Chinese Outbound Tourists Survey 2018: Urban Millennials Lead the Charge to More Independent, Adventurous Travel

Executive Summary

This report details the results of our fourth annual proprietary survey of Chinese overseas tourists’ travel and spending behaviors and preferences, undertaken in partnership with China Luxury Advisors. The top six takeaways from our 2018 survey are:

• Millennials—those in their 20s and 30s—are changing the nature of the Chinese outbound travel market. Younger travelers take more trips per year than the average traveler and they take a more independent approach to booking travel arrangements. In addition, the number of young people traveling with friends is on the rise.
• More Chinese people are traveling overseas, but that is not the only factor supporting growth in trip numbers: the number of trips per traveler is creeping up, too. Travelers from tier-one cities are driving this increase.
• Demand for overseas beauty purchases—especially prestige beauty products—looks solid, and we expect this to underpin international retail demand from Chinese travelers.
• Group travel remains popular, especially among residents of lower-tier cities. However, the majority of travelers are now opting to either make their own travel arrangements independently or book package tours. Fully independent travel is becoming more prevalent, led by residents of first-tier cities.
• Chinese tourists are not only traveling more independently, but also taking a more adventurous approach to destinations in Asia, a trend that looks to be boosting Vietnam’s inbound arrival numbers. Residents of tier-one cities in China are driving the shift toward nontraditional destinations.
• The survey results underscored the central role that mobile plays for Chinese tourists. Retailers and service providers must offer information, booking capability, shopping experiences and payment options via mobile, including through popular apps such as WeChat and Alipay.