Wealthy folk looking for unique travel experiences

SHANGHAI: Small and medium-sized cruise ships, high-end hotels and exclusive Chinese language tour services and drivers are what Chinese luxury travellers are looking for, says an October report by HHtravel, a luxury brand under China’s biggest online travel agency Ctrip, and Palm You, a tourism consultant based in Shanghai.

More than 90% of the wealthy expressed willingness to travel to polar regions and the United States, the report says.

Northern Europe, Canada, Australia, South-East Asia, Africa, Russia, Japan’s Hokkaido and Maldives are also on their lists.

Meanwhile, Chinese travellers have overtaken Australia to become the second biggest group to visit the Antarctic, and their numbers have grown nearly 40 times over the past decade.

The figure is expected to cross 5,000 this year.

High-end travellers accounted for 10% of all travellers there, the report says.

Most luxury travellers deem the Antarctic as a once-in-a-lifetime destination and prepare carefully, says Guo Ming, the chief operating officer of HHtravel.

Some of them have planned trips to the Arctic after visiting the Antarctic.

The increasingly convenient visa policies of South American countries like Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil this year have also sparked the interest of the Chinese nouveau

riche.

Their trips to those countries typically involve spending between 100,000 and 250,000 yuan (RM63,780 and RM149,446) per head – 10 times the figure spent by ordinary travellers, the report says.

Historic sites and magnificent natural landscapes have a special appeal for those who are relatively tired of visiting the US and Europe, according to the report.

In addition, many Chinese travel to the Southern Hemisphere over October-February to enjoy the summer. — China Daily / Asia News Network