China is the number one outbound tourism market

Tourism has become an important contributor to the economy in China since the start of the reform and opening up in the early 1980s.

Tourism is an economy in China

The emergence of an affluent middle class and a relaxation of movement restrictions for locals and foreign visitors are both supporting this travel boom. The Chinese tourism market has become one of the most watched inbound and outbound tourism markets in the world. It has been estimated that the number of domestic trips to China will increase to around 2.38 billion trips by 2020, indicating an increase of more than 50% over the number of trips made to China ten years ago. . Total revenues from the Chinese travel and tourism industry amounted to 3.94 trillion yuan in 2016, up 15.2% from the previous year.

Chinese travel industry 

The travel industry contributed 2.1% to China's gross domestic product (GDP) and provided around 22.5 million jobs. The impact of tourism on the labor market in China is even more significant when indirect employment is taken into account. In 2015, around 65 million people were indirectly employed in the tourism sector. China has a large number of attractions such as historic sites and relics, economic hotspots and a culturally diverse number of minorities. As a result, the country has become one of the most popular travel destinations for many countries such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Maldives, Russia and the United Kingdom. Inbound tourism revenue to China reached US $ 114 billion in 2015. In terms of international visitor arrivals to China, approximately 134 million visitors were recorded in 2015, of which only 26 million came from overseas. sea, while the majority came from Hong Kong and Macao SAR.

The same year, the number of overnight stays by international tourists in Guangdong Province reached 34.5 million, far more than in any other province or region of China. Ningxia, Gansu and Qinghai have been the least visited regions of China by international visitors in recent years. For overseas tourism, spending by Chinese travelers abroad has reached about US $ 292 billion. The most popular travel destination for young Chinese luxury travelers was Europe with a share of 61%, followed by Japan and South Korea. The main mass travel international travel destinations in China are Canada, Singapore, Australia, Japan and the United States. China's growing economy is also generating a surge in business travel.

MICE  & Business Travel

In May 2015, the main business travel objectives among Chinese companies were meetings, training, various types of conventions and exhibitions, including projects and exhibitions of sales products.

Holiday in China and increase of the travel of Chinese middle Class 

With the introduction of compulsory holidays by the Chinese government, a recreational turning point has been underway in China for several years. Traveling abroad has the wind in its sails among the affluent and middle classes of China. Supported by the increase in the standard of living, and consequently, in purchasing power, tourism is an activity more and more favored by the Chinese. Chinese tourists now represent 121 million visitors a year worldwide, a number that will no doubt continue to grow in the years to come. If their number represents only a small percentage of the international tourism market estimated at more than a billion people, their spending budget makes it a colossal market. Indeed, their tourism spending would amount to more than 292 billion dollars according to a recent study conducted by Alliance 46.2 (association of several large groups such as the SNCF, Les Galeries Lafayette and Accor hotels).

The evolution of the Chinese holiday calendar

It is common to hear that the Chinese rarely take vacations, or not at all. This widespread idea is however a well-established but unfounded myth since, since 1999, the government has introduced a system of compulsory days off in mainland China. On the other hand, the Chinese have the possibility of taking days off at their convenience during the year. With the reform of the 2007 labor law, paid holidays are now extendable to the private sector and the duration varies according to seniority. Overall, the private and public sectors combined, Chinese people enjoy an average of 11 days of vacation per year.

Chinese travel Calendar 

Each year, the government provides the Chinese people with a calendar based on traditional folk festivals on the official central government website. There are officially 7 holiday periods, the length of which varies according to the holidays. Here are the main dates during which Chinese tourists will be more inclined to travel:

1. New Year's Day (the 3 days following January 1 of the Roman calendar)
2. The Spring Festival (chun jie) which marks the start of the Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar (in January or February)
3. The Festival of "pure light" or homage to the ancestors generally at the beginning of April, three days during which families maintain the graves
4. Labor Day: April 29 to May 1 for 3 days
5. The Dragon Boat Festival in June for 3 days
6. Moon or Mid-Autumn Festival which takes place over three days towards the end of September / October according to the lunar calendar
7. National Day (guóqìng jié): from October 1 to 7 which, with the Spring Festival, represents the longest holiday period in China

Although the Chinese have the possibility of setting days off, the waves of travel revolve mainly around the days of compulsory holidays and more particularly during the golden weeks, the famous "Golden Week" which last on average one week .

Chinese travel Habbits

However, travel habits and departure times vary according to the typology of tourists. The wealthiest tourists, for example, will tend to travel out of season. The assertion of the middle classes and the emergence of second and third-tier cities are upsetting the classic departure calendar since many will choose the summer holidays, which correspond to a period of school holidays, to go on a family trip .

90% of Chinese tourists booked their Trip online. 

Qunar is the leading booking platform in China

source photo @Gma

Destinations and departure waves abroad

Neighboring Asian countries are the main beneficiaries of the Chinese tourist wave. The latter favor primarily continental tourism: Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea are among the flagship destinations of travelers. The main reason is proximity, as much cultural, culinary as geographical, but above all for security reasons. On the other hand, the ease of obtaining a visa and the more affordable price of these destinations have been factors favorable to the development of this continental tourism.

Europe currently captures only 10% of outbound tourism from China. France, on the other hand, represents 24.6% of the Chinese international tourism market share in Europe.

Regarding the departure periods, many Chinese still follow the official calendar to organize their trips, especially during the golden weeks

source photo