Shopping becoming increasingly significant for tourists

Hu Min
The China Retail Tourism Development Report, a comprehensive report on retail tourism in China, notes a shift from "tourism shopping" to "retail tourism" as an industry trend.
Hu Min
Shopping becoming increasingly significant for tourists
Ti Gong

The China Retail Tourism Development Report is launched.

Shopping is becoming a more significant component of tourism expenditure with nearly 95 percent of respondents shopping during their travels, a report revealed on Thursday.

The "China Retail Tourism Development Report," the first comprehensive report on retail tourism in China, was released by the China Tourism Academy during the 2024 China Retail Tourism Industry Development Forum co-organized by the academy and the Bicester Collection at Bicester Village Shanghai in the Pudong New Area.

Experiential consumption is becoming more prominent, with the shift from "tourism shopping" to "retail tourism" emerging as an industry trend, the report noted.

A survey of tourists on shopping in September saw 3,562 questionnaires collected. It reflected the basic characteristics of the shopping needs of Chinese travelers such as their tourism shopping expenditure, habits, goals, destinations, types of purchased goods, decision making factors, and shopping comments and suggestions.

Over 90 percent of respondents engaged in shopping during their travels, and nearly 70 percent had either simple or comprehensive shopping plans before they started, indicating a strong proactive attitude towards shopping among tourists, highlighting shopping as an essential component of travel, the report notes.

Shopping becoming increasingly significant for tourists
Ti Gong

Mark Israel, co-chairman of Value Retail China, addresses the forum.

More than half of respondents said they spent 20 percent or more of their travel budget on shopping. The majority of overall spending concentrated between 2,000 yuan (US$281) and 5,000 yuan (52 percent), and outbound tourists demonstrated a greater willingness to shop and spent more compared with domestic tourists, according to the report.

A total of 28.6 percent spent between 5,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan on shopping, and 15.3 percent spent less than 2,000 yuan.

Nearly 40 percent of tourists shop during their travels to "commemorate the trip," and over 30 do so to "buy gifts for family and friends." Handicrafts (40.6 percent), local foods (30.7 percent) and cultural and creative products (28.7 percent) were the most popular items.

Consumers' expectations for shopping go beyond merely acquiring goods, and they are increasingly seeking more diverse, theme-driven, and deep experiences, the report said.

This preference towards experiential consumption is transforming the traditional focus on product purchase in "tourism shopping" into a more holistic "retail tourism" experience, where multi-functional shopping venues are evolving into independent retail tourism destinations, according to the report.

These destinations are moving from closed to open physical spaces and transitioning from purely shopping-oriented to leisure and cultural experiences.

"World-class tourism destinations should attach great importance to the construction of tourism shopping scenes, promote the high-quality development of retail tourism, and cultivate more new spaces for a beautiful life that is friendly and shared by hosts and guests," said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy.


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