China's rich kids want personalized, digital travel: report

BEIJING - Wealthy young Chinese want personalized and unique luxury experiences when traveling, with digital services throughout their trip, according to a new report.

These rich kids, aged 18 to 36 with average personal wealth over 38 million yuan ($5.78 million), prefer interactive guest services on smart devices over traditional service, and expect this technology to record their personal preferences, according to surveys of 525 respondents by Marriott International and the Hurun Research Institute.

Their report showed that wealthy youngsters also research trips online. WeChat emerged as the primary source of travel information, obtained from official WeChat accounts and those of friends and professional travel advisors. Third-party apps are also important information channels and popular platforms include Ctrip, Qunar and Tuniu.

Last year, Japan was the respondents' top destination for shopping, France was their popular destination in Europe, and Australia was the top destination for leisure.

China's young luxury travelers want a wider choice of novel tours. They are interested in adventure travel, polar exploration and road trips taking them further afield to destinations including Africa and the Middle East, the report showed.