HOW DO CHINESE MILLENNIALS TRAVEL?

Millennials are defining travel in China as they account nearly 60% of all outbound travelers and 93% of them consider traveling an important part of their identity. What they look for in travel has also changed ; they seek out meaningful, adventurous and exciting experiences which may include anything from extreme experiences ( such as white water kayaking or skydiving ) to culinary and cultural experiencing ; wine tours and museum visits by Chinese tourists are on the up. 

Independent travel is on the rise  with the youngest contingent (18-20 years olds )  even open to back-packing type experiences. On the whole though , Chinese Millennial travelers are hedonistic, shopping is still important, and adventure is mitigated with the need for flexibility and comfort.  

Young Chinese travelers are also digitally savvy and highly involved in sharing experiences on social media platforms. 50% use mobile booking and rely on review sites. When at their destination, WiFi is a key amenity as the eagerly share their experiences but also search for offers and reviews on the go. 

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We have advised a number of travel sector clients throughout the years. Some recent cases include :

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• Leng's Hotels - As part of a new hotel concept development, China Insight supported the Leng’s Collection project alongside Radford Insight with consumer research and ideation. We realised a series of in depth interviews with Chinese travelers, and input into a workshop with the brand team where ideas were generated for each stage of the consumer journey for two new hotel concepts.
   

• Montreal tourist board - in collaboration with China Luxury Advisers, a US based strategic partner, China Insight delivered  two multi-day seminars across Montreal and Mont Tremblant with focus on attracting Millennial Chinese travellers to local attractions, hotels and retail.