Team Coach Thomas Tuchel announced: “We visited China just last year and it’s a really beautiful country. I’m delighted to be back in Shenzhen and to visit Macau and Suzhou for the first time. Our growing number of Chinese fans are very passionate, and I’m thrilled to see them again.”
The 2019 China Tour presented by ALL – Accor Live Limitless is the team’s third tour to China in the last six years. It is a unique opportunity for ALL – Accor Live Limitless, the Club’s new principal sponsor, to showcase its expertise in hospitality and entertainment by hosting unique and innovative experiences.
During Paris Saint-Germain’s Summer tour in China, ALL – Accor Live Limitless will invite members to enjoy exclusive experiences with Paris Saint-Germain’s players and ambassadors, as well as having access to creative digital content.
The operation will come to a climax when the leading hotel company hosts a brand-new lifestyle experience in the prestigious Raffles Hotel in Shenzhen, to showcase the Parisian club’s sporty and stylish side and ALL – Accor Live Limitless’ ability to create the highest level of entertainment.
Paris Saint-Germain’s players will showcase the latest designs from the Nike and Jordan collections, namely the season’s home and away strips decorated with the ALL – Accor Live Limitless’ logo, as well as a selection of items from the Parisian wardrobe that have been given a revolutionary twist by fashion designers who are also fans of the club, such as KOCHÉ.
Chairman & CEO of Paris Saint-Germain
Nurturing a close relationship with the most-populated country on the planet, whose passion for football is ever-growing, is an important priority in our eyes.
For the third time in six years, our football team, which includes several world-renowned players, is coming to train and compete on Chinese soil. This country has proven lucky for us so far, since we have won two Trophée des Champions titles here, in 2014 and 2018. Another victory in this competition in 2019 would constitute the Club’s 40th major trophy, and would make the road to Paris Saint-Germain’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2020 all the more glorious. We will have the pleasure of hosting a number of our Chinese friends in Paris for this historic event.
In the run-up to this historic milestone, we are delighted to pay another visit to our Chinese fans. The number of PSG supporters in China increases year by year, rewarding the Club and its staff for their hard work. Everyone at the Club is proud to witness the enthusiasm shown by the fantastic community of Chinese fans on our digital platforms, which now brings together over 3 million fervent football fans from China. I pay great attention to the influence and popularity of Ligue 1 across the world, particularly in Asia. With this pre-season trip, we are continuing our ambition to secure Paris Saint-Germain’s status as French football’s main ambassador in China. Today, we are extremely proud to see that Paris Saint-Germain’s popularity in this magnificent country is helping establish Ligue 1 as one of the most-followed leagues by the country’s football fans.
Over the two weeks, we will have the opportunity to demonstrate everything that PSG can offer to Chinese football fans and, more generally, to football fans worldwide. This trip will be a key step in consolidating the global reputation of the Club, which is now firmly established as one of the sporting world’s most iconic brands. In 2019-2020, we are going to continue nurturing the bonds we have with our fans, wherever they may live. It is during our trip to China that this important ambition will really take off.
Q: What are the main objectives of the Summer tour?
Q: What advice would you give to any young Chinese player who wants to play for Paris Saint-Germain?
FOR SEBASTIEN WASELS
Managing Director of Asia Pacific
This season, we have decided to focus solely on China to offer even more experiences to our local fans. For the first time, the team will spend 12 days in the country and visit three great cities. This demonstrates the strong commitment the Club has towards China.
We are delighted to be reunited with our fans in Shenzhen and to meet the Rouge & Bleu communities in Macao and Suzhou. We look forward offering them exciting and unique experiences with the Club.
Q: What activities will be organised locally around the team’s visit?
This season, we are thrilled to be joined by our new sponsors, ALL - Accor Live Limitless, who are the presenting partner of the 2019 China Summer tour and have some very big ambitions to pursue as we begin our journey together. Paris Saint-Germain is committed to contribute to the development of football in China and work on projects that will inspire Chinese football’s stakeholders. The Paris Saint-Germain Academy will team up with Pingan to organise tournaments for talented young Chinese footballers. During the tour, Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel will join a dedicated Paris Saint-Germain Academy session with local children as well as meet and greet local coaches to share his experience. Last but not least, loyal to its long-term commitment through the Paris Saint-Germain – Children first initiative, the players will engage with the local community and visit the Shenzhen children’s hospital to bring some joy to sick children.
Q: What are your objectives in terms of developing the Paris Saint-Germain brand during the tour?
Paris Saint-Germain project goes far beyond sport. Since 2011, Paris Saint-Germain has transformed. It has attracted the best players on the planet, winning numerous trophies. It is now popular all over the world.
For two seasons, the Club is considered by many as the reference for lifestyle in the world of football. The club participates in the catwalks of the Paris and New York fashion shows. Designers such as Koché and Manish Arora have already developed exclusive collections. This positioning attracts numerous fans as well as influencers in the movie, music and sports industries all over the world who choose to wear the Parisian jersey. Last season, Jordan chose Paris Saint-Germain to be its exclusive representant in football.
Innovation is another key pillar of the club’s development. As an example, the Club has pioneered esports in 2016. It now runs a team, based in Shanghai, who is engaged in Dota 2 competitions, as well as a Chinese team on Fifa Online. No other club has gone that far in this way.
That is why supporting Paris Saint-Germain is such a special club. We have a unique offering to make to the Chinese fans and this Tour is great opportunity to let them know.
IN CHINA
Paris Saint-Germain is proud to be the first French club represented in the Chinese market and to be one of the top ten European clubs in the country.
The popularity of the Parisian club took off in 2012/13, with the arrival of some world-renowned names, such as David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, followed more recently by Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. Similarly, the arrival of Wang Shuang in 2018, the first Chinese player to spend a season at Paris Saint-Germain, led to a considerable increase in Chinese media interest in the club from the French capital.
The popularity of the players, combined with a revamped digital strategy launched in 2013 with the creation of Chinese social media, has allowed the club to significantly enhance brand awareness. Paris Saint-Germain is now present on four Chinese social media sites: WeChat, Weibo, Douyin and Dongqiudi, with the club now attracting 3 million fans in total. It has also developed a digital strategy specific to the Chinese market and created localised content to improve the way it interacts with local fans and to adhere to the rules and culture of China’s digital world.
Although Paris Saint-Germain is hampered by the fact that its domestic matches are not broadcast on Chinese TV, the recent agreement between the French Professional Football League (LFP) and CCTV will redress this imbalance and provide a valuable showcase for the French Ligue 1. A record audience of 1.6 million people watched the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nice in China in March 2018, and the club is hoping to make the most of this fresh opportunity to consolidate its presence in the country.
FANS IN CHINA
ACCOR LIVE LIMITLESS
The 2019 China Summer Tour Presenting parnter
Accor is a global leader in augmented hospitality. The Group offers unique experiences in nearly 4,800 hotels, resorts and private residences in over 100 countries. With an unparalleled portfolio of brands ranging from luxury to economy, Accor has been providing hospitality expertise for more than 50 years. Beyond accommodations, Accor connects and elevates modern lifestyles with exciting offerings in workspaces, food and beverage, entertainment, sport and well-being. To maximise the business of hospitality, Accor’s portfolio of business accelerators provide cutting-edge services and technologies that boost hospitality distribution, operations and experiences. Accor shapes the way we live, work, and play, by augmenting and reimagining hospitality as a series of connected moments, driven by a holistic ecosystem of brands and the services to power them.
As a leader within Asia Pacific region, Accor has 1,135 hotels and over 212,000 rooms. Whilst 350 hotels with 60,000 rooms are scheduled to open in Asia Pacific. This booming region continues to boost Accor’s worldwide development. It represents nearly 50% of Accor’s secured pipeline. Today, Accor is the second largest luxury hotel group and the largest lifestyle player in the world. We continue to strengthen our development in the luxury and lifestyle space with some significant openings recently including Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, Raffles Shenzhen, MGallery Kyoto Yura Hotel; upcoming openings include Raffles Singapore (relaunch after full renovation), Fairmont Wuhan, The Silveri Hong Kong, MGallery and projects in the pipeline include Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa, Raffles Jaipur, Raffles Udaipur and Raffles Bali, just to name a few.
In February 2019, Accor announced its new lifestyle loyalty program ALL - Accor Live Limitless, a fully integrated global platform integrating rewards, services, and experiences across Accor’s entire ecosystem, including 4,800 hotels worldwide across a unique and iconic portfolio of over 30 hotel brands including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend, SO/, Sofitel, MGallery, Pullman, Swissôtel, Mövenpick, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis, to bring value everyday life whether you work, live or play.
As suggested by its name, “Live Limitless” captures the spirit that boundless hospitality brings inspiration to life. It expresses our expertise for limitless performance and success; it is a rallying cry to go beyond what’s possible; it conveys our mission to unlock limitless experiences not just in travel, but in life. ALL is created first and foremost to offer wider choice, at the same time more personalized experiences.
Accor and Paris Saint-Germain have signed a global multi-year partnership agreement. ALL becomes the Principal Partner and official jersey sponsor of the club starting from the 2019/2020 season. The partnership will bring together a global, pioneering leader in the hospitality industry with the world’s fastest-growing football club; Accor’s 265 million guests join the 395 million fans who follow the club and its players on social media worldwide.
This summer, the recently-crowned French Ligue 1 Champions Paris Saint-Germain will come to China. The first squad will travel to Shenzhen, Macau and Suzhou from July 24 to August 3 in preparation for the 2019/20 season as part of its pre-season tour in partnership with ALL. During this period, Accor will activate a taste of the new lifestyle loyalty program ALL - Accor Live Limitless (with its official launch slated for the end of 2019) for its loyalty members, guests, partners, employees and local community through a series of events for an exclusive ‘money can’t buy’ experience.
Nothing encompasses the lifestyle of ALL – Accor Live Limitless quite like the thrill of sports. And no team consistently reaches for its limitless potential like Paris Saint-Germain. We hope to bring to our partners, owners, loyalty members, media and consumers a distinctive experience of Paris Saint- Germain during their showcase tour of China this Summer.
Following an extensive study, three main passion points resonated with our loyalty members: Entertainment, Dining and Culinary & Sports. Our Group also has several brands with sport ambassadors such as David Beckham with sbe entertainment Group, Teddy Riner and Le Club AccorHotels, etc. We want to continue this story and PSG made complete sense. We share a common passion for football !