Stays away

Chinese travelers have become big consumers of shared accommodation overseas, with their footprint extending from Asia to the United States, Europe and Australia. Travelers on sightseeing and leisure tours are the main consumers, and most of them travel with friends and families. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese travelers made 1.22 trillion trips overseas last year, and 47 percent of them had travel-sharing experiences, says Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy.

"Compared with other fields, the tourism industry has been greatly influenced by the sharing economy," says Dai, adding, "It is creating a new mode of travel."

The huge potential of the sharing travel market in China has also caught the eye of some like Jin Dongzhe, the founder of Tangguo, an internet company that matches private house renters with tourists.

He noticed the great potential in the private rental business when he entered the market in Liaoning province's capital Shenyang in 2007.

"There are many idle houses in China, especially in the third-and fourth-tier cities, and they can satisfy travelers' accommodation requirements," he says.

The government's decision to support bed-and-breakfast and short-term rentals in 2015 also encouraged Jin to launch his new company.