A recent survey by Visa and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Asia Pacific Travel Intentions Survey 2010, reports that mainland Chinese travelers plan to travel the most out of all Greater China travelers, and that regional destinations are most frequently in their travel plans.
Based on responses from 1,571 people in the Greater China region, the survey found that on average, mainland Chinese travelers are planning for 7.4 business and leisure trips in the next two years, compared with the 5.6 and 4.5 trips anticipated by Hong Kong and Taiwanese travelers.
Greater China travelers are also less affected by the economic climate than last year, the survey stated. In the 2009 Survey, 76 percent of Greater China respondents said economic uncertainties would affect their travel plans to the extent that they would either postpone their trips or choose less expensive destination options. However, this year, 50 percent of the respondents said they will travel irrespective of economic uncertainties.
Outside of the region, Western Europe (30%) and North America (29%) are the top destinations for Great China travelers, reported the survey.
Among the insights the industry should be aware of, said John Koldowski, deputy CEO & head, Office of Strategy Management, PATA, is the fact that countries in the Asia Pacific region will remain the top travel destinations for mainland Chinese visitors over the next two years. Plus, he noted, “mainland Chinese became the world’s fourth biggest tourism spenders last year, which indicates that we must adapt to the needs of the growing number of affluent mainland Chinese who have the discretionary spending power for leisure travel.”
What Mainland Chinese Travelers Want
The top five Asia Pacific destinations that Mainland Chinese leisure travelers surveyed were considering visiting between now and 2012 were Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. In line with the 2009 survey results, Asia Pacific continues to be the number one destination region for Greater China leisure travelers over the next two years Hong Kong has been the number one destination for leisure travel over the past two years, with repeat visits largely driven by great shopping, dining options and natural scenery. Australia and Japan are the top picks over the next two years.
Natural scenery, sunshine and beaches and new places are key hooks for mainland Chinese planning their holidays, the survey reported.
Mainland Chinese are willing to pay extra for good food, cultural experiences and exotic destinations and report a preference for environmentally friendly tourism and cultural immersion programs, according to the survey.
Domestic vacations are also attractive to mainland Chinese travelers. One in three intend to take four to six domestic holidays in the next two years with the key motivation being exploration of other parts of mainland China.
Almost 80 percent of mainland Chinese travelers go online as their main source of travel information, more than travelers from any other part of the Greater China region. Popular online sources are online travel guides (general and search engine), travel forums and travel agent booking websites. Ctrip.com is the most visited website when searching for travel information and sharing travel plans/experiences.
A Look at Hong Kong Travelers
For Hong Kong travelers, Japan, Taiwan, Mainland China, Macau and Korea rank tops, according to the survey. Overall, Hong Kong travelers evaluate the attractiveness of their holiday destination based on local cuisine, natural scenery and the novelty of the destination.
Japan, mainland China and Taiwan were the most popular destinations over the past two years and remain top travel choices over the next two years. Repeat visits to these destinations were driven largely by enjoyment of the local cuisine, and food remains a key draw for repeat visitors in future. In fact, Hongkongers will pay more than their regular travel budget for food, exotic destinations and cultural immersion programs, the report said.
Sixty-four percent of Hong Kong travelers choose online as their main source of travel information. Online travel guides, travel forums and tourism bureau sites are key online sources with Priceline.com coming in as the most favored website. Facebook is popular across all demographic segments of Hong Kong travelers who want to share travel plans and experiences with friends.
Taiwanese Travel Trends
For Taiwanese travelers, top destinations are Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. Natural scenery, novelty and affordability of travel (including promotions and deals) are the principle motivators for Taiwanese deciding on a holiday destination.
Mainland China, Japan and Hong Kong were the most visited destinations over the past two years. Repeat visits to Japan were largely driven by the local cuisine, its clean environment and the Japanese culture. Others revisited mainland China for the natural scenery, variety of states/cities to visit, and great food and dining while great food and accessibility were the attractions in Hong Kong. Japan is the clear favorite for future travel. Taiwanese are willing to pay extra for exotic destinations, food and cultural immersion programs.
Three in four consider the Internet as their main source of information, with Facebook being the most popular platform for sharing travel plans and experiences. The motivation to post holiday activities online is the same as with Hong Kong travelers - to document and share memorable experiences.