Their spending on luxury goods at these airports is twice the average for Asia-Pacific, according to a study published earlier this month by the Airports Council International Asia-Pacific and Middle East, a trade group representing more than 600 airports in 44 countries and territories.
The findings were based on inputs from retailers and passengers at 36 major airports across 21 countries in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
Stefano Baronci, the group’s director general, said Chinese travelers boasted the “highest spend per passenger of any nationality” in the post-pandemic period, as quoted by the South China Morning Post.
The study also identified passengers from India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as other big airport spenders.
Baronci noted that confectionery is a popular purchase among Chinese travelers, many of whom buy it as gifts to take home.
Some 27% of these travelers cited confectionery as their “preferred category,” compared with 17% for local products and 12% for luxury goods, he said.
He, however, noted that Chinese passengers are shifting their spending toward domestic airports, supported by “expanded” duty-free policies.
Their outlays at domestic airports have climbed 20% since 2019, according to the trade group.
Meanwhile, the Korea Times reported last month that duty-free operators in markets such as South Korea, Singapore and Thailand have reported subdued sales despite a recovery in Chinese arrivals.
Fresh data for the Lunar New Year holiday last week indicated improving sentiment among Chinese travelers, with their spending and number of trips hitting new records during the period, Bloomberg reported.
Figures released Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed domestic tourism expenditure during the nine-day holiday reached 803.5 billion yuan (US$117 billion), an increase of 126.5 billion yuan from a year earlier. Part of the rise was attributed to this year’s break being one day longer.
Some 596 million domestic trips were made during the period, up by 95 million year-on-year, the ministry added.
Overseas travel also increased, with mainland residents logging 9.5 million cross-border trips, a 10% rise from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration.
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