Millennials drive surge in China’s outbound travel

THE NUMBER of outbound Chinese travellers is predicted to reach 174 million by 2019, with an expected expenditure of US$264 million, boosted by the rising number of tech-savvy, younger, and more affluent Chinese.

According to the latest Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) 2015 report by Hotels.com, more than 107 million Chinese made outbound trips last year, a 20 per cent rise on 2013.

This yearly CITM report, which includes interviews with more than 3,000 Chinese outbound travellers and 1,500 hotel operators worldwide, revealed that nearly 60 per cent of hotels said the number of Chinese tourists aged between 18 and 35 has risen and that the trend will continue.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily yesterday, Katherine Cole, regional director of Hotels.com, said: “This growth is especially strong in the Asia-Pacific region, where 78 per cent of hoteliers reported an increase in Chinese Millennial travellers.”

The study also revealed that young tourists were less dependent on travel agencies than their older counterparts, and mobile travel bookings are “soaring” with 50 per cent of all Chinese outbound travellers using their mobile phones to plan and book trips compared with just 17 per cent last year.

Highlightling this growth as one of the key findings in the report, Cole said: “This is a huge jump as we see that travellers are relying a lot on their mobile devices because of how convenient and consistent it is.”

“It also works because the companies are providing better tools and anyone can make a booking within seconds,” she added.

The continuous growth in outbound travel by the Chinese has presented huge opportunities to the global tourism industry and hoteliers.

To leverage this growth, Cole said: “To keep up with the growth opportunity, hoteliers have to accommodate the needs of Chinese travellers with demands like free Wi-Fi which is a must-have, and also things like providing a kettle in the room and also Chinese-speaking staff.”