China Outbound Tourism in 2013

In 2013, China’s outbound tourism market grew rapidly. Its status as world’s largest outbound tourism market and outbound tourism spender has been further consolidated. In the year, 98.19 million Chinese traveled abroad. That’s an increase of 18% compared to the year 2012, with the outbound expenditure reaching $128.7 billion USD, an increase of 26.8% on last year.

The reasons for this rapid growth are numerous and include the steadily developing economy, a growing demand in tourism, appreciation of Chinese currency, welcoming visa policies of foreign countries/regions, and the increased numbers of international flights.

The image of the  Chinese tourist has changed a lot over the years, from hoards of people dashing about taking photos and frantically shopping to slowly enjoying their surroundings and leisurely sightseeing. They are also spending more money on accommodation, food and entertainment. Although still popular, the sightseeing and shopping tours are being replaced with holidays that focus on rest and relaxation.

Many people prefer to organize their own holiday instead of using tour companies. Between January and September of 2013, almost 4 million Chinese visited Thailand; 3 million of them went there on their own, and roughly 80% of mainland Chinese visited Hong Kong by themselves. By booking flights, hotels and other self-serviced products online, the number of visitors traveling independently surpassed those who utilized organized tours to become the main force of China’s outbound tourism market.

Nearly 5 million people traveled from mainland China to Thailand via tour operators and travel agencies in 2013 (85% more than in 2012). This staggering increase could be down to the film “Lost in Thailand”.

 In 2013, travel agencies helped 33,557,091 people to travel overseas. Among them, 27,916,701 went to nearby Asian countries, accounting for 83.19%; 3,613,509 visited Europe, making up 10.77%; 751,783 traveled to America, constituting 2.24%; 838,572 left for Oceania and 281,716 for Africa.
 Increased income combined with the opportunities to travel abroad, mean that outbound tourism is set to rise to about 114 million in 2014 with a total expenditure of 140 billion USD.
 

Data Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People's Republic of China

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