Chinese prefer online travel information sources
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Travel agents ranked second followed by traditional media such as newspapers and magazines.
Research for the new China Outbound Travel Monitor 2007 was conducted by The Nielsen Company in partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
Conducted in October 2007, via a combination of telephone and online interviews, the Monitor surveyed 1,500 travellers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Chinese outbound travellers from the three key cities are turning to the Internet for their travel bookings. While the majority is currently using traditional travel agents (61%), Chinese travellers booking via online travel agents and hotel or transport operators websites (29% and 16% respectively) are on the rise, with their numbers expected to continue to increase.
“Given the astounding growth in China’s online population, the Internet will become the most efficient way to quickly understand consumers across China’s vast markets,” said Dr Grace Pan, head of Travel & Leisure Research, The Nielsen Company, China.
She said marketers need to innovate to leverage the Internet to reach consumers as standard online advertising may not be adequate to capture the attention of the tech-savvy Chinese online population.
“It is important for industry participants to keep a close eye on this lucrative market by tracking how Chinese travellers are evolving, in terms of their travel behaviour, travel motivations and satisfaction levels with tourism suppliers around the world.”
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