Wealthy Chinese spend big on luxury travel

Affluent Chinese are continuing to spend big on overseas travel, with a round-the-world trip costing 1.38 million yuan with just 10 vacancies selling out soon after noon on Monday, hours after becoming available. The price of the tour, which will take place next year, has risen from 500,000 yuan in 2006.

中国有钱人的出境游热潮持续不减。高达138万元的环球游项目，限量发售10席，在星期一中午发行后的几小时内就被一抢而空。这项2017年的环球游游项目，在2006年时价格仅为50万元。

It will run from Jan 3 to March 23 and cover 22 countries and regions. The flights involved will cover 63,223 kilometers — 1.5 times the circumference of the equator. All the flights will be in business class. Cruises, luxury train rides, private helicopter flights and even a nuclear- powered icebreaker trip will be included in the tour, which is being operated by HHtravel, the high-end branch of travel agency Ctrip.

这次环游世界将从2017年1月3日开始，3月23日结束，涵盖22个国家和地区，总飞行公里数将达到63223公里——是赤道周长的1.5倍。所有的航段都是公务舱标准，另外全程还尊享邮轮、奢华火车、专人飞机、甚至核能破冰旅行。该项目是由携程顶级游品牌鸿鹄逸游提供。

Zhang Guangrui, honorary director of the Tourism Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "Chinese tourists no longer travel in groups, wear the same hats with a travel agency's logo and jump out of buses at scenic spots to take photos.

中国社会科学院旅游研究中心名誉主任张广瑞说，"中国游客不再像以前一样跟着旅行团，人人都戴着印有旅行社LOGO的帽子，到了旅游景点就下车拍照。"

"With more and more wealthy Chinese becoming veteran travelers, standard travel products are losing out to tailored and well-planned travel packages," Zhang said.

随着越来越多有钱的中国人成为资深旅游人士，标准化的旅游产品正在被量身订制和精心策划的旅行包所替代。

According to Ctrip, people between 45 and 55 are the main age group for such trips and 41 percent of them are board chairmen or senior executives. Other agencies are also developing tailor-made, high-class travel packages.

据携程数据，此类旅游的主要消费对象是45到55岁的人群，其中41%是企业董事长或者高管层。其他中介也推出了一些量身订制的高端旅行产品。

Li Mengran, publicity manager at Beijing Utour International Travel Service, which in 2014 launched Magic Travel to cater to the expanding ranks of wealthy Chinese, said: "Compared with years ago, the market is much more mature. Today, there is more to luxury travel than just being ostentatious."

北京众信国际旅行社在2014年曾推出魔法旅游以迎合中国富人的需求，该司宣传部经理李梦冉说："与几年前相比，旅游市场更成熟。现在，更多人选择豪华旅行，而不仅仅是单纯的炫富。"

Li said travel products that offer "rich, exotic experiences" are now popular with high-end travelers, such as the company's Amazon River cruise or an expedition to a Kenyan national wildlife park. "Tours to the Arctic and Antarctica led by scientists and accompanied by professional photographers are also best-sellers," Li said.

李介绍，"奢华、异国风情的"旅游产品现在非常受高端旅客的欢迎，比如该公司的亚马逊河流巡航游、以及肯尼亚国家野生动物公园探险。她说，"有科学家和专业摄影师陪同的南极北极游也很畅销。"

Zhou Chen, 35, from Shanghai, said he prefers to visit little-known places or those with special themes. "Sightseeing and shopping are not my motives for overseas travel. I like taking adventures, and my next stop is exploring Antarctica," said Zhou, a private company owner.

来自上海35岁的周陈表示，他更喜欢去那些鲜为人知或者有着特殊主题的地方旅游。周经营着一家小公司，他说，"我出国旅游不是为了观光和购物。我喜欢探险，我的下一个计划是去探访南极。"