Chinese Tourists Spend US$229 Billion in 2015

Nuremberg, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) -

- China hits 109 million outbound tourists
- South Korea and Thailand overtake Hong Kong as most popular
destinations
- Europe beats North America as most popular destination outside of
Asia

GfK's latest analyses of the Chinese market show that China
produced 109 million outbound tourists in 2015 - with retail spend of
US$229 billion. This is a key milestone in China's outbound tourism
history.

These statistics consolidate China's position as one of the top
global sources of tourists, in terms of both number of trips and
money spent during international travel. At the same time, there have
been profound changes in the behavior of the typical Chinese
traveler, with Chinese Millennials firmly established as the core
drivers of China's outbound tourism spending.

Chinese travelers looking for new destinations

Up until 2013, Hong Kong was the preferred destination for China's
outbound tourists, driven by its cultural similarity, lower travel
costs and accessibility via short-distance travel. On top of this,
Hong Kong offered a shopping paradise, and that was a strong
motivating factor for Chinese tourists at that time.

But since 2014, increasing numbers of China's outbound tourists
have been opting for other destinations that offer historical and
cultural experiences, as well as shopping.

By the start of November 2015, the top five favorite destinations
for Chinese travelers (counting air and overnight visits), were South
Korea (representing a traveler increase of 112 percent since 2011),
Thailand (up 263 percent), Hong Kong (up 37 percent), Japan (up 157
percent) and Taiwan (up 54 percent).

Europe remains the most popular destination for Chinese travelling
outside of Asia, showing an increase of 97 percent in the number of
air and overnight visits in the last four years. This is followed by
North America (up 151 percent) and the Middle East (up 177 percent).
Africa remains the destination least visited by Chinese tourists -
but with signs that this could be changing, as visits have risen by
306 percent since 2011.

Laurens van den Oever, global head of travel and hospitality
research at GfK, comments, "China's outbound tourists remain
strategic to Hong Kong and its businesses - but other destinations
are jumping ahead in winning their favor. Destinations such as Hong
Kong need to re-evaluate China's new breed of young and
independently-minded travelers, to understand how best to attract
them and capitalize on the growth of China's outbound tourism."

China's new set: not 'tourists', but 'travelers'

According to GfK data, half (50 percent) of China's outbound
travelers are aged 15-29 years old - the "millennials" group - while
over a third (37 percent) are aged 30-44 and 10 percent are 45-59.

The sheer size of the millennial group within China's travelers
makes this a commercially attractive target audience for those
destinations who are looking to draw in Chinese tourists. This
attraction is increased by the fact that two thirds (66 percent) of
Chinese Millennials belong to the high income bracket. Not only that,
but their financial standing is expected to increase as their careers
advance, since seven out of ten Millennials hold 'white collar'
executive or professional jobs.

Understanding the desires that motivate this major section of
China's outbound travelers is therefore paramount.

An annual study from GfK shows that Chinese Millennials are more
ambitious than their predecessors, aged 50 and above - and more
hedonistic in their willingness to spend money to indulge and pamper
themselves. They are also slightly less price sensitive, being the
biggest purchasers of luxury goods in Asia Pacific.

Almost more importantly for the travel market is that Chinese
Millennials also cherish freedom more than their parents or
grandparents; they want the ability to pursue their passions and go
after meaningful, adventurous and exciting experiences. They are also
technologically savvy with almost everyone owning a smartphone and
being highly involved in sharing experiences on social media
platforms.

For destinations looking to attract this lucrative group, then,
the ideal approach is to approach them not as 'tourists' but as
independent travelers who will respond to opportunities to plan
personalized trips.

For more information on GfK's travel data, please visit
http://www.gfk.com or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK

ots Originaltext: GfK SE
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Laurens van den Oever
laurens.van.den.oever@gfk.com / +65-6826-8600