Chinese now biggest spenders on travel
China has overtaken Germany and the USA as the world’s biggest spenders on travel, with Chinese travellers spending US$102 billion on international travel in 2012, an increase of over 40% on 2011.
The second annual Chinese International Travel Monitor released this week reveals significant insights into the changing behaviour of Chinese travellers and how the global hotel industry is adapting.
Surveying more than 3000 Chinese international travelers and more than 1500 hoteliers around the world, the report found 75% of hoteliers globally say Chinese travellers now account for up to 5% of their business and 45% say they have experienced an increase in Chinese guests over last year, with the greatest increases coming in Asia-Pacific (61%). Hoteliers see China as a positive growth market over the next three years with one in 10 expecting to see an increase of more than 50% and almost half (47%) anticipating an 11-50 % rise.
According to the report the majority of overseas Chinese travel (96%) has been for leisure purposes, while just over half (52%) have also visited other countries for business or education.
Top 10 destinations interested in traveling to in next 12 months:
| Australia | 39% |
| France | 33% |
| New Zealand | 27% |
| USA | 26% |
| Switzerland | 25% |
| Singapore | 23% |
| Hong Kong | 21% |
| Taiwan | 20% |
| UK | 19% |
| Canada | 19% |
In a growing trend, nearly two thirds (62%) of Chinese travellers say they prefer to travel independently and not as part of a group. This development has been confirmed by the hoteliers surveyed, who say 70% of Chinese guests now travel independently, compared with a much more even split in 2012.
In addition, the CITM highlights areas for continued improvement for accommodation providers. The ability to accept Chinese payment methods is seen as the single most important offering from hotels and over a quarter (26%) of Chinese travellers feel this is a key area for improvement. Three quarters (75%) of Chinese travellers say hoteliers need to improve the provision of translated items, such as welcome literature, websites, TV programs and newspapers, while almost half (42%) say that they would like more Mandarin speaking staff in hotels.
When it comes to researching and booking travel, personal recommendation plays an increasingly vital role, with almost a third (30%) of Chinese travellers saying they rely on advice from family and friends, followed by online travel booking and review sites. More than a quarter of Chinese travelers (27%) use social media to help them make decisions on holiday destinations, with this figure rising to 33% among younger travellers under 35.
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