The tastes and spending habits of Chinese tourists are changing. This is revealed by a very recent survey, conducted by China UnionPay, on a sample of Chinese who spent the holiday week of Republic Day abroad. In this period, Chinese travelers spent 50% more on hotels, restaurants and visits to museums and monuments compared to the previous year, while spending on shopping increased by only 30%. In short, the Chinese who travel abroad would begin to be more interested in experiencing local culture, gastronomy and traditions rather than hoarding goods in shops and shopping centres. Han Zhijuan, head of Multipath Travel Services in Athens, confirms that Chinese tourism is undergoing a renewal and reveals a much wider and more diversified range of interests than it used to be.
“We have prepared several travel programs, all centered on a different theme,” he says, “for example, we have one for Chinese people who want to taste Greek wines, another one for golf enthusiasts and yet another one for Chinese couples who they choose the setting of the splendid Greek islands to pronounce the fateful yes”. The irresistible thirst for foreign products therefore seems to have subsided, also because, as Ge Lei, manager of the China Youth Travel Service observes, it is now much easier to find items from major international brands at home in China. “The average Chinese tourist is becoming more rational,” Ge Lei says, “and is finding that since he can buy many of the foreign items in his own country's duty free shops, he doesn't need to 'line his pockets' every time he sets foot abroad ”. “Once upon a time,” she adds, “the Chinese came home full of stuff bought in the countries they visited only to realize that more than half of those things didn't really serve them. Now they are becoming more selective”.
