China has overtaken Germany and the USA as the world’s biggest travel spending nation, with Chinese tourists spending US$102bn on international travel in 2012, an increase of over 40 per cent on the previous year.
The second annual Chinese International Travel Monitor, released recently by hotel booking website Hotels.com, reveals significant insights into the changing behaviours of Chinese travellers and how the global hotel industry is adapting.
Surveying more than 3,000 Chinese international travellers and more than 1,500 hoteliers around the world, the report found 75 per cent of hoteliers say Chinese visitors now account for up to five per cent of their business, and 45 per cent say they have experienced an increase in Chinese guests over last year.
The report notes that the majority of overseas Chinese travel (96%) has been for leisure purposes, while just over half (52%) have also visited other countries for business or education.
In a growing trend, nearly two-thirds of Chinese travellers say they prefer to travel independently and not as part of a group. This has been confirmed by the hoteliers surveyed, who say 70 per cent of Chinese guests now travel independently, compared with a much more even split in 2012.
Johan Svanstrom, managing director of Hotels.com Asia Pacific, said the report “shows the move to independent travel is now preferred by the majority of Chinese travellers.
“While in-roads have been made in this area, governments will have to take this into account when organising their visa application infrastructure and processes, such as the visa waiver programme extension as announced by Taoiseach Enda Kenny in March.”
In addition, the Hotels.com report highlights areas for continued improvement for accommodation providers. The ability to accept Chinese payment methods is seen as the single most important offering from hotels, and over a quarter of Chinese travellers feel this is a key area for improvement.
Three-quarters of Chinese travellers say hoteliers need to improve the provision of translated items, such as welcome literature, websites, TV programmes and newspapers, while 42 per cent say that they would like more Mandarin-speaking staff in hotels.
