适享受。
图3

一些国家已经看到机遇所在，并开始积极发展旅游业。亚洲最好的例子是新加坡。新加坡积极打造旅游品牌，将自身定位成一个安全度高且令人兴奋的旅游目的地，从而大量吸引休闲和商务游客；在购物体验方面，既有便宜的本地商品，也有世界顶级品牌，可以满足新生中产阶级的各种购物需求；它还有意塑造地区经济与教育中心的地位，同时通过豪华酒店和丰富多彩的餐饮娱乐为商务和休闲游客提供各种精致的服务与享受。这一发展策略的确奏效：去过新加坡的亚洲游客约75%都会故地重游，回头客中超过半数每年至少去新加坡两次。因此新加坡旅游业占GDP的比重从2004年以来以每年递增12%的速度飞速发展。

三、 势在必行的举措
在2010年咨询顾问会上，我们提到了“世界城市”和“世界级城市”的区别。后者仅强调外向表现，而前者则体现城市的内在品质。当时, 我们提出，要成为“世界城市”，北京应该着眼于在某些领域引领、塑造和改变世界，而不仅仅是在经济总量和基础设施方面赶上其它城市。实现这一目标的手段包括：建立鼓励创新和开拓精神的环境，扩充人才储备，通过可持续创新改善能源和水的效率以及建立新的公共服务融资和监管模式。所有这些措施都很关键，然而这些都只是北京成为真正的世界名城的前提。大力发展旅游业可以帮助北京赢得经济增长和软实力提升双丰收。北京要成为国际游客的世界之都，必须采取四项举措:
A、 定义北京旅游品牌
B、 建立合作伙伴关系，确保优质游客体验
C、 开发亚洲游客的旅游潜力
D、 将北京打造为旅游教育枢纽

A. 定义北京旅游品牌
城市和国家其实都是品牌。何谓品牌？品牌就是向受众提供可以植根于潜在客户心目中的产品形象。旅游目的地必须能提供足够的理由令消费者选择它们而不是其它地方出行。游客会问“为什么去北京” 。 问题的答案必须直截了当、显而易见。这个答案不仅要针对休闲游客和商务游客，还必须适用于所有的利益相关方：公众、投资者、企业、学生以及包括媒体和意见领袖在内的各类中介。有了合适的品牌和形象，游客问自己的问题就会变成 “为什么不去北京” 。北京如何才能让自己脱颖而出? 我们建议相关部门通过以下几个步骤针对国际游客重塑北京的品牌定位:

北京作为古都本身已然独具特色。故宫和长城等景点都是其他城市望尘莫及的壮观古迹。但游客并不愿意仅为一饱眼福而大排长龙，他们也不该如此。既然人潮拥挤是游客对北京最不满意的方面之一，就应该立即着手解决。例如，可以考虑将故宫的开放时间延长到下午五点以后。这不但能舒缓日间的人潮，也能创造庞大的黄昏旅游商机—豪华游客很可能愿意花上一大笔钱在日暮时分单独游故宫，获得私密性更好的观光体验。同样的原则也适用于长城、颐和园和其它景点。这些都是北京瑰丽的旅游珍宝，不应允许任何因素遮挡它们的光芒。为什么可以观赏长城的地点如此之少? 北京应该与有信誉的旅游机构合作，尽可能地改善这些古迹的可达性。北京浓墨重彩的悠久历史—包括在漫漫历史长河中留下的众多古迹以及数千年来中国文化枢纽的地位—就是让她脱颖而出的法宝。北京应该善用这一法宝。

有些旅游目的地成功地打出了文化牌，实现了旅游业的腾飞。最著名的例子就是“不可思议的印度”活动。2002年之前，由于印度政府没有重点发展旅游业，印度吸引的游客数目非常少。在2002年,印度旅游部有意识地将印度观光定位为“神秘之旅”，并采取措施让游客能够充分接触印度的宗教文化，参与当地的身心体验（如精神娱乐和瑜伽）。结果，去印度旅游的国际游客翻了一番都不止 (见图3，有关“不可思议的印度”活动详情)。很多其他国家和城市也都采取了类似的营销手段，例如香港、南非、马来西亚、冰岛和澳大利亚。
图4

撇下古迹不谈，现代观光点也大有文章可做。比如，为什么奥运场馆大部分时间都在闲置? 北京奥运期间，全球数十亿观众为开幕式的壮观赞叹不已，作为主场的鸟巢体育场也同样壮观得令人屏息。试想，如果我们能每月甚至每周上演一幕小型的奥运开幕式，游客们一定愿意掏腰包买票坐满鸟巢的八万个座位。闲置的奥运设施应该充分利用，一方面可以创收，另一方面也能作为独特的舞台展示中国和北京的历史文化魅力。要把北京打造成世界旅游之都，一个关键要素就是开出一张北京旅游必玩项目清单，比如黄昏故宫私人游和小型奥运开幕秀等等。一旦游客可以在北京消磨几天的时光，每天都兴趣盎然、很有收获，这座城市就能有机会俘获他们的心灵。

国际名城的另一个共同点就是它们常常举办世界级的大型活动。慕尼黑有十月啤酒节，伦敦今年有女王登基六十周年庆典，坎城有一年一度的影展，纽约有百老汇音乐剧、翠贝卡电影节、时尚周等等。离北京较近的一个例子是新加坡九月举行的新加坡电信一级方程式锦标赛。这项赛事十分特殊，因为这是一级方程式中唯一一项夜间赛，比赛利用灯光照明举行。新加坡成功地将赛事转变成为期四天的全城狂欢，设计了多姿多彩的娱乐节目，今年还特意邀请了国际巨星凯蒂佩瑞和魔力红出场演唱。在赛事期间，新加坡的酒店入住率激增，这对于一个原本就充满观光客的城市来说不啻是壮举一件。北京需要思考的问题是，我们要举办哪种活动才能与别的城市既有的大型活动匹敌呢?

在报业有句老话，“编辑一语，胜过广告千金”。如果能通过有影响力的媒体精心宣传北京的旅游特色，势必能大大加强北京的品牌建设。例如，南非与CNN和国家地理等电视频道密切合作，充分展示其自然之美；爱尔兰也通过电视、报纸、直邮和其它媒介不遗余力地宣传其旅游产业。我们也别忘了电影的力量。有很多人早在实际出游之前就已经通过无数电影对伦敦、纽约、巴黎、香港这些名城心向往之。

北京应该着力打造“会展旅游”(MICE, Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions)。这部分我们会在后面讨论如何开发亚洲游客的旅游潜力时再展开叙述。总之，我们相信北京可以利用现有的基础设施设计出独特的旅游产品，打动参展者的内心。

以上仅仅是对北京如何重新定位其旅游品牌的一点粗浅之见。世界上所有旅游名城的共同点就是它们都会刻意挖掘自身特色，将其发扬光大，以此培育旅游产业。北京也不妨一试。

B. 建立合作伙伴关系，确保优质游客体验
游客要来北京旅游，一般要经历什么过程呢？当游客最初考虑选择去哪座城市旅游的时候，他们会查看网站、咨询朋友、阅读相关文章和书籍，或者向旅行社了解进一步信息。一旦他们决定来北京，还要解决机票、酒店、机场交通中转和旅游保险等相关事务。从他们踏上北京的那一刻起，他们所要接触的对象就更多了，包括机场的出租车司机、酒店侍应生、商店售货员、旅游机构从业人员、饭店服务员等形形色色的人。对于像北京这样的旅游目的地来说，需要担心的问题是，这其中任何一个环节出了问题，都可能让游客从此以后再也不想故地重游。一次糟糕的体验就可能毁掉整个行程。

因为变数实在太多，我们并不奢望彻底消灭风险，但是却可以通过设立若干机制降低风险：

与全球和私人伙伴建立合作关系。建立合作关系的意义不仅在于确保服务质量，而且还能让旅游目的地城市有机会深入了解行业知识，并充分利用合作伙伴的营销优势。航空公司可以增加往返主要出境城市的直航运力，在旺季还可以增加额外服务；大型连锁酒店可以定制服务，以此加强自身品牌；当地旅游机构可以建立全面一体化、端到端的流通网络，海外直接供应商则可以针对不同客户以不同价位提供一系列目的地所在城市的产品和服务套餐。事实证明，公私合作对于推动旅游业发展非常关键。在墨西哥，政府和私营企业通力合作，共同振兴里维埃拉玛雅，将其改造为高档旅游目的地。还有一些旅游地与投资基金合作，例如，北京市旅游发展委员会刚刚和海航旅业集团合作设立北京市旅游产业发展促进基金。我们鼓励此类举措，这既有助于引进投资方的专业经验与管理团队协助旅游公司开展业务，同时又能确保政府对资金的有效管控。

建立认证体系。鉴于一次糟糕的体验就足以让游客败兴，北京应该竭尽所能确保游客享受稳定的优质体验。让游客放心的措施之一就是建立对旅游运营商的认证体系。例如，北京市旅游发展委员会可以作为业务主管实施认证，并要求旅游企业每年更新认证。通过这种方式，政府可以确保旅游机构在提供客户服务时至少达到规定的最低标准，从而保证游客享有最基本的良好旅游体验。建立认证制度之后，北京就可以放心——通过认证的旅游运营商，不管是巴士公司、酒店还是旅行社，都不太可能成为游客抱怨的对象。

成功的品牌经营需要将动听的承诺转化成实际行动。因而，必须在游客的旅行全程落实端对端的监督，确保国际游客从开始考虑造访北京到最后结束行程打开家门的那一刻都能有质量稳定的良好体验，也许他们那时就会愿意考虑下次再来北京故地重游。

C. 开发亚洲游客的旅游潜力
世界上很多旅游目的地在开展旅游营销的时候都弄错了对象，白花了大把的钞票。在北京向世界名城发展的过程中，国际游客必然会相应增长。然而，最大的增长空间并非来自欧洲或美国，欧美游客得飞上十二个小时才能来到北京。更大的增长机遇反而是邻近的亚洲游客，因为亚洲游客正日益富裕起来，他们到北京的飞行时间也要短得多（见图5，亚洲游客的消费模式）。

如我们前文所述，北京有潜力吸引更多的亚洲游客。虽然来北京的亚洲游客已占到国际游客总数的50%，但这比亚洲其它城市60%的比例还是要低得多。要提高来京亚洲游客的比例，必须认清亚洲游客的细分群体：他们并非铁板一块，而是由许多独特群体共同组成，各有其不同的需求亟待满足：

休闲游客。我们的研究显示，来自亚洲其它国家的游客通常收入高、受教育程度好，但偏好价格适中的酒店。他们一般喜欢把旅游行程排得满满当当，而且相当注重购物。然而，不同的亚洲游客会说不同的语言，有各自的旅游旺季，并且在观光点的选择、日程安排以及旅伴方面都存在巨大差异。举例来说，印度人为避开夏季最炎热的月份，喜爱在6月至8月间出国旅游；而日本人出国旅游的旺季则是新年、黄金周（通常是4月底5月初）以及盂兰盆节（7月中旬）。此外，休闲游客大致可分为三类：奢华型、富裕型、大众型。奢华型游客偏好所谓“天堂般的享受”，追求舒适，喜欢在极尽奢华的环境下挥霍探险；富裕型游客则想要独一无二的尊荣体验，享受一般人无从享受的悠然假期，需要各式各样的服务确保其最舒适的旅游体验；而大众型游客则寻求各种物超所值、性价比高的游览项目。

要吸引和服务好亚洲休闲游客，必须了解和应对这些大致的市场细分群体，同时注意彼此之间的细微差异。例如，菲律宾曾对潜在亚洲游客群体进行全面分析，以了解其需求：哪些人喜欢购物，哪些人追求探险，哪些人热衷文化体验。对客户群体的偏好了然于心之后，菲律宾政府专门针对这些细分客户群设计旅游产品包。研究结果让菲律宾人大吃一惊：原来韩国人是去菲律宾旅游的最大游客群体，而他们的一项重大需求竟然是婚礼套餐！北京如果也开展这样一项调查，很可能结果也会出人意料。

商务游客。到访中国的国际游客有四分之一是商务出行。我们虽然没有北京的具体数据，但相信会展旅游（MICE，即会议、展览、奖励旅游等）潜力巨大。这类旅游通常是提前规划的大型团体旅游，出席人员因为某种特定目的集体出行。世界各大旅游目的地都相当垂涎会展旅游，原因很多，最基本的一条是旅游消费金额庞大。此外，通过会展旅游，目的地有机会与各大企业和产业建立强劲联系，并能展示自身的旅游特色，招揽潜在的数以十万计的休闲游客。然而，将这种潜力化为现实也绝非易事。会展旅游客户往往要求旅游方案的规划和执行都要做到百分百完美，任何环节出错都是致命的，因为客户完全可以放弃你而去选择其它目的地。大多数目的地都设有会展局，专门竞标会展业务。北京在这方面大有可为，可以努力争取团体商务旅游业务并向游客提供上佳的旅游体验。2012年，世界旅游奖评选出13处亚洲领先会展酒店胜地，其中没有一家是北京的酒店。事实上，中国只有一家酒店榜上有名，那就是上海金茂君悦大酒店。从另一方面看，这里也蕴含了北京改进的空间
图5

D. 将北京打造为旅游教育枢纽
我们最后推荐的举措不仅旨在改善北京的旅游吸引力，还要力图提升北京作为世界之都的魅力。我们认为北京是教育旅游的首选之地。“教育旅游”是个新提法，其实所有的旅游都富有教育意义——人们之所以渴望旅游，多半是渴望拥有新的体验和更宽广的视野。这也呼应了我们上文提及的北京在充分展示其文化历史魅力方面的机遇。人们对“另类”旅游的需求与日俱增。所谓“另类”旅游，就是包含教育和学习成分、可以为游客提供特殊体验的旅游项目。这就是教育和旅游的重合之处，该领域的商机十分庞大。教育旅游可以分成正式和非正式两类：

正式教育旅游，即“教育优先”。此类旅游的首要重心为教育，而非实际的游客体验，例如与重点高校、交换计划和语言学校共同合作提供高管课程。新加坡经济发展局出台的“环球校园计划”（Global Schoolhouse）是一个很好的例子。自2002年推出后，该计划吸引了许多世界级的教育机构到新加坡开设分点，其中不乏芝加哥大学布斯商学院、欧洲工商管理学院、纽约大学帝许艺术学院等知名学府。新加坡现有9所外国一流高等学府和30多家中小学校开设国际课程；教育产业占GDP比重为3.8%，到2015年力争达到5%（见图6，有关新加坡“环球校园计划”的更多信息）。通过上述方式打造教育产业有许多辅助效益：能够吸引聪明且具上进心的杰出人才；能够培育富有活力的教育机构和社群；还有助于塑造新加坡“全球人才枢纽”的地位。
图6

非正式教育旅游，即“旅游优先”。此类旅游是把某种形式的教育或学习糅合在游客体验内，某些情况下甚至成为吸引人们旅游的要素。由导游陪伴参观文化古迹这种“知性旅游”即是非正式教育旅游的一种形式，此外还有向在华开展业务的外籍高管提供的“了解中国之旅”等等。通过非正式教育旅游，游客们就会不仅仅满足于在景点拍照留念、聊表到此一游，而是希望深入探寻该景点因何有观光的意义，背后有哪些沧桑，从而与北京乃至中国建立更深刻的情感联系。例如，有多少去过故宫的游客切实了解紫禁城为何伟大？倘若他们能明白背后的意义，其旅游体验又会有怎样的不同？要想成功地提供这类寓教于乐的服务，与各方面的合作必不可少，他们既包括旅游规划人员（协助游客规划和设计学习方案的个人、旅行社或组织），也包括旅游运营商（通过提供目的地专业服务、当地知识和相关营销而具体安排和实施教育体验的的相关业者）。

当然，我们也可以通过整合型产品同时满足上述两类游客类型的需求。例如，推出某种核心教育旅游产品，辅之以其他各种组织提供的次要元素。这种做法对于会展旅游尤为有效：会展出席人员既可以在某个场所集中学习（例如某教育机构的文化遗产中心），亦可通过导游和博物馆专家加强对当地历史文化的了解。我们认为，北京拥有丰厚的历史和文化，是得天独厚的“中国中心”，因而也应该是人们探寻中国文化之旅的第一站。

我们真诚地希望能够推动北京更好地发展，协助北京发挥潜力，早日成为一座伟大的世界名城。世界上到过中国的人为数并不多，真正了解中国的人则少之又少。北京如果在继续接待大量国内游客的同时也能成为国际游客的主要旅游目的地，那么就不但会产生巨大的经济影响，还能大大增强国际上对中国历史文化的了解。这对于中国继续发展与其它国家的关系无疑有着极其深远的意义。

Beijing - The Future World Capital for International Tourists
——Dominic Barton，Global Managing Director，McKinsey & Company


We are honoured once again to be invited to join the distinguished group at the International Business Leaders Advisory Council (IBLAC).  In previous years, we have used the forum to present our research into the challenges and opportunities for both Beijing and China as the country seeks to implement a balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth model.  Our previous submissions covered topics such as stimulating the growth of Beijing’s creative industries, and understanding China’s urbanisation path in the next 20 years and its implications for Beijing.  Two years ago, we proposed the establishment of a new institution, The Urban China Institute, to act as a catalyst for Beijing’s transformation into a true “world city” and to serve as a beacon for urbanisation efforts around the world.

This year, we wish to elaborate on these previous submissions by discussing one major component of all great cities: being a top tourist destination.  This is not to suggest that Beijing is not already a great city.  But it should be on any short list of the world’s most iconic, interesting, and dynamic cities.  The focus of this address is to discuss how it can and should become mentioned in the same breath as London or New York or Rome. Achieving this status will turn Beijing into a must-see destination for international tourists – particularly travellers within Asia – and in turn help drive the local and national economy and significantly increase China’s “soft power” within the region and beyond.

This document is divided into three parts:
1. Context. How Beijing ranks among the world’s great cities and how it is currently perceived by international travellers
2. Global trends. Why and how cities are using tourism to drive economic growth and as a branding tool
3. Four imperatives. The steps Beijing should take to become a world capital for international tourism

1. CONTEXT: A FORBIDDING CITY
Beijing is already a global city.  It is the 17th most visited city among international travellers, and is the 14th most global city in the world according to Foreign Policy’s Cities Survey Index.  Beijing also has inherent strengths.  It is the capital of the world’s most populous nation. It boasts the best of the old and the new: an ancient culture that spans thousands of years, and some of the world’s most advanced architecture and infrastructure.  It is home to the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall. Yet almost all of this is enjoyed solely by domestic travellers. Just 2 percent of visitors to Beijing are international and last year about 25 percent of those came from Europe and 20 percent from the United States.  Most international visitors come from other Asian nations – around 50 percent. But that is still not a great performance – in other Asian countries, the percentage of tourists from neighbouring countries is significantly higher (see Exhibit 1).
EXHIBIT 1

Beyond increasing Beijing’s global status, there is a compelling reason for wanting to increase the percentage of international visitors – they spend, on average, around US$200 per day while in Beijing, compared with about US$130 per day for domestic travellers.  We also believe there is the potential to significantly increase the amount that international travellers spend when they visit.  At the moment, about 30 percent of all spending by international visitors is on long-distance transportation.  Around 15 percent is on accommodation.  About 10 percent is on food.  Those three categories are essentials for any traveller – they are fixed costs.  So what about discretionary spending?  Are tourists opening their wallets to soak up Beijing’s rich history and culture?  No.  They spend 6 percent on culture and entertainment, and just 5 percent on tickets at tourism spots.  This spending is a reflection of the fact that Beijing is regarded as a transactional destination.  Business travellers arrive, conduct their business, and leave.  Leisure travellers arrive, see a handful of big attractions, and leave.  What Beijing needs to become is what great cities are, and that is a relationship destination: a place that travellers want to return to again and again; a place that gets under their skin to capture their hearts and their imagination.

Think about London.  Paris.  New York.  Milan.  When you hear those names, images spring to mind.  For London, it may be Buckingham Palace and the Tower Bridge. Cold days but warm English pubs.  For Paris, it could be the romance of the City of Lights, the Eiffel Tower and great food.  For New York, perhaps it’s the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, a city of towering skyscrapers and the serenity of Central Park.  And in Milan, it’s high fashion and sipping an espresso after a wonderful meal.  Yet consider what travellers say about Beijing on Web sites such as Trip Advisor.  The results are jarring.  Crowded.  Unpleasant.  Commercial.  Dirty.  Disappointing.  Travellers express amazement at the grandeur of attractions such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace, but are equally amazed by the poor quality of the experience of actually visiting them.  This dismay is reflected in the city’s performance in the China Tourism Academy’s annual customer satisfaction survey: in 2011, Beijing ranked ninth.

The good news is that these issues can be fixed, and a city can improve the visitor experience much more easily than it can create tourist attractions.  Beijing already has those attractions.  We see no reason that it can not become a truly great world city and one that travellers form lasting relationships with.  But it will take a real commitment to understanding exactly what tourists want, and then delivering that every single day.

2. GLOBAL TRENDS IN TOURISM
It is no secret that the world has become much smaller.  People think little of jumping on an airplane for a weekend away, or flying halfway around the world for a short vacation.  This increased convenience and accessibility has led to tourism becoming a significant driver of economic growth and consumption.  Globally, the tourism sector accounts for 3.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a figure boosted by the outsize performance of some countries such as the Maldives and Seychelles, where more than 30 percent of GDP comes from tourism (see Exhibit 2 for a comparison of the value tourism adds in different countries).  A better comparison is this: tourism contributes an average of 4.3 percent of GDP in southeast Asia, yet just 2.4 percent in northeast Asia.  And it makes up just 2.6 percent of China’s GDP, which is below the United States (2.8 percent), Italy (3.2 percent) and France (3.7 percent).  The bottom line?  Tourism matters.
EXHIBIT 2

It also matters now more than ever.  In the next decade, another 900 million people will join the middle class in Asia alone – that’s roughly 400 million additional international tourists.  We know that because the share of disposable income spent on tourism strongly increases as overall income rises.  In fact, there is disproportionately strong growth when income reaches around US$25,000 per capita (see Exhibit 3 for more detail on how demand for tourism increases in line with income growth).  Already, leisure travel has taken off in Asia. Since 2005, outbound leisure trips within Asia have growth at a compound annual growth rate of 6 percent, a trajectory we expect to continue at least through 2015.  Some 70 percent of Asian travellers expect to travel as much or more in the next 12 months compared with the previous year, and some 92 percent of Asian travellers make a trip at least once a year.  In short, they travel often, they travel independently, and they increasingly know what they want: compelling attractions, great service, and to enjoy the kind of pampering and experiences they simply do not get at home.
EXHIBIT 3

 
Several countries have recognised this and actively sought to stake their claim.  In this region, perhaps the best example is Singapore, which has aggressively developed a reputation as a safe yet exciting destination for leisure and business travellers alike.  It has met the needs of the emerging middle class with shopping options from inexpensive local goods to the world’s most prestigious brands.  It has consciously become a regional economic and education center.  And both leisure and business travellers are pampered in luxury hotels and have a plethora of dining and entertainment options that cater to every taste and need.  The bottom line is that it is working: some 75 percent of intra-Asia visitors to Singapore return and, of those repeat visitors, more than half travel to the country at least twice a year.  As a result, Singapore has been able to increase the percentage of GDP attributable to tourism by an average of 12 percent annually since 2004.

3. IMPERATIVES
In previous submissions, we have noted the distinction between “world cities” and “world class cities”.  The latter suggests outward performance, whereas the former reflects a city’s interior qualities.  In 2010, we argued that to become a “world city”, Beijing should think about areas in which it will lead, shape and change the world and not just about how it will catch up on measures of wealth and infrastructure.  That means creating an innovative entrepreneurial environment, broadening its talent base, boosting energy and water productivity through sustainability innovations, and developing new public services financing and regulatory models.  All of these remain critical.  Yet they are merely prerequisites for becoming a truly great city and, in the process, realizing the economic and soft-power benefits of international tourism.  There are four imperatives for Beijing:
A. Define the Beijing brand
B. Build partnerships and ensure a quality experience
C. Unlock the potential of intra-Asia tourism
D. Design and promote Beijing as a tourism education hub

A. Define the Beijing brand
Cities and countries are, fundamentally, brands – they offer an image of a product that is deeply anchored in the mind of potential customers.  Tourism destinations must provide compelling reasons for consumers to choose them over somewhere else.  So, why Beijing?  The answer to that question needs to be obvious, not only for leisure and business travellers, but for all stakeholders: the general public, investors, companies, students, and intermediaries such as the press and opinion leaders.  With the right branding and image, the question potential travellers will instead ask themselves is, Why not Beijing?  So, how does the city differentiate itself?  Here are some ways Beijing can re-brand itself in the eyes of international travellers:

The fact is that Beijing is already unique: sites such as the Forbidden City and Great Wall are incomparable historical monuments.  But tourists do not want to wait in line for hours, nor should they have to.  And if being overwhelmed by crowds is one of the primary problems cited by visitors to the city, why not ease that congestion? For example, extend the opening hours of the Forbidden City beyond 5pm. It would reduce congestion during the day, and provide a host of opportunities – just imagine the demand among luxury travellers (and what they would be willing to pay) for exclusive twilight tours.  The same applies to the Great Wall, Summer Palace and other attractions.  These are the jewels in Beijing’s tourism crown, and nothing should be done to detract from that.  But why are there so few places to view the Great Wall?  Beijing should be partnering with credible tourism operators to maximise access to these historic sites.  We see the history of Beijing – the sheer number of unique attractions, the fact that the city is the epicentre of a culture spanning thousands of years – as a clear differentiator with other tourism destinations.  Beijing should take advantage of that.

Other destinations have successfully adopted this approach, most notably India with its “Incredible India” campaign.  Before 2002, India attracted very few tourists as government did not promote tourism in a concerted manner.  In 2002, the country’s tourism ministry made a conscious effort to brand India to discerning travelers as a mysterious destination, immersing tourists in religious culture and mind and body experiences such as spiritual recreation and Yoga.  As a result, international tourist arrivals have more than doubled (see Exhibit 4 for more details on the “Incredible India” campaign). Similarly marketing efforts have been undertaken by cities and countries as diverse as Hong Kong, South Africa, Malaysia, Ireland, and Australia.
EXHIBIT 4

When it comes to more recent history, why do the Olympic venues largely sit dormant?  Billions of people around the world marvelled at the spectacular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, held in the equally spectacular National Stadium.  Now imagine re-creating that – on a smaller scale, of course – once a week or once a month.  Tourists would easily fill those 80,000 seats and pay handsomely for the privilege.  Revenue would be generated from venues that currently sit largely idle, and it would provide another opportunity to showcase Beijing and China’s amazing culture and history.  Being able to provide tourists with a series of “must do” items – from a twilight tour of the Forbidden City to watching a re-enactment of the Olympics opening ceremony – is a critical component of transforming Beijing into a world capital for international tourism.  And once travellers are here with a number of sites and events to enjoy over the course of several days, the city has a real chance to seep into their consciousness.

Another common factor among great international destinations are world-class events.  Munich has the Oktoberfest.  London this year has the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  Cannes has its annual film festival.  New York has Broadway shows, the Tribeca Film Festival, and Fashion Week, among others.  For an example closer to home, consider the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix that is held in September.  The race is distinctive – it is the only one on the Formula One calendar to be held at night, under lights.  That contributes to a carnival atmosphere that the city has embraced by turning the race into a four-day event packed with entertainment – this year, that includes international superstars such as Katy Perry and Maroon 5.  You can actually see a noticeable spike in hotel occupancy rates during the period, which is quite a feat in a city already jammed with tourists.  So the question is: what can Beijing offer to compete with these events?

In the newspaper industry, there is a saying that a single editorial mention is more effective than thousands of dollars worth of advertising.  International media exposure about Beijing as a destination will prove invaluable in reinforcing your branding efforts.  South Africa, for example, has teamed with television channels such as CNN and National Geographic to showcase its natural beauty.  Ireland has undertaken similar publicity efforts through TV, newspapers, direct mail and other mediums.  And let us not forget movies.  How many people already feel an emotional connection with London or New York or Paris or Hong Kong from seeing them in countless movies, even without having been to those cities?

Finally, the city should embrace is MICE tourism –Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions.  We will elaborate on this when we discuss the opportunity that exists to increase intra-Asia tourism.  However, we do believe that Beijing has an opportunity to use its existing infrastructure to create innovative and unique products that can really capture the imagination of attendees.

These are just a few examples of ways Beijing can re-position itself in the tourism marketplace.  The common thread that links all tourism capitals is that they have deliberately identifies what makes them distinctive, and built their tourism efforts around those strengths.  Beijing should do likewise.

B. Build partnerships and ensure a quality experience
Think about the typical journey someone undertakes when they travel to Beijing.  When they first consider the city as a destination, they will look at Web sites, talk to friends, read articles and books, and perhaps interact with travel agencies.  Once they decide to come here, they begin dealing with airlines and hotels, transfer services and travel insurers.  And the moment they set foot in the city, the number of companies they deal with rises exponentially: a taxi from the airport, a hotel porter, shop assistants, tourism operators, restaurant waiters.  The list goes on and on. 

The most worrying thing from a destination’s perspective – and yours as the city of Beijing – is that in any one of these interactions, a traveller can be dissuaded from ever coming to your city again.  One bad experience can ruin a whole trip.

We don’t expect that this risk can be eliminated – there are just too many variables.  But it can be mitigated, through a couple of mechanisms:

Build partnerships with select global and private players.  This makes sense not only with regard to ensuring the quality of services being offered, but it gives you access to deep industry knowledge and marketing firepower.  Airlines can increase capacity on direct services between key outbound cities, with additional services during peak seasons.  Big hotel chains can provide the right offerings to build their brands in the city.  Local tour operators can create fully integrated end-to-end distribution networks, while overseas direct suppliers can package destination products and services across a range of price points and customer segments.  Indeed, public-private partnerships have proved critical to the development of the tourism sector.  In Mexico, the government worked with private companies to revitalise the Riviera Maya and turn it into an upscale destination.  Other destinations are partnering with investment funds, similar to the approach the Beijing Tourism Administration has taken by partnering with HNA Group to create the Beijing Tourism Industry Development Promotion Fund.  We encourage such initiatives, which bring the professional experience of investors and management teams to assist tourism enterprises, while ensuring that government retains control over funding.

Establish an accreditation system.  Because one bad interaction can really impact a traveller’s enjoyment, Beijing should do all it can to ensure a uniformly great experience.  One method of helping to ensure this – and provide reassurance to travellers – is to introduce an accreditation system for tourism operators.  It could be administered by the Beijing Tourism Administration, for instance, with businesses required to renew their accreditation annually.  In this way, the government can ensure minimum standards are met not only with regard to customer service, but the quality of the experience itself.  Beijing can be assured that accredited tourism operators – whether they are bus companies, hotels, or tour operators – are unlikely to be the subject of traveller complaints.

Successful branding requires delivering on what you promise.  It requires end-to-end oversight to ensure that international tourists receive a consistent experience from the moment they first consider a trip to Beijing to when they are home again, hopefully considering when they will return to the city.

C. Unlock the potential of intra-Asia tourism
Destinations around the globe spend countless millions of dollars on marketing campaigns – and they are often aimed at the wrong segments of the tourist market.  The development of Beijing into one of the world’s great cities will naturally result in an increase in the number of international tourists.  Yet the greatest opportunity does not lie with travellers from Europe or the United States, who may be a 12-hour flight away.  It is much closer to home: in travellers from within Asia, who are increasingly wealthy and within close flying distance (see Exhibit 5 for more details about spending patterns among tourists from Asian economies).

As we mentioned earlier, Beijing has a real opportunity to improve its performance with intra-Asia travellers. While such tourists comprise about 50 percent of all international visitors to the city, that is well below the 60 percent level of other cities in the region.  Increasing the percentage of international travellers requires recognising that they are not a monolithic group, but there are distinct segments whose needs must be addressed:

Leisure travellers.  Our research shows that travellers from other Asian economies are typically wealthy and well-educated, but prefer moderately priced hotels.  They tend to like packed itineraries when they travel, and place a heavy emphasis on shopping.  However, there are significant differences in relation to language, the timing of peak travel seasons, preferences in terms of what sites they like to visit and do, as well as how they structure trips with regard to travel companions.  For instance, Indians prefer to travel from June to August, avoiding the hottest months of summer, while the peak travel periods for Japanese are the calendar new year, Golden Week (typically late April to early May), and Obon (mid-July).  In addition, leisure travellers broadly break down into three segments: luxury, affluent, and mass.  Luxury travellers like what we call “haven-style regeneration” – they like comfort and lavish adventure
EXHIBIT 5

in luxurious surroundings.  Affluent travellers want exclusive holidays – feeling as though they are doing something others are not – with a ride range of services to ensure maximum comfort.  And mass travellers look for a multitude of fun options that offer good value.

Understanding and addressing these broad market segments while being aware of subtle differences is critical to appropriately serving the intra-Asia leisure market.  For example, the Philippines conducted a full analysis of its potential intra-Asia customers to understand their needs: who wanted to shop? Who sought adventure? Who wanted a cultural experience? With these segments top of mind, the country has sought to craft travel packages designed specifically for them.  Just as you may be surprised to discover exactly who comes to Beijing and why, the Philippines certainly was: tourists from Korea are the biggest travellers to the country, and there is huge demand for … wedding packages!

Business travellers.  Around a quarter of all international visitors to China come for business.  We do not have exact numbers for Beijing, but are certain of the opportunity presented by the travel category known as MICE: Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions.  Basically, this is tourism for large groups which is usually planned well in advance as attendees are brought together for a particular purpose.   There are several good reasons why destinations around the world covet this category: spending is obviously high, but there are advantages well beyond that.  It provides a destination with the chance to forge strong ties to companies and industries, and acts as a showcase for hundreds and thousands of visitors who are themselves potential leisure travellers.  Yet succeeding in this space is difficult.  MICE clientele demand flawless planning and execution – getting it wrong simply is not an option with so many alternate destinations available.  And most destinations have convention bureaus that bid for MICE business.  Improving Beijing’s ability to win group business and deliver an outstanding travel experience is an obvious opportunity.  After all, no Beijing properties are among the 13 hotels and resorts shortlisted by the World Travel Awards to be named the leading meetings and conference hotel in Asia for 2012.  And, in fact, only one hotel in China is on that list – the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai.  There is room for improvement.

D. Design and promote Beijing as an education hub
Our final imperative would both increase Beijing’s attractiveness as a tourist destination and as a world capital.  We see the city as a premier destination for educational tourism.  This concept is relatively new, but the fact is that all tourism is educational – the desire to travel is itself largely motivated by the desire for new experiences and a broader perspective.  This also gets back to something we touched on regarding Beijing’s opportunity to leverage its culture and history: there is increasing demand for “alternative” tourism that includes educational and learning elements that provide a distinctive visitor experience.  It is in this way that education and tourism overlap – and there is a huge opportunity to take advantage of the sweet-spot between the two.  We see two types of educational tourism – formal and informal:

Formal, or “education first”.  The principal focus of this type of tourism is education, not the actual tourist experience.  Examples include executive courses run in conjunction with major universities, exchange programmes, and language schools.  A good example is the Singapore Economic Development Board’s Global Schoolhouse. Since it was launched in 2002, this initiative has seen world-class institutions including the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, INSEAD, and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts establish operations in Singapore.  The country now has international curricula being offered by nine leading foreign tertiary institutions and more than 30 pre-tertiary schools – and education comprises 3.8 percent of GDP, with a goal of increasing that to 5 percent by 2015 (for more on Singapore’s Global Schoolhouse, see exhibit 6).  Focusing on education in this way has multiple ancillary benefits: it attracts smart, well-qualified, ambitious individuals; develops vibrant communities beyond the institutions themselves; and all works to develop a destination as a global talent hub.
EXHIBIT 6

Informal, or “tourism first”.  Here, some form of education or learning is an integral and, in some cases, a motivating component of the tourist experience.  This may include ‘edu-tourism’ products such as guided walking tours of cultural or heritage attractions, or China orientation trips for executives doing business in the country.  The critical point is that tourism becomes about more than merely taking a photograph next to a monument and checking it off a list; it becomes about understanding why and how a site is significant, understanding its history, and forging a deeper relationship with Beijing and China.  How many people who visit the Forbidden City, for example, truly understand its full significance?  How would their experience of it change if they did?  Partners such as travel planners (individuals, agents or organisations who assist in the planning and design of learning programmes for travellers) and tour operators (those responsible for packaging and presenting the educational experience by providing destination expertise, local knowledge and related marketing services) are critical to successfully providing these services.

Of course, both of these traveller types can be catered to simultaneously by offering an integrated product.   In this case, there is a core tourist product augmented by additional secondary or facilitated elements delivered by a variety of organisations.  Such an approach is particularly useful when it comes to MICE tourism, where attendees can learn via a venue or location itself (such as a heritage centre of educational institution), or through the use of resource specialists such as guides and curators.  We see Beijing as ideally placed to become the “centre of China”, rich in history and culture, and the logical starting point for anyone wanting to understand the country.

We are passionate about promoting the future of Beijing, and for helping it to realise its potential as one of the world’s truly great cities.  Too few people around the world have been to China, and even fewer genuinely understand it.  By becoming a major international tourism destination – while continuing to attract record numbers of domestic travellers – Beijing has the opportunity to not only realize its own economic goals, but further international understanding of the country’s history and culture.  Such efforts will be invaluable for strengthening bonds between countries in the years to come.