Despite its size and strong potential, China's outbound tourism market faces challenges due to intensifying competition and an increasingly diverse and demanding customer base.
While group tours remain a popular option for less-experienced tourists, families, the elderly and small-town customers, the number of free and independent travelers (FITs) is growing considerably, particularly among younger, more experienced, adventure-seeking customers.
Neither all-inclusive group tours nor traditional luxury packages with individual accompaniment can satisfy them.
FITs reject most of the services offered by travel agencies and are looking for highly personalized services, but at an affordable price, while retaining their total independence throughout the trip.
Service providers need to be constantly updating their market information, improving existing offers and creating new services to satisfy emerging customer needs.