28 REGION ASIA - PACIFIC
28 REGION ASIA - PACIFIC Chinese tourists in Madrid Chinese tourist queue in front of a Hermes store in Paris Chinese outbound travel boom Major new report released on Chinese tourism in Europe A big data report on Chinese tourists traveling to Europe in the first half of 2019 reveals a 7.4% rise over 2018. The China Outbound Tourism Research Institute and Ctrip jointly released the “Big Data Report on Chinese Tourists to Europe in the First Half of 2019.” The report analyses the big data of millions of vacation products on Ctrip’s travel platform, combined with that of more than 7,000 Ctrip stores in major cities, along with European travel data from the Huacheng International Travel Group, China’s leading outbound travel operator. According to data released by the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, the number of Chinese visitors to Europe in 2018 exceeded 6 million. With favourable policies on visas, flights, exchange rates and consumer services to Europe, China’s travel to Europe will, says the survey, continue to grow in 2019. In the first half of this year, the number of outbound tourists from China was expected to be about 81.29 million, up 14% from the previous year, with 3 million trips to Europe, up 7.4%, according to COTRI. According to Huacheng, the number of people booking a trip to Europe in the first half of 2019 grew by 12.3% year-on-year. Ctrip travel data shows that Europe is the second most popular destination for Chinese tourists, accounting for 10%, second only to Asia. In the first half of 2019, according to Ctrip travel data, the top 10 “dark horse” destinations were Croatia, Latvia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Albania, Serbia, Malta, Ireland and Denmark, with the number of Chinese visitors to Croatia up 540% year-on-year in the first half. Andorra, Monaco and the Transcaucasian countries, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, located in the heart of Eurasia, are also becoming popular destinations for Chinese tourists, according to booking data. The top ten popular source cities are Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Xi’an, Nanjing and Wuhan, the top ten black horse starting cities are Guiyang, Shenyang, Qingdao, H e f e i , Ta i y u a n , N a n n i n g , Hangzhou, Changchun, Dalian and Nanchang; among them, the number of Guiyang tourists visiting Europe in the first half of this year increased by 526% yearon-year. In the first half of the year, a number of new routes to Europe were opened, with direct flights from Shanghai to Budapest, Shenzhen to Dublin and Rome, Beijing to Oslo, Shenzhen and Hangzhou to Rome, Guangzhou- Urumqi-Vienna and other routes to be opened, making it easier for Chinese tourists to travel to Europe. In the first half of 2019, according to the analysis of the gender and age of tourists, the proportion of women visiting Europe was 62.9% and the proportion of men was 37.1%. The total number of visitors in their 50s and 60s exceeded 50%, with 12.7% over 70 years of age. The “new group tour” quality tourism era is coming, with the number of customised tours to Europe increasing by 315% year-on-year. The growth in the number of private groups doubled, with the average number of participants being 3.2 people. The number of people signing up for private group tours in Europe has been increasing year by year. Data EUROPE IS THE SECOND MOST POPULAR DESTINATION FOR CHINESE TOURISTS, ACCOUNTING FOR 10%, SECOND ONLY TO ASIA shows that the number of visitors to Europe who signed up for private group products increased by 120% year-on-year, and the number of private group visitors to Europe accounted for 5% of the total number of visitors to Europe. In the first half of this year, the top 10 cities from which travellers were registering for private trips to Europe were Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Xiamen and Suzhou, while the top 10 popular destinations were the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Iceland, Germany and the Czech Republic ITB ASIA NEWS • Wednesday 16 October 2019 www.itb-asia-news.com
ASIA - PACIFIC REGION 29 Indian tourists in front the Louvre museum, Paris Southeast Asians target Europe as the “most aspirational” longhaul destination INDIAN OUTBOUND AND DOMESTIC TOURISM TO HIT €51 BN IN 2020 The launch, on 15-17 April 2020, of the first ITB India by Messe Berlin (Singapore) is very timely, as the nation has very quickly become one of the biggest tourism markets in the world. The value of the Indian tourism industry is expected to hit €51 bn in 2020, according to the UNWTO. The numbers for outbound travellers could well reach 50 million by 2020, which speaks to just how robust the outbound t o u r i s m m a r k e t i n I n d i a will be. These 50 million outbound travellers will need all kinds of services, creating many opportunities for National Tourism Organisations, travel and hospitality companies and other service providers. India is the second largest most populous country in the world with the tag of fastest-growing major economy globally. Due to this economic growth, its people are earning more year on year and their disposable income is also growing. Air connectivity from India to foreign locations has also improved significantly over recent years. A c c o r d i n g t o ResearchAndMarkets.com, firsttime Indian visitors generally prefer to visit Asian countries such as Thailand and Singapore, due to their proximity. In the case of long-haul travel Indians prefer going to the United States, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand. Business tourism is reported to be a major driver. Research indicates the number of business tourists from India visiting Japan, for example, is larger than the number of holiday tourists. Indian outbound business tourism to China is also showing a positive trend and will continue to grow for years to come. Thailand is attracting huge numbers of Indian tourists, because of its affordability and proximity. The United States is a prime destination for Indian outbound travellers on a global level. More than a third of the total worldwide expenditure by Indian tourists takes place in the United States, which is a popular destination for all travel segments Asian tourists in Lausanne According to the “South-East Asian Outbound Travel Market” report from the European Travel Commission (ETC), the appeal of Europe as a travel destination is immense for Southeast Asians. The report provides an analysis of potential visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to Europe. It concludes that they love Europe for its nature and scenic landscapes, the diversity of its cultural attractions and its good weather conditions. Prestige for visiting Europe is also part of the motivation. The top themes for travelling to Europe are slow adventure, culture and history, nature, city life and local gastronomy. In 2017, the ETC indicates that the four Southeast Asian countries generated together over 40 million outbound departures, up from 33 million in 2013. This represents an average growth of 3.7% for the period into consideration. Outbound travel expenditures rose from US bn to US bn. Malaysia was the largest outbound market in travel volume while Singaporeans are spending the most when travelling. While the bulk of all trips from Southeast Asians are regional (80% to 85%), 15% to 20% concern long-haul travel, with Europe having the largest share of all long-haul trips, representing between 50% and 60%. The trip lasts between 10 and 21 days. Favourite destinations for Southeast Asians are the ones considered prestigious “mustdos”. These include France, Germany or Italy. According to ETC research, Southeast Asian travellers to Europe are mainly young couples and families but solo travel is on the increase. Multigenerational travel is more common in Singapore and Thailand, while group travel is important in Indonesia and Malaysia. Average age for Southeast Asian travellers fluctuate between 21 and 54 years old. Three major issues are pointed out by Southeast Asians: insufficient air connectivity out of Indonesia and Malaysia, requirements to obtain a Schengen visa for Indonesians and Thais and high travel costs in Europe. ITB ASIA NEWS • Wednesday 16 October 2019
