Tourism From China

This week we were assigned to answer 2 questions for the business case. The questions are as following: 1. What are the trends and development in Chinese outbound travel? 2. What opportunities/threats does this offer The Netherlands or Europe?

To answers these questions we are allowed to use whichever resources we like. Let’s start! The total population of China now consists of around 1.37 billion people. Yes, China is the world’s most populated country. Whereas India (1.3 billion people) is the second most populated and at third The United States (324 million people). Since the dramatic reform and opening up of China’s economy more Chinese citizens are travelling abroad to visit, consume products or simply for business reasons. At the start of 2015 there were over 100 million outbound Chinese tourists. Those developments mean significant opportunity for tourism industries around the entire world. Countries who capitalize upon that open new doors for frequent travellers.

The popular destinations among Chinese outbound tourists were mainly Asian countries, because it is a relatively short journey, doesn’t cost much and doesn’t require a long holiday. Also with the recent frequent terrorist attacks happening in Europe make many Chinese tourist change way for a much safer holiday.  Top 7 outbound tourism countries were Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, USA and Indonesia. Chinese travellers search for new experiences. There are 3 types of Chinese tourists’ types: Independent traveler, Semi-independent traveler and group traveler. These types of groups differ from age. Most of the independent travelers are aged between 20 and 25 years old, semi-independent traveler between 25 and 35 years old and group travelers are aged over 40 years. Nowadays Chinese tourists plan their own trip and program for the duration of their stay. That also has to do with consumers being more digitised  In China there is a boom in the digital era with more than 620 million Internet users and mobile devices. Which changed the tourism in China, more and more people save money and time by booking their trips online. It gives them more flexibility; they travel freely without any restrictions. That doesn’t mean that some Chinese tourists’ don’t use travel agencies. The reason being because many tourist travel abroad for the first time and are less experienced. Choosing a tour saves them trouble and time. The travel agencies help them with visas, travel plan and book tickets with accommodations etc. Social media has a large amount of influence on the decision making factor of Chinese travellers. They use “Weibo” and “Wechat” to share photos, videos, experiences and memory trips with friends and families. Another trend could be that the Chinese government is encouraging its citizens to travel more abroad to give a sense of freedom and reduce the gap between China and other international countries. Major motivators for travelling are scenic, natural and/or cultural attractions and also to spend time with family and friends. They have two collective holidays called “Golden weeks”. Which consists of spring festival (Chinese new year in February) and a national day at the first week of October. The Chinese New Year in February is meant for family reunions. The first week of October families, couples or friends travel. Now that we have covered some trends and developments in Chinese outbound travel we can further look at the opportunities and/or threats it offers The Netherlands/Europe.

Well, personally I do now see any visual threats through these trends. I only see opportunities for countries to expand their tourism. One third of the population lives in China and India. Using the tools such as Weibo or Wechat to attract more Chinese travellers. Also making more tourist worthy attractions are ways catch ones attention. As we read before Chinese travellers travel for the experience. The Netherlands/Europe could create more travel package to ease first time travellers. To get rid of the terrorist scare there is not much to do about that, because it can happen anywhere at any moment. The way people feel safe is mostly when there are more authorities around. Gain the trust of the people that is.

I’d like to give some facts about China:

-       Most densely populated country in the world.

-       Major player in the economy (export + investment).

-       Relationship (Guanxi) is important for business. Also trust and well mannered behavior.

-       Don’t mention political subjects.

Now that we have that covered the trends, developments and opportunities about Chinese outbound travel we can conclude that China is a fastest growing outbound travel market in the world. We don’t need to look at the statistics, because you can already see it happening all over the world. Countries who act upon these travellers gain more experience day by day on what they like or hate. Opening up a new tourism market that can boost the economy.

Thank you for reading.

-Chayenne Wongsokario-

Bibliography

(n.d.). Retrieved from travel china guide: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tourism/2015statistics/outbound.htm

2012, E. C. (2012).

(2015). Retrieved from marketing to china: http://marketingtochina.com/7-key-features-of-chinese-tourists/

(2015). MarketScan China 2015.