While their non-Chinese counterparts trotted along the desert of Egypt, transporting themselves to the ancient days where Pharaohs ruled, the typical Chinese tourists would find themselves admiring the perfectly symmetrical cone of Mount Fuji in Japan, snapping photographs of the snow-capped active volcano that would make their WeChat friends green with envy.

 

According to a report by Nielson, most Chinese outbound tourists prefer natural scenic attraction, which is quite a stark contrast to their non-Chinese counterparts who largely prefers the company of historical landmarks.

 

Based on the preliminary data from the Chinese Tourism Academy, there were 140 million Chinese outbound tourists in 2018, to put that into perspective, that’s almost 20 times the population of Hong Kong SAR or almost 25 times the population of Singapore.

 

With such high numbers of travellers, one might wonder what do they all do when they are out of the country? Do they go shopping like the stereotypical Chinese emptying shelves of luxury merchandise at one go? Or do they prefer the fresh air of natural scenic attractions, unpolluted by the rapidly developing cities? Or perhaps, they visit theme parks, taking photos with their favourite characters and enjoying various rides?

 

According to the marketing research giants, these are the tourist attractions favored by Chinese travelers overseas:

 

Natural landmarks (45%)

 

Theme parks (41%)

 

Historical sites (38%)

 

Natural resorts (36%)

 

Urban landmarks (29%)

 

Shopping-themed scenic areas (25%)

 

Cultural/art museums (23%)

 

Natural reserves (16%)

 

Zoo/botanical gardens (14%)

 

Forest parks (12%)

 

Religious places of worship (10%).