Case Study - Hangzhou Tourism

Objective

McCluskey International was briefed to develop a six-month PR and trade strategy to generate awareness of the destination and create an intriguing angle for Hangzhou that would place it firmly on the map.

Strategy

As a relatively unknown destination to the UK market, McCluskey International launched Hangzhou as a must-see city and the ‘back garden of Shanghai’. Hangzhou has many benefits for UK travellers, including the fact that it’s 180km southwest of Shanghai and is accessible by China’s recently launched bullet train, thus making it a credible alternative to Shanghai for both business and leisure tourism alike.

In addition to this, Hangzhou is credited for its natural beauty and is ranked as one of the top ten scenic cities in China. McCluskey International advised the best way to illustrate Hangzhou’s offering would be via a group press trip and group fam trip, to ensure journalists generated a momentum with media coverage on the destination and key selling staff from tour operators developed their product knowledge. Other activity undertaken included a chopstick/map mailer for basic education, sales calls with operators, a quarterly newsletter and monthly press releases.

Result

McCluskey International generated £427,007 worth of coverage with key publications including The Independent, Wanderlust, Time Out and The Scotsman. MI also developed key relationships with the UK trade to ensure Hangzhou as featured in brochures.