This paper from Sinorbis, although containing some information specific to Australia as a destination, includes valuable insights into the contemporary Chinese traveler.
The Big Idea:
"The new breed of Chinese traveller is willing to explore beyond the boundaries set by earlier generations, and ready to spend lots of money in order to wring maximum enjoyment from each trip...In this paper we look at the demographics of Chinese travellers and start to discover who they are, what they want to do when they travel, and how they want to do it."
Key points:
- 3 demographic trends are driving changes in Chinese traveling and spending habits, and creating demand for higher-quality products and services:
- More Chinese are now middle-class or affluent.
- Growth of digital commerce
- Emergence of Millennials as buyers
- Chinese travelers are willing to spend whatever it takes on tour packages, food/beverage, lodging, shopping in order to ensure an enjoyable holiday.
- Chinese search engine Sogou integrates content from the WeChat and QQ social-media platforms into results, and provides a "smart input" tool that permits marketers to display content customized to users' searches.
- Demographic profile of Chinese outbound travelers: [list]
- Young, 56% born in 1980s
- Young families: 59% married and parents of minor children
- Plenty of disposable income: 40% have incomes 3X to 4X the national average
- 54% female, 46% male
- 45% prefer to travel FIT vice by package tour
- Locations: 50% of Sogou travel/tourism searches originate from 5 cities:
- Beijing 15%
- Guangdong 12%
- Shanghai 9%
- Jiangsu 8%
- Zhejiang 6%
- Top 3 things the Chinese like about Australia (and likely other destinations as well):
- Beaches 62%
- Wildlife 52%
- Food/wine 46%
- Top 5 destination drivers:
- Safety and security 49%
- World-class nature 48%
- Good food/wine 45%
- Aquatic and coastal experiences 41%
- Value for money 33%
- How the Chinese plan their trips:
- Mobile devices are becoming the planning tool of choice.
- Prefer Chinese search engines and travel research, comparison and booking sites: Baidu, Sogou, So.com, Mafengwo, Qyer, Dianping, Ctrip, Qunar, Tuniu; also some international sites like Booking.com.
- Most Internet searches are conducted during local business hours (10 AM - 6 PM).
Much more in the Sinorbis paper
