QHA Review August 2017

Judy Hill
ACCOMMODATION UPDATE
WHAT CHINESE GUESTS WANT
FROM ACCOMMODATION HOTELS
The sixth annual Chinese International Travel Monitor
(CITM) released by Hotels.com has revealed that
Chinese travellers are spending a whopping 28% of
their income on average on international travel. They
also intend to spend 10% more on travel in the next
12 months, with Australia topping the list as the most
desired destination in Asia-Pacific.
Regardless of many key indicators showing signs of a
slowdown in the Chinese economy, this year’s CITM
found spending on travel increased across all age
brackets, with Chinese travellers spending US$3,600
in the last 12 months – more than a quarter of their
income and an increase of 4% compared with the
previous year.
Nineties millennials are the biggest spenders,
allocating 35% of their income to travel. 93% of
Australian hoteliers surveyed in the Hotels.com
research said they accommodated Chinese travellers,
with 55% observing growth of the market over the last
12 months.
According to the Hotels.com data, Australia was
deemed the third most welcoming country to Chinese
travellers, up one place from 2016. Despite this, the
Hotels.com report revealed a gap in what Chinese
guests want versus what hotels are providing,
highlighting that, by making some adaptions to
accommodate Chinese tourists, there is huge potential
for Australian hotels to further tap into this market.
While Australian hotels are focusing their efforts on
social media and marketing programs in a bid to
attract Chinese travellers, the investment in on-site
services for Chinese guests has decreased according
to the Hotels.com data.
The report identified key areas where hotels could
improve their services, according to Chinese travellers:
Chinese payment facilities at hotels, such as UnionPay,
rank second for consumers in importance, yet only
18% of Australian hotels currently offer these facilities
and only 15% intend to offer them in the next
12 months.
In-house Mandarin speaking staff was ranked number
one by travellers but was low on the list for hoteliers,
with only 16% currently offering the service and 11%
planning to do so in the next 12 months. On-site
Chinese restaurants were ranked fifth by travellers
however only 3% of hoteliers currently offer this service
and only 5% intend to provide it in the next 12 months.
Translated travel guides were ranked number four by
travellers but are a low in priority for hoteliers; 14%
currently offer this and only 17% plan to in future.
Both the perception of Australia as a welcoming
destination, and the willingness of accommodation
providers to cater to Chinese travellers is critical to
ensuring sustainability of the local tourism industry.
As Australia’s second largest inbound tourist market
Chinese travellers offer huge economic benefits to our
country and to our state of Queensland.
It’s pleasing to see Australia continues to deliver quality
and friendly hospitality but this reputation needs to be
maintained to ensure Chinese travellers feel welcome
not only to visit our country but also to stay in our
accommodation hotels. Despite this reputation,
Australia has fallen two places since topping the wish
list of countries to visit last year.
The CITM report notes that Chinese travellers have
entered a new phase in their evolution and are
demanding more of everything – more time travelling,
more locations and more diverse experiences and
it’s vital that as accommodation providers you adapt
to these evolving needs and develop tailored hotel
services that tap into their enormous spending power.
QHA REVIEW | 47