Today, affluent Chinese female travellers are seeking
more meaningful travel experiences for themselves
Changing attitudes towards luxury are reshaping the way affluent Chinese female travellers approach their journeys. Travel now carries a deeper significance than ever before, leading to a shift in how they perceive and engage with the experiences.
The definition of luxury has become much more intimate
The definition of luxury has shifted from solely acquiring material possessions to achieving contentment. Rather than external validation, luxury now revolves around things or experiences that bring satisfaction and contentment and travel does just that.
For 63% of respondents, “luxury” means having total privacy and “me time,” while 56% see luxury as things or experiences that bring joy. For 37%, luxury is an expression of identity, and 36% see it as a symbol of independence.
Additionally, 44% see luxury as a recognition of their own hard work and achievement, making luxury a symbol of personal success and ambition.
A sense of personal empowerment is making travel more meaningful
Today, affluent Chinese female travellers are seeking more meaningful travel experiences for themselves. Instead of seeing travel as just getting away or escaping, it is now seen as opportunities for enrichment, new learnings and personal fulfillment.
98% of women agree that travel is a way to treat themselves. An overwhelming 99% believe that travel brings profound joy, and over 99% see it as essential for expanding their horizons.
Travel has emerged as a conduit for self-determination and personal evolution among China’s affluent female population. 98% believe in defining happiness and satisfaction for themselves, rather than letting society dictate it, and 71% believe that travel is a way to express their independence.
Emergent travel motivations are coexisting with traditional ones
Newly identified travel motivations, such as recharging for personal well-being and doing something out of the ordinary, are gaining traction and will become stronger travel motivators in the future. On the other hand, traditional motivations that drove travel previously, such as traveling with family out of duty, will persist.
The most significant disparities between the motivations for future and past travel stem from the increasing trend of travelling to fulfill personal desires or needs.
The way they travel
Solo travel is on the rise in popularity, as luxury female travellers are increasingly empowered to make their own decisions.
Looking ahead, they are planning to take more leisure trips, immersing in local experiences and once-in-a-lifetime adventures.
Solo travel is on the rise
Chinese luxury female travellers indicate a very strong desire for solo travel, with 72% of respondents stating that they will maintain or increase solo travel in the future. 69% of respondents express a preference for travelling with friends over travelling with family.
Even among those with children, nearly half (46%) intend to travel less, or not at all, with their children.
However, that does not mean extended family travel is going away. The expectation to take family trips remains strong with over 60% still expecting to increase or maintain the number of family trips. These women are likely balancing their family commitment by maintaining their regular family trips, while adding more solo and friend-only trips to cater to their personal interests and need for independence.
Their own options on travel decisions come first and matter the most
Women have been widely recognised as the primary decision makers for travel, and this trend will only increase going forward. Empowered by financial autonomy and the rising desire for solo travel, affluent Chinese female travellers are expected to make even more selfexpressive travel choices in the future.
That does not mean they do not listen to anyone other than themselves, however. While 82% say their own opinions are the most influential in planning travel, partners (60%), friends (41%) and others are still playing secondary roles.
Word-of-mouth remains the most important, but different age groups rely on different external influences
Across all age groups, family and friends continue to be the primary source of influence for non-solo travel, with other sources of influence remaining comparatively low.
However, there are notable differences among age groups. Older affluent travellers are more likely to use travel advisors, seeing them as trusted sources for personalised guidance. Specifically, of those who use travel advisors, only 16% are aged 25-34.
The younger segment is much more influenced by travel bloggers and social media celebrities, though travel bloggers have more widespread age appeal.
Among those who are influenced by celebrities or influencers, 46% are aged 25-34, decreasing as age increases. Additionally, only 15% of those who use travel bloggers are 55 or older.
They are going to venture out far and wide
Affluent Chinese female travellers are excited to start new adventures and travel further away from home.
They are shifting their focus from domestic travel to exploring regions like Australia and New Zealand (+35%), Korea and Japan (+22%), Europe (+30%) and North America (+14%).
In 2023, regions like mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and even Southeast Asia were relatively easier to get to. Now that travel restrictions are effectively gone and confidence is largely restored, they are rapidly pivoting to farther destinations.
Slow travel is not overtaking fast travel
While the trend towards travel motivated by personal enrichment is clear, our findings also show that this can be expressed through both fast and slow travel.
In fact, our respondents are fairly split between preferring fast-paced itineraries (52%) and slow, immersive experiences (48%).
This indicates that there is still space for both travel styles among these travellers, with each catering to their own personal preferences and decisions.
They are going to take more leisure trips in the future
Empowered by greater financial independence and propelled by a desire for self-enrichment, 54% of Chinese females intend to embark on more leisure trips in the upcoming years. This projected uptick in travel frequency reflects their escalating enthusiasm for discovering new destinations and participating in experiential travel.
Conversely, leisure travel does not emerge as a prominent trend among these travellers, with 69% not currently engaging in it, and 86% indicating that this trend will either remain the same or decrease in the future. The anticipated increase in travel frequency is likely to be concentrated in leisure travel specifically.
Describing the Tribes
Far from a homogenous cohort, China’s female travellers can be categorised into individual tribes. The study identifies the following five distinct archetypes that reflect the current market forces:
Daring Dragon: Confident, independent, and ambitious, these women prefer solo travel and are likely to be among the first to visit niche destinations or try new experiences. They value the freedom they have and are willing to splurge on meaningful luxury travel.
Curious Deer: While keen to explore the world, they may lack the adventurous spirit of the Daring Dragon. Heavily influenced by marketing, social media and mainstream culture, they are quick to identify emerging trends and eager to follow them.
Magnificent Phoenix: Defying expectations, these older travelers are seizing opportunities that were not available to them earlier in life. Rather than travel with family members, they choose to explore the world with friends.
Mama Tiger: Deeply committed to fostering their children’s success, viewing travel as an active learning experience. However, unlike the traditional, self-sacrificing tiger mums, they prioritise self-care, using family travel opportunities to explore and unwind.
Spirited Dolphin: This open-minded, well-educated millennial traveler seeks hedonistic – yet enriching – experiences. Travel is a social activity. While they may eschew the trappings of luxury travel, they will priorities wellness experiences.
About The Survey and Respondents
Today’s Chinese female travelers are not a monolithic group, but rather a diverse demographic with varied motivations, attitudes and travel behaviors.
We surveyed 800 affluent Chinese female travelers through a 20-minute online questionnaire between 26 April and 15 May 2024. Respondents were shortlisted through a pre-qualification screening to ensure data quality.
Among the 800 travelers, there are 150 aged between 25 and 34, 200 aged 35-44, 200 aged 45-54 and 150 aged 55 or above. The respondents are from the 12 cities with the highest GDPs in China in 2023, including the tier-one cities Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, new tier-one cities Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou and Wuhan, and tier-two cities Nanjing, Tianjin, Suzhou and Ningbo.
About FINN Partners
Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, headquartered in New York, with more than 1,400 professionals across 35 offices, FINN provides clients with global access and capabilities in the Americas, EMEA and Asia. In addition, FINN provides its clients with access to top-tier agencies worldwide through its membership in the global network PROI.
FINN Partners’ Global Travel Practice works with boutique hotels, tour operators, luxury hotel brands, in-demand destinations, cruise lines, airlines, and other travel products on a breadth of communications services, including consumer and trade media relations, media intelligence, trendspotting, content development and storytelling, brand partnerships, social media strategy and advertising, influencer marketing, content marketing, digital marketing, experiential and thought leadership. The Greater China travel practice is located in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. www. finnpartners.com.
About ILTM
ILTM is a global collection of invitation-only events that bring together leading international buyers to meet and discover the most luxurious travel experiences. Each event introduces an unrivalled selection of luxury travel brands to extensive network of hand-picked luxury Travel Advisors through bespoke appointment programs and networking sessions. Alongside global flagship events in Cannes and Asia-Pacific, ILTM has three core local events: ILTM Latin America and ILTM North America, as well as one specialist event, ILTM Africa. http://www.iltm.com.