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Winning the Emerging Market of Tourists from China

After 20 years of sustained growth, the number of Chinese overseas tourists has reached 70,250,000 in 2011. This number is 1.2 times of that of the tourists from the U.S. and 3.5 times of that of Japan. We can reasonably expect that, in the near future, China will become the largest tourists exporting country in the world. The number of tourists from China to the U.S. is expected to be 795,000 in 2013, and will increase by 134% by the year of 2016 to 1,861,000. With an expenditure of $7,200 per person, the Chinese tourists are expected to create a direct revenue of $13 billion in the US tourism market in 2016. Therefore, attracting Chinese tourists is becoming an urgent task for the US travel agencies. We would like to share with you some insights on how to attract and service Chinese tourists.

Shopping is the most important driving force

Middle class is emerging in China now. More and more people can afford trips abroad for luxury goods. The data from World Luxury Association show that more than 75% of the Chinese overseas tourists make more than three purchases of luxury goods during their trips. In the Golden Week of the National Day in early October 2011, the total expenditure on luxury goods from Chinese overseas tourists is equivalent to that of three months in the domestic market. North America and Europe are considered as the top-class shopping destinations for Chinese tourists. The popular Chinese word “血拼” (shopping crazily) is a vivid description of Chinese overseas shopping. Getting the attention of enthusiastic Chinese shoppers will definitely help create more business opportunities for you. It is worthwhile adding a list of the popular shopping malls to your tour guide. Advertising of the brands that are not generally known by Chinese people will also trigger more interest.

In-Depth tour is the current trend

According to “Annual Report of China Outbound Tourism Development 2012”, one quarter of Chinese tourists travel overseas for seven days or longer. More and more Chinese tourists are keen on exploring the local cultures in-depth rather than simply sightseeing. But China and the U.S. are so different countries that there are barriers to in-depth tours, among which language is the most distinctive one. Providing the tourists with comprehensive and accurate tourism information can help overcome these barriers and thus is the key mission for all travel agencies. Chinese tourists will certainly be impressed by activities to promote an attractive American life in the China market. There are several popular Chinese website for tourists, such as Baidu.com and Ctrip.com, which can be utilized as fast and cost-effective promotional platforms.

Affordable tourism is becoming more popular

Market survey shows that most Chinese overseas tourists do not pay much attention on the luxury of lodges; they prefer spending money on shopping. Affordable mid-priced hotels, motels and family hotels are the first choice of most Chinese tourists. For travel agencies, the right thing to do is to show the affordable comfortableness and convenience of the tour and assist Chinese tourists to make the right decision in planning their travel to the U.S.

(Written by Sabrina Wu, Sr. Manager of Business Development, Glogou Inc. (Contact: Sabrina@glogou.com)
(Data source:

http://www.china-tourists.com/tourism/

National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China

http://www.cnta.gov.cn/html/2012-4/2012-4-12-10-24-37969.html

“Annual Report of China Outbound Tourism Development 2012”

http://travel.163.com/12/0411/14/7UQN6QPQ00063IM3.html

World Luxury Association “Analysis Report of Chinese Outbound Consumption in the Golden Week of the National Day 2011”

http://www.wla.org.cn/html/shouyenarong/sanzhangtupianzhuanti/2011/1011/3232.html)

Tags: advertising, affordable tourism, Chinese overseas tourists, in-depth tour, shopping, travel agencies