Chinese tourists' top hotel brands, travel apps and search terms

Hotel brands will continue to dominate the accommodation market when it comes to Chinese outbound tourism, despite being under threat from Airbnb globally, according to a report by Express-In and Pingcoo Technology, both mobile advertising solution providers.

And what hotel brand is the favourite among such tourists? Holiday Inn.

The report is based on data gathered between January and March from 10 million mobile devices of Chinese middle-class users in 20 cities, covering their use of more than 100 OTA (online travel agency) platforms, social-media networks and search-based websites.

The charts below are based on analysis of user actions (search, browse, favourite, book) and time spent on the various websites.

Two factors, app usage and keyword searches, prove the preference of hotels over Airbnb, according to the report. Airbnb's ranking is not as high as Ctrip, Qunar or Fliggy when it comes to accommodation decisions. In search volume, hotel-related keywords are also more popular than 'guest house', for instance.

Top overseas accommodation choices for Chinese independent travellers.

AW = Autumn/Winter

This contrasts Airbnb's own numbers from January to September 2017, showing Chinese families preferred using Airbnb while travelling internationally compared to domestically, though the numbers focused on travellers as a family unit and only within Airbnb listings.