China’s outbound trips increase 7% to reach 130 million

China’s outbound travel market raked up 130 million trips in 2017, a 7% increase on 122 million trips recorded in 2016.

Thailand and Japan continue to be the two hottest outbound destinations according to Ctrip(Nasdaq: CTRP), the largest online travel agent in Asia and the second largest in the world.

But with more flight connections, better exchange rates and fewer visa restrictions, destinations such as Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia are seeing a huge growth in visitors from China.

Ctrip released the “2017 China Outbound Tourism Travel Report” alongside China Tourism Academy (CTA), a specialized institute under China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

The number of outbound trips has reached 130 million in 2017, up 7.0% from 122 million in 2016. An estimated 115.29 billion USD was spent during 2017, a year-on-year increase of 5%.

Chinese travelers are becoming increasingly focused on their well-being and the purpose for making outbound trips has changed from sightseeing and shopping to enjoying high-quality services.

According to Ctrip statistics, Ctrip’s tailor-made travel and local guide platform has served millions of tourists in 2017. Such personalized trips designed by Ctrip travel planners are becoming a popular option for Chinese travelers.

Recognised as the biggest travel agency in Asia, Ctrip  estimated China’s outbound travel represented USD 115.29 billion in travel spend, a year-on-year increase of 5%.

According to Ctrip statistics, Ctrip’s tailor-made travel and local guide platform has served millions of tourists in 2017. Such personalised trips designed by Ctrip’s travel planners are becoming a popular option for Chinese travellers.

Chinese travelers have greater demand for assistance throughout their trip and are more focused on safety. Ctrip’s “Global SOS” service provides 24/7 emergency responses and support for our ever growing travelers. 2017 saw a total of 2191 SOS cases from which 82% were for outbound travel. With a 94% success rate, it has since been widely accepted by our users.

The growth story has been running for a number of years and the long-term trend shows no indication of slowing. According to the Chinese National Tourism Administration (CNTA), outbound travel has grown 270% since 2008 and it is forecast to reach 200 million departures by 2020.

Expenditure by Chinese tourists has grown even more strongly. From 2008, it has grown 730%. The management consultancy McKinsey estimates that Chinese spending on luxury goods has been growing at 9% per annum, whereas the average for the rest of the world has been growth at 3% per annum.

In terms of outbound travelers, Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Wenzhou spent the most. Lesser well–known cities are seeing huge growth in outbound tourist numbers. Chengdu surprisingly overtook Guangzhou and Shenzhen and ranked third in the number of outbound tourists with other cities such as Changsha (up 200% increase) and Xi’an (up 300% increase in tourist numbers) have also seen increasing rise of outbound tourists.

SOURCE Ctrip.com International, Ltd.