Last week 6 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad during a national holiday, and that likely meant big paydays for traditional tourist destinations, such as London or Paris. But, increasingly, China's travellers are taking their families — and their money — to less conventional locales.
All told, more than 700 million in China travelled during the semi-annual Golden Week holiday from October 1 to 8, and while the couple million tourists who took the week to go abroad mostly visited long-time Asia favourites, there're indications that new countries are catching their attentions.
That is, four of the five most popular destinations among Chinese tourists during the eight-day holiday were located in Asia, according to travel bookings platform Trivago. Those locations included Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka and Bangkok, with Paris the lone European city in the top five.
'Hot new locations'
Besides those mainstays, mainland tourists bitten by the travel bug are also increasingly adventurous. Some are looking farther afield for their next vacation and others eschewing the traditional package tours in favour of self-planned trips.
These were the "hot new locations" that saw greater than 50 percent growth in the number of tourist bookings this year, according to Ctrip. Trivago also mentioned similar trends:
- Morocco
- Turkey
- The United Arab Emirates
- The Czech Republic
- Finland
- Austria
- Germany
- Vietnam
- Cambodia
- Italy
Accompanying the growing desire to visit those destinations is the increased demand for more personalized holiday experiences, market research shows.
Tailor-made travel services are fast becoming customary among wealthy travelers looking to escape cookie-cutter vacation packages. According to Ctrip, factors that more Chinese tourists are seeking out from their holidays include "avoiding big crowds," "no shopping" and private travel guides.
The big picture
Still, overall travel patterns for the year show that major Asian countries continue to make up most of the top destinations visited by mainland travelers.
Both Trivago and Ctrip said Japan, Singapore, Vietnam were among the most in-demand locations for Chinese tourists traveling overseas.
More than 70 percent of Chinese tourists traveling abroad will visit other Asian countries this year, according to Ctrip. Of those Asia-bound travelers, 45 percent will head to countries in Southeast Asia, with Thailand proving the most popular destination in that region.
Meanwhile, those tourists are also willing to spend more — and not just on shopping.
Contrary to the "stereotype of Chinese tourists," an increasing number of mainland travelers are now more willing to spend on experiences, with luxury hotels and unique travel services starting to form a larger expenditure item for many, according to Ctrip.
Staying local
Still, for most Chinese travelers, domestic destinations took the crown, especially during Golden Week.
About 59 percent of searches on Trivago were for domestic travel during the period, a spokeswoman said. Destinations that Chinese tourists were most interested in visiting for the holiday included Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing and Shanghai.
Those results fit in the wider trend of a pick-up in domestic travel: Domestic trips made by Chinese tourists increased 13.5 percent in the first half — exceeding the 5.1 percent rise in overseas travel recorded in the same period.
With the slowdown in growth in the world's second-largest economy in recent years, the lower costs associated with domestic travel are likely to prove more attractive to local consumers.
Convenience, however, has also been a driver for the increase in domestic travel. As the growth in international flight options has not kept up with growth in demand, purchasing tickets without advanced planning can prove difficult and lead to more interest in alternatives that are less of a hassle, Cavender said.
Yet while convenience may be driving travel patterns, there's one nearby country conspicuously missing from both Ctrip's and Trivago's lists of top travel destinations for the year: South Korea.
Despite mainland citizens making up close to half of all tourist arrivals in South Korea as recently as February this year, Seoul's popularity has since tapered substantially. Statistics from the Korean government showed that Chinese visitor numbers fell by close to 70 percent in August compared to one year earlier.
'Hot new locations'
The big picture
Staying local
With the slowdown in growth in the world's second-largest economy in recent years, the lower costs associated with domestic travel are likely to prove more attractive to local consumers.
