Sydney Opera House
Asian tourists plan to travel abroad more frequently and explore “safer” destinations like Japan and Australia this year, according to the 2017 Travelzoo Travel Trends Report.
The survey found that 70 per cent of Chinese respondents say they will travel abroad two times or more in 2017, an increase by almost 10 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Similar sentiments are observed among Hong Kong respondents, where 30 per cent plan to travel four times or more this year, an increase of five per cent year-on-year.
Moreover, the number of Chinese tourists willing to spend more than RMB 14,000 (US$2,035) on travelling has also increased nearly 10 per cent from last year. As well, 11 per cent more respondents indicated they would spend more than RMB600 per night on a hotel this year.
Commenting on the rising travel interest among Asian tourists, Vivian Hong, president of Travelzoo Asia Pacific, said: “Thanks to Asia’s ascendancy in the global economy, consumer confidence in Asia remains strong and it’s reflected in the travel industry. This is especially the case for China.
“China is witnessing a generation of millennials that is becoming the dominant force in leading the travel wave. Most of them are married and have children now. They love to spend more of their disposable income on a sunny beach holiday with their family.”
The survey findings show that destinations within the Asia-Pacific region are notably more attractive to Asian tourists. Japan currently tops the list for travellers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Australia also reigns high in interest in every Asian country, and is the second favourite destination for Chinese and Singaporean travellers.
And for the first time, none of the Western European destinations was voted for the top five destinations due to safety concerns among Asian travellers. Nearly 65 per cent of Chinese respondents chose “safer” as one of their reasons behind voting for Australia, while 50 per cent chose the same reason for picking Japan.
Hong said: “Nearly 80 per cent of (Asians) travel with family so they are very mindful of the security measures. As a result, destinations within the Asia-Pacific region, such as Japan and Australia, offer a compelling alternative.”
