On 27 November the Finnish, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian Ambassadors to Beijing had the opportunity to promote tourism to the Nordic countries.
The event, hosted by the tourism organization Scandinavian Tourism Board, Internet corporation Baidu and other tourism promotion agencies, was part of Baidu’s launch of a strategic cooperation agreement with the national tourism organizations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
The Nordic countries have teamed up with Baidu Map in a bid to attract more Chinese tourists and to improve their travelling experience when visiting the Northern European region.
The strategic cooperation agreement enables Baidu promote tourism to these countries through their online platforms, including Baidu Maps, where more localization to these Nordic destinations will be offered.
The deal will allow Chinese tourists to use the Chinese language mapping service – which has up to 500 million users in China – when searching attractions and querying routes during their trips to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
“The cooperation aims to increase the destinations awareness, inspire the Chinese travellers and improve their travelling experiences,” Yile Gong, China PR Manager for Visit Sweden, told gbtimes.
For Baidu Map, the cooperation with the Nordic countries is part of the company’s efforts to transform itself from a Chinese mapping service to a global one comparable to Google Maps.
“The cooperation signals a further step forward in the localisation of Baidu Map in the course of its internationalisation, following our cooperation with the tourist administrations of South Korea and Thailand,” Li Dongmin, general manager of Baidu Map, told China Daily.
Denmark’s Ambassador A. Carsten Damsgaard was during the event asked to name one place he thought would surprise Chinese travellers in Denmark.
“I would urge the Chinese travellers to visit the island of Bornholm. It is the perfect retreat with a tranquil and clean environment, beautiful nature, world class cuisine and artwork,” said the Ambassador.
“If I am to name one reason why Chinese tourists should visit Denmark, it would be to explore why Danes have been named the world’s happiest people numerous times, and to experience what makes Copenhagen one of the most liveable cities in the world.”
Sources: Embassy of Denmark, China and gbtimes.com
