Chinese now seeking diverse experiences overseas, with bookings to exotic destinations

More Chinese are opting for high-quality hotels and memorable experiences when traveling abroad, reflecting their rising purchasing power and evolving tastes, according to travel agencies.

Prices of overseas tours during this year's National Day holiday, Oct 1 to 7, an annual outbound travel peak, are the same as last year, or in some cases are even slightly cheaper.

According to data from several agencies, in addition to traditional hot spots, this year has seen more exotic destinations become attractive, too, such as Morocco, Sri Lanka, and nations in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Chinese tourists in front of Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in central St. Petersburg, Russia. In the first half of this year, Chinese people made 59 million trips abroad. Olga Maltseva / AFP

"Combined with the increasingly sophisticated preferences of the Chinese, the National Day holiday is a perfect opportunity for travelers to head to destinations that it is not possible to visit during shorter holidays or at Chinese New Year, which is usually a time for family reunions," says Alex Yan, COO of Tuniu Corp, an online travel agency based in Nanjing.

Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand have emerged as the top destinations for Chinese this month. Typically, travelers squeeze in a few days more to have extended vacations, like 10-day trips, according to Qyer, a travel information website in Beijing.

"Many Chinese travelers choose to take advantage of the long holiday to head to countries that are relatively far away," says Zhang Qi, vice-president of Qyer. "The US and Oceania are preferred by independent visitors, as they are suitable for self-drive travel."

The number of Chinese who booked to visit the US during National Day this year rose threefold on the back of the easing of tourist visa procedures.

A report by Lvmama, an online travel service provider, attributes the increase to an agreement between China and the US to grant each other's citizens 10-year, multiple-entry visas.

Du Ni, 27, of Beijing, booked a trip to Hawaii during the break, as she wanted a tropical island vacation and found that flights and hotels weren't too expensive.

"I'll also take this chance to apply for a 10-year US visa, so that it'll be easier for me to go there again," she adds.

Japan, South Korea and some Southeast Asian countries remain popular among Chinese travelers thanks to their geographical proximity, cheaper packages and favorable visa policies.

In recent months, the Chinese yuan's depreciation against the Japanese yen increased the cost of trips to Japan. Still, the nation remains one of the hottest destinations for Chinese.

"Tourists travel to a place because they are interested in that place and can find a package within budget," Tuniu's Yan says. "While currency exchange rate changes do affect the cost of a trip, the impact is marginal. And tourists intent on visiting a particular country will do so, no matter what."

With more Chinese travelers seeking diverse experiences overseas, some uncommon destinations are receiving attention, too.

For example, Hakone in Japan and Panay Island in the Philippines were set to receive a large number of Chinese tourists during the National Day holiday, according to TripAdvisor.

Meanwhile, terrorist attacks in Europe have dented sales of tours to destinations there. In particular, France, Germany and Turkey were expected to receive fewer Chinese in October.

During the May-July period, online searches by users of Qyer for France and Turkey declined sharply year-on-year.

In July alone, sales of Qyer's tours to Turkey tumbled 59 percent year-on-year. But the impact of each new terrorist attack on travel sales is decreasing.

Although Chinese travelers are becoming cautious about certain trips, travel agencies say they are confident that Europe will remain a popular destination in the long term, given its rich culture and unique travel resources.

In the first half of this year, Chinese made 59.03 million trips abroad, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, China National Tourism Administration data show.

Those age 25 to 34, followed by those age 35 to 44, together accounted for about 80 percent of the outbound Chinese tourists. Most prefer self-guided or relaxed tours, and focus on a few sites rather than visiting a lot of places, according to a report by the China Tourism Academy.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/07/2016 page29)