Outbound tourism seen on steady growth track with Gen Z a key driver

China's outbound tourism sector is expected to witness steady growth this summer, with Asia and Europe gaining popularity among Chinese travelers who are driven by their interests when choosing overseas destinations, according to the United States-based lodging and short-term vacation rental provider Airbnb.

Data from Airbnb show that the number of Chinese users searching for outbound stays with check-in dates between May 30 and June 3 registered a more than twofold increase year-on-year.

The most popular overseas destinations for Chinese travelers during the Dragon Boat Festival break were Japan, South Korea, France, Italy, the US, the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia and Switzerland, Airbnb said.

Japan and South Korea continue to be top outbound destinations as search volumes for the two countries surged over threefold year-on-year, while Gen Z — those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s — outpaced other age groups with their searches for outbound stays jumping nearly threefold compared with the same period last year.

According to a joint study by Airbnb and consulting firm Kantar, experiencing local cuisine has become the number one motivation for Chinese travelers going abroad. This summer, the Italian city of Bologna, the birthplace of authentic Bolognese sauce, saw a nearly 20-fold year-on-year surge in search volume.

Young Chinese also aspire to experience local culture and art. The return of Japan's Setouchi Triennale, a contemporary art festival held every three years, has sparked renewed interest in the island-hopping art destination, with Takamatsu, its gateway city, seeing searches climb more than three times. Meanwhile, Fukuoka saw searches rise over four times year-on-year.

Qi Yue, who is in charge of business growth operations at Airbnb China, said some niche destinations, such as Egypt and Vietnam, are increasingly gaining traction among travelers, adding that such tourists are driven by their interests when choosing overseas destinations and prefer seeking more in-depth experiences.

Qi said that young people tend to use short-haul travel to see a concert, get close to nature and experience natural landscapes, and she is bullish on the growth prospects for the outbound tourism market. For instance, Incheon in South Korea experienced an explosive 40-fold year-on-year increase in search volumes driven by the summer music festival.

Kong Zhiqiu, head of Airbnb China, said that based on the insights about Chinese travelers' demands, over 80 percent of respondents from China said they are more likely to choose an accommodation option that offers add-on services, and they are showing a rising demand for food, photography and fitness.

Moreover, in a recent global survey, more than 95 percent of respondents from China said they often book an experience when they travel, while over 60 percent of Chinese respondents cited the authenticity of the experience as one of the most important factors when booking.

With the robust growth of outbound tourism, tourists are showing increasing demand for short-term home rentals and homestay services, which are now wide-ranging to satisfy the needs of various types of tourists, said Lai Zhen, an analyst at market research company iResearch.

Typically, travelers hire such services for get-togethers, reunions, team-building activities and for improving parent-child bonding and communication, Lai said, adding that demand for leisure tourism is on the rise as more and more people are inclined to get close to nature and stay away from the hustle and bustle of cities.

Experts added that long-distance tours have been increasingly preferred by Chinese travelers thanks to relaxed visa policies and an increase in the number of international flights. The growth of China's outbound tourism will bolster the global tourism industry and the economic recovery of countries that depend heavily on tourism.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that an increasing number of Chinese tourists prefer to pay for a better lifestyle, and opt for good hotels, fine dining and high-quality performances during their trips, which will inject warmth and vitality into international destinations.