England's Goodwood Estate has a good story to tell China

By Cecily Liu (China Daily) Updated: 2015-02-09 07:44

The Goodwood Estate is recognized as the venue for England's foremost heritage sporting events. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A Chinese love for British history and traditions is attraction of English estate

The Goodwood Estate has long been recognized as the venue for some of England's foremost heritage sporting events, but as the estate seeks to expand internationally, China is recognized as a key country of its marketing focus.

Increasingly Chinese tourists are visiting the estate to gain an authentic British experience and Chinese residents in Britain are seeing the estate as a relaxing venue for a weekend stay or sporting activities.

The estate also sends staff to see Chinese sporting events, and welcomes visitors from Chinese sporting companies to Goodwood to swap ideas and information.

However, beyond the revenue generated from Chinese visitors, the bigger strategy is to establish a good name for Goodwood in China so a sustainable business model can be supported by continuous revenue from branded products or even branded overseas events.

"We need to constantly find new and innovative ways of making sure the estate remains profitable and therefore sustainable," says Charles Gordon-Lennox, 59, Earl of March and Kinrara, who took over the running of Goodwood Estate, which covers nearly 5,000 hectares, from his father at the age of 40.

Since then, Lord March has restored the estate's historic motor-racing circuit and established the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held each July, and the Revival, held each September. They are now the world's foremost historic motorsport events.

The estate also has two 18-hole golf courses, the Goodwood aerodrome and flying school, a 91-bedroom hotel and a 1,500 hectare organic farm. The headquarters of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is also on the estate, and all Rolls-Royce cars are made there.

About 750,000 people visit the estate each year, 500,000 of them coming for events.