Findings from the second annual Dragon Trail International (DTI) research – Chinese Outbound Travel Trade Survey 2024 – show new traveller behaviour that emerged when the market exited lockdown last year is persisting.
Sienna Parulis-Cook, DTI, director of marketing and communication noted five key trends: price sensitivity becoming a key feature of the market; Chinese travellers strongly preferring small groups, with demand for customised tours continuing to grow; safety being more important than ever; nature becoming the leading travel theme of 2024; and family travel remaining a top trend, but with the younger demographic creating more opportunities for travel with friends.
Of the 295 travel agents actively selling China outbound polled, DTI market research analyst, Janice Meng, noted the post-2000s age group of their customers increased 33 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023.
During the recent webinar, Parulis-Cook, quoting TravelSky, shared that summer outbound travel was up 93 per cent year-on-year; international flight bookings on Qunar, by late-June, were 150 per cent of last year’s volume; and the platform’s prediction of recovery levels this summer reaching 2019 levels.
Visa waivers and new visa-free policies, such as by Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and with Australia introducing a new five-year, multi-entry visa, are expected to stimulate demand.
There has also been a surge in travel to South Korea, which remains popular; Japan, due to the weak yen; Dubai, with travel increased by 100 per cent in the first four months of the year; and Saudi Arabia, which was granted Approved Destination Status in July.
Jane Carter, international sales manager, Informa Markets, presenting on COTTM – China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market, who also spoke during the webinar, shared that the China Tourism Academy predicts that the number of Chinese outbound travellers will reach 130 million in 2024.
While price sensitivity is trending, Carter commented that travellers have higher requirements for tourism quality and demand for customised services is increasing.
