Talking Travel: The Hurun Report on Travel, Tasting Taiwan at Kerry Hotel Beijing, and New Flights from Beijing

The Hurun Report and ILTM Asia released The Chinese Luxury Traveler 2014 report on Tuesday, and it's not only an interesting read, but a detailed breakdown of Chinese luxury travel behavior in what has become the most sought-after travel customer in the world. 

The top luxury destination for Chinese travelers is ... Australia. Not really a tough sell, and Australia has been making concerted marketing efforts for years that are clearly paying off. The report is based on a survey of "203 Chinese luxury travelers who had spent USD 25,000 on a trip in the past three years, and had – on average – visited 40 countries." Wow.

Outbound tourism in 2013 grew 17 percent to 98 million travelers, still less than 10 percent of China's population. Travel is still the most popular activity for Chinese High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), the report said.

"The report found that for those luxury travelers who have been to 40 countries or more, they spent 36 days abroad last year, half for leisure travel. Driving tours within China are becoming increasingly popular, with 43 percent replying they went on a driving holiday last year. Sixty-six percent consider medical tourism. The Caribbean is the most popular destination for luxury cruises, although Antarctica and the North Pole are fast-growing," the report said. 

"Experiential travel rather than just shopping tours are becoming more popular now that the Chinese luxury consumer has traveled more widely," said Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report chairman and chief researcher. It's a fascinating read, download the whole report here.

As I said in the previous edition of Talking Travel, I'm getting tired of hearing how wonderful Taiwan is, but, well, here's more. You can potentially win a trip for two to Taiwan, including airfare and accommodation at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, when you dine at Kerry Hotel Beijing's "A Taste of Taiwan" at Horizon Chinese Restaurant June 4-7, and Kerry's Kitchen June 4-14. Both the Horizon set menu and Kerry's Kitchen buffet are RMB 258+ per person. For more information on reservations and other prizes, click here. Sigh. I should just go to Taiwan and get it over with.

A couple of new flights from Beijing are starting or just about to start. Air China will fly Beijing to South Korea's Jeju Island starting June 11. Not sure what the frequency is, but the schedule is designed to give you maximum time on the island, with the return arriving at midnight in Beijing. Air China will also begin its non-stop service to Washington, DC, on June 10, four times per week. Here's a bit more information about flying internationally on Air China.

That'll do it for this edition. 'Til Tuesday, one road flat safe.

Photo: Wikimedia