BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Echo Zhao has been appointed as the General Manager for BrandStory China, effective immediately. 

A native of Shanghai, fluent in Chinese, English and Shanghainese, she holds an MBA from the prestigious Hong Kong University to complement a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Travel Services Management from China’s elite “Ivy league” Fudan University of Shanghai. Academically, Echo was recognised for her strengths in data interpretation and strategic analysis.  Coupling that with her thorough grasp of outbound tourism trends and traveler behaviours, she effectively led teams to deploy AI-driven solutions to optimise targeting and shape successful campaigns for global destinations. 

With over 20 years of experience in travel and tourism in China, Echo has excelled in various roles from leading brand marketing campaigns, managing revenue and lead generating initiatives for global destinations to driving yield management programs for meeting and convention spaces and international hotel chains. A proven national sales team leader, she consistently guides her teams to achieve annual KPIs, showcasing strong leadership and strategic sales expertise. To date, she has led destinations to win over 30 marketing awards with the latest being Global Annual Excellence Partner Award by Trip.com for Azerbaijan.  

Prior to joining BrandStory, Echo was Sales Director at Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund, after over 6 outstanding years with the MICE team at Shanghai World Financial Centre where she repeatedly filled the venue with local and international business events. 

Deeply passionate about the travel industry and naturally curious about the world, Echo is an early-adopter of technology and readily embraces innovation. Her forward-looking mindset and openness to experimentation has led her and her team to aptly navigate changing trends and employ digital tools to elevate destination marketing performance. This has contributed to BrandStory’s ability to stay ahead in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Since joining BrandStory in 2017, Echo served as China Account Director (Trade & Mice) for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, successfully overseeing the transition of travel products from group packages to high-spending FITs.  As a senior member of management team, she led the offices across China’s key outbound cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, managing teams of destination marketing experts handling accounts including Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Capital Region USA (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia), Visit Iceland, Egypt Tourism Authority, Singapore’s Garden By The Bay and San Diego Zoo Alliance.  Her team’s effectiveness and continuous drive for business development, partners engagement and lead generation have resulted in increased visitation and spend by Chinese travelers.  

Besides being a China marketing expert in strategies to drive incremental arrivals, Echo created strategic opportunities with airlines and non-travel brands to expand reach to broader audiences, enhancing destination awareness and desire to visit.

Reene Ho-Phang, Founder of BrandStory said, “I have full confidence in Echo’s dedication, dynamic ability and solid experience to continue building on what was started 22 years ago. Her outstanding integrity and winning personality which has seen satisfied clients placing their trust in her and her teams over the years is proof that she is the right person for the job”.  

“I will be stepping aside to focus on ANEW Story, currently a new startup division under BrandStory, dedicated to providing marketing services to serve the emerging needs of sustainable travel businesses as well as non-profit organisations in an AI-driven world. We invite those engaged in community building for charitable and eco-environment friendly causes to reach out to us.” she added.

This marks an exciting new era for BrandStory. With our new leadership in place, we will continue to deliver strong performance for global clients engaged in the thriving Asian markets.  We sincerely appreciate your continued support. If you require any professional marketing expertise for China, please feel free to reach out to BrandStory at [email protected] 

*All Photos from BrandStory China