Chinese research travel plans on social networks
June 17th, 2010
A study conducted by the independent research team The Futures Company has revealed that business travellers in China are most likely to research their travel plans on social networking sites.
The study, which looked into business and leisure travel trends, was conducted in partnership with Travelport, and covered 12 different countries, with a minimum of 1000 respondents in each.
India and Hong Kong followed China in researching business travel via social networks. In comparison, results showed that people from the USA and UK were less inclined to use social networks to formulate business travel plans.
For leisure plans,China ranked third in researching on social networking sites.
China has the highest rate of internet users in the world, the number currently stands at around 400 million. In terms of percentages, social network usage is seemingly moderate at 35%, however, considering the number of internet users in China, the number actually stands at around 140 million. That number is expected to more than triple in the next five years.
A survey last year found that about 20% of Chinese tourists look for travel reviews on social-networking sites. Thirty million Chinese people booked travel online last year—80% more than in 2008.
By Anna Pearce
