Asian Outbound Tourism: Outlook and Trends

Mr. Xu Jing

UNWTO

Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific

• Asia accounts for 30% of the world international tourism receipts

• Thailand is top earner in the region with China as the second

• 4.1 billion inhabitants in Asia

and the Pacific; 56% of the

world´s population

• The region accounts for over

one-third of the world´s

economy (34%), most of which

is in North-East Asia (25%)

• Between 2000 and 2016, Asia

experienced the fastest

economic growth across

world regions, largely driven

by China and India.

• In 2016, Asian tourists

generated almost 40% of the

world’s tourism expenditure.

• China became the top

spender in international

tourism since 2012.

• From the region, Republic of

Korea is the 2nd largest

spender (USD 27 billion)

• Australia is the 3rd (USD 25

billion) and;

• Hong Kong, China (USD 24

billion) is the 4th.

In 2016, outbound travel from Asia and the Pacific reached a total of 317 million.

Nearly 80% of tourists from Asia and the Pacific travel within their home region.

Demand for long-haul destinations:

•Europe accounts for 12% of all outbound trips;

•The Americas accounts for 5%;

•Trips to the Middle East represent 4%;

•Africa accounts for 1%.

Demographics1) The Consumer Class

• Characterized by its sheer size, urbanized nature,

connectedness, and spending behavior.

• Asia´s aging populations, importance of accessible

tourism

2) The Millennial generation (those currently aged 15-35)

• Approximately 60% of the world’s Millennials reside in

Asia, of which about a third originate from either China or

India.

• Travel behaviour: technologically savvy, independent

travelers, and seeking authentic local experiences.

Travel and technology

• The rise of the mobile-app empowered traveler

• The proportion of online travel booking made by mobile is

twice as high in China as in Western markets, it is also

relatively high in Japan

• The electronic wallet

• Other innovations in digital technology for tourism

• Messaging systems (WeChat)

• Artifical intelligence

• Augmented reality and virtual reality

UNWTO Publications

Thank you!

Xu Jing

Regional Director for

Asia and the Pacific

jxu@unwto.org

Visit us at unwto.org