Video – Travel Companions – China Outbound Travel Pulse – Episode n.12

Chinese tourists’ choice of travel companions will influence many other decisions, including when to travel, where to go, and what activities to do. From family travel, to girls-only trips, to solo travel, find out what’s most popular for Chinese travelers and what you should expect from each of these market segments.

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Video Transcript

Prof Outbound
According to a survey by the World Tourism Cities Federation, in 2017 almost 2/3 of Chinese outbound tourists traveled with a family member. Friends are the second most popular travel companions, followed by colleagues.

Interviews with Chinese Travelers

Older people like to travel with family

Normally I travel with my family.

I either travel for work, or with friends and family. Chinese people like to travel together in groups of friends. Normally I would go traveling with my family and our friends’ families. Like this, our kids can have fun together and we can relax too.

Mostly with family, to bring our kids. For instance, on a ski trip to Japan, to Disney and Hawaii, I went together with another mom and our kids. We rented a car and drove around. I think it’s important to take kids traveling to see the world.

Newlyweds like to travel with their partners

With my husband, but sometimes I travel by myself too. When I travel by myself, the itinerary is more detailed. With my husband, he does it all.

With my wife.

With my family [husband]. When I travel for work, I will travel with my colleagues.

And young people…

Sometimes by myself, other times with friends. When I went to Sri Lanka, I traveled there with a friend, from Malaysia. After she left, I spent 2 more weeks there by myself.

Normally more with friends. If I have extra time, I will also travel by myself. With friends, I’ll choose the beach, because it’s more fun and relaxed. If I am on my own, I will go to places worth exploring.

With my good friends, but sometimes I travel alone too. I feel more relaxed when traveling by myself. With friends, it feels more like exploring a mystery, with a map and places to tick off to find a treasure.

When I travel overseas, I normally go by myself, because it’s more convenient. When drinking a coffee, asking for directions or reading a book, you can strike up a conversation with locals and make new friends.

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Traveling with children

Family travelers are often made up by 2 adults and 1 child, or by multi-generational families with 2 grandparents, 2 parents and a child, or by 3 families traveling with kids so that their only children will have play mates.

Chinese families with school-aged children tend to travel during the summer and winter school holidays. When traveling with children, parents will travel at a slower pace choosing a less packed itinerary and nearby destinations if the kids are very small. In general family travel products are becoming more sophisticated, and place more emphasis on uniqueness and experiences over price.

Traveling as a couple

Valentine’s Day and Chinese Valentine’s Day (which falls between July and August) are popular times for couples to spend a long weekend overseas. According to Ctrip, couples traveling during this time will spend on average US$950 per person, with island tourism, luxury hotels and honeymoons as some of the best-selling products.

Traveling with friends and classmates

According to a survey conducted by OTA Lvmama, more than 2/3 of female respondents prefer traveling with their best girlfriends over family members or partners. Typical best-girlfriends’ trips last less than 3 days, with shopping, dining out and photo shoots some of the most popular activities.

According to Lvmama, almost half of university students plan to go overseas with classmates to celebrate their graduations.

Traveling alone

Leading OTAs Tuniu and Ctrip, offer a “Travel Companion” service to help solo travelers find a travel partner. By September 2017, Tuniu’s “Travel Companion” had 800,000 users, with a 30% year on year growth rate. 90% of Tuniu’s users chose to travel with a companion of the same gender.

Traveling alone is also increasingly popular among the more experienced and younger travelers. Solo travelers enjoy the freedom to choose where to go and what to do, without having to please all travel companions.

Prof Outbound

What kind of travel partner are the Chinese visiting your destination traveling with? The choice of a travel companion will influence many other decisions – when to travel, where to go, and what activities to do.