Chinese Travellers Seek Longer Trips And More Gentle Itineraries

Having surveyed more than 2,000 affluent Chinese travellers in early 2023 – after the China government lifted international travel restrictions after three years – a report offers insights into the preferences and plans of the world’s largest outbound travel market.

Outbound Rebound: The Return of Chinese Travellers, has gathered in-depth findings from affluent Chinese citizens in first-, second- and third-tier cities in mainland China, and Hong Kong. Respondents’ average annual household income is more than RMB 1.4 million (US$209,000). Respondents have purchased luxury travel in the past 12 months and have travelled overseas prior to the pandemic.

The report from global marketing agency Finn Partners and professional research consultancy Consumer Search Group found that almost nine in every ten mainland Chinese respondents said they miss travelling abroad. This sentiment, couple with recent economic optimism for China bodes well for a strong rebound for the outbound Chinese luxury travel market and their overseas travel plans in 2023.

“We already know that there is a strong eagerness and urge to travel after years of border restrictions in China,” says Jenny Lo, managing partner for China of Finn Partners. “We conducted this in-depth study to identify the changes in behaviours, needs, decision-making and expectations of affluent travellers, offering insights to better address the Chinese outbound travel market that is anticipating a faster-than-expected revival”.

According to the report, nearly one in two affluent Chinese travellers are making plans for at least five trips in 2023. On average, they are planning to make 5.9 trips this year, up from 5.6 trips in 2019.

While the 26- to 36-year-old demographic shows the biggest increase in number of trips planned, younger affluent Chinese travellers aged 21 to 25 years continue to be the most frequent travellers.