Chinese spend a lot on overseas trips

2 November 2007

Chinese tourists are spending money lavishly on overseas travel – with an average of $3,000 per overseas trip.

This total expenditure includes money for shopping abroad, luxurious accommodation and expenses ahead of the trip.

A survey conducted recently by the Nielsen Company and Pacific Asia Travel Association shows that Chinese travelers to Europe are the biggest spenders, spending an average of $5,253 per trip.

However, those holidaying in Asia were found to spent about $1,900 per person, with the exception of those traveling to Hong Kong and Macao. Those Chinese traveling to Hong Kong and Macao, the destinations the Chinese traditionally opt for shopping and entertainment, spend an average of was $2,185 per person.

In a statement, Grace Pan, head of travel and leisure research for the Nielsen Company, China, said that Asia remained the most popular destination for Chinese travelers because of the proximity. However, trips to Europe and America are becoming increasingly popular, particularly when the number of business travelers is added.

The survey also found that, while mass-market travelers focused on budget travel, “there is a fast-emerging affluent market segment prepared to indulge in luxury travel.”

Over one-third of the Chinese who travel overseas choose to stay in four-star hotels, with a further 10% opting for five-star accommodation.

It was revealed that Chinese consumers were becoming “more sophisticated and better prepared” when planning their trips, using all the information available to them on the internet.

According to the survey, while about 7 in 10 leisure travelers from China accessed destination websites, about 6 in 10 used online travel discussion forums to source information.

The internet is the most popular source of information for potential travelers, the survey showed, followed by travel agents and other media such as newspapers and magazines.

While a majority of Chinese tourists still uses travel agents (61%), 29% opted for online travel services, and 16% used websites of hotel or transport operators.

The survey predicted that holiday bookings made via the internet would go up further.

According to John Koldowski, director of the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s Strategic Intelligence Centre, the Chinese made 35 million overseas trips in 2006 and that the figures are expected to rise dramatically.