Hotel owners in the Scottish Highlands are being encouraged to supply the ever-increasing number of Chinese tourists with chopsticks and Pot Noodles.
B&B owners should provide noodles and disposable chopsticks in the rooms and include pictures in their menus, according to Monica Lee-Macpherson, chairwoman of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and Moray Chinese Association.
Lee-Macpherson, who is half Scottish and half Chinese, leads tours to popular Highlands destinations.
“A lot of hotels have Polish, Italian, Spanish or even Japanese speakers, but I don’t know any that have Mandarin speakers,” she told The Times. “They don’t even learn simple phrases like ‘how are you?’, ‘good morning’ or ‘thank you’.”
She stressed that Scottish businesses would need to adapt if they were to take advantage of Chinese tourists’ desire to spend money while on holiday.
She said: “We think too much about Europeans, but how often do you see a European visitor go and buy four cashmere jumpers without even batting an eyelid? Chinese people have new found wealth and will spend that money.”
Lee-Macpherson added that shops should stay open later to make the most of visitors’ deep pockets, as they have told her: “Your shops close at 5pm or 6pm, so after we have had our dinner there are no places for us to spend our money.”
China Ready workshops have been developed by the Highland and Islands Enterprise development agency to help businesses adapt to the needs of Chinese visitors, but more simple things can be instigated by hotels and restaurants, according to Graeme Ambrose, who runs Visit Inverness Loch Ness.
These include ensuring there are twin beds, which are more popular for Chinese guests, and providing lukewarm rather than cold water.
“Another thing businesses will have to get used to is that Chinese people expect to be able to pay for things using apps on their phones,” he said.
“These are affluent people with a lot of money to spend and the challenge is to recognise what their likes and dislikes are so they get the best possible experience when they are here.”
The Visit Scotland website offers businesses a China Toolkit, which includes cultural advice about catering for Chinese guests.
Scotland attracted 62,000 Chinese visitors in 2017, who spent £44m in total, according to Visit Scotland.
