The continued, sustained growth in the number of Chinese international travelers presents huge opportunities for the global tourism industry and hoteliers, reveals the Hotels.com Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) 2015. According to the latest annual study, tech-savvy, younger, and more affluent Chinese form a substantial part of the 20 percent growth in outbound mainland Chinese travelers, reaching 107 million in 2014. Fifty-nine percent of hoteliers surveyed say they’ve experienced an increase in Chinese guests aged 35 or under in the past year and they expect this trend to continue. The amount of money Chinese travelers are spending has increased too, with the top 10 percent of travelers spending more than $2,225 per day.
Using the internet to research and book overseas trips has become the norm for Chinese traveler, the report shows. In the past 12 months, 80 percent of Chinese travelers have used an online device including mobile, desktop, and laptop to plan and book travel, compared with only 53 percent last year. The use of mobile phones for planning and booking travel has also increased. Half of all Chinese international travelers now use apps on their smartphones to plan and book trips, up from just 17 percent the year prior.
