Napa, CA (October 15, 2019) – California-based cloud system and data technology company Gliding Eagle Inc. has partnered with the California International Trade Office (ITO) to leverage China’s massive mobile social communication and payment application WeChat to launch the first bilingual “Welcome to Napa” WeChat Mini Program. The program, officially sponsored by the California International Trade Office launched in late August on WeChat, is aimed at attracting and welcoming Chinese users who are interested in visiting Napa Valley. According to Visit Napa Valley, more than 125,000 Chinese travelers came to the region in 2018, up significantly from 56,000 visitors in 2014.

Gliding Eagle is already a conduit between Chinese consumers and the California wine industry. The company established a stellar reputation for tracking and delivering wine using a proprietary technology that authenticates each bottle and tracks its movement through the global supply chain to the end consumer. “The development of the new “Welcome to Napa” WeChat Mini Program will drive Chinese visitation to the valley and make them feel welcomed,” says Gliding Eagle Founder and CEO Jack Duan. “It provides our partners with strong ownership over their brand story and the first comprehensive and interactive guide to independent Chinese tourists wanting to book a curated, first-class experience.”

The “Welcome to Napa” WeChat Mini Program allows Chinese users to plan their visit and select destinations in Napa Valley or choose from curated one, two or three-day itineraries. The program provides images of each partner property and winery; direct contact information for the partner properties where interested tourists may call to make a reservation; integration with Apple maps and other software mapping programs to navigate visitors to their planned destinations once in the U.S.; and translation services and audio tours detailing each winery’s history and wine details in Chinese and English. Users may also save partner properties and wines into their list of favorites for reference and share their favorites with friends. In the future, Gliding Eagle and the ITO plan to include an artificial intelligence chat bot supported by WeChat Deep Talk technology, tasting menus, wine club sign-ups, and in-app winery reservation booking.

“We currently have eight amazing Napa wineries, a resort with golf and an attraction participating in our program, with only a few more winery slots available,” says Duan. Current participants include Napa Valley Aloft Balloons, Silverado Resort & Spa, Beringer Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyards, Duckhorn Vineyards, The Hess Collection, Paraduxx, Peju Winery, Raymond Vineyards, and Robert Mondavi Winery. Wineries interested can learn more by visiting the Gliding Eagle website.

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About Gliding Eagle

Gliding Eagle is a cloud system and data technology company solving market access and supply chain security issues in global trade.  The company tracks and delivers premium wines from more than 120 premier California wineries to over 30 destinations direct-to-consumer globally.  Each step is recorded to ensure product authenticity and channel accountability. Recognized in 2017 by the U.S. Congress and U.S. Department of Commerce for excellence in imports, Gliding Eagle has also been the top featured startup on IBM.com since 2018.  Learn more at eagl.co.

 

About WeChat

Launched in 2011 Weixin/WeChat has been enhancing the lives of hundreds of millions of users with its innovative features.  The most widely used Chinese social media platform integrates instant messaging and social entertainment, bringing about a mobile digital lifestyle on an easy to use app.  Users get to engage in real-time communications via free text and multimedia messages, make video calls or share photos on their “Moments”. The core innovative features also include Mini Programs to connect online and offline merchants and extended services such as Weixin/WeChat Pay to create a truly mobile, digital and smart living.  Weixin/WeChat reached more than 1.1 Billion monthly active users as of June 2019.  Weixin/WeChat has evolved into a connector and open platform across industries, connecting users with one another, with smart devices and with business services.

 

About California ITO

Powered by the California Community Colleges, the mission of the California International Trade Office (ITO) is to leverage digital services and tools to empower small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) to grow sales in overseas markets. ITO is the new “go-to” resource for supporting companies through self-service online tools and digital trade training.

 

MEDIA CONTACT      

Tia Butts, Tia Butts|pr, (707) 260-5620 or tia@tiabuttspr.com

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