Chinese dragon builds steam

BANGKOK  If you think you’ve noticed more Chinese tourists in your city of late, you’re not mistaken.
According to global accommodation booking website, Hotels.com, Chinese travellers continue to take the world by storm, up in numbers by 20% to 107 million in 2014 and there’s seemingly no stopping the rising tide.
What’s more they’re younger, more independent-minded and tech-savvy and increasingly cashed-up.
And here’s where they’re most likely to land up in bigger numbers. Australia, Japan and France have been named as the most desired destinations to visit in the next 12 months. Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation listed in this top 10 category.
inside no 3
Hotels.com’s annual Chinese International Travel Monitor examines the growth trends in mainland Chinese international travellers and the impact this is having on the global travel industry.
The findings are startling: Outbound Chinese travellers could number around 174 million in four years’ time, spending about USD264 billion annually, according to forecasts. This is roughly equivalent to the GDP of a developed country like Singapore.
Lifetime landmarks
Of the landmarks outside China they’d most like to visit in their lifetimes, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Mount Fuji in Japan and Paris’s Eiffel Tower top their wish list.
Warmest welcome
Outbound Chinese travellers rate South Korea as the most welcoming country, followed by Thailand and Japan.
inside no 3.1 Hotels.Com vice president and managing director Asia Pacific, Abhiram Chowdhry, said: “This year’s report is another wake-up call to host countries around the world to pull out all the stops to accommodate Chinese travellers and tailor their services for this market as the potential is huge.”
“These new globetrotters really enjoy travelling. They are younger, more independent, highly tech-savvy, happy to spend – and they know exactly what they want.”
Other key findings:
The average spend per day by Chinese international travellers in 2014 was THB17,769.10 (3,324 RMB) including accommodation, with most splashing the cash on shopping dining and sightseeing. This compares with THB73,770.66 (13,800 RMB) per day for the top 10% of Chinese travellers, parting with four times more than the average. However, this pales into insignificance in comparison with the top 5% of spenders, who shelled out THB111,703.74 T (20,896 RMB), over six times more than the average.
New Zealand, Sweden and Argentina, Chinese travellers were the biggest spenders on hotel accommodation in 2014.
There is a growing influence of Gen Y travellers – the so-called ‘millennials’ aged 18 to 35. 59% of hoteliers surveyed say they’ve experienced an increase in Chinese guests aged 35 or under in the past year and they expect this trend to continue to grow. The growth is especially strong in the Asia-Pacific region, where 78% of hoteliers reported an increase.
In the past 12 months, 80% of Chinese travellers have used an online device including mobiles, desktops and laptops to plan and book travel, compared with only 53 percent last year. Half of all Chinese international travellers now use apps on their smart phones to plan and book trips, up from just 17% the year prior.

sourced:ttrweekly.com