Blackjack Promotions’ team members facilitated promotional activities, showcased retail brands, and offered tailored services to Chinese passengers.

Travel retail and brand experience specialist, Blackjack Promotions celebrated Chinese New Year with the launch of an engagement campaign at London Gatwick Airport. The campaign launched as spending from Chinese travellers looks set to increase this year, to levels not seen since 2019.

The objective of the campaign was to emphasise gifting options available at London Gatwick Airport.

The activation, positioned in the International Departure Lounge (IDL) in the North Terminal where flights to China depart, launched as London Gatwick announced its growth plan centres on boosting UK-China connectivity, as the airport reported 265% year-on-year growth in passenger volumes to and from China.

In celebration of Chinese New Year, the cultural campaign highlights the opportunity to create meaningful connections with Chinese passengers; featuring Mandarin-speaking ambassadors, traditional attire, and tailored promotional activities.

Trained in promotional sales and hosting, the Mandarin-speaking ambassadors operated in sync with flights departing to Chinese destinations, ensuring maximum engagement with Chinese passengers.

As visitors navigated through the terminal, they were greeted with New Year wishes by Blackjack Promotions’ ambassadors dressed in traditional Cheongsam attire, a Chinese outfit symbolising elegance and heritage.

The team provided personalised recommendations on shopping and dining options throughout the duration of the campaign which ran from January 20-29.

Leanne Nutter, Retail & Brand Director at Blackjack Promotions, commented:  “Chinese tourism is vital to the UK economy, as visitors from China are known for their high spending power. While the aviation industry has seen a decline in Chinese visitors since 2019, VisitBritain forecasts a return to pre-pandemic levels, this year. This is encouraging, and at Blackjack Promotions, we’re committed to making every visit unforgettable by delivering unique, culturally enriching experiences.

This Chinese New Year provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate Chinese traditions and show how airports can connect with shoppers by embracing cultural nuances.”

Complementary signage was positioned around the promotional site further highlighting gifting options that were curated to resonate with Chinese travellers to boost customer interest and footfall.

Sarah Walker, Retail Trading and New Channels Manager, London Gatwick, added:  “We worked closely with retailers to identify gifting items that aligned with the preferences of Chinese customers. This ensured the campaign delivered both value to passengers and our retailers.

“As we look to encourage Chinese tourism, it’s important to find ways to connect with visitors. Blackjack Promotions came up with the idea of integrating cultural references into our North Terminal and the overall success of the initiative has been fantastic and shows our collective commitment to cultural awareness.”

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