Interview: Petal Ads’ Smart Technology Revolution

The use of AI for tourism and tourism marketing is just getting started. To understand more about how technological advancements are already driving marketing to Chinese international travelers, and what further developments we should expect in the coming years, we spoke to Jaime Gonzalo, VP of Huawei Mobile Services Europe.

What are some of the biggest trends for Chinese tourists in 2025 so far, and how are you able to see/track those through Petal Ads data?

In 2025, several key trends are shaping the behavior of Chinese tourists. Deseasonalization is one of the key trends, where destinations are working to attract tourists during the traditionally quieter, off-peak seasons. This trend is not only about spreading out tourist visits but also encouraging more consistent demand throughout the year, helping to manage overcrowding and optimize local economies.

Decentralization is another big focus, with efforts to encourage tourists to explore regions beyond the major cities, promoting lesser-known destinations and ensuring that the benefits of tourism are more evenly distributed. This approach helps balance the economic impact across the country and reduces strain on popular tourist spots.

Additionally, there is an increasing focus on Chinese tourists lengthening their stay. Trip.com reported that during Golden Week 2024, European destinations like Spain and Italy experienced a notable increase in longer stays, with many extending their visits beyond 10 to 14 days. This reflects a shift in travel behavior where Chinese tourists are seeking longer stays for more immersive and extended travel experiences, leading to higher engagement with local cultures, activities, and luxury offerings.

In all these areas, Chinese tourism is poised to make a substantial impact. To effectively reach and engage with this market, Petal Ads allows businesses to access data-driven insights to connect with Chinese tourists, tracking their preferences, behaviors, and trends in real-time.

This enables more tailored marketing strategies that can promote off-season travel, explore new regions, and enhance the overall visitor experience, driving both longer stays and higher spending. By leveraging the capabilities of Petal Ads, destinations and businesses can optimize their outreach to meet the evolving needs of Chinese tourists in 2025.

How can international travel destinations and brands work with Huawei to attract more Chinese tourists? Can you share any examples of recent stand-out campaigns?

In China, where consumer behaviors and preferences can differ drastically from region to region in this digitally advanced society, targeted marketing is more important than ever. For brands aiming to succeed in China, partnering with Huawei offers a valuable opportunity to connect with potential customers in the digital space.

Personalization is fundamental to building enduring brand loyalty and awareness. In-depth knowledge of China’s unique market dynamics is the key to this and something we grasp fully. This includes a booming outbound tourism sector, a strong demand for luxury items from Western brands, and shifting patterns in user engagement and digital advertising.

With 730M global device MAUs, Petal Ads utilizes Huawei’s Data Management Platform (DMP) to collect and analyze data from Huawei devices users, drawing insights to help brands craft highly targeted and personalized campaigns. Recently, Counterpoint reported that Huawei dominated smartphone sales in China during the secured the fourth quarter of 2024. Additionally, Counterpoint also revealed that Huawei achieved the highest year-over-year growth in 2024 at 36%.

Chinese consumer expectations diverge from those of Europe in various ways, with symbolism and aesthetics playing a critical role. This opens the possibility for brands to enhance their visual content into a distinct form of communication. Luxury and travel brands that want to capture the attention of Chinese consumers, who have specific preferences when it comes to advertising, can trust Petal Ads to guide their strategy, thanks to its in-depth regional knowledge and emphasis on visual storytelling.

We recently held a press conference for Petal Ads’ “Sardinia towards UNESCO” campaign at Sa Manifattura in Cagliari to present valuable findings from the campaign. Targeting affluent Chinese travelers passionate about exploring ancient civilizations and discovering unique cultural experiences, the campaign aimed to increase awareness of Sardinia’s rich heritage and strengthen its bid for UNESCO recognition. Through programmatic display via Petal Ads, the campaign featured a customized Chinese landing page filled with detailed information about the Nuragic civilization and high-quality images, beautifully capturing Sardinia’s breathtaking landscapes, fascinating Nuragic sites and the island’s rich cultural history.

The campaign’s performance was impressive, generating 300,000 clicks from a total of 6 million impressions, significantly higher than the typical 1% click-through rate for similar campaigns. Furthermore, the average dwell time was nearly 30 seconds, nearly double the typical engagement time for similar campaigns, suggesting that the combination of compelling visuals and informative content successfully engaged the target audience.

In another Petal Ads campaign, MADRID TURISMO by IFEMA MADRID, launched for the Regional Government of Madrid, the Madrid City Council and IFEMA MADRID, the goal was to establish Madrid as a leading leisure destination in the Chinese market. The campaign showcased Madrid as a global premier cultural hub and a benchmark capital for luxury and high-impact tourism, with its unique lifestyle setting it apart from competitors.

By focusing on high-income professionals with a passion for culture and gastronomy, the campaign showcased Madrid’s stunning architecture and world-class dining scene. Premium placements, including immersive 3D-effect videos and interactive Newsfeed ads, highlighted the city’s sophistication, while tailored lifestyle recommendations were seamlessly integrated into Huawei Browser and Newsfeed pages, enhancing engagement and exclusivity.

The campaign achieved a 246% impression completion rate and 410% click completion rate, with 62% of respondents expressing strong interest in visiting Madrid the following year. Over 50% of engaged users visited with cultural exploration in mind, underscoring the campaign’s success in elevating Madrid’s profile among affluent Chinese tourists.

How are you using AI to optimize travel campaigns and promote off-peak travel? Which AI system do you use?

Petal Ads, Huawei’s digital advertising platform, uses AI and advanced analytics to make travel campaigns smarter and more efficient. With AI, the platform can better target Chinese travelers, personalize travel deals, and predict what destinations people are most likely to book, all at the right time. When it comes to promoting off-peak travel, Petal Ads analyses travel patterns to predict when certain destinations are less busy. This helps businesses create campaigns that encourage people to travel during quieter periods, offering them special deals or experiences tailored to their interests.

Behind the scenes, Petal Ads uses powerful AI systems, including machine learning and predictive analytics, to process vast amounts of data. This data might include past travel behaviors, online activity, and even booking trends. For example, Petal Ads can use predictive analytics to forecast when demand for a destination might drop, so businesses can target those times with promotions that entice travelers to visit when it’s quieter. By understanding past trends, Petal Ads can pinpoint the best times to push offers for off-peak travel, helping companies make their campaigns more effective.

AI also helps Petal Ads understand Chinese travelers better by segmenting them based on things like their location, travel history, spending habits and interests, allowing businesses to serve highly personalized promotional ads that resonate more with them. This is especially useful for promoting off-peak travel, where timely, relevant promotions can make all the difference in convincing someone to book a trip when fewer people are traveling.

Huawei’s advanced analytics take things a step further by providing deeper insights into seasonal travel patterns. Through tools like real-time trend analysis, Petal Ads can spot when certain destinations tend to have lower demand. This lets businesses adjust their marketing strategies based on data, ensuring they’re ready to target off-peak travel periods. For example, if a destination is usually quiet during a certain month, analytics can help businesses figure out if there’s an opportunity to boost interest, such as by tapping into an emerging trend or offering a limited-time promotion.

Jaime Gonzalo speaks about Chinese tourism and Petal Ads at FITUR in Madrid, January 2025

For Chinese travelers, who make up a large portion of global tourism, Petal Ads uses AI to understand their unique preferences and travel behaviors. With detailed data on what Chinese travelers like to do and where they go, Petal Ads can help businesses target off-peak seasons with offers that appeal specifically to them. The platform might suggest off-peak destinations based on where Chinese travelers tend to go during peak seasons. It can also highlight local cultural events, discounts, or special experiences that would attract this group. By tailoring these offers, Petal Ads can drive Chinese travelers to visit destinations during quieter times of the year.

In short, Petal Ads combines AI, machine learning, and Huawei’s advanced analytics to make travel campaigns smarter and more effective. The platform can predict travel trends, personalize offers, and target the right audiences at the right time—all of which help drive off-peak travel. For businesses, this means they can maximize their marketing efforts and tap into quieter seasons, while travelers get a chance to visit less crowded destinations.

Over the next 5 years or so, do you think AI has more potential to be used directly by consumers or by travel providers to improve the travel experience?

Today’s travelers aren’t satisfied with one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter experiences. They want journeys that feel personal—whether that means sustainable travel, wellness-focused trips, or deep cultural immersion. AI is making that level of personalization possible in ways we’ve never seen before. In the next five years, AI integration will become the standard in the travel industry, revolutionizing how consumers plan, experience, and interact with travel services.

From the consumer perspective, AI will certainly continue to evolve, making it more personalized and intuitive. We already see AI in virtual assistants, smart itineraries, and travel recommendation systems, but in the next 5 years, I expect these tools to become more deeply embedded into consumers’ daily routines. Think about real-time, hyper-personalized travel updates, and even AI-powered decision-making on where to go, when to go, and how to experience a destination. These innovations will empower travelers to make smarter, faster decisions and create a seamless journey from booking to arrival.

That said, the real game-changer is how travel providers are going to leverage AI. Airlines, hotels, and booking platforms are sitting on massive amounts of data, and AI will help them use that to optimize pricing, predict demand, and offer hyper-personalized experiences. For example, AI can help hotels anticipate a guest’s needs before they even ask, or allow airlines to adjust their pricing dynamically in real-time. And from an advertising perspective, AI is making it easier than ever to reach travelers at the right time with the right message—especially on mobile, where so much of the travel journey starts.

Here at Petal Ads, we see AI as the key to unlocking a more connected, intelligent travel ecosystem. Travel providers can use AI to predict consumer behavior, refine their offerings, and improve the overall customer experience, all while leveraging our mobile tech infrastructure to reach consumers exactly where they are. For instance, integrating AI with location-based services could provide real-time recommendations and promotions to travelers based on their current context.