Travel Trends: Chinese Heading Overseas in Record Numbers

SHANGHAI, CHINA (August 16, 2011) -- Chinese are heading to foreign countries in record numbers but multinational hotels, airlines and luxury retailers are unprepared to handle their needs, expectations and numbers, say travel and tourism experts this week on Thoughtful China.

Sixty-six million Chinese will travel overseas this year, a 15% increase over last year, and 100 million will be global travelers by 2020, according to the World Tourism Organization.

The rising number of Chinese travelers “will completely change the face of tourism,” especially in the hottest destinations for Chinese travelers, New York and Las Vegas, says Pierre Gervois, president and CEO of China Elite Focus, which specializes in affluent Chinese outbound tourism. Another popular go-to spot is the U.K., he adds, because “British luxury brands are doing very well on the Chinese market.”

A decade ago, few Chinese tourists went further than shopping excursions to Hong Kong organized by tour group operators. Today, China is the world’s third-largest spender on international tourism, behind Germany and the U.S. The growing number of affluent Chinese have more choices, they want more customized experiences and they have high expectations.

Travel experts in China say western hotels, airlines, restaurants and luxury retailers in Asia, the U.S. and Europe are not ready to cope with the rising number of Chinese tourists heading their way.

“The West is not as prepared as it could be,” says Bruce Ryde, general manager of InterContinental Hotels’ Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund, and the biggest issue is language. “When it comes to menus, hotel information, and just general conversation, there needs to be more work done.”

The need for customization does not stop at translation. For example, Chinese expect to have their cuisine readily available in restaurants, from room service and inside mini-bars.

“If a hotel can provide Americans with a hamburger in Hanoi, then Chinese should get noodles in Nice,” says P.T. Black, Thoughtful China’s senior creative director in Shanghai.

Foreign companies should also be working harder to provide product information, marketing and online booking options in Chinese, says Chloe Reuter, a luxury retail specialist based in Shanghai.