Portable Wi-Fi is a net gain for travelers

Chinese outbound travelers are increasingly renting portable Wi-Fi devices before they embark on a holiday, to keep overall vacation costs low and to keep in almost constant touch with family, colleagues and friends, a survey has found.

Industry experts say this relatively new trend is a result of an increase in travel and rising demand from tourists for affordable access to the internet while in a foreign country.

Many travel agencies have been offering free portable Wi-Fi devices to their customers at no or nominal additional charges. This, in turn, is encouraging many more people to travel abroad.

Data from Tuniu Corp, a Chinese online travel agency, shows 91 percent of outbound travelers now connect to the internet using Wi-Fi access at various destinations.

But most of the time, such free Wi-Fi access is available only at airports, hotels, restaurants, cafes and tourist spots. While on the move, however, travelers generally rely on exorbitant roaming access to the net.

These days, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and other devices, most travelers remain online nonstop, to share photographs, video clips; write travelogues, diaries and blogs; search directions on maps; dig up tourism information from websites; make travel arrangements like hotel and flight bookings using apps; read news; and stay connected via social media.

Using the internet for such heavy data needs on a roaming feature could punch a big hole in a traveler's wallet.

That is where a portable Wi-Fi device, which offers high-speed access and unlimited data, and can be shared by several people, could prove useful. It is now popular among outbound travelers.

The service is relatively cheap or sometimes even offered as a freebie, part of the overall package deals of travel firms.

The device can be obtained at the airport or home-delivered to travelers in advance. Charges have dropped in the past year or two, and now vary from 10 yuan ($1.50; 1.30 euros; 1.18) per day in Japan and South Korea to about 30 yuan per day in European countries.

Portable Wi-Fi service providers generally tie up with telecom firms at tourist destinations. For instance, Tuniu launched its outbound Wi-Fi rental business in 2013. It cooperates with 200 carriers, and its network covers 123 countries and regions.

Such services have become essential because hundreds of millions of people are given to wanderlust and have an active life on social media. From China alone, 120 million people traveled across the world last year, spending $194 billion in all.

That marked the third year in a row that China topped the list of international outbound travelers, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

The latest Tuniu report showed female tourists particularly like using Wi-Fi access to stay connected with loved ones during their travels. More than 60 percent of Wi-Fi users among tourists are women.

Forty percent of Wi-Fi users are aged 30 to 39 and have stable incomes. Among the users of portable Wi-Fi devices, 35 percent would first consider cost details; 23 percent would weigh specific details like network speed; and 19 percent are concerned whether or not they could obtain and return the Wi-Fi device conveniently, according to the report.

Zhang Xue, 28, a primary school teacher in Beijing, booked a package tour to South Korea in July. "I rented a portable Wi-Fi device for my trip to Jeju Island. The net was fast and it was very cheap, just 8 yuan per day. I'd consider renting such a device for my next outbound trip."

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn