The Rise of the Independents

Re: The Rise of the Independents

The Story: The world has been taken by surprise by the speed at which Chinese tourists have evolved from passive tour bus passengers to unfettered independent travelers.

What to Know:

• Today, the great accelerator and boldness builder is mobile technology. It’s empowering travelers from solo women to Chinese families.
• The first choice for millennial travelers is purchasing a package but traveling on their own without a guide.
• The hankering for independent travel is most prevalent among younger Chinese in first-tier cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Shenzhen—the so- called Bei-Shang-Guang-Shen.
• Chinese travelers—and especially Chinese Millennial travelers—have upended the global tourism sector in a series of once-in-a-generation shifts in recent years.
• The next seismic event is well underway as independent travelers have rapidly unpacked the traditional group- tour model, forcing destinations and industry to cater to this new customer’s traveling needs.