Marbella lures wealthy Chinese visitors

Marbella is positioning itself as the top destination for Chinese tourists. The city has a focus on attracting wealthy visitors who travel during off-peak seasons.

This programme was presented during a roundtable discussion titled ‘The Chinese Market: Keys and Potential of Chinese Tourism. ‘Marbella, a Success Story’, which of course is a very long name for promoting Marbella to China. This event, organised by Marbella Council with Asialink Spain and held at La Fonda Heritage Hotel in Marbella, explored the growth potential of the Chinese market and strategies for enhancing Marbella’s appeal.

Laura de Arce, the city’s tourism director, stressed the importance of drawing Chinese tourists in the low season to achieve a kind of ‘de-seasonalisation’ (off-peak tourism), a critical goal for local businesses. ‘This debate has been a fantastic opportunity for Marbella’s entrepreneurs to learn how to successfully engage with this new type of visitor,’ De Arce stated. The partnership between Asialink Spain and Marbella aims to identify improvement areas and tailor the city’s tourism highlights towards the Chinese market.

Chinese tourists have a strong preference for cultural and gastronomic activities, luxury shopping, and iconic travel experiences. The Chinese market offers a great opportunity to Marbella’s businesses.

Marbella Council has improved its social media presence since September to better connect with this premium market. This event allowed industries such as golf, retail and hospitality to better understand the market.