The outbound China market is not only growing, but also maturing as Chinese travellers are increasingly going beyond the traditional norm of vacationing. They are travelling further to new far flung locations, going for local offerings and getting more adventurous instead of spending their time shopping.
The findings are from the seventh annual Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) report released by Hotels.com that surveyed 3,047 Chinese residents aged 18 to 58 years on their spending patterns, travel preferences, booking methods, accommodation choices and future plans. The survey was conducted by research company, Ipsos.
Asia is no longer the flavour of the month for Chinese travellers, says the report. Over the next 12 months more tourists plan to go beyond their usual holiday playground in search of different experiences. About 60% of the respondents intend to travel to a country they have not yet visited. Australia appears to be their favourite among the top 10 destinations they are excited to visit in the coming 12 months. The others (in order of popularity) are Canada, France, New Zealand, USA, the Maldives, Germany, Singapore, Japan and Korea.
Despite the lure of new destinations more than one third (37%) still intend to visit countries they have been to before, such as Japan (46% want to revisit), South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. However, they want to do these familiar destinations in a different way – by trying new cities or regions.
The trend towards long haul destinations – Europe, North America and Latin America – that emerged last year has grown even stronger this year. The findings show that for next year Europe, Africa and the Middle East are the top new destinations for more than half of the travellers surveyed.
The lure of new destinations for Chinese travellers (Image credit – Petra, Jordan: DeSid/iStock-Getty Images)
North America will continue to be a hot favourite, and Latin America is also emerging as a popular choice with 26% and 13% travellers planning a first-time visit to these destinations in the next year respectively. Over a third of travellers plan to visit Oceania next year, with Australia topping the list for future visits.
Both young and old tourists are keen to try new and authentic experiences – from music festivals to an international film festival, tasting exotic quirky delicacies and scouring the streets for authentic local items.
Some millennials want to push the boundaries in trying activities that provide an adrenalin rush or even an element of danger such as whitewater rafting, an escape room, paintball and sliding down a live volcano in Nicaragua.
The globetrotters are also becoming more adventurous in their choice of lodging and in their travel style – choosing out-of-the-box and independent hotels with local flavour and moving away from travelling in packs, opting instead for independent travel even to new destinations (65% in 2018 over 54% last year).
Adrenalin-rush activities like whitewater rafting appeal to the younger travellers. (Image credit: emeldrum/iStock-Getty Images)
These travellers are staying away longer, spending eight to nine days for long haul trip, and spending more money. The report confirms there is an increase in traveller spending by 40% this year, compared with the previous year. Millennials are spending unprecedented amounts on travel, with those born after 1990 increasing their travel spend by 80%.
An interesting revelation is these “increasingly influential” young travellers are helping change the way their older counterparts explore destinations, both traditional and familiar, and to go a bit wild too.
“This year’s CITM reveals the far-reaching influence of this younger generation of Chinese travellers. Their growing sophistication and affluence is inspiring them to learn more about other cultures and to travel widely,” comments Nelson Allen, general manager, Asia Pacific of Hotels.com brand. “… These younger Chinese travellers are also inspiring their parents and other travellers born post 1960 and 1970 to do the same.”
He also notes that every year more and more Chinese residents travel overseas. “In 2017 there were 130 million outbound tourists, 7% more than in 2016 and 85% more than in 2011 when we first published CITM.”
Download the full report here.
• Featured image credit: Izf/iStock-Getty Images
