Chinese tourists spend more than German travelers

The second annual Chinese International Travel Monitor released by Hotels.com reveals insights into the changing behaviors of Chinese travelers and how the global hotel industry is adapting.

The second annual Chinese International Travel Monitor released by Hotels.com reveals insights into the changing behaviors of Chinese travelers and how the global hotel industry is adapting.

China has overtaken Germany and the USA as the world’s biggest spenders on travel with Chinese travelers spending USD 102bn on international travel in 2012, an increase of over 40% on 2011.

Surveying more than 3,000 Chinese international travelers and more than 1,500 hoteliers around the world, theHotels.com report found 75% of hoteliers globally say Chinese travelers now account for up to 5% of their business and 45% say they have experienced an increase in Chinese guests over last year, with the greatest increases coming in APAC (61 per cent).

Hoteliers see China as a positive growth market over the next three years with one in 10 expecting to see an increase of more than 50 per cent and almost half (47%) anticipating an 11-50% rise.

According to the Hotels.com report 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 (62%) of Chinese travelers say they prefer to travel independently and not as part of a group. This development has been confirmed by the hoteliers surveyed, who say 70% of Chinese guests now travel independently, compared with a much more even split in 2012.

In addition, the CITM 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 (26%) of Chinese travelers feel this is a key area for improvement.

Three quarters (75%) of Chinese travelers say hoteliers need to improve the provision of translated items, such as welcome literature, websites, TV programs and newspapers, while almost half (42%) say that they would like more Mandarin speaking staff in hotels.

Highlighting a disconnect between the desires of Chinese travelers and provisions made by hoteliers, a quarter (25%) of hoteliers say they offer cultural awareness training to staff but only 11% offer welcome materials in Mandarin.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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