International travel among millennials and affluent Chinese travelers on a rise

Outbound Chinese travel increased 20 percent to $107 million in 20141 and that figure could top $174 million in four years, leading to about $264 billion in annual spending according to forecasts1. And according to leading accommodation booking website Hotels.com, Chinese international travelers are increasingly younger, more independent-minded and tech-savvy.

Surveying more than 3,000 Chinese international travelers and 1,500 hoteliers from around the world, the annual Hotels.com Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) examines the growth trends in mainland Chinese international travelers and the impact this is having on the global travel industry.

Top Wish List Destinations

Chinese international travelers named Australia, Japan and France the most desired destinations to visit in the next 12 months. While the U.S. ranked sixth on the list, it was actually the most-visited country for Chinese travelers in 2014 according to bookings made on the Hotels.com Chinese website.

Top 10 destinations Chinese travellers say they would like to visit in the next 12 months

     Rank      Country

1. Australia
2. Japan
3. France
4. Hong Kong
5. South Korea
6. U.S.
7. Maldives
8. Germany
9. Thailand
10. Taiwan

Lifetime Landmarks
The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Mount Fuji in Japan and Paris’s Eiffel Tower were among the landmarks outside of China that travelers would most like to visit in their lifetimes. In North America, the Grand Canyon ranked sixth, while Niagara Falls ranked eighth.

Top 10 foreign landmarks for Chinese travellers

     Rank          Landmark

1. Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
2. Mount Fuji (Japan)
3. Eiffel Tower (France)
4. Palace of Versailles (France)
5. Venice (Italy)
6. The Grand Canyon (U.S.)
7. Himalayas/Mount Everest
8. Niagara Falls (Canada)
9. Acropolis of Athens (Greece)
10. Sydney Opera House (Australia)

The Most Welcoming Countries
Outbound Chinese travelers rate South Korea as the most welcoming country, followed by Thailand and Japan.

Top 10 most welcoming countries for Chinese travellers

“This year’s report is another wake-up call to host countries around the world to pull out all the stops to accommodate Chinese travelers and tailor their services for this market as the potential is huge,” said Abhiram Chowdhry, Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific for the Hotels.com brand. “These new globetrotters really enjoy traveling. They are younger, more independent, highly tech-savvy, happy to spend – and they know exactly what they want.”
     Rank      Country

1. South Korea
2. Thailand
3. Japan
4. Singapore
5. Maldives
6. Hong Kong
7. Taiwan
8. France
9. Australia
10. Macau

Other Key Findings

The average total amount spent per day by Chinese international travelers in 2014 was 3,324 RMB ($536 USD) excluding accommodations, with most spending on shopping, dining and sightseeing. The top 10 percent of Chinese travelers spent an average of 11,077 RMB ($1,786 USD) per day – more than three times the overall average. However, this pales in comparison to the top five percent of spenders, who shelled out 17,531 RMB ($2,793 USD) per day – more than five times the average.

According to Hotels.com booking data, Chinese travelers were the biggest spenders on hotel accommodations in New Zealand, Sweden and Argentina in 2014.

Fifty-nine percent 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 percent of hoteliers reported an increase.

In the past 12 months, 80 percent of Chinese travelers have used an online device to plan and book travel, compared with only 53 percent last year. Half of all Chinese international travelers now use apps on their smart phones to plan and book trips – up from just 17 percent the year prior.