Survey: 63% of mainland tourists intend to travel abroad. Hong Kong has become the most booked destination. Median shopping expenditure is NT$5,400 – Hong Kong Economic Daily – Financial Management – Smart Spending

More than a year after mainland China reopened its borders, outbound travel is recovering, but travel consumption is generally cautious. The tourism digital marketing company Longtour International recently released the 10th Chinese Traveler Sentiment Report, which stated that the number of mainland tourists intending to travel abroad this year has increased to 63%. Hong Kong is the destination that has been booked by the most people, but more and more people are interested in traveling overseas. Pay careful attention to cost-effectiveness.

63% of mainland tourists intend to travel abroad

The company surveyed 1,015 mainland Chinese tourists on their travel plans and preferences between March 6 and 19, 2024, including destination choices, travel motivations and priorities, travel expenditures, and responses to tourism marketing.

The results showed that about 63% of the respondents said they had already traveled or planned to travel abroad this year, an increase of 22 percentage points from the same period last year (41%). In addition, only 10% of respondents said they would definitely not travel abroad this year, compared with 31% in April 2023 and 20% in August 2023.

Hong Kong becomes the most booked destination

Among the respondents who have booked overseas travel this year, 94% have booked to go to two or more destinations. 73.7% of people will travel in Asia and 16% will go to Europe. Hong Kong is the location where the most people (32.6%) have made reservations, and 10.2% of them are repeat customers. Followed by Macau, 19.9% ​​of people made reservations, and more than 20% of them were repeat customers. The May Day and National Day Golden Week holidays are the peak seasons for outbound travel.

Most people want to go to South Korea, Hong Kong ranks 8th

Regarding the destination they most want to go to, South Korea ranks first, with 11.5% wanting to go to South Korea most this year, followed by traditional hotspots Thailand and Japan, and in fourth place is Singapore, which recently exempted China from a visa. France (5th) and Iceland (6th) are the two most attractive European countries. Macau and Hong Kong ranked 7th and 8th respectively.

Nearly 90% of people think Hong Kong is safe

The report pointed out that more than a year after China reopened, mainland tourists’ concerns about overseas safety are receding. Respondents’ perceptions of safety improved in 10 of the 12 destinations. Among them, Hong Kong is the place where most mainland tourists feel safe. 88% of the respondents think it is safe to travel to Hong Kong, and only 2% feel it is unsafe.

Only two countries feel less safe than before: Italy, down 1 percentage point, and Japan, whose image has been more affected, with a 6-point drop.

The report stated that this may be caused by Japan’s discharge of Fukushima nuclear wastewater, which led China to ban the import of Japanese seafood from late August 2023.

Consumers should be cautious and pay attention to cost-effectiveness

Before the epidemic, China was the world’s most expensive tourist source market. Nowadays, mainland tourists tend to be more budget-conscious, generally cautious in travel consumption, and pay attention to cost-effectiveness.

• 58% of respondents will carefully consider when planning an overseas trip to get the best value for money;
• 14% of people will choose the travel product with the best price.
• Fewer respondents are willing to pay a premium for outbound travel, with only 11% choosing the best products and services regardless of price;
• Another 11% of respondents are willing to increase their budget to obtain a better travel experience.

Among the total 1,015 respondents, 103 said they would definitely not travel overseas this year, and 18 of them said they lacked confidence in traveling due to limited income.

The median expenditure for a single outbound shopping trip is 5,400 yuan.

In terms of travel expenditure, 60% of people are willing to spend 20% or less of their annual disposable income on domestic/outbound travel, and 22% are willing to control their travel expenditure to 21% to 30% of their annual disposable income.

About half (47%) of people set their next overseas trip budget at 10,000 to 30,000 yuan (approximately 10,800 to 32,400 Hong Kong dollars)

The median shopping expenditure of mainland tourists on a single outbound trip is 5,000 yuan (approximately HK$5,401.58). Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents said they spent at least 2,000 yuan (HK$2,160.63) on shopping during a single outbound trip. Local products and souvenirs are the most popular shopping categories, accounting for 73% and 61% respectively, followed by cosmetics (37%) and clothing, shoes and bags (33%). Low prices, high quality, and friendly salespeople are what attract shoppers.

Accommodation preference: budget hotels

In terms of accommodation, budget hotels (33%) and mid-range hotels (32%) are the most popular choices among mainland tourists. Home sharing and vacation rental accommodations such as Airbnb are also favored by 23% of respondents. Only 6% of people said they would choose luxury hotels when traveling abroad. Looking back on past accommodation experiences, positive feedback stems from value for money, cleanliness, attentive service, and quiet environment. Meanwhile, reasons for dissatisfaction include being too expensive, dilapidated and poorly soundproofed.

Reliance on Xiaohongshu most for travel information

Xiaohongshu is an important source of destination information for mainland tourists. More than half (52%) of respondents use Xiaohongshu to find destination information, followed by Douyin (43%). KOL marketing on Douyin or Xiaohongshu has become one of the most successful ways to attract mainland tourists. Social media such as WeChat or Xiaohongshu is also the second largest channel for outbound travel bookings (38%), second only to online booking platforms such as Ctrip and Qunar.com (60%).

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China’s outbound travel boom has not yet materialized, with few international flights and a weak economy. Most people choose to travel domestically.

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