- Seven in ten Chinese travelers have taken leisure trips abroad in the past two years
- Australia has become the most popular cross-border travel destination for Chinese tourists
- Chinese travelers prefer solo travel, at twice the global average rate
- Chinese travelers extensively use credit cards for payments both when booking domestically and traveling abroad
Shanghai, August 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Visa 2015 Global Travel Intentions Survey[1] shows that Chinese tourists are the highest per capita spenders in the Asia-Pacific region, with a median expenditure of approximately RMB 29,668 (USD 4,780) per trip, a 25% increase from 2013.
Visa 2015 Global Travel Intentions Survey: Chinese travelers are the highest-spending tourist group in the Asia-Pacific region
The survey indicates that an increasing number of Chinese people enjoy traveling abroad. In the past two years, seven out of ten have gone overseas. Chinese tourists stay an average of seven nights at their destinations, nearly double the number who stayed that long or more compared to 2013. The top five planned destinations for outbound travel in the coming year are Australia (16%), France (9%), Japan (7%), South Korea (7%), and Hong Kong, China (6%).
65% of Chinese travelers enjoy free, relaxed, and independent travel, with 46% having traveled solo on their most recent holiday — twice the global average. Despite deciding on their travel destination well in advance, Chinese travelers are flexible and spontaneous when booking their travel packages and planning their itineraries. They tend to focus on a single destination (60%) rather than considering a range of possible destinations before making a decision. More than half of Chinese travelers (57%) start planning their trips one month or less before departure, compared to just 33% globally.
Yu Xueli, Visa’s Country Manager for China, said: “This survey provides a comprehensive analysis of Chinese consumers’ travel patterns and preferences. We are pleased to see that Chinese travelers are becoming more experienced and travel-savvy than ever before. With more Chinese consumers enjoying travel, taking solo trips, and being willing to spend at their destinations, we can further adapt our products and services to meet their needs by understanding these trends.”
The survey found that Chinese travelers prioritize the travel experience over the actual amount spent. For them, one of the most important motivations for travel is experiencing culture (47%), a proportion higher than the global average of 38%. In addition to cultural experiences, bonding and wandering/adventure are also key motives. They set their travel budgets by seeking the best experiences (56%), and four in five Chinese travelers say they are willing to pay extra for interesting activities encountered during their trips.
General shopping (63%), visiting local famous attractions (61%), and participating in local nightlife entertainment (57%) are the top three activities Chinese travelers engaged in during their most recent trips. According to the survey, compared to using cash, Chinese travelers are more inclined to use payment cards when booking trips and traveling overseas. On their most recent trip, 73% of Chinese respondents used bank cards for bookings, and 89% used credit cards at their travel destinations — both figures are higher than the global average, indicating that the vast majority of Chinese travelers recognize electronic payments as a safer and more convenient option than cash.