London Heathrow has today (June 7) become the first airport in the UK to launch its presence on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform used by over 600 million people.
Commonly referred to as the ‘Chinese Twitter’, Weibo is a microblogging website which allows people to post real-time messages of up to 140 Chinese characters. With an estimated 91% of users interacting with Weibo on mobile, the platform is ideal for Chinese passengers who are on the move.
London Heathrow’s presence on Weibo is designed to promote UK tourism while also acting as a customer service tool, providing Chinese passengers with real-time information about their airport journey. Heathrow’s Weibo presence complements its existing WeChat account, which enables one-to-one conversations between passengers and a dedicated airport team.
Marc Ellams, head of passenger communications, London Heathrow Airport, said, “We are constantly evolving the way we engage with customers and with inbound tourism from China continuing to rise, having a presence on Weibo is critical if we want to provide the best possible service to our passengers.”
The airport’s Twitter account currently holds the record for the number of followers of an airport with 380,000 subscribed users. The account has now become a crucial part of the airport’s control center, delivering real-time customer support.
