Are you a travel agency? A hotel? Or maybe another kind of player in the Tourism market looking to reach Chinese millennials in China? This article will help you to figure out the specific characteristics of this group as well as its challenges. Discover how and why Chinese millennials are their new target, as trendy and wealthy customers in China.
The outbound tourism market in China
The outbound Chinese tourism market has been extensively expanding these last few years. In 2015, 1 billion Chinese went to travel abroad, for almost 1.5 in 2020. During these outbound trips, the same year, they spent 229 billion USD, according to GFK, a global market research agency.
The number of Chinese tourists not only increased in Asian neighboring countries but also in further destinations. For example, the volume of Chinese outbound trips has risen by almost four times in Thailand, doubled in Europe, almost tripled in Japan, America, and the Middle East.
What is the common profile of Chinese millennials?
First of all, Chinese millennials are characterized by the influence of globalization, a higher level of education, and a different way of living in comparison to older Chinese generations. In fact, around 7 out 10 Chinese millennials are part of the higher income group and white collars. They are also willing to spend more and present a less sensitive demand price elasticity. It’s also very likely that their income will improve in the near future.
Apart from an inevitably higher standard of living inevitably, they are also more autonomous and appreciate being independent. They enjoy using their mobile phone, laptop, or tablet to go on the Internet and they also use social media on a daily basis.
Chinese millennials are ultra-connected
With more than 660 million Chinese people on Internet, China is one of the most connected countries in the world. The Chinese Internet community has a passion for information sharing on social media. In fact, 90% of Chinese Internet users being more than 550 million Chinese have at least one account on QQ, Wechat, Weibo, or another social media network. They use these platforms to share their comments, advice, photos, and other stories about their trips abroad.
However, we should not forget that the first use of the Internet for Chinese people is the possibility to research for information before purchasing a product or a service. Chinese tourists look for a different kinds of information: plane tickets, hotels, places to visit, and other attractions. The most famously used search engine in China is Baidu, a leader in its market with more than 80% of the market share.
Also, almost half of Chinese Internet users interested in traveling in the near future visit dedicated travel booking websites. Thanks to this, specialized booking websites produced revenue of 2850 billion Yuans (RMB) in 2016. It appears that the evolution is going upwards with an estimated doubled revenue in 2020. Finally, they have more faith in booking websites than traditional travel agencies (13% against 10%).
To conclude about Chinese millennials
In conclusion, today’s challenge for an active player in the tourism industry that wants to operate in China as well as reach the targeted Chinese millennial market is the fact they are every digital and constantly connected. In order to make the best out of this behavioral change and transition towards the digital world, it’s more and more important as a tourism player to be present on these websites and social networks quoted earlier.
A well-established referencing on Baidu in order to allow the Chinese millennial Internet users to find the information they need. Publish content and establish partnerships with the main booking websites. Then, be active online on local social networks like Wechat and Weibo to reach the targeted customers.
Finally, have an attractive website, with a nice feel and touch, in Chinese, enabling Chinese millennial tourists to directly access interesting information, and even, booking online. A good example of these last few tips is the website of Tourfrombali. The website has an uncluttered design, is in Chinese, has good quality images, and is easy to use.
If you are looking for a Tourism Digital Marketing specialist, don’t hesitate to contact us!
Our agency is working in the Chinese market for years to provide a personal and tailor-made digital marketing strategy to all of our clients, whatever their sector is. There is a place for every company in China.
