Phuket retains its allure for high-spending Chinese tourists

Karon Beach, Phuket

Phuket remains one of the most desirable destinations for high-income Chinese tourists according to figures published in the latest Hurun Report, which was released at the International Luxury Travel Mart (ILTM) 2017, held in Shanghai from 5 to 8 June.

Mr. Chuwit Sirivajjakul, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Shanghai Office said, “This survey shows that our policy of targeting luxury tourists to Thailand is working. Phuket has long been a draw for well-heeled travellers, for not only does the island offer a wealth of stunning natural wonders including the world’s best beaches and stunning sunsets, it also boasts luxury experiences including sumptuous five-star hotels and luxury pool villas, spas with every kind of bodily pampering, designer malls, and tailored-made activities aimed at people seeking unique luxury holidays.”

Phuket and Thailand score highly in all three categories of the Hurun Report 2017. These are: Most Memorable Travel Destinations; Most Popular Summer-Autumn International Travel Destinations and Most Popular Winter-Spring International Travel Destinations.

In the Most Memorable Travel Destinations, Thailand took sixth place among all respondents, but in among the Post 80s Generation (those born in mainland China between 1980 and 1989), Phuket took the first place, showing the huge enthusiasm for beach and island holidays among the younger generation of Chinese travellers.

Phuket was ranked as the top travel destination in the Most Popular Summer-Autumn International Travel Destinations by 27 per cent of respondents. Among the Post 80s Generation, Phuket ranked second on the Most Popular Summer-Autumn International Travel Destinations with 29 per cent of the vote.

In the Most Popular Winter-Spring International Travel Destinations, Phuket was voted second favourite holiday destination overall (18 per cent) and for Post 80s travellers (15 per cent). Phuket is the only destination to be on both the Summer-Autumn and Spring-Winter lists.

The Hurun Survey reflects the popularity among wealthy Chinese tourists for beach and island holidays, which ranked first choice with the Post 80s generation getting 46.4 per cent of the vote in the Travel Theme in the Past Year section of the survey. Beach and island holidays took third place generally with 23.4 per cent of respondents expressing a preference for this type of holiday after Leisure (41 per cent) and Polar Exploration (30.5 per cent).

Thailand is well-known among Chinese tourists for its beach and island holidays with destinations, especially Phuket, with Krabi, Ko Samui and Ko Chang becoming increasingly popular. Chinese tourists who enjoy luxury also seek out big hotel brands, many of which are well represented in Thailand.

The kingdom is also well known for resorts, which are the most popular style of luxury hotel in the Hurun Report with 81 per cent of the vote. Good personalised service, for which Thailand is renowned, also plays a part and was the most important factor with 49 per cent of respondents saying service played the main role when it came to choosing a hotel.

The Hurun Research Institute carried out its latest survey between March and May 2017 in association with three of China’s leading luxury travel agencies. The respondents in the annual survey were all high-end Chinese travellers from 12 mainland cities with per capita wealth of nearly RMB 22 million (US$3.2 million / 110.2 million Baht), and who spent on average per trip RMB 380,000 (US$55.8 / 1.9 million Baht), a figure that has risen 57 per cent year on per year.

Established as a research unit in 1999, the Hurun Report Inc. has grown into a leading research house, media and lifestyle investment business based in Shanghai, China. The organisation is best known for its rankings of the richest people in China, India and the rest of the world.