It's official. Foreign tourists are back in France. It therefore remains the world's leading tourist destination with 75 million international visitors welcomed in 2022. 🥇 In 2024, between the Olympic Games and the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, the increase in the number of international travelers is expected to continue. A boon for the hotel industry, provided you offer hotel services that appeal to this clientele. 🏨 Follow our instructions to do so.
Profiling foreign customers
Attracting travelers other than the French begins with the analysis of its clientele from elsewhere. Who are they? Where do they come from? How much time is left? What hotel services do they consume? etc. Add to that the statistics of your audience on digital media (website and social networks).
Numerous national and local organizations (INSEE, Atout France, tourist offices, etc.) set up observatories that collect precise data on foreign tourist clients. Do not hesitate to retrieve their publications to refine your investigation.
👉 In France, 2023 was marked by the return of British travelers. Have you seen the same trend in your establishment?
Hotel nights during the summer season by country of origin:
Then, based on the data collected, target priority foreign customers to be prospected and find out about their travel habits and the attentions they value.
💡 Some destination management organizations publish guides to properly welcome international visitors, such as” Do You Speak Tourist” of the CCI and the CRT Paris Île-de-France.
Adapting communication media to international travelers
Do you translate your editorial content word for word? If this is the case, you could optimize your communication by adjusting your speech. Indeed, it is recommended to avoid the literal translation of your texts. Instead, adopt a nuanced approach by developing an editorial line specific to each nationality, according to their expectations and motivations. For example, Asian customers are more sensitive to hospitality, while European customers are more interested in unique offers and experiences.
To help you, we have developed a list of communication materials to be available in foreign versions:
- The website : of the Homepage in the reservation confirmation message, it is important not to leave out any content of the sales channel;
- ads on directories and online booking platforms whether they are available in the foreign markets you are targeting;
➡️ Read our article: Properly list your hotel on an OTA
- Social networks : remember to translate your posts on Facebook, Instagram... at least into English;
- promotional videos whose scripts can be rewritten according to the origin of visitors;
- brochures, leaflets and business cards ;
- personalized emails pre-stay and post-stay;
- The newsletters ;
- Customer reviews : answer the testimonies in the original language or, failing that, in English;
💡 Tip: use Deepl, one of the most efficient free online translators thanks to its artificial intelligence (even if it does not replace the editorial quality of a professional translator).
- loyalty programs by adjusting rewards to customer preferences;
- The welcome booklet : the digital version makes it easy to present additional services in several languages.
➡️ This is the case of the GetWelcom guest app. It includes automatic translation of content into the two main foreign languages of your choice.
- The road signs in common areas and rooms;
- safety instructions and user manuals devices;
- The menu card.
Train teams to welcome foreign customers to the hotel
Recruiting employees who are fluent in foreign languages is essential. But with the job market in the hotel and restaurant industry facing a shortage of applications, it is not always easy to find the right profiles. 💁🏼 ♂️💁 ♀️
In this case, focusing on understanding the habits and customs of foreign travelers can be a real strength. In the same way that you train your teams to receive people with hearing disabilities without teaching them to speak sign language, you can make them aware of welcoming different foreign customers. The aim is for them to know the cultural norms specific to each country, from polite gestures to service preferences.
A significant example 💰: it is increasingly rare in our country to tip. However, in the United States, England and Austria, it is “common currency”. It can even be frowned upon if you leave without leaving the room. It is therefore crucial that your employees learn to receive it without discomfort.
Decline the offer of services for international tourists
Attracting Italian, Japanese or Swedish customers is not limited to translating the website and training the teams. It is essential that the services and equipment live up to the promise. Here's how it can be done.
Make the hours more flexible
Between Japanese people who eat lunch at 6 am and Spaniards who dine after 9 pm, it is recommended to adapt restaurant hours or offer room service on a wider scale. Not to mention adjusting the concierge and reception hours. 🕕
➡️ Read our article on The establishment of room service in a hotel
Provide useful equipment and products
This is achieved, among other things, by a free and efficient Wi-Fi connection, universal electrical sockets, international television channels, toiletries, a safe in the rooms, a kettle for tea and coffee. ☕
Offer specific services
List the tourism providers in your region who offer activities adapted to international customers, either by practicing the language, or by providing audio guides or translated tour materials. The must: partner with experienced multilingual guides. Foreign customers will love it! 🚶
➡️ GetWelcom helps you promote these offers by equipping you with a Guest app whose contents are translated into two foreign languages. Request your demo !
Sources:
Government news — October 2023: France, still the world's top tourist destination
Press release from the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty:” Good prospects for French tourism this summer, marked by the confirmation of the return of international customers”.
INSEE study: 2023 Summer Tourism Season
