Influx of Chinese tourists prompting hotels to adapt in new ways

The growing number of Chinese tourists spending hotel nights abroad is prompting many hotels to adapt to the different demands and preferences that Chinese people have in comparison to other customer groups. Some of the types of product adaptation may be less expected than others. For example, hotels in Australia found that their storage rooms were too small to accommodate Chinese customers’ luggage, especially because of their extensive shopping whilst abroad.

Developer Mr. Triguboff’s Meriton’s Kent Street Tower in Sydney’s new storage room is the size of three car spaces, and he explains to The Australian that “In the past we would build something that was a quarter of that size, but it’s something that we have to do’’, because “Chinese travellers come and buy lots of things’’. Another result is that hotels choose to employ more heavily built porters to deal with all the heavy luggage.

A perhaps less surprising development in the accommodation industry is that a growing number of Chinese tourists arriving are choosing to stay in rented houses and serviced apartments, rather than exclusively staying at larger hotels – a phenomenon that can in part be explained by changing demands and preferences among Chinese tourists, and also by the growing number of Chinese tourists going abroad as independent travellers rather than in tour groups. With the decision on where to spend the nights resting on independent Chinese travellers instead of on tour group organisers, different demands are to be expected.

COTRI provides expert insights into the worldwide developments of China’s outbound tourism market. As Chinese outbound tourists are travelling to a large range of destinations, our publications cover a number of different regions. Important Chinese visitor activities are analysed, and detailed insights are presented.

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