As part of the ITB Berlin, international tourism fair, a discussion panel with more than 100 participants was arranged by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, director of COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute with subjest “The New Chinese Tourist”.
The keynote speech of the panel, delivered by Jens Thraenhart, the president of Dragon Trail (Beijing), emphasised the segmentation which is visible in today’s Chinese outbound travelers. Not only is it necessary to distinguish between the cheap-and-awful mass tourism tours and the offers for affluent travelers. Even within the affluent travelers segment, nouveaux riches and understaters, achievers and dreamers have developed as separate parts of the market. Flashing the newly achieved wealth or relishing understatement, concentrating on the career or entering fairy tales in daily life – the wishes of the rich customers have to be fulfilled if international destinations and companies want a piece of the cake of the growing Chinese outbound tourism source market.
All participants agreed that the sophistication and the diversity of demands of the affluent guests from China will further grow in the coming years, providing opportunities for companies and destinations which do their homework for the Chinese market.
Posted by the Easytraveller Team