Chinese visitors to the Napa Valley can now navigate their way around using a “Welcome to Napa” program available on WeChat, China’s multi-purpose social media app. Users can either plan their own routes, or can choose from one, two, or three-day itineraries.
It’s not surprise that the Californians are interested in making things easier for the Chinese to visit: more than 125,000 Chinese visitors visited Napa Valley in 2018, more than double the 56,000 visitors of 2014.
“The development of the new ‘Welcome to Napa’ WeChat Mini Program will drive Chinese visitation to the valley and make them feel welcome,” said Jack Duan, CEO and founder of Gliding Eagle. “It provides our partners with strong ownership of their brand story and the first comprehensive and interactive guide to independent Chinese tourists wanting to book a curated, first-class experience.”
The program includes information about partner properties and integration with maps, but it also includes translation services and audio tours of each winery, in both English and Chinese. So far, eight wineries are featured including the Hess Collection, Paraduxx and Robert Mondavi Winery, but the developers are clearly hoping more wineries will come on board. Gliding Eagle has plans to develop the app further, offering users tasting menus, wine club sign ups and winery reservation bookings.
The app was developed by data technology company Gliding Eagle Inc in partnership with the California International Trade Office and launched in late August.
Via press release
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