Orange County Visitors Association expands Sales Office, offers special rates, introduces tourism website In China.
SHANGHAI – Building on the momentum achieved since opening its first sales office in Shanghai, China earlier this year, the Orange County Visitors Association (OCVA) announced three new initiatives designed to attract Chinese visitors to Orange County in 2014 and beyond.
These initiatives are:
- The opening of a second sales office in Beijing later this year
- Special 2014 room rates for visitors from China at selected hotels and resorts throughout Orange County
- A new Chinese-language website to be launched in the first quarter of 2014.
“Attracting visitors from China is a major component of our overall strategic marketing plan for the Association and we’re thrilled by the positive response we’ve had in China since opening our Shanghai office,” said Gary Sherwin, OCVA’s Chairman. “China continues to be our single best opportunity and we are determined to ensure that those Chinese visitors who are interested in discovering California know about Orange County and all the wonderful attractions and activities we have to offer.”
Mr. Sherwin, along with Ed Fuller, OCVA’s President and Chief Executive Officer, just concluded a sales mission to China that included a 15-person delegation of local travel industry leaders who spent a week meeting with Chinese tourism officials and travel planners to solidify and enhance established relationships, build new alliances and to better understand how to better serve Chinese visitors.
Special Rates for Visitors from China in 2014
In addition to opening its second sales office in China, selected members of the Association have come together to ensure that their hotels and resorts are within economic reach of as many future Chinese visitors as possible.
“To that end, some of our best and most popular hotels and resorts in 2014 will offer special, value-oriented room rates that we’re confident the Chinese traveling public will find appealing,” said Mr. Fuller.
He said 28 hotels across Orange County are currently participating in the special rate program. They are located in such popular Orange County tourist destinations as Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Tustin, Newport Beach, Buena Park and Dana Point. Sample rates range from $50 a night per person at the Buena Park Hotel & Suites in Buena Park in the economy tier, $210 a night person at the Westin, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa in the moderate tier and $695 a night per person at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach in the luxury tier.
He noted that these special rates will be available in the luxury, moderate and economy tiers. All will be offered double occupancy, tax included, and virtually all will offer breakfast for two.
Chinese language website to launch in 2014
Mr. Fuller also said that OCVA will launch a new tourism information website targeting Chinese travelers in the first quarter of 2014. The new site is part of OCVA’s goal to make it easier for international visitors to access information about Orange County on-line and to present Orange County’s tourism story in a way potential travelers in the targeted country are most accustomed to receiving it.
“China is our fourth largest off-shore international market and we are singularly intent on growing this market exponentially,” he said. “With an estimated four million Chinese visitors expected to come annually to the U.S. within the next four years, we want to ensure these future travelers know everything there is to know about Orange County’s many exciting and appealing attractions, special events and activities and what sets us apart from other destinations in California.”
Photo caption (left to right): Row 1 – Lily Zhu (OCVA Sales Director, Beijing), Cherrie Yang (OCVA Sales Director, Shanghai); Row 2 – Paulette Lombardi-Fries (Costa Mesa DMO Pres.), Gary Sherwin (Visit Newport Beach Pres.), Ed Fuller (President/CEO, OCVA), Cynthia Hooper (GM Red Lyon Anaheim) Harry Sladich, (Executive VP Red Lion Hotels), Chip Stuckmeyer (VP International Sales Pelican Hill Resort), Ned Snavely (Laguna Strategic Advisors); Row 3 – Jeff Levy (Publisher Southern California Media Group), Kim Glen (VP Sales Costa Mesa), Ruby Gualberto (VP, Visit Newport Beach), Debbie Snavely (GM Newport Beach Marriott), Elaine Cali (VP Public Relations Anaheim CVB). (PRNewsFoto/Orange County Visitors Association).
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