The future of China's international market – traveller demands and expectations are not the same

With China’s borders now re-opened to international travel, waves of outbound travel are expected to build in the market.

After almost three years of restricted travel, Chinese travellers are back but their demands and expectations are not the same as before the pandemic.

Chinese travellers have initially opted for ‘safe’ markets, including Hong Kong, Macau and select regional destinations.

COVID-19 has also accelerated the swing away from large, organised tour groups and towards individual and small group travel with freer itineraries.

This was the topic of a panel discussion at the CAPA Asia Aviation Summit in Kuala Lumpur Brisbane at the start of Nov-2023.   

The session was moderated by Air Transport World, Editor in Chief, Karen Walker and included AirAsia Group, Chief Revenue & Network Officer, Paul Caroll and Hong Kong International Airport, COO, Vivian Cheung.

Some of the topic areas covered included:

• As Chinese outbound travel continues to grow, what impact will it have on regional tourism and travel markets?
• What are the next big destinations for Chinese travellers?
• With China’s large state-owned airline resting both short-haul and long-haul connectivity, how will regional capacity and networks be affected?
• How are the priorities of the Chinese outbound travel market in the post pandemic period?
• How can air transport providers and destinations improve their attractiveness to the outbound market?

You can view the full session via the following CAPA TV recording.