It is, by now, widely acknowledged that the shopping habits of Chinese tourists abroad have become something of a global phenomenon. China’s ever expanding middle classes have gained worldwide attention for pouring into various destinations (particularly Japan) and showering copious amounts of cash on luxury items. So much so that the Japanese word “Bakugai” (explosively shopping) was chosen as the buzzword of 2015. But does this mean that the Chinese only travel abroad in order to shop?
Like everywhere, a plethora of factors are taken into account by the Chinese traveller when they decide where to go on holiday. Personal security, value-for-money, the ease of visa application process and climate all affect these decisions. The Chinese tend to place the most significance on the former, with the availability of historical and heritage sites also factoring in as an important motivation for their destination of choice. In the second quarter of 2015, travel agencies alone organised 11.69 million visitors to foreign countries, an increase of 36.88 per cent over the same period in 2014 (and that’s not including the rising number of independent travellers). In the UK alone, the first nine months of 2015 saw 214, 000 Chinese tourists arriving at our shores, making the country one of the UK’s fastest-growing tourism markets. Predictably, China’s love for heritage influenced this rise, with Visit Britain citing that “museums”, and appreciation of the “romance” of the country were reasons they wanted to visit.
What is certain is that Chinese travellers like to conduct thorough research about how and where to choose a holiday destination. According to the 2014 Chinese International Travel Monitor, travel guide books, friends and online travel websites are still the most popular sources of information when making these decisions, although there is some evidence that such sources are being replaced by social media; as a source of information the “influence of friends” decreased eight per cent in 2014 compared to the year before, while “social media” climbed six per cent, rising to 42 per cent preferring this method amongst the under-35s. Overall, however, personal interaction with family and friends still holds weight, chosen by 27 per cent of overall respondents. Online review sites such as daodao.com, the Chinese version of TripAdvisor, are also proving their worth, taking 16 per cent of the vote. Similar to 2013, one in ten pick travel agents and travel guides as their most trustworthy source.
Guanxi can help you access the Chinese travel media, bloggers and the Chinese travel agents which are influencing these purchasing decisions. Please feel free to get in touch to find out more.
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