This document provides an executive summary of a report on Chinese global travelers. It finds that Chinese outbound travel has tripled in the last 10 years, with more adventurous consumers broadening the types of destinations and experiences sought. Younger generations and those from smaller cities are now traveling. While some still prefer structured tours, many seek authentic local experiences and cuisine. The report identifies 12 emerging types of Chinese travelers and provides case studies on companies adapting to their needs.

1. The New Face of
Chinese Global Travel
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Understanding the fastest-growing
group of global travelers – and
what it means for your brand
China
Outbound:

2. Contents
3–4 . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction
5–7 . . . . . . . . . . . Context
8–27 . . . . . . . . . . Survey Results
Top findings
Drivers and deterrents
12 emerging traveler types
28–42 . . . . . . . . Case Studies
Mobile payments: Alipay
Online travel bookings: Ctrip
Boutique travel: Beshan by WildChina
Country campaign: Indonesia’s “10 New Balis”
Destination weddings: Four Seasons Oahu, Hawaii
43–52 . . . . . . . . Emerging sectors
Medical tourism: Hope Noah, Ctrip
Love tourism: Daocaoren, PFLAG
Soul tourism: Ctrip, Glo Kitchen + Fitness
53–54 . . . . . . . . Takeaways
55–83 . . . . . . . . By the Numbers
84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgements
Cover image: Wild China in Morocco
Top image: Airbnb
Bottom image: Wild China in Morocco
CHINA OUTBOUND 2EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3. Context
Wild China in Morocco

4. “The industry
used to do a very
cookie-cutter 10-
day Europe kind
of product. These
tended to be
retired workers,
retired teachers.”
MEI ZHANG
FOUNDER, WILD CHINA
Chinese international travel has
tripled in the last 10 years, with
affluent, increasingly adventurous
consumers setting the pace of
travel retail, hotels and hospitality.
Traditional molds are changing.
Singles, younger generations, and
those from smaller cities are traveling,
making this cohort a powerful, and
moving, target.
It’s hard to believe that until fairly
recently, travel abroad was considered
a bourgeois practice and beyond the
reach of the Chinese masses. Until
China’s opening up in the late 1970s,
and even into the 1980s, overseas
travel was mainly reserved for
visiting friends and relatives, and for
government delegations.
It wasn’t until a second wave of
economic reforms in the 1990s
created a manufacturing boom and a
substantial middle class, that Chinese
began venturing out in large numbers.
Between 1980 and 2016 China’s gross
domestic product per capita rose from
$194 to $8,123, according to the World
Bank, with wealth concentrated in the
big cities.
Starting in the early 2000s, China’s
travel industry began to bloom, with
Chinese heading initially to nearby
Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia, and then to well-known
tourist destinations beyond on bus
tours for photo ops and shopping.
In the early days, “the industry used to
do a very cookie-cutter 10-day Europe
kind of product,” Mei Zhang, founder of
WildChina, a boutique travel agency, tells
the Innovation Group. “These tended to
be retired workers, retired teachers.”
Between 2000 and 2010, the number
of outbound travelers grew from 10.5
million to 57.4 million, according to the
National Bureau of Statistics of China.
By the end of 2015, that had more
than doubled, and Asian investment
firm CLSA predicts about 200 million
Chinese will travel abroad annually
by 2020.
Countries began making it easier
for Chinese to visit, waiving visas or
issuing them on arrival. The sheer
numbers going abroad for the first
time, and the possibility of culture
clashes, prompted Beijing to publish a
guide—“The Chinese Citizens’ Guide
to Civilized Behavior Abroad”—which
included advice such as “Do not force
foreigners to take pictures with you”
and “Do not pick the flowers and fruit.”
CHINA OUTBOUND 4CONTEXT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5. National holidays
In China, private sector workers get an
average of two weeks’ annual leave
while the approximately 20% of China’s
employed who work for state-owned
enterprises get a minimum of five days’
vacation in a year.
That’s why many tend to travel during
China’s two major holidays: the week-
long Chinese New Year celebration in
January or February and Golden Week
in October.
Travel businesses target these times
for promotions. This year, Airbnb
released its first Chinese New Year
campaign, “Celebrate It My Way,”
localized for the Chinese market.
Airbnb invited celebrities, influencers
and selected users from hundreds
of applicants on the popular WeChat
blog “The Fair” to take their parents
on a trip abroad instead of traveling to
hometowns and villages to celebrate
Spring Festival the traditional way.
International luxury brands such as
Lacoste and Harrods also reserve
those dates for major campaigns and
collaborations with China’s mobile
payment and e-commerce giants.
These days, Chinese travelers
are getting younger and more
adventurous. They are journeying
further and in smaller groups, in part
inspired by others on social media.
When, in 2009, Robbie Gong and his
partner founded the Shanghai-based,
culture-focused boutique travel
group Daocaoren, their aim was to
let travelers have real-life, immersive
experiences. “Nobody was doing this in
China,” he tells the Innovation Group.
“Young travelers definitely love to
travel just so they can show off on
their WeChat Moments, but more
people want to have a connection
with the real world and get to know
different cultures,” Gong says. “We
want to help them build bridges and
find truth.”
“Young travelers definitely love to
travel just so they can show off on
their WeChat Moments, but more
people want to have a connection
with the real world and get to know
different cultures. We want to help
them build bridges and find truth.”
ROBBIE GONG
FOUNDER, DAOCAOREN
CHINA OUTBOUND 5CONTEXT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6. Between March 13 and 21, 2018,
the Innovation Group conducted a
survey of 1,500 adult travelers (over
18 years of age) from 16 cities across
China using SONAR™, J. Walter
Thompson’s proprietary research unit.
Respondents were those who had
traveled outside the country in the
past 18 months—49% were male and
51% female.
Eastern Southern Western Northern
Tier 1 Shanghai Guangzhou Chongqing Beijing
Tier 2 Hangzhou Changsha Chengdu Haerbin
Tier 3 Wuxi Liuzhou Xining Qingdao
Tier 4 Fuzhou Lijiang Leshan Handan
Broadly, travelers are increasingly
seeking something they can’t find
back home—this could be food,
culture, spirituality, nature, adventure
or even love—yet still want the
conveniences of home such as
language and familiar payment
systems.
Cities covered:
N=1,500 adults living in China (n=375 per tier, with at least n=75 per city)
Beijing
Haerbin
Qingdao
Shanghai
Hangzhou
Fuzhou
Changsha
Guangzhou
Chongqing
Lizhou
Chengdu
Handan
Leshan
Xining
Lijiang
Wuxi
CHINA OUTBOUND 6SURVEY RESULTS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

7. Filial travelers
(51% have been on such trips, 37% have not yet been on such trips but are
interested in them)
Travelers are heading abroad in multigenerational groups, sometimes as an
alternative to hometown reunions during Chinese New Year. These include
business people traveling with their retired parents as well as their young
children, and millennials traveling with their parents. Travel operators are
learning to cater to multigenerational groups of six or seven people. (See “Case
study: Beshan by WildChina” pg 34)
• Over index on meeting new people,
learning about new cultures,
quality time with family/friends,
and being amazed
• Especially likely to say that
traveling is a great way to bond
with family, learn about new
cultures, and that they spend more
on travel than they used to
• More likely to prefer a loose
itinerary when traveling
Foodie travelers
(48% have been, 41% interested)
Where Chinese tourists once stuck to the predictability of Chinese restaurants
while abroad, they are now more likely to enjoy local cuisines, whether it’s
sushi in Japan, oysters in New Zealand, crispy duck in Bali or durian in Malaysia.
For an increasing number of Chinese travelers, local delicacies have become
something to be sought out rather than studiously avoided. (See “Voices: Liu
Tong” pg 23 and “Voices: Linfeng Li” pg 25)
• Skews more urban, more likely to
be students
• Over index on meeting real local
people, shopping, self-discovery,
and meeting new people
• Especially likely to say that they
would rather travel internationally
than within China, that people ask
their advice about traveling, and
that they spend more on travel
than they used to
Emerging traveler types
We combined our survey results with original interviews and desk research to
identify 12 emerging types of Chinese travelers.
“Trying out
new foods is an
important part of
traveling.”
LIU TONG (CARRIE)
FOODIE FROM BEIJING
“All the travel they
plan is with their
families.”
MEI ZHANG
FOUNDER OF WILD CHINA AND
ITS OUTBOUND UNIT, BESHAN,
REFERRING TO THE TYPICAL
CLIENT
CHINA OUTBOUND 7SURVEY RESULTS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

8. Linfeng Li, 31
Shanghai
Solo male traveler, foodie
Linfeng Li took a trip to Stockholm,
Sweden last September to visit
a friend and celebrate leaving his
corporate job to become a full-time
photographer.
But being a food tour guide in
Shanghai, he couldn’t resist checking
out the capital’s food scene. He found
Food Tours Stockholm and signed up
for a three-hour tour giving visitors a
sense not only of local concepts such
as “fika,” a Swedish term for coffee-
and-pastry hour, but also how locals
go about their daily lives.
Li says he usually uses TripAdvisor
to find food while abroad, saving
Dianping for finding restaurants in
China. “If a food tour is available,
I’ll find out about where to eat in a
destination through the tours, but if
not, if I have friends living there I’ll ask
for recommendations,” he says.
He loves making his own discoveries
as a solo traveler. “Overall, each trip
is more liberating and rewarding than
the previous one, especially when I
travel alone,” he says. “Past travel
experiences were solely dependent
on group tours, which was my parents’
first choice, and I find independent
trips are much more flexible and
positive. Without rigid plans or forced
shopping, I can do whatever I feel like.”
“Each trip is
more liberating
and rewarding
than the
previous one,
especially
when I travel
alone.”
LINFENG LI
SOLO MALE TRAVELER, FOODIE
8CHINA OUTBOUNDSURVEY RESULTS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

9. In 2000, Mei Zhang started WildChina
to run small, luxury tours in China for
Westerners wanting to step off the
beaten tourist path.
The agency garnered accolades for its
deep local knowledge and emphasis
on interpersonal connections. In 2012,
National Geographic Traveler included
WildChina’s Ancient Tea and Horse
Road trip, which starts in China’s
subtropical southwest and ends in the
Tibetan region of Shangri-La, on its
list of “50 Tours of a Lifetime.”
In the same year, Zhang also
began applying the same formula
for outbound tourists—tailoring
small tours for wealthy Chinese
businesspeople to places such as
Tanzania, Namibia, Argentina
and Iceland.
Beshan, WildChina’s outbound brand,
is now the fastest-growing segment
of the business, with revenue growing
from 10% to 18% of total sales in 2017.
It runs trips to more than 15 countries
and clients come from all over China.
Zhang had expected her Chinese
clients to be a certain demographic—
worldly, sophisticated, living in China’s
top-tier cities—and the equivalent of
her Western clients.
“China just surprised us,” she tells
the Innovation Group. “We expected
clients who are very international,
who speak English, who are very well-
traveled. But the reality is it’s a mix.
We have clients from some very small
cities. The rate of adoption of second
and third-tier cities doesn’t lag behind
first-tier cities when it comes to
luxury travel.”
Boutique travel agency:
Beshan by WildChina
Wild China in Jordan
CHINA OUTBOUND 9CASE STUDIES: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

10. CHINA OUTBOUND 10
1/3 say they prefer to travel internationally as part of a structured group tour, while most others prefer to make their own itineraries (some more detailed than
others) How respondents prefer to travel
Q. When you travel to a foreign country, which ONE of the following best describes how you prefer to travel?
BY THE NUMBERS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I prefer to travel as part of a structured
tour or group, where the tour mostly
determines what we see and do
I prefer to plan my own detailed list of
places, sites and activities, and I pretty
much stick to this plan
I prefer to plan a somewhat loose itinerary,
through leaving time to add in new plans
and make new discoveries along the
I prefer to just show up at a destination
and figure out what to do when I get there
Structured tours are preferred by those who are married,
parents, and those with higher income levels
33%
33%
32%
3%
0 20 40

11. CHINA OUTBOUND 11
Travelers look for a balance between the familiar and an authentic, local experience – 93% say it’s important to experience a feeling that is
local and authentic to the destination, while 79% are looking for a familiar feeling like their own culture
Importance when choosing a hotel for international travel (% very/somewhat important)
Q. And how important is each of the following when choosing a hotel for international travel?
BY THE NUMBERS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A feeling that is local or authentic to the destination
A familiar feeling, like my own culture
0 50 100
93%
79%

12. Download the full report:
This is the executive summary.
For the full 84-page report, click on "download" on the right side of the page.

13. Contact:
Chen May Yee
APAC Director of the Innovation Group
J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
mayyee.chen@jwt.com
Lucie Greene
Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group
J. Walter Thompson Intelligence
lucie.greene@jwt.com
Visual Editor and Creative Director: Emma Chiu
Researcher and Writer: Jessica Rapp
Contributors: Eddy Cheng of JWT Beijing; Jeremy Koh of JWT Shanghai;
Hiroyuki Hosomi of JWT Japan; Marianne Admardatine, Retna Murti and
Antonius Alexander of JWT Jakarta; Jacqueline Smart of JWT New Zealand;
Pam Garcia of JWT Manila; Ida Seow and Julie Traczyk of JWT Singapore;
Prachawan Ketavan and Piyamon Phomnayramit of JWT Bangkok, Megha
Manchanda of JWT Delhi.
SONAR™: Mark Truss, Amy Song
Visual research: Nayantara Dutta
Design: Jay Yeo
About the Innovation Group
The Innovation Group is J. Walter Thompson’s futurism, research and
innovation unit. It charts emerging and future global trends, consumer change,
and innovation patterns—translating these into insight for brands. It offers
a suite of consultancy services, including bespoke research, presentations,
co-branded reports and workshops. It is also active in innovation, partnering
with brands to activate future trends within their framework and execute new
products and concepts. It is part of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence.
Acknowledgments
The Innovation Group would like to thank the travel industry experts, tourism
officials, business owners and travelers who gave their time and insights to
enrich this report. They are:
Alipay; Wang Gang of Hope Noah Health Company; Robbie Gong of Daocaoren;
Vinsensius Jemadu of Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism; Shirley So of Glo
Kitchen & Fitness; Hu Tingting; Sanjiv Hulugalle; Jenny Wang of Four Seasons;
Linfeng Li; Liu Tong; Lu Weifeng of Ctrip; Sherry Ma; Wenmin Ou; Ah Qiang of
PFlag China; Vigil Yu; Mei Zhang of WildChina; Jiling Zheng.