Recent survey shows Chinese executives travel more than other Asia Pacific workers
August 22, 2011
China dominated the Asia Pacific business travel market in the first half of 2011 and is expected to remain on top for the rest of the year. Global hotel operator Accor recently conducted a survey of roughly 10,000 Asia Pacific business travelers who traveled at least once for work between January and June of this year. Nearly one-fifth of the survey respondents were Chinese and approximately 75 percent of business travelers were found to be men.
"The sheer number of business trips made by Mainland Chinese business travelers can be possibly attributed to the importance of 'Guan Xi,' or positive interpersonal relationships, as a crucial element for business dealings," said Accor's vice president of communications Evan Lewis. "An observation that supports this hypothesis is that 51 percent of Mainland Chinese respondents travel for external company business, such as sales and client visits."
The survey also showed that 73 percent of Chinese business travelers visited Hong Kong for work, which makes it the leading destination for business travel. Singapore and Thailand were the second and third most frequented destinations for Chinese travelers. These workers tied with Singapore for being the most diligent on the road, working longer hours and continuing their business in their hotel rooms. They can use calling cards to China to stay in touch with their loved ones when they take breaks from work.