Because of how much they’re traveling (and spending while they do it), Chinese travelers are one of the hottest topics in travel right now.
How can tour operators attract these highly sought after travelers? First, you need to understand who they are.
Younger Chinese travelers (age 25-44) are a great demographic for tour and activity operators to target.
They have better foreign language skills than their older counterparts, thanks to being more exposed to them while growing up. One of the reasons they travel is to practice their language skills.
As they use the internet extensively, much of their planning is done online, and they’re very active on social media. They either travel independently or join partial tours.
Tour operators should design adventure and culture oriented activities to add to their product catalog.
Older Chinese travelers (45 and over) should not be neglected.
Their language skills are not as good as the younger generation due to lack of exposure. Because of this, they typically opt for packaged tours, planned by travel agents.
When spending, they want the best value for money. However, they are also motivated by prestige, so brand is very important.
Tour operators should design private and group tours that allow them to see a lot of iconic attractions in a day.
Independent travelers are a rapidly growing segment that you absolutely must consider.
Independent Chinese travelers take control of their itineraries. You definitely won’t find them booking packaged tours, which they see as boring.
They travel to interact with the local culture, seeking new, novel experiences that make them stand out in their social circles.
In terms of planning their trip, they head to the internet, looking for opinions from other travelers. However, travel agents are still used to make the actual booking. It takes a while for them to get visas in order, so they book way in advance.
Tour operators should focus on allowing these travelers to authentically experience the local culture, in areas outside of the city centre.
Chinese travelers that travel in groups and packaged tours are a great demographic to target, because you fill more seats in one go!
In terms of their preferences, they like to have Chinese language and food options, and are not interested in high-end accommodations or transport.
They tend to be heavily influenced by traditional marketing, and book their itineraries through a tour agency.
Tour operators should have Chinese-speaking tour guides, add Chinese food options to their meals, and make sure sightseeing to a bunch of stops is a part of their tour itinerary.
You can imagine why you would want to cater to Chinese millionaires.
In addition to experiencing new cultures, affluent Chinese travelers visit their children studying abroad, or visit destinations to research schools to send their children to. In this case, tours and activities are done in their extra leisure time.
Tour operators should have a high-end private tour option which focuses on VIP service.
If you don’t have a booking form that supports Chinese translation, Rezdy supports the Chinese language (traditional & simplified), so you can start capturing your share of the Chinese traveler market. It will also manage your bookings from overseas agents.