PHOTO: Chinese inbound tour operators exploring the neighborhoods of New Orleans on a recent fam trip sponsored by the National Tour Association and New Orleans Tourism. (Photo by David Cogswell)
Allianz Global Assistance, a specialty insurance company, conducted a market research project and developed a profile of the Chinese tourist, which is coming into the United States in increasing numbers.
Although Chinese inbound tourism only got started in 2008 after the U.S. was named to Approved Destination Status by the Chinese government, China is projected to be the third largest inbound tourism market in the U.S. by 2019, following Canada and Mexico, surpassing by then Germany, Brazil, Japan and the United Kingdom.
The U.S. Department of Commerce Forecast estimates that the number of visitors from China will grow by 172 percent to 3.1 million by 2019.
According to the report, 740,000 visited New York alone, almost five times as many as in 2009. China overtook France last year, taking fourth place as a source of foreign tourists to New York, behind Britain, Canada and Brazil.
With this massive economic opportunity now approaching us with the speed of a hurtling meteorite, Allianz Global Assistance has tried to create a profile of the Chinese travelers we can expect to see in coming years, who are already coming in great numbers.
The company drew from a series of online travel forums it has conducted in an attempt to to prepare an analysis and a body of information that can give U.S. businesses concrete ways to help them prepare to take advantage of the opportunity, which is going to be enormous and is going to hit us very quickly.
Here are 10 aspects of the Chinese inbound travel market that could be of great value to anyone whose business may be affected by inbound Chinese tourism.
1. Chinese have closely knit families and younger Chinese travelers tend to bring their parents. They are highly family oriented, like to travel as families and are in the market for ways to make family travel comfortable, easy and fun.
2. Chinese travelers who may not be able to take their families on a trip may wish to find a traveling partner or partners, and they have blogs that help them find appropriate partners. Apps like WeChat enable users to create groups that travel together and to develop intimate relationships both before and after the trip.
3. Photo sharing is a popular field of online social interaction. They like to share photos and videos. As a result, one side benefit of working with the market is that they are great social media promoters if they like a business.
4. Chinese travelers come well equipped. They use their forums to educate themselves about the needs for a trip, learning specific answers to their questions from like-minded people whom they trust. They use the same forums to sell their used equipment to others who may need it for a trip they are planning.
5. Chinese travelers appear to have taken a great interest in outdoor activities available in the U.S. for them. They are active and interactive in their research.
6. Same for optional paid activities, such as excursions, parks and a plethora of other kinds of activities offered to tourists.
7. The Chinese have shown a rising interest in winter sports. As the standard of living for the middle class has risen, more are engaging in skiing. Artificial snow slopes have emerged as a successful business in China - how much better to do it with real snow.
8. China's own domestic travel market is likewise mushrooming. It is estimated to the the largest travel market in the world by 2017. Chinese online networks show a lot of sharing of domestic travel information as well.
9. Like Americans, the Chinese like traveling by car. Again paralleling our own history, the automobile became a status symbol to a rising middle class. The Great American Road Trip is a legendary part of American culture, and the Chinese want to have their own "On The Road" experience. They are highly interested in motoring information, what highways are best for a given trip, etc.
10. Here come cruises! Until now pretty much off the radar, cruises are now passing into the consciousness of the Chinese traveler. So cruise industry: get ready.
The Helpme Forums Observatory was conducted between May 15, 2014-June 15, 2014 in 11 countries total: Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Australia, China and the United States.
Five to 10 top specialty travel forums were monitored and 35 million comments processed.
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