Each Chinese Outbound Tourist Spending Almost CNY20,000 on Average, Japan and South Korea as Popular Destinations, Says Report

How much do Chinese tourists spend per capita on their trips abroad on average? The 2014 WTCF (World Tourism Cities Federation) Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit held in Beijing on September 4th, 2014, revealed that Chinese outbound tourists spend almost CNY20,000 per capita on average, according to the “Survey Report on the Market and Expenditures of Chinese Outbound Tourism” released at the summit, according to a report from Finance China. Japan and South Korea attracted the largest number of Chinese tourists in the past year.

More and more countries have started to simplify their visa application process since last year, in order to attract more Chinese tourists. The market of Chinese outbound tourism is growing continuously, with the number of Chinese outbound tourists in 2013 reaching 981 million, an increases of 18% compared to the previous year. On his opening remarks on the summit, Shao Qiwei, Director of the China National Tourism Administration, pointed out that China is now not only ranked the first among all the countries on the number of outbound tourists, but also has the biggest domestic tourism market. He also predicted that the number of Chinese outbound tourists would exceed 500 million in the next five years.

Then what are the hottest destinations for Chinese outbound tourists? According to the report, the cities include Seoul, Busan, Sapporo, and Gwangju in South Korea and various cities throughout Japan make the most popular cities among all the member cities outside China, because they can be easily reached. In addition, Seoul is the city in which Chinese outbound tourists spend the most.

In terms of the destinations for long-term travels, Paris, London, Rome, Berlin, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles are more appealing to Chinese tourists for their sightseeing, shopping, or other recreational activities.

What do Chinese outbound tourists spend their money on? The report reveals that Chinese outbound tourists spend 57.76% of their total expenditures on shopping, followed by accommodation, transportation, admission fees, entertainment and other expenses. It also shows tourists heading to cities in Europe and U.S. are spending more per capita on average. And it costs more for individual tourists than those with a travel agency. On the whole, every Chinese tourist spends 19,871(CNY) on average on their trips abroad.

Initiated by Beijing, the World Tourism Cities Federation was founded in September 2012. Over 320 representatives from 126 organizations attended the summit of 2014. The Tourism Trade Fair is a new section this year, which attracted more than 240 travel agencies and other organizations. During the agenda lasting for two days, the Trade Fair offered the opportunity for over 1,500 pairs of travel buyers and vendors to have face-to-face business negotiations.

The Council members voted Fez and Rabat-two cities of Morocco-to be the co- organizer of the summit of 2015. This will be the first time that the Beijing Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit will be held in another city instead of Beijing.