Chinese pay a high price for foreign hotel rooms

A masseuse giving her client a massage at a luxury hotel in Bali, Indonesia, Oct 7, 2013. Bali is an island and a province of Indonesia, which is located at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Being a tourist heaven for decades, the island has seen a further surge in tourist numbers in recent years. [Photo/Xinhua]

Online travel agency Ctrip.com International Ltd said outbound tourism has boosted its business. This year, travel volumes to popular overseas destinations are expected to double. Deepened traveling experiences are becoming mainstream among Chinese tourists going abroad. Cruises, island tours and self-driving have attracted more Chinese travelers, according to Ctrip.

Despite the buoyant outbound travel, there was a fall in the number of inbound visitors and overnight stays in China.

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The Hotels.com data show that hotel guests paid an average 1 percent less for their accommodation in 2013, compared with 2012, at a national rate of 691 yuan.

Rising pollution levels in many cities in China because of a combination of weather conditions and the burning of coal have been cited as one of the reasons why last year saw a drop-off in the number of overseas travelers visiting the country, the report said.

Occupancy levels were relatively low, but many international hotel brands are still planning to expand their presence in the country.

InterContinental Hotels Group expects to open 100 new hotels in China in the next three years, with the aim of making the country one of the two largest profit earners for the hotel giant within 10 years, according to Kent Sun, chief development officer of IHG Greater China.

Hotel rates at domestic destinations included in the report experienced little volatility. Xi'an, the ancient Chinese capital that is close to the Terracotta Army archaeological site, registered the greatest fall in the average price paid by hotel guests, down 5 percent to 494 yuan, with southern China's largest city, Guangzhou, falling 4 percent to 703 yuan and Qingdao sliding 3 percent to 631 yuan.

On the other hand, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu rose to 670 yuan. Beijing was also among destinations seeing hotel rates heading higher or remaining steady.

Visitors from Mexico spent the most to stay in China, followed by those from the United States and then Brazilian travelers. Switzerland was the highest-paying European country, coming in at fourth place, while the Asian visitors who paid the most were Singaporeans at No 16.

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