China to become driving force within the global adventure travel sector

With a rapidly growing interest within both the advanced and the casual segment, China is expected to become a driving force within the adventure travel sector internationally, according to recent findings by ITB China Travel Trends Report. According to the market survey result from 300 Chinese outbound travel agents, over 52 per cent of the interviewees think Chinese travellers are willing to spend more than CNY 10,000 on each adventure trip. A survey has also been conducted among members of the ITB China’s Buyers’ Circle. 80 per cent of these surveyed businesses agree that adventure travel is a travel category that appeals most strongly to young Chinese born in the 1980s and 1990s. The trends report was created in collaboration with the international consulting and research company Kairos Future and will be presented at ITB China, set to take place from the May 15 to 17,  2019 in Shanghai.
The most important three aspects that Chinese travellers care for in adventure travel are safety (30 per cent), local activities (26 per cent) and scenery (17 per cent). Safety concerns are more common in China than internationally, as travellers are far less experienced in adventure travel. Topics include safety risks of activities such as bungee jumping as well as the risk of getting lost in the wilderness, and the dangers stemming from not carrying the right equipment. Providers of adventure travel products targeting the outbound Chinese market need to tailor products to traveller segments with different expectations on difficulty, safety and comfort.