Chinese travelers love their smartphones — their average daily usage while abroad reaches 3.6 hours, second only to Thailand and South Korea

▲The average daily smartphone usage of Chinese travelers during trips is 3.6 hours, showing higher attachment than the global average of 2.7 hours. (Photo / Reporter Lin Shiwen)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Chinese travelers love using their smartphones, even during international trips, where their screen time exceeds the global average. Smartphone addiction among them ranks just behind that of travelers from Thailand and South Korea. Over 30% of Chinese people openly admit that a trip wouldn’t be perfect without their phone. To stay connected and “share their travels” at all times, 40% of Chinese travelers usually rent a portable Wi-Fi device before going abroad. Meanwhile, nearly 30% of Taiwanese travelers’ first action upon arriving at a hotel is to connect their phone to the Wi-Fi and take photos or videos of the room.

Hotels.com continues to track the impact of smartphones on traveler behavior. According to its latest mobile travel survey, Chinese travelers use their phones for an average of 3.6 hours per day during trips, exceeding the global average of 2.7 hours, and their smartphone attachment ranks second only to that of travelers from Thailand and South Korea. Compared to losing a wallet or missing a flight, 25% of Taiwanese travelers feel more anxious about their phone running out of battery while traveling. In addition to using map functions to navigate and find attractions, sharing travel experiences on social media has become a growing trend. The most popular content to post includes food and delicacies (53%), followed by famous tourist attractions (46%) and photos with travel companions (45%).


▲More than half of Chinese travelers most frequently share food photos from their trips. (Food illustration photo / Provided by Taipei W Hotel)

Social media has become the modern-day travel guidebook. A quarter of Chinese travelers say they have decided to book flights to a destination after seeing posts and images on social platforms or popular Instagram check-in spots. Some also decide whether to book a hotel based on whether it would be worth sharing on social media.

Hotels.com’s survey found that to take great photos with their phones, in addition to using filter and effect apps (12%), over 20% of Chinese travelers search for photos of the attraction on social media to get inspiration for their shots. Aside from sharing food (53%) and famous attractions (46%) via Facebook, nearly 40% of Taiwanese travelers aged 18–29 prefer to share their travel experiences on Instagram.