Taking The World By Storm
If you think you’ve noticed more Chinese tourists in your city lately, you’re not mistaken. According to global accommodation booking web site Hotels.com, Chinese travellers continue to take the world by storm, up 20% to 107 million in 2014.
According to statistics, they’re also younger, more independent-minded, tech-savvy – and increasingly cashed-up.
Surveying more than 3,000 Chinese international travellers and 1,500 hoteliers from around the world, the annual Hotels.com Chinese International Travel Monitor examined the growth trends in mainland Chinese international travellers and the impact this is having on the global travel industry.
And the findings are startling: outbound Chinese travellers could number around 174 million in four years’ time, spending about $342 billion annually, according to forecasts.
Where are they headed? According to the survey, Australia, Japan and France are their most desired destinations to visit in the next 12 months. These are followed by Hong Kong, South Korea, the US, Maldives, Germany, Thailand and Taiwan.
According to 2015 searches on Hotels.com from greater China, the most visited destinations in Canada were Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, followed by Markham, Banff, Niagara Falls, Calgary, Victoria and Whistler.
Of the landmarks outside China they’d most like to visit, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and Mount Fuji top Chinese travellers’ wish list, although Canada’s Niagara Falls was still a contender in the eighth spot. Also making the top 10 were the Eiffel Tower, Palace of Versailles, Venice (Italy), the Grand Canyon, Himalayas/Mount Everest, Acropolis of Athens and the Sydney Opera House.
“This year’s report is another wake-up call to host countries around the world to pull out all the stops to accommodate Chinese travellers and tailor their services for this market as the potential is huge,” said Abhiram Chowdhry, vice-president and managing director Asia Pacific for the Hotels.com brand. “These new globetrotters really enjoy travelling. They are younger, more independent, highly tech-savvy, happy to spend – and they know exactly what they want.”
