Tailoring to Chinese preferences, including advertising on China’s top social media channels and working with Chinese tour operators, will play a vital role in stimulating international travel demand among Chinese tourists, according to GlobalData.

The company’s latest report, Tourism Source Market Insight: China, found that China’s international departures fell 52.5 percent in 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

GlobalData’s survey shows that Chinese travelers’ appetite for international travel is decreasing. A Chinese tourist visiting a statue in the ancient city of Hattusa, Turkey, in December 2020 is pictured

GlobalData’s Covid-19 recovery surveys found that Chinese respondents’ demand for international travel was lower in December 2020 compared to June 2020. The polls found that 59 percent of the 500 Chinese respondents surveyed said they said “I will consider booking an international trip this year” in December, compared with 54 percent in June.

Johanna Bonhill-Smith, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, commented, “Covid-19 and fear of xenophobia both threaten the prospect of international departures from China. Additional steps are vital to interacting with Chinese citizens to awaken the international travel demand when travel becomes more accessible.

“Adapting to Chinese offerings like hosting a website with Chinese language preferences or selling local tours and excursions in Mandarin can improve the quality of a Chinese tourist’s experience. A destination that makes Chinese tourists feel welcome may be the first to see travel increase after the pandemic.

“Digital engagement across all industries such as advertising, payment, advice and general experiences have always been desirable factors for Chinese tourists, but it will become more important for travel after a pandemic. China’s main social media channels differ from the western world with apps like WeChat, Weibo and Douyin, which are widely used. For example, accepting payments from WeChat or Alipay can be beneficial across the travel and tourism supply chain – from the perspective of businesses and travel destinations. “

Partnerships with Chinese tour operators are another avenue that can be embarked upon, GlobalData said, highlighting the strong desire for familiar and trustworthy products among Chinese travelers surveyed in the aforementioned survey. Local operators typically have firsthand experience of advertising to Chinese individuals and therefore have greater leverage in serving this market. Trip.Com Group, for example, dominates the OTA market across China and has repeatedly partnered with companies around the world.

Bonhill-Smith concluded, “Although 85 percent of its international departures are to destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, China regularly ranks in the top 10 international arrivals for destinations in the Middle East and Europe. It is the largest and most lucrative source market in the world, so engagement is now crucial to combat all China / racism fears and stimulate the future travel demand of Chinese tourists. “

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