Destinations: In the past year, the top 5 most popular overseas destinations for Chinese high-end travelers were Europe (39%), the Americas (36%), Africa (29%), Southeast & South Asia (23%) and Japan & South Korea (22%). Africa rose fastest, breaking into the top three as it increased from 15% last year to 29%. The Americas increased by 5%, rising to second. Top-placed Europe fell 6% compared with last year.

Travel themes: the surprise vacation theme last year was islands and beaches. Its popularity seems to have peaked, however, with the selection rate dipping to 13% this year. Travel around the world saw the fastest rate of growth, establishing itself in pole position with an increase from 13% last year to 37%. Polar exploration, the most popular theme last year, fell by 8.5% and takes second place with a rate of 22%. 

Vacation destinations for 2019 Chinese New Year: 64% of respondents have chosen to take an outbound trip during Chinese New Year next year. The top three destinations are Australia (20%), Thailand (18%) and New Zealand (17%). 29% of respondents will stay in China. The most popular choice is to return to one’s hometown, with 10%, followed by trips to Sanya and Yunnan close behind with 8% and 6% respectively.

Travel agency selection: over half of high-end travelers opt for personalised service as the key consideration when a selecting a travel agency, with half choosing a well-planned itinerary. 45% of travelers prioritise problem-solving capacity. Creative itineraries and hard-to-find resources are among the top five factors for consideration, having been chosen by nearly 30% of travelers.

Homestay: 24% of people would choose home stay, maintaining the same level as last year. “Better understanding the local life”, “reasonable prices”, “family atmosphere” are the main reasons for them to choose home stay. 

Holiday homes: nearly half of high-end travelers interviewed have purchased holiday homes, with 11% of them in Thailand, 10% in Australia and 5% in both Switzerland and Japan; in China, Sanya is the location of choice, with a selection rate of 12%. Apartments and villas are the favoured mode of residence.