From Tokyo to Paris: the resurgence of Chinese outbound travel

The summer travel season is in full swing, and the prospects for Chinese outbound travel are very promising. According to TravelSky, international travel from China is expected to surge by an impressive 93% this summer compared to last year. Meanwhile, Chinese OTA Qunar predicts that outbound travel will recover to 2019 levels this summer. By late June, international flight bookings on Qunar had reached 150% of the previous year's volume.

According to Ctrip, the most popular travel destinations are Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, and the USA. In Europe, the top countries are the UK, followed by France, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Europe has almost recovered its travel volumes compared to 2019, while some destinations, like Japan, have almost doubled (+171%) the 2019 volumes. Among High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), the most important destinations are Hong Kong and Tokyo for APAC, and Paris, London, and New York for Europe and the US.

At the same time, international air capacity from China continues to recover, with notable new and increased connections with Europe.‍

Key Chinese travel behaviors you need to know‍

Although the number of Chinese tourists has not fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, those who travel are spending more. The average transaction value for Chinese tourists in Europe has increased significantly compared to 2019, indicating a trend towards higher spending on luxury goods and services.

In 2023, Ctrip’s outbound travelers were 56% female and 44% male. The Chinese outbound tourism market usually skews female, but the report notes that the gender gap in 2023 was even larger than in 2019.

69% of Ctrip’s outbound travelers came from first-tier and new first-tier cities, and this group grew the most significantly as a proportion of the total outbound travelers. Only one-tenth of outbound travelers were from cities classified as third-tier or below, a drop of 30% since 2019.

The booking time varies according to the destination. Travelers to North America have to start planning the earliest, booking visa services on Ctrip nearly three months in advance. Travelers to Europe and Oceania need between one and two months for visas. For example, in some destinations like Italy, a visa is not required for travelers. Chinese travelers tend to leave their hotel and car rental bookings until the last week.

In terms of travel duration, trips to the Americas were the longest, at around three weeks. Trips to Europe and Oceania lasted around two weeks, with ten days being the average for Africa. In contrast, the average trip within Asia was only four days long.